THE LOSS OF HER MAJESTY'S SHIP CAPTAIN.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 149, 15 December 1870, Page 7

THE LOSS OF HER MAJESTY'S SHIP CAPTAIN.

(From tho Lomlon Papers.)

i While the middle watch were being' numbered at midnight on the Gth September, the captain called the 1 gunner's mate and told him to take a . careful hand with him and cover up j the turrets. While endeavouring to lift a grating so as to perform this order, the ship was thrown on . her ! beam ends by a squall. The gunner's ' mate who was to the leeward nt the ; time, held on to the grating. While 'holding ou, tho first launch and second 1 launch and galley (which were both 1 stowed inside the urst launch) were washed over him, the bottom of the first launch bruising his back. Uo &iya that he -s\ enfc over witli the ship ; as soon as he came to the surface ho saw tho launches about fifteen yards off, and in about a dozen strokes he got on board, where lie found two men i who had jumped into the boats while the ."hip was going down. With their united assistance lie succeeded iv hauling in twelve other men. Thsy then sopaiv.tcd the launches — that is to say, the first launch got full of j water and sank from under the second I 1-mndi, in .vhicli kilter tho men were. On getting out a s!oor-oar they succeeded in passing closo to tho steam pinnace, which \vr*s Hunting bottom up, with Cijilain I'urgoyne, James May (gunner), and iu'o men on it. While passing, the gunner jumped into the launch, at the same time asking the captain to jump as it was his only chanco. He believes the captain jumped but mU e<l tho boat. Three other men aho jumped, aud succeeded in getting aboard, making a total ot nineteon souls in t ! 'c second laiiiv!-. When alongside t!ie pinnace, one of the men ol'lbrod the captain an oar, but ho declined, saying, "For (jod's sako, men, keep your oars, you will want them." They were then swept away, and lost sight of the pinnace. They endeavoured to return to the pinnace, and threw overboard the galley (which was stowed inside tiie second launcli), so as to save the captnin and two othov men who were on it, but could not in consequence of a very heavy sea which prevented them from making any headway. While attempting this, George Myors, who was in the launch, yaid, "I think wo are all right now." The words were scarcely uttered when a heavy sea struck the boat and washed him overboard, so after a short consultation thov bore away for the land, which they knew was under their lee, at tho same time lightening the "boat by throwing overboard the stay tackles, masts, &c, retaining only the oars. The boat was all this time up to the thwarts in water. Luckily, one of the boat's crew (David Dryburgh), happened to be in tho boat, aud accordingly knew where to find everything, so that they were able to rig the pump, and with others bailing with their caps, succeeded in bailing her out. At 3.30 a.m. they saw Cape Finistcrre light, and arrived in Cormbion Bay, inside Capo Finisterre, at noon on the 7th, having been twelve hours in the boat, and were taken on board the Monarch at two p.m. of the 9lh, sailing for England the same evening in H.M.S. Volago. Shortly before the ship went over, the captain was on the bridge endeavouring, with the watch, to round in the topsail yards, but he could not. He then gave the order to let go the lee topsail sheets (the halliards haviug^been previously let go). Before tais order could be obeyed, the ship was over on her beam ends, with tho water pouring down her funnel, which was not sufficient to drown tho shrieks of the stokers. SI c then turned bottom up, and sank, stern first, in less than live minutes. Tho report when she sank is described as resembling a tremendous explosion. Not a soul could get up from below, as the whole thing occurred in an instant. All the mon saved belonged to the watch on deck. Shortly after she sank a ship, supposed to be the Bellerophon, passed close over the place, but they did not see the boat, or even miss the ship until Admiral Milne, about two hours after the accident, signalled to the fleet to count tho ships; they accordingly did bo, and signalled back ten, and there ought to have been eleven. The next day the fleet found two boat's yards, spars, aud grating's secured to a boat's bowsprit; they found a silk handkerchief used by one of the survivors to fasten himself to tho spar, but who, on seeing the launch, freed himself and swam to the boat. The gunner's escape was most miraculous ; ho was awoke by some marines making a noise outside his cabin, and noticing that the ship was knocking about, he dressed, and went on deck to examine tho guns and sec if they were properly secured ; on going up into the after turret, the ship went over, and he jumped, out of the turret into the water, Mid swam to the pinnace, and was rescued by the launch. A mizen-topman, as the ship capsized, got on to the weather netting, aud actually walked along the ship's side as she went over, and finally along her bottom as she turned bottom up. Ho distinctly remembers placing his foot on a Kingston valve. At the time the ship capsized, she wa? under double-reefed fore and main topsails and fore topmast skysail close hauled, the yards being braced very sharp up. The general opinion is that the ship was too heavily sparred."