HMS Captain 1870         

The Story of HMS Captain (cont)

Stories given by individual survivors, as quoted in the London Guardian on the 14th September 1870, on their return to Portsmouth.

_{These eighteen survivors were picked up from Corcubion by HMS Lord Warden, transferred to HMS Volage, and brought initially back to Spithead then Portsmouth on Monday 12th September, "where they were taken possession of by a crowd of excited people, all anxious to enquire fro husbands, sons, brothers, or other relatives and friends who had belonged to the ship". Survivors May, Merriman, Gribble and Walker tell their own story of how they got off Captain and into the launch, as indicated above, whilst some of the others were questioned by the newspapers of the time. These are their stories.}

_{Robert Hirst/Herd, Able Seaman - stationed on the forecastle, the ship began heeling over so much that men were washed away off the deck, the ship lying down on her side as she was gradually turning over, and trembling with every blow of the seas that struck her, and the roar of the steam from the funnel roaring horribly above everything, and continuing to do so even when under water. Herd, with two other men, rushed to the weather forecastle netting, and jumped overboard, and immediately afterwards they found themselves washed on to the bilge of the ship's bottom, but had no sooner got there than the ship went down. Herd and his companions went down withy the ship, but his next feeling of consciousness was coming in contact with a floating spar, to which he tied himself with his black silk neckerchief. He was soon afterwards, however, washed away from the spar, but got hold of the stern of the second launch, which was floating as it was stowed on the ship - the second being stowed inside the first launch, the galley (smaller boat) inside the second launch, and a canvas cover laced over and lashed all round. Other men were there on top of the canvas covering, which was cut away. (Herd then goes on to describe the failed attempts to save those on the upturned pinnace, including Captain Burgoyne, and their subsequent landfall)}

_{James Ellis, gunners mate - "While the watch was being mustered, Captain Burgoyne called me on the bridge and desired me to take a steady and trustworthy man with me and put the iron covers on the turrets, and report to him when done. I called James Frost, A.B. to come with me, but I never saw him afterwards. I walked forward in the weather gangway, and finding a lower sail on the turret grating to windward, went round to leeward of the three foremost boom boats, stowed inside of each other, and endeavoured to lift off the grating. While doing so the ship gave a tremendous lurch, throwing her quite on her beam ends, the water coming up over the sea nettings, and up through the iron grating which I was endeavouring to lift. I thought then that the ship must be sinking, and, holding on to the gratings, felt the boom boats graze my back. I went down some distance with the ship.}

_{John Heard, A.B. - states that he was one of the lifeboat crew, and when Captain Burgoyne gave an order he went over to leeward, and, seeing the pinnace, swam for her, and was rescued by the second launch.}

_{David Dryburgh, A,B, - states that he ran along the ship's bottom (after she had capsized) as far as her bilge piece. The sea then closed over him, and when he came to the surface he caught hold of a spar. Seeing the launches, he let go of the spar, and swam for them, and was saved.}

_{James Freeman, ordinary seaman, states that he went down a good distance with the ship, and was struck on the head by something. On reaching the surface he swam for the launch, and was the fifth man in her.}

_{Lewis Werry, captain foretop, states that he was coming along the weather gangway, and seeing the boats washed from their crutches he jumped for one, but missing sank. When he came to the surface the boat was some distance from him, and in trying to reach her he again sank. He believed he was drawn down by the ship. On rising he succeeded in reaching a boat, and assisted in lashing the steering oar, although much exhausted.}

_{Henry Grange, ordinary seaman, states that he jumped onto the boats as they were leaving the ship.}

_{Robert Tomlinson, ordinary seaman, states that he got onto the weather netting, and as the ship heeled over he ran up the mizzen tripod until he was washed off. He then swam for the pinnace, and was rescued by the second launch.}

_{Charles Treganna, leading seaman, state that he worked his way over the weather gunwhale, and finally onto the bottom of the ship. A sea washing him off he swam for the launch, and succeeded in reaching her, and was hauled in. He got on the steer oar, and kept at it until the boat got to land, twelve hours afterwards.}

_{George Bride, coxwain of the pinnace, states that he went over to windward, and got on to a plank, about six feet long, but two other men getting hold of it he let go and swam for the launch, and was hauled in.}

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