SHIPWRECKS 1871-1896

This article covers all the ships that were wrecked in the 25 year period from 1871. It also mentions some of the temporary strandings. The latter were mostly by ships passing through Narrow Strait when coming from the West and which went aground off Sheikh Berkhud. The shipwrecks had three things in common: the ships were all coming from the East; most of them ended up on or near Azalea Point; and most were wrecked at around four in the morning. Also relevant was that for half the year there was a strong East-West current into the Red Sea, the effects of which masters may not have compensated for sufficiently.
On 9 January 1871 the steamer Vern ran aground and remained fast for a couple of days. During 1872 three steamers went aground off Perim, but all were got off. In 1873 the steamship Azalea was shipwrecked on the eastern side of Perim on what was to be named Azalea Point.

On now to August 1881 when the Spanish steamer Leon of 1650 tons went aground off the NE shore of Perim. She came off five days later, assisted by the steam tug Mercury which happened to be at Aden in connection with the stranding of the steamer Duke of Lancaster. She was got off by unloading 300 tons of cargo and throwing overboard 60 tons of coal. This event would be a useful pointer to the money-making possibilities of basing a salvage vessel or tug permanently at Perim.

The next shipwreck was on 19 November 1882 when the 2012 ton steamer Ischia ran onto Azalea Reef. She was subsequently beached on the North side of Perim Island and became a total wreck. (It is presumably the wreck of the Ischia that can be seen in this photograph from the Hume Collection, taken in June 1883. Following an enquiry her master was given a reprimand for an error of judgement.

In the early hours of 22 December in the same year another steamer, the Hutton (2,323 tons and built in 1871) was stranded 300 yards South of Obstruction Point and also became a total wreck. She was on a voyage from Bombay to Port Said carrying a cargo of linseed. A diary of the loss of this ship can be seen by searching on Google for ‘S.S. Hutton wrecked in the Gulf of Aden’. It is perhaps relevant that the lowest and strongest tides of the year at Perim occur during the December equinox. The cannon balls in the next photograph were picked up off Sheikh Berkhud over 400 yards from the normal low tide mark during the 1963 equinox.

On 24 April 1884 the OC Detachment reported that the steamer Sir William Armstrong had run ashore on ‘Turtle Reach’, close to the wreck of the Ischia, at 0400 hours on the 18th. She was got off only after some 40 tons of coal had been dumped overboard. Her captain reported that the Perim light was poorly lit.

However the Port Officer at Aden (responsible for the functioning of Perim lighthouse) was able to produce the eight most recent reports of the light, which ships’ masters were encouraged to submit, which covered the period 14 March to 1 April. All but one had first seen the light at 20 miles distant, or over; the eighth had seen the light at 18 miles and even he had reported that light as being ‘very good’.

On Christmas Day 1884 Lieutenant Merewether cabled Major Hunter, the 1st Assistant in Aden, that the steamer Raisby was hopelessly aground on Azalea Rock, and that every assistance had been given. The Raisby, a steamer of 1,502 tons built in 1881, was on her way to New York with a cargo of tea, silk and Japanese wares when she hit at 0540 hours. In the early stages of the rescue operation the Assistant Resident signalled the French warship Brandon which was passing through Narrow Strait, hoisting the two flags asking her to render ‘immediate assistance’. The Brandon took no notice, although she must have seen that the other vessel was in distress. A Board of Enquiry, consisting of Captain Squire (the Managing Agent of the Perim Coal Company) , the captain of the Raisby and the captain of a steamer coaling at Perim, visited the wreck and decided that it was impossible to save the vessel.

In 1890 two ships went aground off Perim. The first on 7 July was the Bleville with a cargo mainly of sugar. No salvage steamer was in Perim harbour but some lighters were sent to her assistance. After about 500 tons of cargo had been offloaded the ship was pulled off and towed into Perim harbour by the French gunboat Etoile.

The second incident was far more serious. At 0430 on 5 December the P&O steamer Hong Kong with a valuable cargo of block tin, tea and silks was stranded on Azalea Reef. At eight that morning when the Managing Agent of the Perim Coal Company went aboard her to agree salvage terms the situation did not seem very serious as the ship was not taking water. During the day the P&O steamer Shannon stood by until she was relieved by another P&O ship, the Assam. Neither of these two ships nor the Perim Coal Company’s small 91 ton salvage ship Meyun had any hope of pulling the Hong Kong off. That evening the weather worsened and by the next morning she had settled down more firmly. She was to become a total loss, but with the assistance of about 400 coolies from the Coal Company most of her cargo was saved. At the subsequent enquiry the Master of the Hong Kong had his certificate suspended for 6 months for a grave error of judgment.

Some months later the SS Hocheimer went aground on sand off Perim’s northern shore. When the Assistant Resident went aboard her the next morning he found that the Managing Agent had just left. The Assistant in his report stated that the Captain ‘owing to the shock he had received appeared to have lost his head and to be irresponsible for his actions.’ He had agreed to one third of the value of his ship and cargo (estimated total value £100,000) being paid to the Coal Company although it was obvious that the ship was in no danger and that in all probability she would float off at the next high tide. Lighters were sent to the ship and after 400 tons of cargo had been offloaded, she floated off without assistance that afternoon and sailed into harbour.

In the period 1894-96 three ships were stranded off Sheikh Berkhud, the northernmost part of the island and where the water was fairly shallow for a long way out, especially at low tide, but fortunately where the bottom was sandy. All three, the Enoch, the Austrian steamer Burma and the Alphonse Parran were all got off within two days, some of their cargo having been off-loaded.

The main salvage effected by the Perim Coal Company during 1895 was after the SS Hamish had stuck fast on a rock off Great Hanish Island on 20 May. Her mate was sent in a passing buggalow to Perim to bring assistance but when the salvage tug arrived on the scene the ship had been abandoned by the captain and crew. The Perim Coal Company took possession of the ship and salvaged it and the cargo.