Winter storm uncovers Victorian shipwrecks from over 130 years ago
A winter storm has uncovered the remains of two Victorian shipwrecks from more than 130 years ago.
Although a familiar sight at Carbis Bay in Cornwall, the iron steamships – called Bessie and Vulture – have largely been hidden beneath sand this winter.
But stormy weather on Monday stripped the sand from the beach exposing the ships’ skeletal remains at low tide.
The vessels, plus a third steam ship called Cintra, were all wrecked on Carbis Bay, which lies near St Ives, during a violent storm on November 18, 1893.
They had been sheltering in the bay when they ran aground.
Steam collier Bessie was wrecked close to the cliffs so the coastguard were able to rescue all eight crew, one-by-one, from the ship using the rope of a breeches buoy.
Five of the crew onboard Cintra, meanwhile, were rescued from the crashing waves by a breeches buoy fired from the shore, but seven others sadly drowned.
They weren’t the only casualties that night, the storm – later named the Cintra Gale after the ship – also sank a 1,593 tonne ship off the coast of Gwithian in Cornwall the following day.
The 22-strong crew managed to get into lifeboats and almost reached the shore, but all but one drowned.
The photos of Bessie and Vulture were taken on Thursday, when large parts of the ships remained below the low water line.
However, if the ships stay free of sand for another week the bigger spring low tides should make them even more visible.
In January 2023, the shipwrecks of Bessie, Vulture and Cintra were all uncovered following winter storms.
Last year a shipwreck thought to be centuries old re-emerged from the ocean after a storm dredged it up.
The wreck appeared on the shores of Cape Ray, Newfoundland after tropical storm Fiona moved through the area.
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