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Tuesday 8 March 2011

Life Boat Tragedy


The Island of Great Britain ensures that we are never too far from the Sea. Over the years we have relied on its bounty for food and voyaged to brave new worlds with a sense of adventure and discovery.
But the Sea can be an unpredictable force and for those who find themselves in peril upon it, the RNLI ~ Royal National Lifeboat Institute ~ attempts to rescue those unfortunate souls, even when it comes to their own lives being put at risk too.

This is one such occasion........

A Launching of The Aldeburgh

A Lifeboat named 'The Aldeburgh' was said to be unsinkable. However in 1899, during an attempt to rescue another vessel, the lifeboat capsized as she was struck broadside by two huge waves. 12 of the 18 man crew were able to make it to shore, but 6 men were trapped beneath the upturned boat.


As The Aldeburgh came ashore, desperate efforts were made to release the men, a hole was cut into the upturned hull, however the buoyancy tanks could not be penetrated and prevented them from releasing the trapped men until the tide went out, when rescuers were finally able to raise the vessel. Tragically, by that time all of them had died. A seventh crew member, also died of his injuries later.




The rectangular blocks that surround the Lifebelt, are the cork floats that were worn by the Lifeboat men as an early form of Lifevest. 



In Loving Memory of
James Miller Ward
aged 21
The Lord hath need of him
In Loving Memory of
Allan Arthur Easter
aged 28
God is Love
~
In Loving Memory of
Herbert William Downing
aged 23
In the Midst of Life we are in Death
~In Loving Memory of
Walter George Ward
aged 33
Thy Will Be Done
~
In Loving Memory of
John Butcher
aged 52
Death is Swallowed up in Victory
~In Loving Memory of
Charles Crisp
aged 51
Gone but Not Forgotten
~
In Loving Memory of
Thomas Morris
aged 36
I will Trust and Not be Afraid


For the full newspaper reports of the tragedy, as written by The Evening Star and Daily Herald, please click on the bold type link below. 
More Details on The Aldeburgh






   

1 comment:

  1. Fascinating story well reported and photographed. Enjoyed reading it!

    ReplyDelete

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