SS Coral Queen

Following are copies from different Newspapers. The Whitby Gazette has a more local perspective in terms of lives saved and lost.

Terrible Collision off Hartlepool

Whitby Gazette – 21/2/1890

This article although similar to others answers the family mystery of what happened to William Usher.

Great excitement was occasioned on Tuesday at West Hartlepool owing to the rumour that the steam navigation company SS Coral Queen (Captain Moorsom, formerly of Robin Hoog’s Bay), had been run down a short distance from Tees mouth and sunk, carrying down with her all hands but two.

A telegram from Middlesbrough to the owners soon conveyed the news that Robert Lewis of Whitby, boatswain, and Frederick Smithson, able seaman had been landed there by the vessel, which was in collision with her, viz, the Brinio, of Rotterdam.  This news was followed by the arrival of the two men, who were very reticent as to the cause of the accident. In the meantime, Captain Wright the Navigation Company’s outside manager, went off in a tug to ascertain the fate of the ship and the rest of her crew, but returned after a few hours fruitless search. From the best available information obtainable it appears that the actual event occurred seven or eight miles east of Hartlepool Haugh, about 4 o’clock am, and that the Coral Queen, laden with general cargo eas bound from Gothenburg to West Hartlepool, which place she was making for at the time, when she was run into, on the starboard side near the bridge, and cut down to the waters edge, a heavy sea running at the time causing her to settle down. The two men Lewis and Smithson, managed to scramble on board the Brinio. The former and the captain were on the bridge at the time, but he remained by his ship. On the men reaching the deck of th Brinio, which it appears was bound from Middlesbrough to Rotterdam, she stood by the Coral Queen `nearly a quarter of an hour, but although it is alleged that the foreigners boats were cleared after the collision the captain declined to have them launched, alleging the strength of the seas his reason, though the survivors think it strange that he should steam away to the Tees and leave the Coral Queen, though he despatched a tug to search for her. The owners subsequently received a telegram from the Tyne conveying the welcome news that eleven of her crew, including the captain, had been picked up by the tug Earl of Pembroke, and safely landed there. It is however, now certain that 13 of the crew of the vessel are safe. The Brinio is in the Tees in a greatly damaged condition.

At eight o’clock on Tuesday night the majority of the survivors arrived at Hartlepool and were received by an enormous crowd. Six, it is supposed, sank with the steamer. Among the six who went down with the steamer was Mr Usher, son of the late Mr George Usher, Tate Hill Whitby. The rescued men were six hours before being picked up and were when landed, much exhausted.

I have a death certificate for William Usher in 1888. So which son it is I don's know.

TERRIBLE COLLISION AT SEA

(Wednesday 19 February 1890) ref. used:London Standard 

A collision, resulting, it is feared, in the loss of six lives, occurred early yesterday morning off the Hartlepools. The vessels were the Brinio (Captain Hutchinson), a Rotterdam boat of 418 tons, and the Coral Queen, a West Hartlepool vessel of 468 tons, trading between that port and Hamburg, and under the command of C. M. Webster, for the Hudson Shipping Company. Captain Hutchinson says that the Brinio left Middlesbrough at two o'clock yesterday morning for Grangemouth, with a cargo of pig iron. At three o'clock the Brinio was about four miles off the Hartlepools, and was going at full speed, when they saw a steamer approaching. Soon afterwards he found the vessels close together. He gave orders to reverse the engines, but before that could be done the Brinio had struck the strange steamer on the starboard side. The Brinio steamed back, and the crew set about ascertaining the extent of their own damage. They found that the water was coming into the fore-peak; but, beyond this, there seemed to be no immediate danger, and they turned to see if they could render any assistance to the other vessel, but not a trace of her was left. Two of the crew of the other vessel had jumped on board the Brinio at the time of the collision. The Brinio returned to Middlesbrough. During the after- noon the tug Earl of Dumfries landed at Sunderland with Captain Moorsen and ten of the bands of the steamer Coral Queen. From the few particulars gleaned from the survivors it appears that the Coral Queen at the time of the accident was bound from Gothenburg. The Brinio struck the vessel straight amidships. The weather at the time was clear, but a heavy sea was running, and the Coral Queen immediately began to fill. Being so near Hartlepool most of the men and officers were astir, and a rush was made to one of the boats, which was immediately lowered into the water, and eleven men on deck at the time jumped in. There had been barely time to push the boat off and get clear of the floating props which comprised the vessel's deck cargo, when the Coral Queen, breaking amidships, sank stern first, and disappeared. As she went down the men in the boat, who were endeavouring to get clear of the wreckage, heard the cries of those who were in the forecastle when the collision happened. The survivors, who included the captain and all the officers, drifted in their boat in the direction of Seaham Harbour for six and a-half hours, when they observed a tug-boat, which took them on board, and they were landed in a very exhausted condition. (Wednesday 19 February 1890) ref. used:London Standard 

The CORAL QUEEN left Gothenburg for Middlesbrough on Saturday with a cargo of iron and wooden props. They encountered rough weather from the SE but all went well. At 3.30m am on Tuesday they were 7-8 miles from land, midway between Tees and Hartlepool. The weather was clear, the sea rough and it was quite dark. The course was S by W when another ship on a northerly course was seen. Reports as to what actions were taken next differ, however the outcome was that a collision occurred. The BRINIO a steamer under a Dutch flag struck the CORAL QUEEN, her bow slicing into the old steamer on the starboard side of the bridge. The vessels stayed together for a short time and the surprised Captain and another of the crew clung onto the bow of the foreigner and climbed to safety. The BRINIO then backed away, her damage been confined to the bow, was not too serious. Captain Hutchinson brought his ship back to the scene of the incident but to his surprise he could find no trace of the vessel he had struck. He stood by for fifteen minutes and then steamed for the Tees. The stricken vessel did in fact sink rapidly, water poured into her side “like a sluice” causing her to heel over and sink stern first. The impact had destroyed the two small life boats on the bridge but the jolly boat survived. Captain Morsom ordered the men to abandon ship and he and 10 crew including all the officers got into the jolly boat which floated off the deck as the vessel gradually went down. Reports now differ again. The Captain said he saw no sign of the remaining six crew and he assumed they had all managed to board the BRINIO. Consequently they rowed away from the sinking ship and kept rowing for six hours until they were picked up by the steamer the EARL OF DUMFRIES. One of the crew stated that six of the crew were left on the forecastle, and as the jolly boat “would not hold another man” they rowed away for their own safety. The remaining men “cried piteously" for them to return and the last time they were seen, they were in the water tangled amongst the rigging.

Whatever the actual events were, six men were lost and their bodies were never found.