The Wreck of the Amazon

On 1 September 1908 the four-masted barque Amazon of Greenock was wrecked on Margam Sands near Port Talbot.  Owned by Robert Hill of Greenock, the Amazon was carrying a cargo of 3,000 tons of coal bound for Iquique in northern Chile.  Commanded by Captain A Garrick and manned by a crew of 28 men, she left Port Talbot on 31 August.

Due to increasingly bad weather Amazon put back into Swansea Bay.  Next  morning high winds snapped on of the ship's cables and she started to drift.  The Captain decided to try to make it back to Port Talbot, but the wind was increasingly strong (later described as hurricane force).  The crew tried to ready the ship's lifeboats but the wind was so strong that they were blown off and some of the crew injured and some were washed overboard.

The Amazon eventually beached on Margam Sands, and began to break up.  Some of the crew could be seen attached to the main mast and rigging, but no one could get near enough to help because of the atrocious weather.  A newspaper reported -

     "It was felt that as long as the mast remained there would be a chance of rescuing the crew, but suddenly a wild shriek of agony was heard as the mast was seen to topple over and, as far as could be judged, some twenty-five men were thrown into the surging surf."

The shore authorities had alerted the Coastguard and a tug sent out to try and help.  Rockets were fired to try and get a rope across, but those attempts failed.  The lifeboat could not get near enough but could see that all was lost, however, they managed to save two crewmen.  Six of the crew managed to swim ashore.  Local people bravely did their best to help the stricken men and give aid to those who survived.  Twenty men, including the Captain were lost.

Of the twenty who died, four were Greenockians -

     Alexander Crawford, sailmaker of 28 Tobago Street, Greenock

     Edward Hendry, seaman, 1 Bogle Street, Greenock

     William Lamont, carpenter, 37 Roxburgh Street, Greenock

     John McLean, steward, 68 Wellington Street, Greenock

The names of the others who died were - Captain Arthur Garrick of Penarth (just west of Cardiff), J Logan, Second Mate, Joseph Marien, Ship's cook, Sydney G. Evans, Ordinary seaman,

Charles E. Kie, Arthur M. Pillans, John Flynn, G. Wright, James Hendry, G. Baker , G. Kent, James Deacon and Patrick Morgan.  The Amazon carried five apprentices, all lost - James Robertson (Leith), Robert L Hendry (Edinburgh), Reginald B. Mayes, Alan F. Orr and Neil C. McLeod.  Those saved were - Halley, Adams, Evans, Nolan, Christensen, Wickenberg, Sullivan and Lockwood.  At the end of October 1908 a Board of Trade enquiry was held at the Town Hall, Swansea into the loss of the Amazon.

Some of the wreckage can still be seen on Margam Sands as you can see in this photograph by Gareth James.

© Copyright Gareth James and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Alexander Crawford, the ship's carpenter who died that day was my Great Grandfather.  He left a wife and six young children in Greenock.  My Granny was just two years old when her father died.  His loss is just one story from one shipwreck.  That fateful day in 1908 many other families lost their loved ones, which in a time of no automatic state help, meant untold financial hardship as well as the aching loss of beloved father, son, husband, brother.  While we are fascinated by stories of ships and wrecks, the human cost should never be forgotten.