UNCLE THOMAS TELLS ABOUT THE LOSS OF THE ROYAL GEORGE.
Perilous as is the life of a sailor, boys, during the raging of the
storm, or when far at sea in the middle of the trackless ocean, he
is still exposed to danger even when his ship rides at anchor in the
fancied security of some friendly port. I dare say you have all heard
of the loss of the Royal George, one of the first-rate ships in the
British navy, which sank off Spithead, fifty-six years ago. The sudden
and unexpected event, and the vast number of persons who fell victims,
caused the greatest excitement at the time.
I have often heard of the loss of the Royal George, Uncle Thomas, but
I never could get any information about it. Will you have the goodness
to tell us about it?
With pleasure, boys. The vessel had just returned from a cruise, in
which it was found that she leaked more than usual, and as the leakage
continued even after she came into harbor, an order was issued by
the Admiralty that she should go into dock to repair. After a strict
survey, however, by the carpenter and others, it was found that the
leak was not more than two feet below the watermark, and supposing it
to be occasioned by the rubbing off of the copper sheathing, it was
resolved, in order to save time, to lay her down at Spithead, by what
is called a parliament heel; that is, by means of ropes attached to the
masts, to pull her over so much to one side as to expose the other
above water. In the meantime it was discovered that the pipe, which
occasionally admitted the water to cleanse and sweeten the ship, was
out of order, and that it was necessary to replace it with a new one.
As the vessel required to be heeled very much for this purpose, the
greater part of the guns were removed from one side to the other; but
as she was not expected to heel so much as she did, they neglected to
stop the scuppers of the lower decks, so that the water coming in on
deck, gradually gained upon them, and the vessel thus for some time
stole down imperceptibly.
During this time the greater part of the crew were at dinner; but
the carpenters and caulkers continued at their work, and had almost
finished it, when a sudden squall took the ship on the raised side,
and the lower deck ports to leeward being open, the water rushed in.
As soon as the dangerous situation of the vessel was discovered, they
beat to arms to right the ship, but in vain: in less than eight minutes
she fell flat on one side, filled with water, and the guns, shot, &c.,
falling from the other side, accelerated her descent. She sunk to the
bottom so rapidly that no signal of distress could be made; nor indeed
could any assistance have availed if there had, for after her lower
ports were fairly in the water, no power on earth could have prevented
her from going to the bottom.
At this fatal moment there were nearly twelve hundred persons on board,
including about two hundred and fifty women and several children,
chiefly belonging to the seamen, who had been permitted to remain on
board until the order for sailing arrived. The people who formed the
watch upon deck, including their friends, amounting in all to about
two hundred and thirty, were mostly saved by the boats, which the
ships lying near the Royal George manned and sent to their assistance,
with the utmost expedition, when they observed the vessel was sinking.
Their assistance was, however, for some time necessarily delayed, as
the swell occasioned by the sinking of such a large body produced a
temporary whirlpool, which rendered approach impossible; a victualling
sloop indeed, which lay alongside the Royal George, was drawn into
the vortex, and seven of her crew were drowned. The boats also picked
up about seventy more, who rose to the surface after the ship had
disappeared, among whom were four lieutenants, eleven women, and the
remainder seamen.
Among the officers thus snatched from the brink of eternity, was
Lieutenant Durham, who, being officer of the watch, was upon deck at
the time when he observed the vessel going down. He had just time to
throw off his coat and scramble on the beam, from which he was washed
as the ship sunk, and left floating about among men and hammocks. A
drowning marine caught him by the waistcoat, and held him so fast, that
several times he was drawn under water. It was in vain to reason with
a man struggling for life; and conscious of the certainty of neither
being saved, if he did not disentangle himself from his burden, he
clung with his legs round a hammock, and with one hand unbuttoning
his waistcoat and sloping his shoulder, committed it, with the
unfortunate marine, to the remorseless deep. He then got to some of the
top rigging, where a boat soon afterwards came to him, but he nobly
declined the assistance offered, and pointing out to them where Captain
Waghorne was in great danger, he desired them to go to his relief: the
gallant youth was at length taken up and conveyed in safety to the
shore.
The preservation of another young man, named Henry Bishop, was effected
in a very extraordinary manner. He was on the lower deck at the time of
the fatal accident, and as the vessel filled, the force of the water
hurried him, almost insensibly, up the hatchway, when, at the instant,
he was met by one of the guns which fell from the middle deck, which
striking him on his left hand, broke three of his fingers; in a few
seconds, however, he found himself floating on the surface of the
water, and was providentially picked up by one of the boats.
Every effort was made by the boats of the fleet to save the crew; but
they were able to pick up only Captain Waghorne, a few officers, and
about three hundred people. By this dreadful and unlooked-for accident,
nearly nine hundred persons lost their lives; among whom was Admiral
Kempenfelt, whose flag was then flying on board the Royal George, and
whose loss was universally lamented. Besides the Admiral, who was in
his cabin writing when the sudden disaster happened, every one who was
between the decks perished with her. Captain Waghorne, the Admiral's
first captain, was, fortunately, on deck; but his son, who was a
lieutenant on board, was drowned.
The water must have been very deep, Uncle Thomas, to cover such a large
vessel. But I suppose she lay on her side.
No, Harry, she did not: a great number of persons were saved by
climbing on the topsail yards, which remained above water after the
vessel reached the bottom. She very soon righted herself, and the tops
of her masts were visible so late as 1799; part of her hull even might
then be seen at low water.
Could not the Royal George be got up again, Uncle Thomas? I should have
thought that, being quite sound and in still water, she might have been
weighed.
Several attempts were made to weigh her, Frank; but they were all
unsuccessful. Her anchor and some of her guns were, however, recovered
by means of diving bells. Her anchor was the heaviest ever made--it
weighed ninety-eight hundred weight.
In the churchyard at Portsea, an elegant monument was erected to the
memory of the brave Admiral Kempenfelt and his fellow-sufferers. On it
is engraved this impressive admonition:--
"Reader! with solemn thought survey this grave, and reflect on the
untimely death of thy fellow-mortals; and whilst, as a man, a Briton,
and a patriot, thou readest the melancholy narrative, drop a tear
for thy country's loss. On the twenty-ninth day of August, 1782, his
Majesty's ship, the Royal George, being on the heel at Spithead,
overset and sunk: by which fatal accident about nine hundred persons
were instantly launched into eternity; among whom was that brave and
experienced officer, Rear Admiral Kempenfelt. Nine days after, many
of the bodies of the unfortunate floated; thirty-five of whom were
interred in one grave, near this monument, which is erected by the
parish of Portsea, as a grateful tribute to the memory of that great
commander and his fellow-sufferers."
Good night, Uncle Thomas.