His Majesty's Ship Crescent, of 36 guns, Captain John Temple, sailed
from Yarmouth about four o'clock in the afternoon of the 29th of
November, 1808, for Gottenburg. When she left Yarmouth, the wind blew
fresh from the south-west, and it continued favourable till the
following afternoon, when the weather became overcast, and the wind
increased to a gale. The vessel proceeded on her course for some days,
and at daylight, on the 5th of December, the coast of Norway was
discernible from the deck. At one o'clock, P.M., they sounded in
twenty-five fathoms, on the coast of Jutland; an hour later they
sounded in eighteen fathoms, and at three o'clock they were in
thirteen fathoms. The pilots in charge of the Crescent requested the
master to inform Captain Temple that they desired that the ship should
be hove to, with her head to the southward, and the topsails close
reefed. The advice of the pilots was immediately acted upon, and they
at the same time assured the captain that they were well acquainted
with the soundings, and they had no doubt the ship would drift with
safety. Suddenly she did drift into ten fathoms, and remained in that
depth until eight o'clock, P.M.
Captain Temple felt anxious for the safety of his ship and her crew,
and he inquired of the pilots if any alteration could be made with
advantage. They replied that none was necessary; but that the Crescent
should be kept on the same tack till daylight. The vessel drifted till
ten o'clock, P.M. when she struck. A boat was immediately lowered to
sound. The men reported the current setting to eastward at the rate of
two and a-half or three miles an hour.
As the sails were now only forcing the ship further on the shoal,
orders were given to furl, and to hoist out all the boats except the
jolly-boat and gig--both of these orders were promptly obeyed. At this
time, the current was taking the ship on the larboard bow, and canting
her round. In order to draw her off, the sails were loosed; but this,
instead of having the desired effect, hove her round into a worse
position than before. The sails were again furled, and an anchor and
cable were got into the launch. The boats then took the launch in tow,
and endeavoured to pull her out; but the force and rapidity of the
current rendered it impossible to do so. The situation of the Crescent
became every instant more perilous; the gale had increased, and the
wind, which had veered round to the north-west, blew direct on shore,
forcing the vessel further on the shoal. As a last attempt to save the
ship, the captain directed that the bower anchor should be let go, and
the ship lightened by heaving the guns, shot, balls, &c., overboard.
Little good resulted from this step; and then the water was started
and the provisions thrown overboard out of the fore and aft holds.
Pumping now became useless, as the water had risen to the hatches; and
when at last the cable parted, all hopes of saving the vessel were
abandoned, and at half-past six in the morning of the 6th of December
the masts were cut away by the captain's orders, and she lay a
helpless wreck. The boats which, until this time, had been lying off
in tow, broke their hawsers; and when the people on board found it
impossible to regain the ship, from the force of the current, they
made for the shore, and fortunately all succeeded in reaching it, with
the exception of one of the cutters, which was lost with all her crew.
Lieutenant Henry Stokes, who was in one of the other boats, fearing
that she would be capsized, jumped overboard, and attempted to swim on
shore, but had not strength to buffet with the waves, and was drowned.
The storm continued to increase as the day advanced, and the men on
board the wreck being completely exhausted, they piped to breakfast,
and a dram was served round. At one o'clock, P.M., a raft was
commenced, and in about an hour it was completed and launched, and
placed under the charge of Lieutenant John Weaver, of the Marines, Mr.
Thomas Mason, clerk, and Mr. James Lavender, midshipman. The crew of
the raft was composed chiefly of the sick, or those least capable of
exerting themselves for their own preservation. When the raft left the
ship, the captain and gallant crew of the Crescent gave three hearty
cheers to their companions, whom they were never likely to behold
again. It is hard to say which of the parties was in greatest peril,
or nearest to destruction; but in all such cases, those who are
obliged to wait for the awful moment, are subjected to more intense
mental suffering than those who act, and are enabled to take any
measures, however perilous, for saving their lives. The people upon
the raft returned the farewell cheer, and as each wave dashed over
them, and they again floated on the surface, they announced their
safety with another and another shout. They had little hope indeed of
reaching the shore alive; they were standing up to their middle in
water, and every billow that rolled over them carried away one or more
of their number. Happily some of those who were washed off the raft,
succeeded in regaining it; but seven of them perished, the rest were
safely landed, and to the constant exertions of the officers to keep
up the spirits of the men, they were greatly indebted for their
preservation.
A second raft was begun on board the Crescent, but it was never
completed; the sea made a clear breach over her; the quarter-deck
became filled with water, and it was therefore necessary to launch the
jolly-boat in order to save as many lives as possible, though she
could scarcely be expected to live in such a sea. Once more, Captain
Temple and above two hundred men and officers said farewell to the
companions of their toils and dangers--once more they bade God speed
to the frail bark--their own last chance of escape--and watched it as
it was now borne aloft on the crested wave, now buried in the briny
furrow. For a time they forgot their own danger in anxiety for the
others; but they were soon recalled to what was passing around
them--the groaning of the timbers, as every sea struck the wreck with
an increasing shock, forewarned them that she could not long resist
that mighty force. There were two hundred and twenty human beings
entirely helpless to save themselves. None may know the agonies of
that hour, when even hope itself had fled--when nothing intervened
between the soul and the unseen world. The Crescent went to pieces a
short time after the departure of the jolly-boat, and every one left
on board perished, to the number of two hundred and twenty, out of a
crew of two hundred and eighty. Amongst the lost were the captain,
three lieutenants, a lieutenant of marines, nine midshipmen, the
surgeon, purser, carpenter, and gunner; two pilots, one passenger, six
women, and a child.
The surviving officers and crew of the Crescent were tried by a court
martial, at Sheerness, for the loss of the vessel, when the court was
of opinion that 'the loss of the Crescent proceeded from the ignorance
and neglect of the pilots, and that the master was blameable, inasmuch
that he did not recommend to the captain or pilots either coming to an
anchor, or standing on the other tact, for the better security of H.M.
late ship Crescent.'
'The court was further of opinion that every exertion was made on the
part of the remaining officers and crew for the safety of the
Crescent.'