Anna

The steel steamship Bayard was launched from the Oslo yard of Nylands Verksted (Yard No 106) in 1897. She measured 238.8′ x 32.5′ x 15.5′ and her tonnage was 1045 gross tons, 561 net tons. She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine by Nylands delivering 120 net horse power.

Built for Fred Olsen of Hvidsten she operated out of Christiana until she was sold to Harald Hansen of Skien in 1915 who renamed her Bess. Sold again to P Meyer of Oslo in August 1923 she was renamed again as Havbor and one more time to K Knudsen of Kristiansand in October 1927 who named her Braemar. Another ownership and name change was to follow in February 1936 when she was bought by E Fagerstrom of Rauma, Finland who named her Anna. Registered by Hoyrylaiva O/Y she operated from this Finnish port on the Baltic and North routes until her final voyage in December 1959.

On 7th December 1959 she was en route from Riga to Leith with a cargo of wood under the command of her captain Jukka Vuorio who had a crew of seventeen men aboard. As she approach the Scottish east coast a violent gale force 9 arose and she was driven steadily towards the shore. Captain Vuorio decided to seek shelter in the lee of Kinnaird Head but the gale and huge seas were too strong. One huge wave which crashed over the ship caused her to list dangerously and, despite the crew’s efforts to right her by shifting some of her cargo, the list was so serious the captain struggled to control her and, when another huge wave smashed the wheelhouse, he lost control completely and she finally beached on Buchan Sands near St Combs, Aberdeenshire. The radio room was also smashed and disabled but thankfully her distress flares were spotted and messages relayed to the local coastguards. However the sea was too dangerous for the lifeboats at Fraserbugh and Peterhead to go to sea so the rocket brigades from Rattray Head and Fraserburgh were dispatched to attempt a rescue from the shore.

When they reached the stricken vessel the twenty men of the rescue teams, swept by driving rain and sleet, heroically managed to erect their equipment and, after multiple attempts to get a line aboard the Anna. When the line was finally secured and as the weather abated in the morning of the 8th they successfully started to pull the men ashore with the nineteen year old deckhand Achti Ojala the first to reach land. Progress was slow but eventually, by mid afternoon they had safely landed sixteen crewmen. Initially Captain Vuorio and the fist mate refused to leave the ship but, one hour later, the first mate was pulled ashore. Captain Vurio, a part owner of the Anna and captain of her for twenty four years was in tears when the mate left the ship and still refused to come ashore. Finally, he too was forced to accept that his ship was lost and he was brought to the shore. The stranded wreck continued to be swept by huge waves and soon her deck cargo of timber was driven onto the shoreline to become a subject of some controversy as locals picked it up and carried it away.

The majority of the cargo from the ship was later removed legally and the wreck itself was broken up where she lay. Some broken wreckage still remains at the site and is visible among the surf at low tide.