The iron steamship Jane Cory was launched from the Middlesbrough yard of Alexander Withy and Co Ltd (Yard No 11) in August 1870. She measured 197.3′ x 28.3′ x 15.1′ and her tonnage was 840 gross tons, 421 net tons. She was powered by a compound steam engine by G Clark, Sunderland delivering 77 net horse power.
Extract Lloyd’s Register 1923.
She was built for Ebenezer Cory and Co Ltd of West Hartlepool and after ownership by various companies owned by the Cory family she was sold to Mr J Miller of Gothenburg in 1895 who renamed her Jane. Ownership later passed to Mr William Miller of Gothenburg who was to own her till her loss in 1923.
SS Jane in WW1 livery
On 18th July 1923 she departed from Lerwick where she had offloaded a cargo of coal and reached Baltasound under the command of Captain Osterman with a crew of eleven men and two women aboard. At Baltasound they loaded 475 barrels of herring and the following day headed south again steaming back towards Lerwick but, as some local men watched from the village of Guther on Yell, the skipper seems to have lost his way in the strong ebb tide finding himself, inexplicably, heading towards the south end of Blue Mull Sound. As the villagers watched on with increasing concern and as the visibility reduced in the midsummer evening light the steamer appeared to try to steer north of the small island of Gruney off north west Fetlar but ran aground on the rocks there and stuck fast. There was a huge loud release of steam when she hit indicating that severe damage had been incurred. Immediately a boat was lowered from the Jane and the two women crew were taken ashore by a third crew member. Meanwhile some local men reached the wreck in the motor boat owned by Andrew Inkster which normally served as a ferry to and from the island of Linga . They succeeded in safely offloading the remaining crew and taking them ashore to Guther on Yell where they spent the night before being taken to Lerwick the following day. Not long after the crew had been evacuated the Jane slipped off the rocks and sank in deeper water.
Extract Lloyd’s Casualty Report
Porthole recovered from wreck of Jane (Shetland Museum)
The wreck of the Jane lies in position 60° 38.463’N, 000° 56.617’W oriented 040/220 degrees in 19 metres with a least depth clearance of 14 metres. She is reported as substantially in tact although breaking up towards the bow and lying with a list to port. The large four bladed cast propeller is also clearly visible.
