Built for Watson and Pigg of London and launched from the yard pf C S Swan and Co Ltd. of Newcastle (Yard No 31) in August 1877 the iron steamship Shadwan measured 256.3′ x 33.3′ x 23.3′ and her tonnage was 1538 gross tons, 993 net tons. She was powered by a compound steam engine by T Clark and Co, Newcastle delivering 150 horse power. She was purchased in 1880 by Nelson Donkin and Company (London Shipping Company), London in 1880.
The Shadwan left Fiume on the Adriatic in November 1888 bound for Leith with a cargo of flour and staves. She was under the command of Captain G Willis and had a crew of 22 men aboard. The ill-fated voyage took a turn for the worse when she was caught in a severe easterly storm in the Mediterranean which caused her cargo to shift. After some strenuous work the crew managed to right the cargo and the voyage continued however a second storm much later in the trip was to result in the loss of the ship.
As the ship was nearing her destination on 28th November, while off St Abbs, the second storm hit the ship. Initially the gale force winds did not appear to threaten the ship but the storm increased to hurricane force battering the vessel with huge waves and tremendous winds. Two of the crew, who were at the wheel at the time, were badly injured when they were thrown against the bulwarks as one wave crashed into the ship. Captain Willis ordered the foremast to be cut down to help stabilise the ship and although this was successfully achieved the ship continued to roll, out of control, in mountainous swells. Everything not secured on deck was washed overboard before one particularly violent wave smashed one of the cargo hatches and the ship began to take in water. Soon the cargo shifted again and the Shadwan took on a dangerous list and finally rolled over onto her beam ends. She was doomed. Distress signals were fired and thankfully the steam tug Sir George Elliot sped quickly to the scene and initially took the Shadwan in tow but this was to no avail. As the ship began to sink, a boat from the tug managed to take off several of the exhausted crew and a line was secured that enabled the remainder to scramble aboard the Sir George Elliot before she finally went down around 5pm that evening. The crew were landed at North Shields later that evening.
The wreckage of the Shadwan lies in position 55° 43.212’N, 001° 51.190’W (WGS84) oriented 070°/250°. The wreck is well broken with her boilers as the most recognisable feature standing two metres proud of the seabed in 15 metres of water. The wreck was identified by the recovery of the ship’s bell in 2003.
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