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 | Auguste | ||||||||
| Came to grief: 15th February 1900 at/near Atherfield Ledge | |||||||||
| Captain Ammerman | |||||||||
| Cargo: jarrah wood | |||||||||
| Crew of 18 | |||||||||
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The three masted iron barque, Auguste, of 1298 tons out of Freemantle, Western Australia with a cargo of jarrah wood to pave the London streets, ran aground in a southerly gale and driving rain, close the the spot where the S.S. Eider grounded in 1892. The Catherine Swift launched at about 5.30pm into heavy seas but could make little headway in the rough conditions. Despite every endeavour, Rufus Cotton was forced to return to shore. The Brighstone boat, The Joe Jarman, was summoned but they were too far to leeward and had to abandon their attempt. The coastguards tried to fire a line, using the rocket aparatus, but in the powerful wind, that too failed. Soon after midnight the wind and sea moderated and the Catherine Swift launched once again. This time they were successful and carried the crew ashore between 3am and 4am. Much of the Auguste's gear and some of the cargo was salved, but the vessel herself, broke up and disappeared. This brought the total number of lives saved by the Catherine Swift to 152 since coming into service on December 29th 1892. | |
Fatalities: 0 | |
Bibliography: Back of the Wight - Fred Mew Shipwrecks of the Wight - J.C.Medland Shipwrecks of The Isle of Wight - Ken Phillips The Lifeboats of Brighstone Bay - Christopher J. Willis and Edward H. Roberts |