Wreck Report for 'Benayo', 1888

(No. 3543.)

"BENAYO" (S.S.)

The Merchant Shipping Acts, 1854 to 1876.

IN the matter of a formal Investigation held at Cardiff, on the 26th, and 28th days of May 1888, before THOMAS WILLIAM LEWIS, Esquire, a Stipendiary Magistrate for the Borough of Cardiff, assisted by Captain DRAGE and Captain CUNNINGHAM, into the circumstances attending the loss of the British steamship "BENAYO," of Cardiff, through striking a reef near Tarifa Point, Spain, on the 22nd March 1888.

Report of Court.

The Court, having carefully inquired into the circumstances attending the above-mentioned shipping casualty, finds, for the reasons stated in the annex hereto, that the loss of the ship was due to the master continuing too long on the course which he set and steered from his point of departure off the Pearl Rock.

The Court finds the Master, John Willis Gulliver, in default, and suspends his certificate for six calendar months.

Dated this 28th day of May 1888.

 

(Signed)

T. W. LEWIS, Judge.

We concur in the above report.

 

(Signed)

Z. B. DRAGE,

Assessors

 

 

ANDW. CUNNINGHAM,

 

Annex to the Report.

The "Benayo" was an iron screw steamship, built at Liverpool in the year 1880, of 1,228.96 gross, and 784.44 registered tonnage, and fitted with two inverted compound direct acting surface condensing engines of 95 horse power.

Her length was 222 feet, breadth 33 feet, and depth 15 feet. She was registered at the Port of Cardiff, and owned by the Cardiff and West of England Steamship Company, Limited. Mr. Alfred Holman, of Cardiff, being the managing owner. Her official No. was 81,328.

The vessel left Gibraltar, bound in water ballast for Bilbao, at 2.30 p.m., on the 22nd of March last, drawing 6 feet 6 inches forward, and 11 feet 6 inches aft, and being in every respect-inclusive of boats, pumps, and compasses-in good condition and well found. She bad a crew of 18 hands all told, and was under the command of Mr. John Willis Gulliver, who held a certificate of competency as master, dated 20th June 1877, and numbered 03,630.

The weather from the beginning of her voyage to the accident, which is the subject of this inquiry, was throughout fine and clear, with a light westerly wind.

The chart used was an Admiralty chart, corrected down to 1885, and a copy of the Official Sailing Directions, dated 1881, was in the master's possession. The master stated that he had navigated this course for three years, and was well acquainted with the coast, tide, and currents. He informed the Court that it was his practice, as it was to his knowledge the practice of other masters of ships in navigating the Straits of Gibraltar, to keep close into the shore to avoid the strong current which sets to the eastward, and which is stronger after a prevalence of south-westerly winds (which was the case on this occasion), and to alter the course in order to round Tarifa Point. When the ship was in the middle of the bay, with Europe Point bearing E.N.E., a W.S.W. course was steered until off the Pearl Rock.

When San Roque and Cornero Point being in line, and Europe Point still E.N.E. (which put the ship half a mile off the Pearl Rock), a west course was set, and continued until the ship struck, which happened in broad daylight at 4.45 p.m.

After passing the Pearl Rock, land was in sight, and the weather perfectly clear.

The master admitted that although on many previous occasions he had gone over almost the same course, and had kept within a mile of the shore, he had never gone so close as he had done on this occasion. He added that there had been just before a succession of southwesterly gales, and that the current was therefore unusually strong. The tide -was about half flood, and was with the ship-and setting to the westward, so that he did not make any special allowance for it.

When the vessel had reached a point nearly opposite the coastguard station, marked on the charts and situated nearly midway between Tarifa and Gualdamesi, she struck a rock and bumped three times heavily, but passing over without her way being stopped. The master ordered the helm hard-a-starboard, but, on finding that the after hold was filling rapidly, gave instead the order hard-a-port and ran her on the beach. She took the ground a quarter of a mile to the westward of the coastguard station to which reference has already been made. After she struck the rock the engines were stopped, according to the evidence of the second engineer, for a minute, then ordered slow ahead for about two minutes, and then full speed ahead until she was beached; the whole operation, he states, taking ten minutes by the engine-room clock. The master also gives the time from the striking on the reef to reaching the beach as ten minutes, and the distance from the reef to the spot where she was beached he gives as a mile or three-quarters.

The chief mate agreed with this estimate of distance, but gives the time taken to reach the shore as being from 5 to 8 minutes.

The second mate differs slightly from the master as to the distance, judging it to have been between a quarter and half a mile, but agreeing as to the time.

The master judges the distance of the rock upon which the ship struck as being about half a mile from the shore.

The master asserts that the rock or reef on which he struck is not marked on the chart.

He referred to a shoal of one fathom shown on the chart which goes out seaward one-sixth of a mile, and at the end of which there is a depth of seven fathoms, and he is confident that the spot where the ship struck was more than one-sixth of a mile from the shore.

The depositions of two witnesses living at Gibraltar, and who profess an intimate knowledge of this part of the Spanish coast, were put in on behalf of the Board of Trade. Both state that they were not aware of the existence of any reef or rock one mile westward of Cornales Point opposite the coastguard station about three-quarters of a mile from the shore.

The first thing done by the master on beaching the ship was to despatch the mate in a boat with four hands to Gibraltar for assistance. That officer returned on the following morning, the 23rd, with Lloyds' surveyor and a diver. The latter reported that there was a large hole in her bottom, but that she was lying upon it, and he waa therefore unable to estimate its full extent. No assistance could be obtained to help the crew in their efforts to get the ship off. A kedge anchor was laid out with a 3 3/4-inch wire hawser, which parted. An attempt with another anchor also failed. On Sunday, the 25th, a large centrifugal pump arrived, but was of no use. On the night of the 23rd a strong wind from the S.W. set in, and the ship was struck heavily by the sea. The crew remained by her until the 27th, on which day they took to the boats and left her. She was then full of water fore and aft. The crew landed at Tarifa and proceeded thence in a steamer to Gibraltar. The vessel became a total wreck.

At the conclusion of the Inquiry the following questions were submitted to the Court by the Solicitor for the Board of Trade:-

1. What was the cause of the damage the vessel sustained and her subsequent stranding?

2. Whether a safe and proper course was set and steered after passing the Pearl Rock, and whether due and proper allowance was made for tide and currents?

3. Whether in the opinion of the Court the vessel struck on any reef or rock not marked upon the chart, and, if so, what is the position of such reef or rock?

4. Whether a good and proper look-out was kept?

5. Whether the vessel was navigated with proper and seamanlike care? and finally,

Whether the master and officers are, or either of them is, in default?

And the Court was asked to deal with the master's certificate.

The following answers were given by the Court to the foregoing questions:-

1. The damage done to the vessel was caused by her striking upon rocks, and she was beached to prevent her sinking in deep water.

2. The course set and steered was a proper one, but was continued too long. Due and proper allowance was made for tide and currents.

3. The Court is of opinion that the vessel struck upon a rock, within the three-fathom line abreast of the coastguard station, which is situated nearly midway between Tarifa and Gualdamesi Tower. The Court dismisses as untenable the suggestion that she struck on a rock not marked in the chart, because the course set and steered from the point of departure off the Pearl Rock is sufficient to account for the ship striking where she did.

4. The master being on the bridge navigating the ship in broad daylight no other look-out was necessary.

5. The vessel was not navigated with proper and seamanlike care.

The master alone is in default.

 

(Signed)

T. W. LEWIS.

 

 

 

Z. B. DRAGE,

Assessors.

 

 

ANDW. CUNNINGHAM,

 

54010-35. 180.-6/88. Wt. 23. E. & S.