Ann of Bridgwater

Last Updated on Monday, 17 January 2011 12:57

1899 – The Ann of Bridgwater was driven ashore near Diles Lake on New Year's Eve.   Distress signals were seen and the Rhossili rocket crew alerted, but when they got to the wreck there was only a cat left on board – the crew had been taken off and over to Llanelli.  The ship was not damaged and the galley was well-stocked so an emergency crew were left on board to await a tug.   The following account of the wreck can be found in Reminiscences of Pre-War Gower  by Jack Bevan:

"The volunteer crew, besides the DO and coastguard, were old salts with the exception of then young Johnny Beynon, Fernhill, who had his first and only night on board a ship.   The other were Billie Jones, Billie Bevan, Will Chalk and John Gibbs as cook, as he had been to sea as a galley boy.   The crew had cooked a meal of meat and vegetables and after some of them had finished, the others found they had used Keatings Powder as pepper, with the result the coastguard was immediately very sick, whether at the thought of it or the effect no one knew.  The ship refloated with the incoming tide and the men had a good wetting before she could be pulled off with a winch nearer the anchor and deeper water.   The tug from Llanelly for some reason did not arrive and the emergency crew being tired and wet anchored her at low water and came ashore.   That night a gale blew up, and the following morning she was found broken to matchwood on the beach.   A narrow escape for our local men."    (Ref. 009)