Tridonia

Last Updated on Friday, 13 March 2009 14:59

1916 - The Tridonia was a former German ship, commandeered at the outset of the Great War.  She was a square-rigged sailing ship out of Dublin, bound for the River Plate.  In appalling weather conditions she made two attempts at setting out but finally lost all her sails and was driven helplessly up the Bristol Channel and driven, at low tide, on to Oxwich Point. The crew took refuge on the forecastle and the captain's wife was lashed to the bowsprit. One man locked himself into the deck house, now under water, and the Captain went to rescue him but was himself washed overboard and drowned.   The rocket crew had been making unavailing efforts throughout the night but eventually managed to get a line across. What remained of the crew, the Captain's wife and some 20 men, who had survived the night lashed down to whatever would hold, were brought ashore by breeches buoy, all exhausted and in bad shape. Neither the Mumbles nor the Tenby lifeboats had been able to get near enough to help. The rocket crew were on duty for 30 hours. (Ref. 060)