The Sinking of the Rochdale and the Prince of Wales

The Sinking of the "Rochdale" and the "Prince of Wales".

Dublin Port had long been dangerous. It was only accessible at high tide. It was subject to sudden storms. Many ships were lost while waiting for the tide. Little was done until this disaster. The impact of 400 bodies [Reports of the numbers lost are contradictory. They vary from 380 to 500. Most published reports say 400] being washed up on an urban shore had an effect on public and official opinion. This event was the impetus to the building of Dún Laoghaire Harbour. [ Gilligan, H. A., 1980, "Captain William Hutchison and the early Dublin Bay lifeboats". Dublin Historical Record, 2: 43.]

On November 19, 1807 several ships left Dublin carrying troops bound for the Napoleonic war. The next day, two ships, the brig "Rochdale" and H.M. Packet ship "Prince of Wales", having been caught in gale force winds and heavy snow, were lost.cite web | title = Historical Coastal Walking Tour | publisher = Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council | date = | url = http://www.iopener.ie/downloads/iOpener-Dun-Laoghaire-Script.pdf | format = pdf | accessdate = 2008-03-28 ] Troops on the Prince of Wales may have been deliberately locked below deck while the ship’s captain escaped. [ [http://www.askaboutireland.ie/show_narrative_page.do?page_id=4005 AAI | Physical Landscape ] ] No lifeboat was launched. There was looting.

Maritime Background

This tragedy was the impetus to the building of Dún Laoghaire Harbour, Initially called “Dunleary”, then “Kingstown”, and now “Dún Laoghaire”. Dublin port was hampered by a sandbar, which meant that ships could only enter or leave at high tide. A solution, the building of the North Bulll Wall, had been identified by Vice-Admiral William Bligh in 1800. If there was a storm, a ship would have to ride out the storm in the open sea waiting for the tide.

"The bay of Dublin has perhaps been more fatal to seamen and ships than any in the world, for a ship once caught in it in a gale of wind from ENE to SSE must ride it out at anchors or go on shore, and from the nature of that shore the whole of the crews almost invariably have perished." - Captain Charles Malcolm of George IV's royal yacht. [de Courcy Ireland, page 2]

A pier had been built at Dún Laoghaire, now known as the “coal harbour”, in 1767, but it had rapidly silted up. [Dún Laoghaire Library – A history of Dún Laoghaire [http://www.dlrcoco.ie/library/dlhist.htm] ] The early nineteenth century was unusually stormy. [ John Sweeney,"A three-century storm climatology for Dublin 1715-2000", Irish Geography, Volume 33(1), 2000, 1-14. ] Dublin Bay was notoriously treacherous for boats. The remains of at least 600 vessels rest at the bottom of the bay.

On November 19, 1807, the sea began to swell. Wind speed increased to hurricane force. Sleet and snow fell to such intensity that visibility was reduced to zero; they may not have realised how close they were to shore. The east wind blew the ships back towards the shore.

While the "Rochdale" and the "Prince of Wales" were lost, another troop transport, the "Lark", which left earlier, safely reached Holyhead. Other ships were lost at that time. A collier was lost at the South Bull (outside Dublin Port). The inbound Liverpool packet was lost off Bray.

Military Background

In July 1807, following military successes, Napoleon signed the Treaties of Tilsit with Russia and Prussia leaving him master of central and eastern Europe. He then turned his attention westward to Spain and Portugal. Britain was alarmed. Soldiers were recruited to defend England’s coast and to intervene in Spain (see Peninsular War) under Wellington.

Fear of an invasion of Ireland was further increased by the building of Martello Towers on the southern and eastern coasts and watchtowers on the other coastlines.

French troops had invaded Ireland on August 22, 1798 under General Humbert establishing the short-lived Republic of Connaught. On that occasion the Mayo Militia was ingloriously defeated in what became known as the Races of Castlebar . In 1807 many members of the North Mayo and South Mayo Militias volunteered and were lost from the Prince of Wales. The joined the 97th Regiment of Foot, Minorca Regiment which was knows as the “Queens Own Germans”. It was initially formed from Swiss and German mercenaries. (In 1816, the 97th was renumbered as the 96th). The North Cork militia was active in suppressing the Irish Rebellion of 1798. They suffered their defeat at the Battle of Oulart Hill. In 1807, while most joined the 18th Regiment of Foot so many members of the North Cork Militia volunteered that they had to be dispersed over 25 different regiments!

They joined the British Army for a shilling a week and three meals a day - an alternative to terrible poverty. [Seascapes News Summary - December 11, 2006 [http://www.rte.ie/radio1/seascapes/1118749.html] ]

HM Packet ship "Prince of Wales"

HM Packet ship Prince of Wales was a sloop of 103 tons with a draught of 11 feet. She was built in Parkgate, Cheshire in 1787. She sailed under Captain Robert Jones of Liverpool carrying the 97th regiment. The next day, November 20, she had only progressed to a point opposite Bray Head. She cast anchor, but the sea was so violent that she failed to come to anchor; she was blown back past Dún Laoghaire. Her sails were completely torn. She was driven onto rocks at Blackrock.There was just one longboat aboard. Captain Jones, nine seamen, two women with children (family members), and two soldiers escaped on this lifeboat. They did not know where they were, or how close they were to the shore. They rowed parallel to the shore until one of the sailors fell overboard and found that he was standing in shallow water.It was alleged that the troops were locked below deck, the ladder withdraw, and the hatch battened down. All 120 drowned.

To see another ship named Prince of Wales see HMS Price of Wales.

"Rochdale"

The "Rochdale" was larger than the "Prince of Wales". She was built in 1797; she was a brig of 135 tons and a ten foot draught. She sailed under Captain Hodgson. She was driven along a similar path as the Prince of Wales. She cast anchors but the cable snapped. On shore cries of the terrified passengers could be heard. As she swept past Dún Laoghaire, soldiers on board fired their muskets to attract attention. At Salthill, would-be rescuers had to shelter from the gunfire. Off Blackrock, blue lights were seen and gunfire heard. She stuck the rocks at the Seapoint Martello tower. A twelve foot plank would have rescued them, but all 265, including 42 women and 29 children, on board were lost. Their bodies were unrecognisable, being mutilated by the sea and the rocks. [Man and the landscape in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown [http://www.askaboutireland.ie/show_narrative_page.do?page_id=3577] ]

Lifeboats

Although there were lifeboats stationed at Clontarf, Bullock, Howth, Dún Laoghaire and Islandbridge none were launched.

Looting

There was looting of the ships and the items washed ashore. An immense amount of baggage was washed ashore and troops were put on guard. Looters gathered as was usual at the time and one from Dún Laoghaire was drowned. All the weekend was spent in collecting the bodies for burial. The Regimental Silver Plate of the Queens Own Germans was lost. Rewards were offered. Six persons were convicted and sent to Kilmainham Gaol for plundering bodies or articles. [Hooper, Darrell, "A Story of Lives Lost" [http://www.dlrcoco.ie/gp/CommemorationCememony_221107.htm] ]

Murder Charge

Captain Robert Jones and his crew survived in the only lifeboat. Two soldiers also survived. The captain was accused of murder. [Freeman's Journal November 30: “Yesterday, Robert Jones, Master of the Prince of Wales, the Mate and the ship’s Steward, were fully committed to Newgate to abide their trial on a charge of murder for having removed the ladders which communicated between the deck and the hold of the vessel, whereby the passengers were prevented from making any exertion to escape the dreadful fate which they suffered.”] The Captain said that the lifeboat wasn’t launched; rather it was cast into the sea by the storm, so he ordered those on deck to get into it. Anthony McIntyre of the 18th Royal Irish said that the captain launched the lifeboat. McIntyre also said that the ladder from the hold to the deck was withdrawn. Andrew Boyle, also of the 18th Royal Irish, speaking through an Irish interpreter, said that the ladder was not removed because “persons below held on to it very tightly”. The verdict was "Casual death by shipwreck". The case was dismissed [ Tom Williamson, Robert Kennedy & Cian Kennedy "Lost at Sea" CBC Monkstown Library [http://www.cbcmonkstown.ie/library/carrickbrennan/lost_at_sea.htm] ]

Dún Laoghaire Harbour

The Irish Parliament had been abolished. From January 1, 1801 Irish Members of Parliament had to travel to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. That meant frequent travel across the Irish Sea. A campaign to build a harbour at Dún Laoghaire was aready underway. The person chiefly responsible was a resident Norwegian master mariner and shipbroker named Richard Toucher who worked tirelessly campaigning to bring about the construction of a safe port. His Asylum Harbour was conceived as a refuge for sailing ships in trouble in Dublin Bay.After this tragedy, the campaign received the support required. [Transport at Dún Laoghaire Port [http://askaboutireland.ie/show_narrative_page.do?page_id=156&version=text_only] ] The term ‘asylum’ in this context means a harbour where ships can seek refuge from a storm.

Construction commenced on a packet harbour at Howth. It was completed in 1809. Travelling from Dublin to Howth meant travelling through the ‘badlands of Sutton’, where coaches were liable to be raided. [ Fewer, Michael, "By Swerve of Shore", (Gill, Dublin, 2002), ISBN 0-7171-3353-2, an account of the author's walk along the coast of County Dublin] . Howth was a shallow harbour, as larger ships were built, in particular with the introduction of steam packets from 1819, it became unsuitable. Howth’s rocky bottom precluded any dredging.

In 1815, eight Harbour Commissioners were appointed to supervise the building of a new harbour at Dún Laoghaire. George IV visited in 1821. He arrived at Howth. He departed from Dún Laoghaire. He renamed the town “Kingstown”. [Booterstown and Carysfort, A Parochial History 1821 to 1984, by Robert Knaggs [http://booterstown.dublin.anglican.org/rkbook.asp?page=2] ] The name reverted to Dún Laoghaire in 1921. [ [http://www.askaboutireland.ie/show_narrative_page.do?page_id=156 AAI | Transport ] ]

Reading

* Bourke, Edward J. "The sinking of the Rochdale and the Prince of Wales" lecture text [http://www.mii.connect.ie/history/Rochdale.htm]
* Bourke, Edward J. "Shipwrecks of the Irish Coast" ISBN 0952302721
* Blacker, Rev. Beaver "Brief Sketches of the Parishes of Booterstown and Donnybrook" (Dublin 1860)
* de Courcy Ireland, John, "History Of Dún Laoghaire Harbour" (De Burca Books, 2001) ISBN 0 946130 27 2.
* Scott Roberts, Peter. "The Ancestry, Life and Times of Commander John Macgregor Skinner R.N." ( Holyhead Maritime Museum, 2007)

References