The Highland Home (Wreck)

United Kingdom / Wales / Milford Haven /
 interesting place, invisible

HIGHLAND HOME, sailing ship. BUILT 1886, SUNK 1895
THE HAWSER THAT BOUND the 1371-ton iron barque Highland Home of Glasgow to the steam tug Warrior could not stand the strain of the south-west gale that struck at 9pm on 10 November, 1895, writes Kendall McDonald. The vessels were in Pembroke's West Freshwater Bay, Highland Home being towed to London in ballast.
Huge seas built up very quickly, the hawser snapped suddenly and the crew of the tug saw her whirled away from them into the dark.
At 10pm, distress signals were seen by the coastguard at Angle, but the light suddenly disappeared, and the only sizeable trace of the Highland Home was her nameboard, which was washed ashore the next morning.
Captain John McWhir, ,ex Master of the Highland Forest, sister bargque to the Highland Home. Joseph Conrad sailed on the Highland Forest from Amsterdam to the East Indies under John McWhir's command in 1884. Both John McWhir's wife and one of his sons also perished with the 17 crew on 11 November 1895. his 17 crew and two passengers were never seen again. Wreckage of the barque, which had been built in 1886 by Ramage and Ferguson of Leith, was later found in Freshwater Bay, around Linney Head.
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Coordinates:   51°39'47"N   5°6'42"W

Comments

  • Captain John McWhirr was my great, great grandfather and my mother often talked about this tradgedy in November.
This article was last modified 12 years ago