Dark deeds on the shore while rescuers braved the waves

During the night the people of Seaford were woken by the signal cannons fired to warn other ships from the coast. Daylight saw an amazing sight. In the centre of the bay the Harlequin was breaking up with every wave and under Seaford Head the Weymouth was jammed fast on the rocks. Between these two vessels, the Traveller and the Albion were stranded close to the newly built Martello Tower.

The Traveller was a schooner from London with a crew of eight. The men all managed to wade ashore but its cargo of fruit and sumar (which is a plant which was used in the dyeing trade) was lost. It was en-route from Malaga in Spain to the Port of London. It was the oldest of the seven fated ships,having been launched in 1778 and once had been captured for a short time by the French.

Close to the Traveller was the Albion, at 180 tons the smallest of the stricken ships. It was on its way to London from Gibraltar and had a varied cargo which included almonds, capers, saffron, cork and barrila which is a salt-water plant used to make soda-ash, an ingredient in glass manufacture.

The Harlequin had grounded near to where The Beachcomber is now situated and nearby, opposite the Salts, the Unice came ashore. The Unice was a 174-ton American brig, laden with a valuable cargo of cotton. This was a well built ship which withstood the storm for many hours enabling all of the crew to escape and the cargo to be salvaged by a Mr Close of the bonded warehouse in Newhaven.

The last two ships to have grounded were much bigger than the others, and were both Prussian registered. The Februar at 460 tons was the largest of the ships and had a crew of sixteen. She was in ballast and therefore did not have a cargo. The master dropped his anchor but this resulted in the huge ship toppling over on to her side. The crowds of people watching from the shore were horrified to see the crew clinging to the masts and rigging only to be picked off by the stormy waves one by one. The majority of the crew ended up desperately clutching the main mast but it could not take the weight of the men and the constant waves and gave way. The crowd on the beach shrieked as the crew were thrown into the sea. Only one survived.

The Mithredracht was a 350 ton ship and came ashore at the Buckle. It was transporting a cargo of brandy, wine, sugar and coffee to Germany. Of the crew of 13, only two survived and one of these was seriously injured when a ship's timber struck him in the face.

The Customs men from Newhaven were keen to salvage the wine which was floated ashore, no doubt to add to Treasury funds.

The convoy first foundered in the early hours and their signalling guns woke many local people who braved the elements to witness the extraordinary events; never before or since have so many ships been wrecked in the bay at one time. Some official decided to call out the military and a rider was dispatched to Blatchington Barracks which at that time housed a detachment of the 81st Infantry. It is said that that the senior officer, Captain Browne, was awoken from his bed whilst in the clutches of Evangeline Catt. Known as the 'Tidemills Temptress', she was no doubt an embarrassment to her brother, the mill owner William, who is remembered for his authoritarian ways.

Captain Browne called his two Lieutenants, Derenzy and Pringle, and the detachment was soon dressed and at the shoreline. Almost immediately Derenzy saw a sailor struggling in the water and he dived in to rescue him. As he approached, the sailor sank under the water, but the Lieutenant managed to grab him by the hair and pull him up. As he struggled to bring the drowning man ashore, the two of them were struck by a piece of floating timber which rendered him senseless. This act of bravery was witnessed by Lieutenant Pringle who raced into the waves but was not strong enough to bring the two men in. His men, however, grasped the situation and linked arms to form a human chain to bring the three men safely ashore.

This was just one of the many acts of bravery on that day. The rescue attempts lasted from the early hours to 10am when the last man was rescued and brought ashore to safety.

The Newhaven Customs were present near the Buckle, where a large amount of cargo from the Mithredracht was salvaged. This operation was led by the Newhaven Collector of Customs, Mr Harrison, who was one of the heroes of the day. He not only did his job but was humane enough to suspend salvage operations to direct his men to rescue sailors. The shoreline from Seaford Head to the Buckle was covered with flotsam and jetsam from the stricken ships. Timber, rigging and sails were washed ashore and the customs men were unable to secure all the barrels of brandy and wine bottles that drifted ashore. Seaford had a dark history of smuggling and wrecking and much of this merchandise was spirited away. It is said that some local men did this in preference to rescuing drowning sailors. Several brandy barrels were dashed opened on the shore and some local men drank the contents before they could be washed away. It is said that some even drank brandy from their boots and hats and that by noon many were helplessly drunk.

The men of the 81st Infantry did their best to secure and protect some of the valuable cargo but much was stolen. It was not only cargo which was the target for thievery; brave Mr Harrison's coat and hat were stolen and Captain Browne's greatcoat was also taken. A dark day for Seaford indeed.

KEVIN GORDON