cutting oil Mac
Stainless
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2007
- Location
- scotland united kingdom
In the early hours of new years day 1919, Off the Scottish Hebridean Island of Lewis, a terrible maritime tragedy occured outside the entrance of Stornoway Harbour, when the requisitioned steam yacht Iolaire struck one of the extremely dangerous rocks called "The Beasts of Holm",
This was one of the worst British Maritime disasters of that century, The Iolaire, on that fateful morning had 283 British servicemen aboard ship, when the disaster occured 205 men lost their lives, As this maritime accident did not fall neatly into the period of the great war 1914-1918, the names of the dead were never entered on an official war memorial,or also remembered in armistice day commemorations, Only engraved on the individual grave markers, To say it was airbrushed out of history, I feel would be not far from the mark. In the course of The royal Navy enquiry into the sinking of this ship It was recorded that "The Chief Officer did not excercise sufficient prudence, And also did not have a lookout on duty"
It is only since approx 1958, that the islanders built a cairn to the dead, And on the first of January this year Prince Charles and other dignitaries unvailed a very fine memorial to the dead.
I have afeeling that the captain of this vessel likely fell into the catagory of being an upper class nitwit, as the day before the disaster he managed to bash Iolaire against the harbour wall at Kyle of Lochalsh , causing a buckle on her hull . Before the fateful collision with the rocks, Lewis men on her deck, who survived could only watch in horror knowing the frightful fate awaiting them, They apparently said "She was going too fast & at a wrong angle.
Iolaire means in Scottish gaelic "Sea Eagle" one of the reasons I have for mentioning this shipwreck to our readers (as well as thinking of the dead) Where was Iolaire built, What was her pprevious name , and who owned her? She was by her photograph a very fine looking vessel
This was one of the worst British Maritime disasters of that century, The Iolaire, on that fateful morning had 283 British servicemen aboard ship, when the disaster occured 205 men lost their lives, As this maritime accident did not fall neatly into the period of the great war 1914-1918, the names of the dead were never entered on an official war memorial,or also remembered in armistice day commemorations, Only engraved on the individual grave markers, To say it was airbrushed out of history, I feel would be not far from the mark. In the course of The royal Navy enquiry into the sinking of this ship It was recorded that "The Chief Officer did not excercise sufficient prudence, And also did not have a lookout on duty"
It is only since approx 1958, that the islanders built a cairn to the dead, And on the first of January this year Prince Charles and other dignitaries unvailed a very fine memorial to the dead.
I have afeeling that the captain of this vessel likely fell into the catagory of being an upper class nitwit, as the day before the disaster he managed to bash Iolaire against the harbour wall at Kyle of Lochalsh , causing a buckle on her hull . Before the fateful collision with the rocks, Lewis men on her deck, who survived could only watch in horror knowing the frightful fate awaiting them, They apparently said "She was going too fast & at a wrong angle.
Iolaire means in Scottish gaelic "Sea Eagle" one of the reasons I have for mentioning this shipwreck to our readers (as well as thinking of the dead) Where was Iolaire built, What was her pprevious name , and who owned her? She was by her photograph a very fine looking vessel
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