A Captain's Description of his Ship's Condition After a Hurricane

[Grim DeGrim]

The attached below is an excerpt describing a portion of the 7 year war off the coast of Cape Breton. The English fleet, under command of Admiral Francis Holborn, is caught just off the fortress of Louisburg in a Hurricane:

I shall not go into the tedious business here of listing all of the damages to the fleet. However, there is the damages to the Eagle which I believe might have been typical and which were described in a report despatched by her captain, Hugh Palliser.5 It is, in itself, a fine description of what happens at sea when a ship is caught in a storm off a lee shore, and which, I am sure, represents the experiences of all of those who were aboard the English ships that were caught out on that terrible night in September off the coast of Cape Breton. Here is what Captain Palliser had to write:

"Sunday, September 25th, 1757:

2 am:

Laying under the Reef'd Foresail and Reef'd and balanced Mizen, the wind blowing very hard at ESE the ship made a great deal of Water, at 5 finding the Water of gain upon us, endeavoured to bear up, but She became water logg'd and laid on her Beam ends, which obliged us to cutt away the Main mast and Mizon mast and to throw overboard Ten of the Lee upper Deck Guns and Five 6 Pounders, by which She righted a little, and this I believe saved her from sinking having then Ten feet Water in her; kept Pumping and Baling and kept her away a little, but durst not put before it knowing we were very near a Lee Shore, at having reduced the Water to about 7 feet, One of the Pump-Chains broke, and the Tiller broke in the Rudder head, got the Iron Tiller Shipped, at 10 cutt the Fore Topmast away in order to save the Foremast, the Foresail blew all to pieces, at about 11 the Wind shifted to WSW, and half an hour after it cleared up a little, saw the Breakers under our Lee distant about 2 Miles, fortunately the Foremast being standing we got her wore, and her head off shore, with a Shedding Sail hoisted to the Foremast head, we kept her SSE all Night, the Wind being then at West. Continued pumping and baling and by Monday at 8PM got her free, but she continued to have a great List to Starboard occasioned by things in the Hold and between Decks, being wash'd over to that side, found the Foremast very much sprung in Two places the Magazine having been quite full of Water, found all the Parrapets, Lockers, etc. brokedown, and every cask was Stove and all the Powder wash'd away, so that we had none left but a few Cartridges in the after Magazine; found all the dry Provisions stowed the Starboard side wet and spoiled, also a good deal of Bread, several of the Orlop Beams and Carlins worked down, the Ship strained very much Fore and Aft, ...

... I have considered the State of the Ship which is unfit for any service, therefore presuming her joining you in this shattered condition can be of no consequence to the service and in this Condition I think her by no means fit to Venture upon a dangerous and strange Coast to look for a Port where if I should arrive Safe and by Chance find you, no such repairs & Supply's can be had as the ship wants; I conclude endeavouring to get to either place will be Attended with more danger than proceeding directly for England as the bad Season is set in."

From:http://www.blupete.com/Hist/NovaScotiaBk1/Part7/Ch05.htm

[maturin]

No fun.

[Chromey]

I can imagine when the pump chain broke that his ships pump status went into the red. 

[Grim DeGrim]

I had to chuckle at that...just when you're thinking "Man, we might get out of this alive...."

 

10 feet of water in the ship though, I simply could not imagine.

[Magnum]

The life of a tar was not easy and usually not long.