Maritime record MWX2122 - Forester

Remains of 1930 wreck of Welsh collier which foundered just off Portland breakwater after breaking from her moorings and colliding with the breakwater itself, then capsizing. En route from Poole to Swansea in ballast, she had sought shelter in Portland from a gale. She was a steam-driven vessel.

(1) Crew: 6 Passengers: 1 Propulsion: Screw driven, 3 cylinder triple expansion engine. Date of Loss Qualifier: A (2) (2)(4) Having put into Portland Harbour from Poole two days earlier and anchored to avoid bad weather, the FORESTER parted from her moorings in a westerly gale and drove right through the Atlantic Fleet which was also at anchor. Ricocheting from one anchor cable to another she went right through the war ships until she crashed onto the stonework of the breakwater, slid off, capsized and sank. Her crew of six and a young stowaway managed to scramble onto the breakwater from the upturned hull where they remained for three hours before the Weymouth lifeboat could reach them and rig a rope by which means they were saved. Wreck lies on the inside face of the breakwater parallel, bows to the south in a general depth of 10m. (2)(4) 12-JAN-1930 Saw moments of near panic as the small Cardiff collier FOREST drove before a whole westerly gale right through the Atlantic fleet moored in Portland harbour. Ricocheting from one taut anchor cable to another she seemed to bear a charmed life until she crashed on to the stonework of the breakwater, slid off and turned turtle. She had been on a ballast passage from Poole to Swansea when she came in to shelter from the gale. Her crew of six and a young stowaway were lucky to be able to scramble wet and frozen onto the breakwater from the almost upturned hull. Getting them into the lifeboat proved far more difficult than it seemed and in the end two lifeboatmen had to get onto the breakwater to arrange the rope and tackle by which they were saved.(5) 28-AUG-1945 Centre of wreck in position 342 deg beacon c on outer breakwater, 330 feet. Lies parallel to breakwater. Length 200 feet. Least depth over wreck 34 feet. 31-JAN-1979 Shown with least depth 8.5m. Lies with bow south parallel to breakwater. Length about 28m. 28-OCT-1980 This is considered to be wreck of British collier FORESTER, 191 gross tonnage, which sank 12.1.30. 10-DEC-1980 Now confirmed as wreck of FORESTER. (1) Additional source: Lloyds Register of Casualty Returns JAN-MAR 1930 The building date for this vessel is an estimate based on an average age at wrecking of twenty years. This average is derived from those vessels wrecked on the Dorset coast whose age at wrecking is known. Horizontal Datum: OGB Vertical Datum: LAT Orientation: 009/189 Method of Fix: CR (1) Photograph of the FORESTER approaching St. Helier in 1927, thought to be the only extant image of the vessel. 97.3 feet long. After being sold on by William Jones, she was owned in Cardiff, then Plymouth, before reverting back to Cardiff. The manner of her loss is given substantially as in (2)(4) and (5). This newspaper article is based on a longer article published in "Archive" by Roy Fenton. (6) 28-AUG-1945: Centre of wreck in position 342 deg beacon C on outer breakwater, 330 feet. Lies parallel to breakwater. Length 200 feet. Least depth over wreck 34 feet. 31-JAN-1979: Shown with least depth 8.5m. Lies with bow south parallel to breakwater. Length about 28m. 28-OCT-1980: This is considered to be wreck of British collier FORESTER, 191 gross tonnage, which sank 12.1.30. 10-DEC-1980: Now confirmed as wreck of FORESTER. (1) Built: 1910 (6) Builder: Edward Finch and Co. (6) Where Built: Chepstow (6) Propulsion: Screw driven, 3 cylinder triple expansion engine (2)(4); compound engine (6) Machinery: by W Sisson & Co. Ltd., Gloucester (6) Crew: 6 (2)(4)(5) Passengers: 1 (2)(4)(5) Owner: William Jones until 1923 (6) Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss Additional sources cited in The Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Review: Archive magazine, [local industrial and transport history publication] "latest edition" as at 28.07.2006 focusing on the history of Lightmoor Colliery and the vessels owned by William Jones; article by Roy Fenton

Record last edited

Mar 26 2024 4:18PM