Colwyn Bay postcard: Steamer wreck
This postcard on the promenade at Rhos-on-Sea depicts a ship which sank in 1908 as it approached Rhos-on-Sea pier.
The paddle steamer Rhosneigr was built in 1876. The Mersey Trading Company of Liverpool used it to carry passengers between various places in Wales and England. On 20 July 1908 it collected c.50 passengers at Llandudno for a trip to Blackpool. At Rhos-on-Sea pier, people who were waiting to board the ship noticed that the bows were getting lower in the water as it approached.
The ship had struck something near the Little Orme which tore a long hole in its hull. Pumps were started but water gushed in, so Captain John Smallman changed course to run the vessel aground. The vessel sank c.15 minutes after hitting the submerged object. No lives were lost.
A Board of Trade inquiry in Caernarfon found that Captain Smallman had steered the ship too close to the coast at low tide, and suspended his licence for three months. The magistrates in the case expressed surprise that the Rhosneigr had lifeboats with space for only 34 passengers in total, along with lifebuoys and lifebelts, but this had been agreed and certified by the Board of Trade. The same problem was exposed on a much bigger scale four years later with the sinking of the ocean liner Titanic, which was authorised to carry over 3,000 passengers and crew but had just 20 lifeboats.
The photo, courtesy of Conwy Archive Service, shows the wreck and a steamer of similar size to the Rhosneigr, along with the Rhos Fynach fish trap. Remnants of the wreck’s paddle wheels are still visible at low spring tides.
For more about the Rhosneigr and pictures of the vessel, see our page about the wreck site.
Postcode: LL28 4EP
Click here for a map of the postcards' location.
Website of Conwy Archive Service
https://www.conwy.gov.uk/en/Resident/Libraries-Museums-and-Archives/Archives/Archives.aspx
 |
  |