 |
 |
|
|
The Timbo The
little steamship Timbo and her crew of eight, had been sheltering in Holyhead
harbour Anglesey due to the severe westerly gales that had caused much damage
and disruption in the last week of November 1920, but by the morning of Friday
December the 1st the wind had decreased, so she finally weighed
anchor to continue her short passage in ballast from Liverpool to Ireland. No
sooner had she rounded the South Stack lighthouse and into Caernarfon bay that
the wind increase Edward
Owen one of the Rhoscolyn lifeboat crew saw the drama unfolding, as by now the
Timbo was only three miles off the coast, and he rushed down to the lifeboat
station, where most of the crew of thirteen had gathered. Launching the boat was
a nightmare in its self, as by now the sea was running very high, and it took
the brave men of Rhoscolyn, the youngest of which, Richard Hughes only sixteen
years old, a full three hours to reach the doomed Timbo. They tried four times
to get a line to her, and on the fifth attempt they managed to get a four inch
thick manila rope across, but it parted almost immediately. Owen Owens her
coxswain had to make the sad decision to return to shore, but the lifeboat
capsized almost as soon as they turned. Five of the lifeboat crew lost their
lives that day including Owen Owens, young Richard Hughes and his older brother
Evan. By now the Timbo was being driven close to the Caernarvonshire coast and her storm beaches. As she approached the coast, Captain Baushell order five of his crew into a lifeboat, including sixteen year old William Jones, who was on his first trip to sea, but it was quickly overcome, and only one man reached the shore alive. The Timbo became stranded high and dry on Dinas Dinlle beach. During the rescue attempt by the Rhoscolyn Lifeboat, five members of the lifeboat crew tragically lost their lives, along with four crew-members from the ‘Timbo’. A memorial to the sacrifice made by the lifeboat crew can be seen in Rhoscolyn Churchyard, near Holyhead. The ship remained stranded high and dry until a wooden launching ramp could be constructed and, with the aid of tugs, the ‘Timbo’ was eventually refloated.
"Memorial to the five crewmembers of the Rhoscolyn Lifeboat" ~~~~~~~ It continued to trade around the Welsh and Lancashire coasts, but did not survive long and was finally wrecked on Carreg-y-Trai reef off Abersoch. Bound for London, the ‘Timbo’ had just left Pwllheli when she ran on to Carreg-y-Trai reef during darkness on the evening of 15th November, 1922. The crew quickly abandoned ship and everyone reached the shore in safety. Lloyd’s Agents initially reported that the ship could be refloated if powerful pumps could quickly be sent to the scene, but by 21st November, the situation had deteriorated and the ship was described as being underwater at half-tide.
~~~~~~~~
"Last moments of the Timbo" Built
at Newcastle during 1883, the ‘Timbo’ had its boiler and engine mounted
amidships to power a single propeller. The vessel also carried a spare, 2-metre
diameter iron propeller, which can still be found immediately south of the reef
in around 14 metres of water. The 3-metre wide boiler, two large winches, a
length of propeller shaft and a tangled mass of ribs, hull-plates and girders
all lie close by. The valuable condenser has already been recovered, while other
heavy items such as the crankshaft have been moved and put to further use as
mooring weights in Abersoch Bay. Surprisingly, a small, unmarked bell was
recovered from the site as recently as May, 2002, and may be from the ‘Timbo’.
"Exploring the Timbo" ~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~ Thanks
to
Thanks to Mr & Mrs Owen, for the two Abersoch Timbo photographs.
Other Shipwrecks Stuart Sorrento Newry Twelve Apostles Bristol Cyprian Monk Amy Summerfield Brig Ann
|
|
Copyright © Rhiw.com |
again to storm force, which left the little ship at the mercy
of the raging sea. With her propeller and rudder more often than not, out of the
water (being light ship) it became impossible to handle her. The Timbo’s
master Capt Baushell
