Stories from Old Newspapers

 

Dungarvan Observer 15th February 1919

 

Wreck of the KINCORA

 

Between  the hours of 3 and 4 on Monday morning the “Kincora” , a small sailing vessel, of a registered tonnage of 44 tons, and owned by Messrs Beatty and Craig, Cardiff, was wrecked on the Cunnigar sands , a short distance from the town of Dungarvan.  She carried a crew of three, including the Captain.

 

The schooner left Cardiff on the 5th February bound for Brest with a cargo of coals.  Shortly after leaving port and when in sight of Trevese Head a violent storm sprung up, which carried away her sails, damaged her steering gear, and left the small ship completely at the mercy of the waves.  This was on the 6th.  For the greater part of three days the vessel tossed about in the water, and only struck land after having drifted a distance of over 170 miles.  To make matters worse she had sprung a leak, her cabin and hold were filling with water, and she was on the point of foundering. Owing to the compass bearing broken, the Captain had no means of finding his bearings… They had to subsist on the ships biscuits and remain on deck all the time.  When the schooner struck the sands, they managed to launch their boat, and by means of this were able to gain the Cunnigar, where they remained until 7 o’clock on n Monday morning, when they were conveyed to Dungarvan in one of the ferry boats. Here all their wants were looked after by Mr. Thomas Cooke, local agent for the Shipwrecked Mariners Association. The names of the crew are: - Captain Smith, Carl Odguard and Bjarne Berg Jensen.  All three of them are quite young, and seen after their occurrence certainly did not look much the worse for their trying experience.  They all, however, admitted that it was the worst they had been through, although the Captain had been twice torpedoed and Carl Odguard wrecked on six different occasions.  Through the courtesy of Mrs and Mr French, Main Street: our reporter was successful in obtaining an interview with the Captain who noted” we signalled to some passing steamers to come to our assistance, but our signals were not responded to”.  Coming into Dungarvan harbour he said that they signalled the coastguard but received no answer.  “At one time I thought – all was over and was ready to jump and swim for my life”.  The reporter noted that the boat had become a “total wreck”.