SS Gannett

SS Gannet; 26th May 1871; 560 ton screw steamer, of Liverpool; from Mersey to Antwerp with general cargo (cotton and salt); she met with fog off Godrevy, grounded at midnight. Overnight the cotton bales had swollen with sea water, her deck and hull were strained, and she listed badly. Seas were rough and a salvage attempt by Earl of Arran and Little Western could not be completed; 3rd June Harveys set out with Bessie and managed to take off 300 tons of cargo for salvage. 12th June she began breaking up in the gale, and broke her back.

Brilliant pictures HH thank you. I have a shipwreck query that has had me beaten for years and any help would be appreciated. This extract is from the “Diary of St Just Parish Sextant” to be found on West Penwith Resources - - -
“Feb 17th 1900 7-30pm Mr Rowe Eddy, parish undertaker called to order a grave for the body of a Sailor which had been washed ashore under Wheal Owles Mine, and is now lying in the old Carpenters shop on the Mine awaiting the Coroners instructions. the funeral will probably be for Monday 19th—asked Mr Eddy to send boy up to Joe tomorrow morning and tell Joe to come down to me at once, so that the grave can be begun, ready for Monday. The man is supposed to be one of the Crew of the steamer wrecked on Threestones our rocks off Pendeen during the snowstorm on the night of the 13th. The Vessel is supposed to be French, but nothing is known for certain as nothing to denote her nationality has washed up. The first body found was unlashed from the Mizzen mast, dead and was buried at Pendeen Churchyard, he was apparently a foreigner from his dress.
Feb 20th The vessel wrecked is the Ossian of Bristol—Swansea for Chareaute, 10 hands lost in her. Funeral put off till tomorrow 5pm.”

I have found five vessels called Ossian registered at that time, but none of them came to grief off Pendeen. So was it the Ossian? Is there a photo?
And who were the men of Pendeen who launched out of Boat Cove? Any old local newspaper reports? I can’t get back to check for myself.

I ll take a look through my grandfathers collection and see what pictures he may have of this. You really should be talking to treeve our resident vessels expert he will be able to help you, I m sure.

@trevelyan -
SS Ossian - 13th February 1900; discovered to be submerged at dawn at Three Stone Oar; There had been a hard easterly gale all night, so she was hugging the coast, on course Swansea for Charente with coal; a crew of 8 (so recorded) and Master named Read. At the point where she lay, the night before, the wind had turned strongly and suddenly to nor nor east; SS Ossian was 160 ton, built 1867; it therefore appears that the discovered man was not a member of that ship Ossian, poor man.

Excellent - I should have asked twelve months ago.
This shipwreck is of personal interest because many years ago I was told that the recovery of the body from the rigging was made by my great great grandfather Samuel “Goff” Harvey.

Just to confirm ON44395, SS OSSIAN, built 1869; registered Bristol, 160tons; Registry closed 1900.

Discovering the names of lifeboatmen is not at all easy for the early years, sometimes it is possible to find them recorded; the RNLI Museum at Portsmouth has been of great help to me in previous years, a donation is appropriate because the whole museum and archive is unfunded and operated by a caring volunteer. It can take a while to find the information, if it is there or not.

Incidentally, the Ann Newbon would have been the lifeboat at that time. Ann Newbon Legacy (Islington); 1893-1922; 35 x 8.25 feet; ON357; 10 oars; built 1893 by Woolfe at Shadwell.

The endeavour to get to the Ossian was a private one.

I see, I have no doubt that the West Briton and/or The Cornishman carried a full report.