George B Balfour

 

George B Balfour

On 27 October 1885, the three-masted schooner George B Balfour was launched from Mr. Paul Rodgers' shipyard in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland. Commissioned by James Fisher & Son of Barrow-in-Furness, the vessel measured 38 meters in length with iron frames and steel plating. Today, James Fisher and Sons plc remains one of the few independent British marine companies of global stature. In the 19th century, small coastal schooners with two and three masts were pivotal to Fisher's iron ore export trade, also dealing in coal, grain, and timber.

Creek Fisher

Between 1880 and onwards, the Rodgers shipyard in Carrickfergus completed a series of wooden or steel, three-masted schooners. These vessels were named Fanny Crossfield, Mary Armstead, Mary Miller, Louie Bell, Annie Crossfield, Edith Crossfield, George B. Balfour, Annie Park, Creek Fisher, Shoal Fisher, Ford Fisher, and Pool Fisher.

Ford Fisher

Paul Rodgers' shipyard in Carrickfergus employed over 150 people at its peak. Among the most notable ships constructed there was the Result. Following the death of Rodgers' wife in 1888, he sold the yard to Robert Kent, who finished building the Result, a project that had begun prior to the sale. The Result, currently exhibited at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in Cultra, stands as the sole surviving ship from the Rodgers shipyard. 

Result

On May 1st, 1893, the George B Balfour departed from Gravesend under the command of Captain Evans, carrying 310 tons of cement, embarking on a journey down the Thames. The voyage was expected to take between 10 days and a fortnight to reach Barrow.

Launch

The following day, at 9 pm, the SS City of Khios, a schooner-rigged steamer of the City Line measuring 116 meters and laden with a general cargo weighing approximately 4000 tons, was homeward bound from Calcutta when it collided with the George B Balfour 3.5 miles WSW of Beachy Head.

City of Khios

At the time, the captain of the City of Khios was unaware of the name of the ship they had collided with, knowing only that it was an iron three-masted schooner. He immediately ordered the lifeboats to be lowered, and three or four men embarked on a search for survivors. Despite an hour of rowing around the area, they found no trace of the crew or the vessel, save for a piece of wood painted black and yellow.

The steamer proceeded on its voyage, as it too was at risk of sinking, with a bow rapidly taking on water. The incident was reported off the coast of Dover by landing some crew members to relay that the steamer had sailed over the schooner. The City of Khios then made its way to Tilbury, located across the river from where the George B Balfour had departed the previous day.

It wasn't until the 5th of May that a small boat was retrieved by William Channon, the skipper of the fishing smack Violet. The boat was discovered adrift, eight miles west of Beachy Head—though some reports simply suggest 'Off Beachy Head. Painted yellow, it was nearly submerged and severely damaged, with the name George B Balfour, Barrow, inscribed on its stern. Once brought into Newhaven and surrendered to the Receiver of Wrecks, it became apparent that the boat likely originated from the schooner that was struck by the City of Khios.

An inquiry into the sinking was swiftly ordered by the Board of Trade. The collision had, unusually a number of witnesses, providing a clear understanding of the ship's final position. In the end, the City of Khios was deemed entirely at fault, and Captain Thomas Chalmers Macpherson's certificate was suspended for six months—a lenient outcome, given the six lives lost due to the incident.

Thomas Hugget, who was the skipper of the fishing lugger Albert and Alfred at the time, witnessed the collision.

Details of what they and others saw is recorded in the Newspaper articles at the end of this post.

 

A month later, the Albert & Alfred, affectionately known as 'Gruff' among local fishermen, was struck by the SS Ogmore, a steamer from Dundee, approximately one mile SSE of Belle Tout Lighthouse. Five men were thrown overboard; one was rescued by another fishing vessel, while the remaining four managed to grasp the steamer's bow chain. Three of them were pulled aboard, but Henry Cummings, the skipper during this incident, succumbed to exhaustion, released his hold, and tragically drowned. His body was recovered about ten days later. George Hide, owner of the Albert & Alfred, his extensive family, and anecdotes from the Eastbourne fishing and lifeboat community are richly chronicled in Ted Hide's remarkable book, which, regrettably, we neglected to consult before producing our New Brunswick video. Link to Film

Ted Hide kindly gave me a copy afterwards!

Ted with his books-copyright of SussexExpress.co.uk

In mid-June 1893, John Prodger, a fisherman from Eastbourne, was approximately three miles off Langley Point at sea when he noticed something unusual in the water. Upon closer inspection, he discovered the body of a man, severely decomposed yet fully clothed. The corpse was secured to the boat's sail and brought ashore just below the Redoubt on Eastbourne's seafront. Once in the custody of the police, the body was examined and found to be clad in a blue guernsey, a dark grey plaid vest with a black patch on the left side, grey cotton pants with white bone buttons, blue serge trousers with black patches on each knee, white cotton socks, a woolen grey shirt with red stripes, and Blucher boots. An anchor tattoo was present on his left hand, and just above it, the letters E.E.S. were inscribed. The cause of death was identified as drowning. Chief Constable Plumb suggested that, given the condition of the body, it might have been from the George B Balfour, which was involved in a collision off Beachy Head about a month prior. Details regarding the crew or the families' statements about the sinking remain elusive.

The wreck.

Some time ago, I sent Jamie to measure the wreck listed as SS Millgate on Wrecksite.eu. We had doubts about its identity as the Millgate because there was no evidence to suggest the wreck had a steam engine. There were no signs of an engine or a boiler. Typically, if all else has decayed, the last remnants, unless salvaged, are the engine and boiler. Yet, there was nothing, not even a fragment of a steam pipe.

The cargo, however, is cement. The Millgate reportedly carried granite chips, stones, or aggregate, depending on the report you read, while the George B Balfour was laden with cement. Both ships were of similar length: the Millgate measured 43.8 meters and the George B Balfour 38 meters. Jamie's measurement of the wreck is approximately 40 meters. Kendal McDonald, in his book 'Dive Sussex,' admits that no definitive identification of the wreck has been made, but suggests it is likely the Millgate, noting that "the cargo is clearly cement." We, however, disagree.

The Millgate was observed capsizing, and there was discussion about salvaging her since she was submerged in only 7 meters of water. However, this wreck lies in 22 meters of water and is located much farther out than the Millgate. Refer to the post on Millgate for more details on that ship. Millgate

This wreck is upright, and the most significant indicator is the masts. The Millgate had wooden masts made of Pitch Pine, while the George B Balfour's masts were steel, which matches the masts found on this wreck. Although the mizzen mast behind the main mast was made of pitch pine, the two primary masts are indeed made of steel.

Millgate

The helm was retrieved years ago by Gary Palmer, a member of our former dive club. Beyond that, I'm not aware of any other recoveries from this wreck. However, the cargo, position, and overall layout suggest that it is a steel-hulled sailing vessel, likely the George B Balfour.

Helm