heatherfield

Shipwrecks of Robin Hood's Bay

Up to 1900

1900 to 2000

Life Boats

Coast Guards

"Heatherfield"

25^th January 1936

The 142ft 449ton coaster "Heatherfield", was an eleven year old screw steamer built in Lytham. She was making her first voyage along the East Coast when at 8:15pm in thick fog she ran aground on North Cheek. She was making water faster than the pumps could cope with, and at 8:35pm a distress signal was sent out. Station Officer Haywood of the Robin Hood’s Bay Coastguard who was on duty in the lookout station at Ness heard the ships siren and looking over the cliff was surprised to see the "Heatherfield" on the dangerous scaurs, about two hundred feet from the cliff foot.

The 500 ton coaster, which normally ran from Liverpool to Ireland or to French ports, was bound form London to Middlesborough with 450tons of scrap iron. The crew had failed to hear the fog horn at Whitby High Lights in the south-easterly wind.

The maroon was fired in Robin Hood’s Bay to summon the Life-saving Brigade. Whitby and Scarborough Lifeboats were alerted. The Whitby boat was unable to make it out of the harbour due to the low tide. The Scarborough boat attended but was unable to get close because of the rock strewn scuars.

Robin Hood’s Bay Life-saving Brigade quickly assembled and made their way along the cliff tops to Ness. The heavy wagon carrying the Rocket Apparatus was pulled along the slippery path by three of Mr John Fewsters horses, and was on site in three-quarters of an hour. As news spread through the village a large number of onlookers braved the weather to watch the rescue. Coastguard officers arrived from Whitby with their new searchlight to assist in the operation. The first rocket was fired after fifteen minutes, but it fell across a for’ard stay and slipped off. Mr George Beedle fired the second rocket which fell across the lanyard connected to the ships siren causing it to blow. The crew were able to haul out and make fast the hawser, it’s full two hundred and fifty feet being required. Five of the crew were brought up in the breaches boy, with Coastguard Clark lowered part way down the cliff to ease their passage over a ledge. The last to leave was Captain J Atherton with a canary in a cage. On returning the next day the crew were shocked to see the journey they had made.

News paper cutting

Meanwhile on the beach three of the crew had jumped over board risking their lives in the surf. They were assisted ashore by ex-coxswain Oliver Storm and a party of helpers.

Heatherfield's Crew

Capt. J Atherton	Master	Manchester
T Atherton (brother)	Mate	Lancaster
W Hobson	Chief Eng.	Garston
E Fish	Second Eng.	Runcorn
L Burns	Able seaman	Dublin
L Turner	Able seaman	Bootle
M Murry	Fireman	Garston
A Allison	Fireman	London

The eight men were conveyed to Robin Hood’s Bay where Mr W. H. Reece the local Ship Wrecked Mariners agent made arrangements for their accommodation.

The members of the Robin Hood’s Bay Life-saving Rocket Brigade were awarded the Wreck Service Shield for their meritorious work.

From an old Post Card

The ship became a total wreck and was worked for salvage by the "Harvest Queen".

The photograph above was taken by Dorothy Hallows who was visiting the bay. It was kindly sent in by her son Richard Daxter from Perth, Western Australia. Salvage operations seem to have just started.

Little remains today apart from the remains of her boiler and a few broken plates among a pile of displaced rocks on Ness Point. An easy walk on a low tide.

Winners of The Wreck Service Shield

Introduced in 1923 when the Board of Trade took over the Coastguard, the Wreck Service Shield was presented to the Life-Saving Company carrying out the bravest rescue for the year. In some years the award was shared by more than one team.

1923 Blyth (Northumberland) Life-Saving Company

1924 Paignton Life-Saving Company

1925 Hope Cove Life-Saving Company

1926 Hope Cove Life-Saving Company

1927 North Berwick Life-Saving Company

1928 Lowestoft Life-Saving Company

1929 Hope Cove and Newhaven Life-Saving Companies

1930 Rathlin Coast Rescue Company

1931 Collieston Coast Rescue Company

1932 Craighouse Isle of Jura Life-Saving Company

1933 Cairnbulg, Fraserburgh and Rattray Head Life-Saving Companies

1934 Portwrinkle Life-Saving Company

1935 Bootle Life-Saving Company

1936 Robin Hood's Bay Life-Saving Company

1937 Rhossili Life-Saving Company

1938 Porthcawl Life-Saving Company

1939 Trebetherick Life-Saving Company

1940 Holyhead (Anglesey) Life-Saving Company

1941 Johnshaven Coast Rescue Company

1942 Southend (Argyll) Life-Saving Company

1944 Hartland Life-Saving Company

1946/47 Freshwater (Isle of Wight) Life-Saving Company

1947/48 Belhelvie Coast Life-Saving Corps

1948/49 Rathlin Coast Rescue Company

1949/50 Berwick, Beadnell and Goswick Life-Saving Companies

1950/51 Campbeltown Life-Saving Company

1951/52 Crail Life-Saving Company

1952/53 Stornoway Life-Saving Company

1953/54 Wick Life-Saving Company

1954/55 Palling and Winterton Life-Saving Companies

1955/56 Gardenstown and Banff Life-Saving Companies

1956/57 Collieston Life-Saving Company

1957/58 Sandown and Ventnor (Isle of Wight) Life-Saving Companies

1958/59 Blyth (Northumberland) Life-Saving Company

1959/60 Fraserburgh and Rattray Life-Saving Companies

1961/62 Fetlar (Shetlands) and Holy Island Life-Saving Companies

1962/63 Hartland Life-Saving Company

1963/64 Port Ellen and Mull of Oa, and Lerwick Life-Saving Companies

1964/65 Paignton Life-Saving Company

1965/66 Walton-on-the-Naze Coastguard Rescue Company

1966/67 Belhelvie and Collieston Coastguard Rescue Companies

1968/69 Broughness and Deerness Coastguard Rescue Companies

1969/70 The Isle of Whithorn (Wigtown) Life-Saving Company

1970/71 Peterhead Coastguard Rescue Company

In 1971 the Wreck Service Shield was renamed the Rescue Shield

1971/72 Manston Coastguard Rescue Helicopter Unit

1972/73 Sennen Cove Coastguard Rescue Company

1973/74 Orkney Coastguard Rescue Company and British Airways Helicopter Rescue Unit, Aberdeen

1975 - Scrabster (Wick Sector)

1977 - Shetland - BA Helicopters

1978 - Aberdeen Bellhelvie Cruden Bay

1979 - Shetland MRSC & Fetlar

1981 - Oxwich

1983 - Walney Island

1986 - St Mary's Isles of Scilly

1988 - Craghouse Jura

1990 - Rhyl & Llandidno

1992 - Kimmeridge & Lulworth

1993 - HM Helicopter crew Sumburgh Shetland

1995 - Newquay

1996 - CGHU Portland

1997 - Shetland Coast & Rescue Services

1998 - Solent District & Newhaven

1999 - Skinninggrove & Staithes

2001 - Eastbourne CRT

2003 - Mundesley Cromer & Sheringham

2004 - North West & North Wales Area - Morcombe Bay

2005 - Boscastle

Information from "Coastguard! By William Webb" and the MCA