The Kaiser

25^th July 1904

Built in 1880 by Messrs W. Gray and Co. of West Hartlepool and owned by The Steam Navigation Co., West Hartlepool, the 799-ton Kaiser traded regularly between West Hartlepool, Hamburg and Gothenberg.

On what was to be her final voyage she was carrying thirteen gentlemen as passengers and a general cargo mainly of fruit, plumbs, cherries, black and red currents, strawberries, but also walnuts, eggs, pianos and ironmongery.

Captain George Moorsom set his usual magnetic coarse of N.71W for the Tees Buoy, after leaving the mouth of the river Elbe, Hamburg. The sea was smooth with only a light wind as the Kaiser’s three-cylinder triple expansion engine was put to full ahead, giving about 11 knots from the single iron screw. The log spinner was deployed and kept well oiled but it was not possible to take an observation as the sky was overcast.

At 3:30am on the 25^th July 1904 fog was encountered and the Captain ordered half speed and then dead slow. The whistle was sounded at intervals to warn other vessels of their presence. As the crew were preparing to cast the sounding lead, to acquire the water depth and hopfully some idea of their position an echo of the whistle was heard reflecting off a cliff. As the order for full astern was given breakers were seen on the starboard bow. Unable to check their momentum in time the Kaiser ran onto a scuar known as Blea Wyke, under the five hundred foot high cliffs of Ravenscar. The time was 4:30am. Later at the Board of Trade inquiry the Captain was not able to explain the southerly error in his course or why they had not heard Whitby fog horn which was sounding at the time.

By 6:30 am it was obvious that the vessel was hard aground and assistance would be required, signal rockets were fired up into the fog. For safety the passengers were put ashore using the ships boat. The report of the rockets was heard in Robin Hood’s Bay but nothing could be seen. Later a telephone call from Ravenscar told of the wreck and several boats set off to see if anything could be done. After locating the stricken vessel a kedge anchor was put out and the passengers picked up off the scaur and landed back in Bay. In the evening two tug boats turned up and took off the crew and a stewardess, the Kaiser was left in a precarious position and was soon badly damaged.

Fruit washed ashore was claimed by the Coastguards and sold, senior Coastguard G. Fletcher acting as auctioneer. The Whitby Gazette states

"The town is fragrant with the odour of jam in the process of making"

However not all of the bounty was legally acquired.

"In the landing of goods it was regrettable to notice the whole sale pilfering which took place whenever the opportunity offered, and several people who possessed more or less honourable reputations have forfeit them by the manner in which they purloined goods".

Mr. Trattles of West Hill House, Whitby was contracted to salve the cargo and stores and then if possible refloat the steamer. He had gained fame for refloating the "Ben Corlic" off Upgang Beach two years previously. The tug "Charles Dickens" and a lighter were used to remove saleable items to Whitby. On the 29^th July they were sold in Station Square by auctioneers Robert Gray and Son raising £800.

The wreck proved to be quite an attraction to visitors in staying in the Bay, and several mishaps were had by people making the arduous journey over the rocks to see the vessel. Local boys amused the onlookers by diving for eggs. Mr. Trattles attempts to refloat the Kaiser failed. An auction was held in Robin Hood's Bay to sell the wreck, the hammer fell on the winning bid of £116 to a Mr. T Round of Newcastle. An anchor was also sold by auctioneer Mr Jacob Bedlington for the sum of £3. By 18th August the steamer had broken in half and became a total wreck, falling back in to deeper water.

On a low tide at Blea Wyke Steel there are still some scraps of ferrous metal dug into the soft lias scaur and I believe that a propeller was recovered from here recently.