Article courtesy of Sandra Cardwell

New Zealand papers to hand this week contain a vivid story by a former Fleetwood fisherman William Henry Double, of the loss of the new 216 ton steam trawler the ‘Thomas Bryan’, which was recently wrecked at Rusporon Heads, Coromandel Peninsula.

“In four and a half years mine sweeping I never had such a night” said Mr Double in relating his experience to an Aukland newspaper representative.

Mr Double, who has many relatives and friends in Fleetwood, which he left about three years ago, added that he was at the helm when the trawler ran on the rocks shortly before midnight.

“A Norwegian seaman, Helgeson” he said “was on lookout duty on the bridge and he saw the rocks a second before I did. I put the helm hard over but she was a bit slow in coming round to it and we struck. The propeller went first and then the lifeboat, which was swung aft. ”

AT THE MERCY OF THE SEA
“With the propeller gone, we were done. We were at the mercy of mountainous seas, which burst over us with a roar. Capt. James Holt was splendid. It looked pretty hopeless but there was no panic. Everyone kept his head. The ship settled down a bit and the deck was awash. We clung to the rail for hours. The sea increased in violence and we became more and more exhausted”.

“Drenched to the skin and so miserable that one or two of the chaps felt like releasing their grip and ending it all, we hung on till low water. As the tide receded a black ledge of rock showed up every now and again as the swirling water foamed back. Eventually the skipper gave the word and we went for it, one at a time running the gauntlet of the surf. A rope was lowered over the side and each man had to wait till a wave receded and make a dash shoreward. It meant a fight for life in the surf but all ten of us survived”.

SCALING STEEP CLIFFS
“Huddled on a ledge below the frowning cliff with the sea beating remorselessly on the base, out plight seemed hopeless. Wet to the skin and chilled by the bleak spray drenched wind, we started to climb the cliff which was from 1850 to 2000 feet high”.
“It seemed that dawn would never break. I went up the face of the cliff from ledge to ledge to ledge and thought I would never reach the top. Exhausted I threw myself on the grass when I did get there. Down below I could see the wrecked trawler like a kiddies toy. The deckhouse was in flames”.

“When daylight came, I found that none of my companions had followed me up the cliff face and I felt dejected when I discovered that I had to climb down the other side which was as steep and difficult as the one I had ascended. I tore my hands badly in the descent”.
“The rest of the crew I discovered later, had found an opening in the cliffs and gone in another direction. Not one was lost. We lost everything except what we stood up in”.