The History Anorak

The History Anorak

Sunday 29 November 2015

Wreck

This weekend we were lucky enough to see something in Scarborough that's not always on show. Weather and tide conditions shift the sands on the south bay and once in a while the ribs of a wrecked boat appear for a few days.
No-one is really sure what the boat is. A report by the Scarborough Maritime Heritage Centre offers some possibilities.

One suggestion is that it could be the remains of the Coupland, which sank in 1861, also leading to the wreck of the town's lifeboat Amelia. But the Coupland is supposed to have foundered on rocks near the spa, and would have been smashed to pieces.

Another theory was that the boat was the Arun, which went down in storms in 1880, but according to historian George Westwood the wreck in the beach isn't big enough to be the Arun. Westwood believes the wreck is the Vivid, which sank while entering the harbour in 1888.

Whatever it is, this weekend was the first time I've ever seen the wreck, in spite of being associated with the town, and a regular visitor, for 50 plus years.  It made my weekend!
(Please excuse the raindrops on the lens!)


5 comments:

  1. It must have been thrilling to see and record something that is big for the town. Good job of photography. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Amazing to finally see the wreck, I wonder which one of the boats it is?:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am sure the wreck is that of the VIVID as she was only 37 tons about 56 foot long with a beam of about 10 or 11 ft. Looking at a photograph taken in 1975 by George Westwood it is obvious that this wreck was not 20 foot beam as per Arun. The beam dimensions fit those of the much smaller Vivid. I am pretty convinced that it is the Yawl VIVID Tom Bennett

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Captain Tom! Good to have more input from an informed source. .

    ReplyDelete

Why not add your two pennyworth?