The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-09 00:00:00

THE LOSS OF THE RANGER.

The following is the official report to the Board
of Trade relative to the loss of this vessel :
My Lords,--I have the honour to report that, in conjunc-
tion with Captains Baker and Bush, as nautical assessors,
I have held the inquiry ordered by your lordships into the
circumstances attending the loss of the Ranger, off the coast
of Ireland, in August last. The Ranger was a barque-rigged
wooden vessel of 342 tons, built and registered at Liverpool
in 184, and owned by Mr. Jas Hardie, of Sunderland, and
was fully insured. She had just been taken off the letter at
Lloyd's. She left Liverpool on the 4th of August, in com-
mand of Mr. George Simey, who holds a certificate of service
dated 23d March, 1851. She had a crew of 12 men, in addi-
tion to the master, and went out in ballast, bound for Quebec.
Owing to the inefficiency and bad conduct of some of the
men, several of whom were shipped at the last moment es
the ship was leaving dock, the matter was compelled to
put into Belfast Lough on the evening of the sth, whence,
having exchanged four of his men, he sailed again on the
11th. On the evening of that day, the wind falling very
light, and the ship not answering her helm, and setting in
towards the land, she anchored off Copeland, Light, whence
she proceeded on her voyage the following morning.
Shortly afterwards the weather became boisterous, the
ship being reduced to close-reefed topsail. The crew
behaved badly, and at 4 p.m. on the 16th went aft to the
captain and asked him to put back,
as the pumps would not
keep the ship dry. The master refused, in the first in-
stance, to accede to their request, as the ship made only
three-fourths of an inch to an inch an hour, and was easily
pumped out in less than 10 minutes. Tho men, however,
went below, and refused to work. At 7 p.m. the master
sent to them to request them to return to their duty, which
they refused to do unless the ship was put back. .A. 3 the
mate, boatswain, carpenter, and cook were the only part of
the crew who were willing to proceed, the master felt com-
pelled to return, and put the ship before the wind at 8 P.m"
steering to the southward, towards the land, intending to
make for Galway. At noon on the 17th land was made,
supposed t..) be Loup Head, and the course was then altered
to east, in towards the land, until 6 p.m. From this to 8
p.m. the course was E. and by N. The light on Loup
Head was visible at 7.15 p,m., and supposed to be distant
about seven or eight miles. At 8 p.m. the captain
shaped
the course N.E. and by E. 1 Pm. went E., and at 9 below,
leaving orders to be called if there was any change- Ihe
weather at this time was cloudy, with passing showers,
but soon after it began to thicken. At 9.45 p.m. they lost
sight of the light on the starboard quarter, supposed to
be distant eight or nine miles, but no bearing 3 were
taken. At 10 p.m. it had become very thick, with a
moderate wind from the W.N.W. The ship Was then
under single-reefed main and double-reefed foretop-
sails, foresail, and foretopneast staysail. The
o
evidencewas conflicting as to the jib. The mate went below at this
time, and called the master, who inquired if there was any
more wind. He was told that there was not, and that the
light had been lost sight of at 9 45 p.m. He ordered the
same course to be kept and no more sail to be made, and to
be called again if the wiled increased. At 10 30 pm. the
the mate
had occasion to go below, and on the master asking how the
weather was, he was informed that it was worse, being much
thicker, and running heavily. He then got up,
and after
ascertaining from the mate the distance the vessel had run,
he looked at the chart along with him, and pricked off_
their supposed position, and repeated his previous orders,
adding that he would not go to bed, but lie down on the
after lockers. At 11 p.m. the mate went below and brought
up the deep-sea lead, but did not use it then, or at any other
time, and does not appear to have received any orders from
the master to use it. At this time the weather was so thick
that the mate could not sea the lookout man on the fore-
castle, and it so continued until the ship struck. Shortly
before midnight the mate went below to ascertain the time.
The master, who was on the after lockers inquired how the
weather was, and was told there was no change,
and that
nothing could be seen. He said he would come on deck.
As the mato was leaving the after cabin ho heard the helms-
man call out loudly, " Come up, Mr. Carter."
lie ran out
and saw the breakers right ahead, and immediately gave
the order to put the helm hard u starboard, at the same
time bracing the yards forward to bring the ship on the
port tack. The ship, after coming up three or four points
to the northward, again fell off, when the mate attempted
to wear the ship by putting the helm hard a.port, and in
the act of squaring the yards for this purpose the ship struck
and became eventually a total wreck, nothing being saved
but a few stores and effects, as the ship speedily filled. Sach
is the narrative of the facts according to the evidence of the
mate. The helmsman, a man named Nelson, who was at
the wheel from 10 p.m. until the ship struck, stated that
when he relieved a man named Smith (now at sea), he gave
him the course E.N.E., but that the mate changed the course
before Smith left the deck to E. and by N.,
and at 11 p.m.
again changed the course to E. N., which course he kept
until he saw the land and breakers, when
he called to the
mate, as already stated. Nelson stated, and/
though pressed
upon the point by the nautical assessors, adhered to the
statement that the mate, upon coming up, ordered him to
put the helm hard a-port, bracing the yard up to the star-
board tack, the ship coming up to about S.S.W., and again
falling off; that she got way on her; and that they tried to
stay her again; that then by the mate's orders he put the helm
hard up to wear ship, and squared the mainyards, and in the
act of doing this the ship struck. The master, through his
legal adviser, declined to make a statement. It thus appears
that the evidence of the mate and Nelson is most conflicting,
and that the discrepancy tends considerably to increase the
difficulty in arriving at a conclusion as to the proximate
cause of the loss of the ship. It is difficult to account for
her position when she struck, if the course was steered as
stated by the mate, as neither the ebb tide, which was
running from 8 P,ln, till midnight, nor the following sea
would tend to set the ship towards the land. One thing
certainly appears clear, however, that the mate took the
wrong course in trying to wear the ship, but upon this I
would remark that he was left to his own judgment in an
emergency, the master being below. Be this as it may, I
feel bound to pronounce the master in default, and that,
first, he never used the lead to ascertain his distance from
the land ; and secondly, his conduct was most reprehensible
in remaining in his cabin during so dark and dirty a night
from 9 p.m. till the ship struck, when during that period
he was frequently informed by the mate of the circum-
stances; and more especially was his conduct most un-
accountable in not rushing upon deck to ascertain the
cause of the commotion, when ho must have heard, if not
the helmsman's call to the mate, at any rate the sub-
sequent confusion upon deck, and the shifting of the
helm hard a-starboard and hard a-port, right over his head.
It seems to me that had the master cane on deck in-
stantly, when the alarm of breakers was first given, and
hauled the ship up to the wind on the port tack, or failing
in this had let go the anchor, he might have saved his ship.
I may add that the ship's compasses were adjusted before
leaving Liverpool. I may also add that the master has been
in command of a ship for 15 years, and has had no previous
accident. I have therefore pronounced judgment, with the
entire concurrence of the assessors, that the certificate of
Mr. G. Simey, late master of the Ranger, be suspended for
the period of 12 calendar months ; and I have thought it
necessary to pass a strong censure on the mate, for his un-
seamanlike conduct in attempting to wear ship under the
circumstances detailed in evidence.—l have, &c.,
"T. S. RAFFLES, Police Magistrate,
" Liverpool, Oct. 2, 1863."
We concur in this report.
H. B. BAKER,
WILLIAM BUSH, Commr, R.N.,
Nautical Assessors.

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