The Sun.
London, England, 1865-11-30 00:00:00

The Stranding of the Savoir Faire.

The following is a copy of the official report of
Mr. Raffles, stipendiary magistrate, with respect to
the stranding of the above vessel :

To the Right Honourable the Lords of the Cora-
mittee of Privy Council for Trade.

My Lords,—ln pursuance of instructions from
your lordships, I have held an inquiry into the
circumstances attending the stranding of the ship
Savoir Faire on Blackwater Bank, on the morning
of the 7th inst., in which I have been assisted by
Captains Harris and Hight, as Nautical Assessors.
The Savoir Faire left Liverpool at 7 o'clock on
the morning of Nov. 6, bound to Calcutta, with a
cargo of salt, under the command of Mr. Meikle,
who holds a certificate of competency as master, and
a crew of 32 persons. She was an iron vessel of the
burthen of 1,395 tons, ship-rigged, and owned by
Mr. Fletcher, of Liverpool. The ship was towed
out to the Ormshead, the wind being moderate at
N.E., and weather fine. At 8 p.m. the South Stack
Light was sighted to S.E., at a distance of 18 miles,
The ship had been steering W.N.W., and continued
to do so under all plain sail until 11 p.m., going
from 8 to 9 knots, when the Kish Light was re-
ported on the port bow, and- the Irish coast was
visible. A cast of the lead was taken in 15 fathoms,
and the ship was hauled out to S.E., and stood on
that course till '2 a.m., when she was gradually
brought up to W. and N. About daylight land was
seen on the starboard bow. The same westerly
courses were pursued towards the land till the ship
struck, about 9 a.m., on the Blackwater Bank. Every
effort was made to get her off by throwing cargo over-
board, and eventually, by the aid of a Liverpool tog
steamer, which was sent to her 'assistance, she floated
off the bank on the 12th, and on the following day
was brought to Liverpool. Upon examination she
was found to be materially damaged. The
first and most obvious remark which I have to
make on the above facts relates to the extraordinary
courses steered by the master of this ship. Instead
of taking the usual south-westerly course down the
Irish Channel after passing the Skerries—of which
and of the South Stack he took no bearing—although
he had a fair wind, he steered right across on a
W.N. course tilt hewas pulled up by the Kish Light,
as he discovered from sounding in 15 fathoms and a
reference to his chart. He then hauled off, and
subsequently steered various westerly courses,
again approaching the Irish coast, apparently
doubtful of his position, and neglecting to use the
lead till about 9 a.m., when she grounded on the
Blackwater Bank—a casualty from which a single
cast of the lead might have saved him. It is difficult
to conceive how any man at all acquainted with the
navigation of the Irish Channel, and in the full pos-
session of his senses, should have adopted such a
course. The court, therefore, was not surprised to
learn that a rumour of insobriety on the part of the
captain had prevailed. Nothing, however, was
adduced in evidence to substantiate so serious an
accusation, though all the witnesses before the
court were carefully questioned upon the point. I
am bound also to add, that all the antecedents of
the master are strongly in his favour, as he pro-
duced before the court the highest testimonials to
character from previous employers for many years
past. The fact, however, remains that the
courses steered under the direction of the master
caused the stranding of this ship, and the court
necessarily pronounced the master in default. I
willingly give the master credit for his exertions
after the event; and it may be mentioned in his
favour that he had only just completed a successful
voyage in the Eastern seas in the same ship, occu-
ing a period of 22 months, and involving a more
difficult navigation. But, after taking all these cir-
cumstances into consideration, I have felt compelled,
with the full concurrence of the assessors, to suspend
the certificate of Mr. George Meikle for nine calen-
dar months from this date.—l have the honour to
remain, my Lords, your most obedient servant,
T. S. RAFFLES, Police Magistrate.
Liverpool, Nov. 25, 1865.
We concur in this report,
Hy. HARRIS, / Nautical Assessors.
EDWARD HIGHT,

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