Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1893-07-08
THE VICTORIA DISASTER.
Rcpoft of the Commander of the Camper
down ON the Sinking of the Great war
ahln-

Report of the Commander OF the camper
down ON the Sinking Of the Great War
ship.
LONDON. July S.-A midshipman from
the Victoria arrived at Calais with Rear
Adm. Markham's dispatches con-
cerning the collision off Iripoli lie
was brought by special steamer, the
Maid of Kent, to Dover and was con-
veyed at once by special train to Lon
don. He drove directly TO the admiralty
office where the admiralty board, no.
tilted in advance of his coming, re-
ceived and read the dispatches at once
The board decided to publish the DIS
patches in full forthwith. The first
dispatch was dated from the warship
Camperdown on June %. 1t says:
1t is with the most profound regret that
have to report the total loss OF her malestys
ship Victoria, involving the frreparaoic loss Oh
the commander In chief, ViceAdm Sir George
| Tryon, TWENTY-FIVE officers ana S'o men uhoef
| the following circumstances
The squadron, consisting OF her majesty
| shjps Victoria. Camperdown, Nile, Dread
| naught, Iniiexible. Collingwood Phaeton, Eoin-
! burg sans Paretl. Edgar, Amphion, Fearless
| and Barham, left Beyroot about ~ O'CLOCK tnis
forenoon for Tripoi Shortly after the SQUAD
ron formed single columns line apreast
and proceeded at the rate Of ABOUT
eight knots an hour. When about hve
miles from the anchorage of TrIpoli, the sig
nal was made at 2. 20 in the afternoon TO form
columns of division in line ahead, disposed
abeam to port-the columns to be six caple
lengths apart We proceeded In this lorna
tion until 1928 when the signal was MADE from
the Victoria to the first division to turn sixteen
noints to starboard As the columns were
only six cable lengths apart IT was not there
fore in my opinion, possible withln 'he
! maneuvering distance, to execute such ah
evolution directed tho flag Lieutenant 10
' keep the signal, which we were repeating al
| dip as an indication that the signal ironi .hs
! Victoria was not understood. l then directeo
him to signal with the semaphore DO un
derstand it is your wish for the columns TO TURN
as indicated BY the signal now fying' But De
fore nv order could be carried out, the com
mander.nchiei semaphored me to know VIVA
r was waiting for.
It. then struck me that he wished to turn SIX
= | teen points as indicated by the signal, anu i
a was his intention to circle round Inc seeoii'
division, leaving them on the port having w
fullest confidence In the great aDlllty Oh vi
~ commander to maneuyer the squaaron "ithou
= even risk Of collision, l ordered the sigma
A
:, When the signal was hauled down the helm
:" the Camperdown was put hard aport Az VI
. same time the helm OF the Victoria was stai
"a boarded. watched very carefully the helm
~ the Victoria as indicating the purpose OF 1T
, signals. as the two ships turned towaf
~ each other, and seeing that the helm
=, | the Victoria was still starboard, l dlrec'e
y. the captain OF the Campcrdown to go fuii spec
astern with the starboard screw, IN oruer
al decrease our circle of turning Seeing WA.
o collision was inevitable l then ordered 10
n. full speed astern with both engines put oeio
~ our speed could be materially checked the ste
of the Camperdown struck the Victoria on y
~ starboard bow about twenty feet Delorc v
:. turret and crushed into the ship almost 10 =
- center line, the fore and aft lines Oh tne SUI
at the time of the collision, being lhciin
toward each other at an angle OF about elgh
of degrees.
M 1t was, l think, quite two minutes belore
oh Camperdown was able, although going W
full speed astern with both engines 10 get cit
!" of the Victoria The water.tight doors oil
t., Camperdown had been closed by my orders
- fore the collision occurred Seeing the CRU
"A. condition Of the Victoria, which seemed 70
'uo settlinv down by the head, boats were
w mediately prepared and the boom boats '"
49, rot ready to be hoisted out, when the o.
~, pendant was hosted by the Victoria anu
aus aus signal was made not to send boats. very
an ..n, minutes later she keeled over to starooa
.ra. un and, turning upward disappeared. Ihe
"' that elapsed between the occurrence OF
a.. collision and the disappearance was only 40
vic VIC thirteen minutes Shortly before the Vlcte
o.n m turned over the men were seen lu
.or ing overheard Observing th's' l lm
,Un ,U diately ordered the signal made to senu
Wv Suo boats to the rescue, and directed the BARI
WV ", and Fearless to close in at once to save
t ~, steaming up in the Camperdown at the 81
III time to succor the officers and men $.
= cling in the water The combined efforts OF
IN souadron resulted in the saving OF I'VE
700 nine officers and about 26a men, but re-
mat that no less than twentv'two ohlcers
and about S56 men, the majority OF whom I'VE, WEI
old ali probability below at the time were ios.
,ese The sea was smooth and there WAS on
=. a light breeze at the time OF the accident
w, injuries TO the Camperdown are serious, |,
hoie hone that with the assistance OF the arnn
per Of the squadron they may DC lelhEW1a1i,a EWni,a
gold naired so that she may be sent TO Malta
II | docked.