Letter to Mrs Cooper from the Aberdeen Steam Navigation Company
AssociatedAssociated with
Hogarth
(steamship belonging to the Aberdeen Steam Navigation Company, 1873 - 1918)
Manufacturer
Aberdeen Steam Navigation Co
(Aberdeen, Scotland, 1821 - 1962)
Date21 June 1918
Object Nameletter
Mediumpaper
ClassificationsMaritime History
DimensionsOverall: Length: 10.5 cm, Width: 7.5 cm
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDMS025383.4
Keywords
'Dear Mrs Cooper
I think it well to send you the following particulars now received by our London agent from Gunner Bunting regarding the disaster to the "Hogarth".
"I have seen Bunting, and he says Flamboro' Head was passed 7.20pm on 7th inst. and they would be just north of the Tyne, and what he reckoned about 30 miles south of the Farnes, when the vessel was struck by a torpedo on the starboard side - amidships, evidently striking the boilers, which in his opinion exploded at the same time as the torpedo.
Everything seemed to be smashed, and all was over in 4 minutes; practically no time for anyone below to save themselves. It was a very quiet still night with a smooth calm sea and not dark.
His story is that the "Watch" had just changed at midnight Friday 7th. he was in his cabin under the bridge, whilst his mater Robertson had gone aft to the gun position. He had just got his boots off when all at once he was shot out of his cabin - he thought upwards - and into the water, when he managed to clutch hold of what he ultimately found to be the raft placed on Boat Deck, but was then almost immediately sucked under through the sinking of the vessel, and on coming to the surface and recovering himself found everything vanished - at some distance he heard the cries of two men. He called out to them to "Keep a good heart" and for half an hour or so he heard them, and then all was still. On daylight coming in he saw nothing but wreckage floating about but none of the boats, only portions of these. About an hour after he saw a Patrol boat going north but too far off to hear his cries, and saw nothing more until towards evening when an Aeroplane flew overhead and at some distance saw sweepers working. At the time of the torpedoeing it was low water and the flood carried him south, the ebb carried him north to the Farnes, the following flood took him more towards the land, and the succeeding ebb carried him inside the Farnes and into the Forth when he was seen and picked up by an escort of a convoy - "Othello" 8:30am Sunday 9th and taken to North Shields. His right leg was injured below the knee, and the lower portion of leg of his trousers torn off.
His right hand was also injured and a severe bruise on his left shoulder, but these injuries are getting on satisfactorily."
Yours very truly,
Edward Savage
Manager
21st June 1918'
20th Century
20th Century
