Mono Monday 115 :: mm115 :: Fool

Am I a Fool?


Please bear with me...

78 years ago today my grandfather was on board a collier ‘Pegaway' sailing from Newcastle to Amsterdam with coal. The ship was in distress because of a heavy gale and loss of steering. An SOS had been sent out at 2am and was answered by a German cruise liner the ‘Wilhelm Gustloff’ by 7.45am. 

The rescue was filmed by Pathe News and can be seen here. This image is of the diplomatic papers that went back and forth between London and Hamburg. This was just before WW2 broke out and it was obvious efforts were being made to use this rescue for propaganda. Also a copy of my grandfather’s sailors ticket showing that it was a replacement for one lost at sea.

The ‘Pegaway' was built in 1924, the year my great grandfather captained the ‘MV John Harrison’ with coal from Newcastle to Amsterdam. His crew refused to set sail on Christmas Eve night so they delayed by 24 hours. This delay put them on a head on collision with a massive storm. The ship and crew where never found.

I wonder if this played on my grandfather’s mind this day 78 years ago… 

Ten years ago, this week, Mrs S and I were in Canada making our way via train from Vancouver via Jasper and Prince George to Prince Rupert. We were to take the BC Ferry, ‘MV Queen of the North’ to Port Hardy. What we didn’t know was just a week before the ferry had sunk making a previous trip. 

A few years later we booked a cruise between Seattle and Alaska but this was cancelled by the travel insurance company on a technical issue although our doctor said we should go. 

So why am I a fool? 

This time next month we will be on a small ship finally doing the famous Inside passage between Seattle and Juneau. Are we tempting fate or just ticking one off our Bucket List…

A footnote: The ‘Wilhelm Gustloff’ has a place in maritime history that few know about. During the later stages of WW2 it was used as part of the evacuation of soldiers, women and children from the Baltic States from the advancing Russian army. When it set sail it is estimated that there were 10,570 souls on board. A Russian submarine attacked the convoy and the ‘Wilhelm Gustloff’ was lost. Only 1.230 survivors where picked up from the freezing sea. To this day it is still the greatest loss of life at sea.


Thanks to davidc for hosting Mono Mondays this month.


Well done if you read all that. ;o))