Harbour History
Sue Gresham brings the past to life…
Huge thanks from Blakeney Harbour Association to Sue Gresham, our Research Volunteer, for these compelling pieces of research which aim to document part of the rich and possibly unknown maritime history of Blakeney Harbour and surrounding coastal areas.
Sue first told the stories of three ships aground off our coast - the SS Hjørdis, SS Vera and SS Rosalie – and then researched what is known as the 1861 Blakeney Disaster. Her next report told the story of Captain Charles Grout, a Master Mariner of Blakeney. Sue then left Blakeney Harbour waters and coasted to Sheringham, first to research the recently discovered wreck of the SS Commodore, then the history of the SS New Prince of Wales, known locally as “The Bone Ship”.
Of Sue’s latest reports, the first takes as its “inspiration” paintings by the late marine artist Patrick Kearney of Cley who painted twenty-three ships registered to the ports of Blakeney, Cley, Lynn and Wells. Sue set out to discover more about some of those ships which were and are still familiar names in Blakeney. The second tells of significant maritime losses off the coast of Sheringham and Weybourne within one week in 1915.
Since Sue’s reports appeared on our website, a number of Harbour History readers have got in touch with further details and first-hand accounts from family members with a close connection to the events researched. Sue says: “I think this shows how far the BHA website reaches and also the interest people have in our local maritime history. I am very grateful for the information which people generously share and always update my reports to include this. I hope there is something in my research for everyone, whatever their particular interests, whether in maritime, local or social history”.
Thirteen Ships of Blakeney
NEW, Thirteen Ships of Blakeney – Researched 2023
Sue’s research about some of the ships painted by Patrick Kearney began with seven which were registered to Blakeney but, as time passed and more information surfaced, the number of vessels rose to thirteen. Sue set out to add to what is already known about these Blakeney ships, to reveal more about their owners and their crew members, to learn about the sailings they made, and to discover the mishaps and catastrophes which befell some of them.
The January 1915 Disasters
NEW, The January 1915 Disasters - Researched 2023
Newspaper reports in early 1915 give chilling accounts of how two large steamships had foundered off the coast at Sheringham during a heavy gale. Unexpectedly, they also revealed further maritime losses in the same area in the same week. Sue’s research details the circumstances in which these ships and the lives of some of the men on board were lost.
SS New Prince of Wales - Click to read or download
SS New Prince of Wales - Researched 2022, Updated March 2024
Over one hundred and fifty years since she was wrecked off the Old Hythe at Sheringham, the remains of the ship known locally as “The Bone Ship” lie close to the shore and are visible at low tides. The name refers to her cargo but, apart from one short newspaper report at the time, nothing else was known about the ship, whose registered name was the New Prince of Wales. Sue’s research sets out to put some “flesh” on the Bone Ship.
SS Commodore - Researched 2021, Updated March 2024
In September 2021, local, national and international media reported on the discovery of the SS Commodore which ran aground off Sheringham in 1896. Sue was intrigued to find out more and got in touch with Chris Taylor, a local photographer and filmmaker, who had found the ship while snorkelling … and the rest is literally history!
Sue’s research details the history of the Commodore and the circumstances of her loss and reveals a number of surprises, not least that the Commodore’s wrecking off Sheringham was not a singular event. It also tells the story of four men from one family who all became mariners, often serving in the same ships.
SS Commodore - Click to read or download - 2.5Mb PDF
Captain Grout - Click to read or download - 6Mb PDF
Captain Grout of Greencroft - Researched 2021
An Obituary which appeared in the “Eastern Daily Press” in 1897 set Sue on the trail of Charles William Grout, a Master Mariner of Blakeney. Captain Grout was part of a larger seafaring family and was related to and had connections with other local families and to familiar local ships. He and his crews made many successful sailings – others less so - during a long maritime career to a large number and variety of ports, in coastal and foreign waters. As a result, Sue says, her report increased in length as her research took her into “uncharted waters”!
1861 Disaster - Researched 2019 - Updated 2021
Gravestones in Blakeney churchyard commemorate men who lost their lives in the rescue of a stricken ship in what is known as the Blakeney Disaster of 1861. While this tragic event was known of, little detail was recorded about it. With information from newspaper reports and a first-hand account of events leading up to, during and after the shipwreck and the brave rescue attempts, Sue’s research names and traces the families of all the men who went out from Blakeney, including those who lost their lives, and also considers what really happened.
Blakeney Disaster 1861 - Click to read or download - 2 Mb PDF
SS Rosalie - Click to read or download - 2 Mb PDF
SS Rosalie - Researched 2019 - Updated 2021
The SS Rosalie which lies off Weybourne is a familiar, if less visible, wreck than the SS Vera but a regular dive site. It is well known that she was torpedoed and subsequently grounded in 1915 but what was her history and who was her Captain? The only sign of the ship is a single iron upright which belies the extent of the large wreckage beneath the water and Sue’s research also reveals some surprising discoveries “under the surface”.
SS Vera - Researched 2018 - Updated September 2021
The wreck of the iron steamship SS Vera has lain off Cley Beach since she went aground in November 1914. Her wreckage is a familiar and recognisable sight, lying close to the shore, visible at low tide, and is a regular dive site. Sue describes the sequence of events which caused her to run aground, how the disaster was reported and the attempts that were made to save the vessel. Almost more fascinating than the story of the ship itself is the story of the courageous, humble man, the “man of indomitable courage“ who was her Master, Captain James Joseph Shaw.
SS Vera - Click to read or download - 3 Mb PDF
SS Hjørdis - Click to read or download - 3 Mb PDF
SS Hjørdis - Researched 2016 - Updated 2020
The wreck of the iron steamship SS Hjørdis has lain off Blakeney Point since she was wrecked and went aground in February 1916. Almost a “ghost ship”, little was known locally about the ship or the circumstances which caused her to go aground so close to the shoreline. Sue’s report coincided with the hundredth anniversary in 2016 of the ship’s grounding when, from being almost completely covered, with the movement of the sand, the Hjørdis showed herself once again. It was always surmised that the Hjørdis might have been the victim of a wartime attack … but Sue tells the real story.