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 parts of the rich and perhaps unknown maritime history of Blakeney and the surrounding coastal areas.
Since Sue’s reports first appeared on our website, a number of people with a connection to the events researched have got in touch with further information. Sue says: “I think this shows how far the website reaches and the interest that people have in our local maritime history and I am always pleased to update my reports with information that people generously share. I hope there is something in my research for everyone, whether their interest is in either maritime, local or social history - or all three”.
The Ice Ships
NEW, The Ice Ships - Sister Ships Lost – Researched 2024
The remains of a ship, the Ispølen - wrecked off Sheringham in the late nineteenth century - reappeared on Sheringham beach in July 2014. Her remains were assumed to have broken up in the 2013 tidal surge; instead, they were buried in the shingle bank. Sue’s report brings together existing and new information about the ship and adds to what is known of her history and the circumstances of her loss. It also reveals that the Ispølen had a younger sister ship, the Isbaaden, which was wrecked off the Norfolk coast just over a year before the Ispølen.
The Loss of the Heathfield
The Loss of the Heathfield - Researched 2024
In her tenth report, Sue’s research describes the loss of another large ship wrecked off the coast off Sheringham, an account both of the tragic loss of many lives and the courage of the few crew members who survived. Sue also reveals an odd coincidence linked to the Captain of one of her other researched ships.
The January 1915 Disasters
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.