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PROSPERINE
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(28) |
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Built in 1777, Harwich.
Lost in 1799. |
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- 1784 Deptford, to repair.
- 1794 Capt. Alexander FRASER, 07/1794, North sea fleet under the orders of Ad. DUNCAN.
- 1796 Capt. Willoughby Thomas LAKE, 01/1796, Channel and North Sea.
- 1798 Capt. WALLIS.
PROSPERINE sailed from Yarmouth at noon on Monday 28 January 1799 in company with the PRINCE OF WALES, packet to take a Mr Grenville on a diplomatic mission to Cuxhaven. - On Wednesday morning, close in to Heligoland, she made a signal for a pilot and one came aboard.
It being a fine day they made for the mouth of the Elbe and anchored for the night.
In the morning they discovered that all the buoys in the river had been taken up but the Heligoland pilot and two belonging to the ship agreed that there was no danger if the ship went up river between half ebb and half flood. - They got under weigh, the packet standing on ahead, until, in the afternoon, when they were about four miles from Cuxhaven, it began to snow.
When the snow increased to storm force they were obliged to anchor and later in the evening, when the wind shifted and brought heavy ice down on them with the ebb, they had great difficulty in keeping their station.
In the morning the packet was seen to be ashore and the flood had carried the ice up stream to block the way to Cuxhaven.
Accordingly Capt. WALLIS got under weigh to retreat out of the river to try and land Mr Grenville on Jutland.
Soon after the pilots had announced that the ship was clear of all the sands she struck on a sand bank with great force, it blowing a gale. - The ice prevented the boats from carrying out an anchor so the captain concentrated on heeling the ship towards the bank so that she would not fall over into the stream.
During the night the ice battered the ship, tearing the copper from the starboard quarter and cutting the rudder in two.
By Saturday morning it was up to the cabin windows.
Mr Grenville proposed that they should make their way across the ice to an island and at half past one the ship's company commenced their march in subdivisions under their respective officers and, having seen every one out of the ship, the captain and Lieut. Ridley of the marines followed at three o'clock.
After a march of five miles, sometimes up to their middles in snow and water they all arrived safely on dry land except for 7 seamen, 1 boy, 4 marines and a woman and her child, who were frozen to death. - The weather moderated on Wednesday when Mr Grenville and his staff, the 1st. lieutenant, Mr.
John WRIGHT and half the officers and men set off for Cuxhaven guided by some local inhabitants. - On Friday the 8th. Mr ANTHONY, the master, went on board PROSPERINE with a party of men to ascertain her condition and bring off some bread.
On Sunday, the weather being clear, he set off again, accompanied by Mr KENT, the surgeon; Mr William BOWES, midshipman; Mr William TAITT, boatswain, and William FOX and Andrew AUGRAIN, seamen.
Unfortunately they left it too late in the tide to return and had to spend the night on board.
At about 10 o'clock it started to blow a tremendous storm which swept the ice into the ship and in the morning not a trace of her was to be seen.
It was not until the captain arrived at Cuxhaven that he discovered that the wreck had been swept onto the island of Baltrum where they had all been able to make their escape across hard ice
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