 Rudimentary sketch of the Vesta after the Disaster | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | SSVesta |
| Owner | |
| Completed | 1853[1] |
| Name | Amberes |
| Owner | 1863–1875 J Amann[2] |
| Fate | Sunk inSantander harbour 1875[2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 250 GRT[1] |
| Length | 46 m (152 ft)[1] |
| Beam | 6.2 m (20 ft 4 in)[1] |
| Draught | 3.2 m (10 ft 5 in)[1] |
| Propulsion | Steam-powered[1] |
SSVesta was a propeller-driven fishing vessel 250 gross tons, built in 1853 atNantes, France, by Hernoux et Cie ofDieppe for the Société Terreneuvienne ofGranville inNormandy.[1] The company had extensive fishing interests in theGrand Banks area offNewfoundland, which it operated from a base inSaint Pierre Island.[3] On 27 September 1854Vesta was eastbound with a crew of 50, returning 147 fisherman and salters home. In a heavy fog,Vesta collided with theCollins Line passenger paddle steamerSSArctic.[4] A three-metre (ten-foot) section ofVesta's bow was sheared off, but the watertight bulkhead behind the bow remained intact and kept out the sea, keeping the vessel afloat.[1]
The much largerArctic, which initially had appeared to have sustained only superficial damage, had been fatally holed below the waterline. Lacking watertight compartments, the hull filled with water and the ship sank, four hours later, with great loss of life.[5] By contrast, the only casualties fromVesta's crew and passengers were about a dozen who precipitately left the ship in a lifeboat, which was then accidentally run down by theArctic.[6]
After the collision,Vesta's captain, Alphonse Duchesne, brought the ship slowly toSt John's, Newfoundland, which she reached on 29 September, and was repaired.[7] On 20 March 1855Vesta sailed for home, and was forced into Liverpool after fighting ice and storms for 17 days.[1] Later that year she was sold to the Compagnie Générale Maritime ofLe Havre, and after further changes of ownership, passed in 1863 to J Amann ofBilbao and was renamedAmberes. She was used as a freighter, generally working between northern Spanish ports andAntwerp. In 1875, the shipping registers reported her as sunk inSantander harbour.[2]
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