Prince of Wales 1807
Sloop 103 tons, b Chester 1787, Parkgate packet.
Captain Robert Jones and 9 crew (all saved); 127 passengers (120 lost).
Wrecked near Blackrock House (S of Dublin)
Rochdale 1807
Brigantine 133 tons, b Runcorn as barquentine 1794
Captain Hodgson. Crew and passengers 265 (all lost)
Previously owned by Duke of Bridgewater
Wrecked near Seapoint (Martello Tower S of Dublin)
Position: 53° 17.870' N, 6° 9.589' W.
On 18 November 1807, several troopships left the Pigeon House Harbour at
Ringsend near Dublin with troops bound for Liverpool. The ships themselves
were quite small, the Prince of Wales being a 20 year old Chester built sloop
of 103 tons and a draught of 11 feet. [She, along with the King and Queen
built 1785, Princess Royal and the
Lady Fitzgerald, were listed as the main Parkgate Packets in 1796]. The
Rochdale was a slightly larger, 10
year old, brig of 135 tons with a 10 foot draught. The Lark was also employed to
transport troops.
The Prince of Wales, packet
of Parkgate, captained by Jones had the 97th regiment aboard along with
recruits from the South Cork and South Mayo regiments of militia. The next day
the ships were seen working about the [Dublin] Bay and trying to stand into the
Harbour. There was a very heavy fall of sleet and snow. Towards evening, gun
signals were fired indicating distress. Captain Jones, who escaped from the
Prince of Wales, described the events thus: Having arrived opposite Bray Head,
the sea began to swell and the wind blow a hurricane. He threw all his anchors
out but the ship dragged them all along impetuously. She drove without a rag
of sail towards Dunleary [Dun Laoghaire] Point and he expected to be dashed
against the rocks
there. He repeatedly told the officers of the danger before she struck about 6
or 7 in the evening [19th November 1807].
The accounts describe the ships getting six leagues off shore when the storm forced them back. The anchors were cast out at Man O'War roads between Dalkey and Dun Laoghaire. The master of the Prince of Wales, Robert Jones, nine seamen, two soldiers, two sailors (passengers), two women and children (family members), took to the long boat when the vessel struck off Sir John Lees house at Blackrock. The boat party got safely to Mr St George's house at Blackrock. [Blackrock is about a half a mile NW of Seapoint where the Richmond was wrecked].
The losses from Prince of Wales were Lieutenant Maclean of the 18th foot, with 61 volunteers from the South Mayo militia, Lieutenant Foley 58th foot, Captain Gregory and Lieutenant Kilkelly of the 32nd foot, Sergeant of the 25th regiment, Ensign Beaven of the 10th foot, Ensign Baggot of 85th foot, Ensign Kidd of 85th foot, Lieut. Wasey of 2nd foot, Lieutenant Brown of 62nd foot. Each officer had a party of soldiers and servants. A total 120 officers and men were lost. There was a report that the hatches were battened down but Mr Moss, the coroner deputed a party of four gentlemen to visit the wreck site and ascertained that there was no substance in the story. An immense amount of baggage was washed ashore and a large party of troops were put on guard. Looters gathered as was usual at the time and one from Dun Laoghaire was drowned. All the weekend was spent in collecting the bodies for burial at Monkstown and Merrion cemeteries. A memorial was also placed at St Begnet's graveyard, Dalkey. The account is somewhat confusing as the numbers aboard do not seem to include crew and the detail is predominantly regarding the military aboard. Captain Jones of the Prince of Wales was subsequently imprisoned awaiting trial according to report of November 30th. No account of the trial was found.
The Rochdale (Captain Hodgson) was wrecked on the rocks at the Martello tower at Seapoint. It was observed that no pilot could have steered her alongside at the Martello as neatly as she lay. The Rochdale had aboard the staff of the 97th regiment. There were no survivors from the Rochdale, two hundred and sixty five perished including major Gormoran, lieutenants Long and Power, ensign Way, 8 sergeants, 9 corporals, 173 rank and file, 44 women, and 29 children.
The same night a collier was lost with all hands at the South Bull, a trader belonging to a Dublin broker was also lost. The Liverpool Packet was feared lost as a vessel fitting her description was seen bottom up off Bray.
The Lark, another transport from Dublin, reached Holyhead in safety.
Inquest
The Freeman's journal 27-11-1807 published the abstract of the proceedings
on an inquest held on the bodies of the 37 passengers who perished on Thursday
the 19th inst [November].
Henry Lynch deposed before the coroner and respectable jury that some of the
South Mayo militia volunteered into the 18th and 97th regiments of the line.
Robert Jones of Liverpool, master of the Prince of Wales packet, deposed that he
sailed from the harbour of Dublin about 2 p.m. Wednesday 18 November. The crew
consisted of 8 sailors, a boy, a steward and himself. As passengers there were
9 military officers and a number of soldiers. On Thursday morning about 6.30
the wind freshened and, about three, sleet and snow became thick. About four,
witness found it necessary to tack about and stood towards Howth - the
vessel after having been tossed, dragged her anchors; about 7 o'clock, she
stuck fast in seven feet water, and turned on her side. The waters ran high
over her; the boat having been shaken out of the vessel; such men on her deck
that could accomplish it, jumped into her. There were seventeen in all.
The Freeman's Journal of 30 November reported that Robert Jones and
his crew had been imprisoned at Newgate pending trial but there was no further
report.
The Freeman's Journal called for the Ballast Office committee to examine all
passage vessels and determine how completely masters and owners made the
vessels safe by having a crew proportionate to the needs. But by the 26th the
Freemans Journal published a retraction:
It was lately mentioned that there
was no agent of transports appointed for Dublin. A naval officer of ability
fills that position whose exercises on the late melancholy occasion do him
great credit. Several packets had been lost but the HM Packet boats were
observed to have operated for 117 years without loss.
The allegation that the
victims of the Prince of Wales had been confined below while the crew escaped
was disproved.
Memorial Plaque at Seapoint.
Postcript
The fact that all the crew of the Prince of Wales survived while
very few of the soldiers survived, led to accusations that the crew had
confined the soldiers below deck. This was presumably the reason the master was
arrested. As described above, these accusations were not proved.
This disaster in which nearly 400 died, was the impetus to develop a
harbour of refuge at Dun Laoghaire (then called Dunleary and subsequently Kingstown
after it was visited by King George IV in 1821). After developing Howth as a harbour
in 1805 as a temporary measure, work was started at Dun Laoghaire in 1815.