Full-rigged ship, wooden, built Liverpool 1820, 284 tons
More history of vessel.
Owned Sir John Tobin, Liverpool
Voyage Liverpool to Demerara
Driven ashore near Trecastell [Cable Bay] Anglesey, 10/11 September 1835
Captain W Syms and crew, 14/18, rescued from the shore
On the night of 10th/11th September 1835, the Sarah, outbound from Liverpool to Demerara, ran ashore and broke up on the rocks two miles west of Aberffraw. Captain Syms and his crew of 14/18 were all safely brought ashore, using the shore-based life-saving apparatus from Holyhead. Several other vessels were wrecked off the coast of North Wales by the gales at that date. One record states that her cargo was salt, another coal and general cargo. [Information from contemporary newspapers from Liverpool and North Wales and from Lloyds Register]
The Reverend James Williams of Llanfairynghornwy, who was concerned about the loss of life from shipwrecks around Anglesey, founded the Anglesey Branch of the Royal National Institute for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck, with his wife, Frances. He took charge of the rescue of the men aboard the Sarah, which was aground on rocks near Porth Trecastell. He was able to heave a line across to the vessel. Shortly after the last of the 14 crew had been rescued, the ship broke up. Another report quotes 18 men as rescued.
His wife, Frances, drew the scene
with a line running from the mizzen mast to the shore with a sailor on it and,
subsequently, painted a picture of it. Her paintings were lithographed
and sold to raise funds for life-saving.
Note that this couple were great-grandparents of Kyffin Williams,
the renowned Anglesey artist who died in 2006.
Painting of the rescue by Frances Williams: [from Oriel Môn]
The Rev James Williams was awarded a gold medal in 1835 by the RNIPLS (fore-runner of the RNLI) for his actions (i)in this rescue; (ii)in the rescue of the crew of the Active (when he rode into the sea to throw a grappling line aboard); (iii) for his invention of a self-inflating life-buoy.
The location of the wreck was just west of the sandy beach at Porth Trecastell
(Cable Bay) and divers have occasionally found items on the seabed here
which might have come from the Sarah.
The location of the wreck is somewhere along the coast near 53°12.19N, 4°30.14W.
Report of Anglesey lifeboats 1835:
[from Caernarvon & Denbigh Herald - Saturday 22 April 1837]:
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE ANGLESEY BRANCH of the ROYAL NATIONAL
INSTITUTION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF LIFE FROM SHIPWRECK
Your Committee report with much pleasure their annual task of laying an account of the receipts
and expenditure as well as of the proceedings of Institution during the past year [1835].
Those of the preceeding year were partly down to the 3d of March, services of No 4 lifeboat
of that day in saving the lives of ten men adrift from wreck of the Barque William, being alluded
to, but without the reward subsequently paid to the men being brought into account.
On the 7th of the same month, the Smack Active of Belfast, having been driven from her
anchors in Ramsey Bay, endeavoured to get into Cemmaes, but grounded a long way from the shore,
every sea making a complete breach over her. An attempt was immediately made to launch a fishing
boat to the assistance of her crew, but after great labour, it was found impracticable owing to
the violence of the wind and sea; a second attempt was equally unsuccessful. In the mean time
intelligence had been sent off to the Secretary at Llanfairynghornwy. On his arrival, and with
his assistance on horse-back, they succeeded in throwing a grapnel into the bowsprit shrouds, and
by that means were enabled to launch and haul out a boat. The crew, five in number, were found
in the cabin, so completely exhausted as to be unable to leave it without assistance.
On the evening of the 10th of September, just at dusk, the American ship, Plutarch, from New
Orleans to Liverpool, and under bare poles, came to an anchor about 1/2 or 3/4 of a mile from
Holyhead Pier. Her certain destruction, under the circumstances of the gale then blowing, and her
position being apparent to all on shore, the Life Boat was immediately got to the Pier Head under
the direction of the Treasurer, but such was the fury of the gale and sea, that the stoutest
seamen, for a moment, hesitated to man her; but cheered by the example of Capt Wm Owen of the
brig Stanley of Holyhead, eight men volunteered to go with him. By the time they had got out, it
was quite dark with torrents of rain falling, and they were unable to reach the ship and returned
to the Pierhead. The attempt was, however, renewed with the assistance of some fresh hands, and
they at length succeeded in getting the whole of the surviving crew (some having died on their
passge) 11 in number into the boat and landed them in safely, after three hours of great labour
and imminent danger. The exertions of your Treasurer and of Rev J V Lloyd on the occasion were
unremitting, and greatly contributed to cheer on the men in their arduous undertaking. Your
Committee feel justified in stating that a more gallant act under all circumstance, has seldom,
if ever, been achieved and if it were the only one accomplished by the means of this Institution,
it is sufficient to stamp its great utility and value.
During the same gale on 11th in the morning, the Ship Sarah from Liverpool to Demerara was
driven into Carnarvon Bay, and eventually got on to some rocks at Trecastell, two miles west of
Aberffraw. Fortunately she was seen by your Secretary (who happened to be in the neighbourhood)
and under his directions, a line was got from the mast head to the cliffs, whereby fourteen men
were safely landed, the vessel going to pieces a few minutes after the last man had reached the
shore.
On the same day, a Schooner with a signal of distress flying, was seen from the Rhoscolyn
Station at the distance of four miles. The Life No 3 immediately went to her assistance, and
after landing three female passengers, foreigners, nearly dead from fright and sickness, they
succeeded in getting the vessel and her crew into safety, and were rewarded by the owners of the
vessel.
On the 23rd of January, the sloop Eleanor of Conway was observed in Red Wharf Bay, with a
signal of distress flying. The Life Boat No 4 from Penmon, was immediately launched and
succeeded in landing the two men belonging to the sloop, who had quite given themselves up for
lost. For this service, the sum of £10 was awarded by the Magistrates to the crew of the
Life Boat, and which was readily paid by the owners.
On the same day, a foreign brig came to anchor about two miles from Holyhead Pier. As the
gale increased, she was perceived to be drifting fast towards the dangerous rocks called the
Clipperas, with a signal of distress flying. The treasurer having fortunately got the Life Boat
in readiness, Mr Johnston, the Collector of Customs, with the utmost gallantry and promptitude,
took command of the boat, manned by a resolute and active crew, who succeeded in putting a pilot
on board just in time to slip her cable, and beach her in comparative safety. Had the assistance
heen delayed but 10 minutes, it was the general opinion that the vessel must have been totally
wrecked; and, in all human probability, every soul on board perished. She proved to be the
Constant of Antwerp with 10 men. For this service the Magistrates awarded &ound;40 to the crew of
the Life Boat, which was handed over to the Treasurer of the Institution by the owners, and
subsequently paid to the men. As this is not the first instance in which Mr Johnston has
distinguished himself in the Life Boat, your Committee consider him well entitled to the best
acknowledgments of the Institution.
The Life Boat No 4 (Penmon) has also rendered much service in putting pilots on board vessels
seeking safety in the Menai, at times when no other boat would venture out for the purpose.
Thus have twenty-three lives been (under Providence) rescued during the year by Boats of our
Institution, and nineteen more under the direction of your Officers, and rewards of various
amounts given to forty-two men for risking their lives in preserving fellow creatures. The Gold
Medal of the National Institution was presented to Capt Wm Owen of Brig Stanley of Holyhead for
his gallantry and perseverance on the occasion of the wreck of Plutarch, detailed above, and
trustees of the Liverpool Docks have presented him with a Silver Snuff Box for the same service.
The silver medal of the Institution has also been given to Richard Morris, Coxwain of the Life
Boat No 2, on the same occasion and to Owen Williams, coxwain of No 1, for his services in saving
three of the crew of the Leeds, as detailed in the report of last year. The Gold Medal also to
your Secretary for his active zeal and attention to every object connected to the Institution,
more particularly for his services at great personal risk in assisting to save the crew of the
Active, as above detailed. Each of the Life Boats have been furnished with the Messenger Life
Buoy, invented by your Secretary, and strongly recommended by that veteran, unrivalled in saving
life from shipwreck, Sir William Hillary Bart, and by Captain Denham RN Marine Surveyor and
Superintendent of Life Boats at Liverpool
Report covers 1835, ... ... No 1: Cemyn; No 2: Holyhead; No 3: Rhoscolyn; No 4: Penmon,
James Williams, Secretary.