Remains of the 1910 Preussen shipwreck, Dover

At the lowest Spring tides the remains of the German sailing ship Preussen become visible in Crab Bay, just off the white cliffs of Dover.

The Pruessen was at the time the largest five masted sailing ship in the world, of steel construction and weighing 4675 tons. Built in 1902, she was sailing under the command of Captain Nissen from Hamburg to the West Coast of Africa in bad weather when she collided with the Brighton Railway Company steamer Brighton which had misjudged the speed of the Preussen.

Captain Nissen anchored the damaged ship at Dungeness, but the weather worsened and the Preussen broke anchor. Three tugs were used to tow the Preussen up the English Channel for repairs, but the cables broke and she was driven ashore in Crab Bay. The conditions were so bad at this point that the Dover lifeboat actually had to turn back. The East Cliff coastguards managed to get a line across the ship by rocket, but the crew and two passengers refused to leave.

For the next two days the crew worked hard to save the ship but by the 8th November had to admit defeat and the crew and passengers were finally taken ashore. The ship's back broke later that day and she was abandoned.


References:
Kent Shipwrecks - Alan Bignell (Countryside Books, 2001)
Calamity Corner, The Wrecks of the Eastern English Channel - Anthony Lane (Tempus Publishing, 2004)
Shipwrecks of Great Britain & Ireland - Richard Larn

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Submission date: 2008-06-22 21:47:22

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