SS Hopelyn
| History | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Name: | SS Hopelyn' |
| Owner: | Hopemount Shipping Company Ltd. of Newcastle upon Tyne. |
| Operator: | Stamp, Mann & Company |
| Builder: | Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd, Sunderland |
| Yard number: | No: 1041 |
| Laid down: | 1918 |
| Fate: | Became stranded becoming a total Wreck on Scroby Sands 18 October 1922 off Norfolk, England |
| Status: | 52°37′N 01°47′E / 52.617°N 1.783°E at a depth of 2 m (6.6 ft). on Scroby Sands. |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage: | 2,348 gross register tons (GRT) |
| Length: | 285 ft (87 m) |
| Beam: | 41 ft (12 m) |
| Draft: | 19 ft (5.8 m) |
| Installed power: | 3 cylinder triple expansion |
| Propulsion: | Sailing Ship |
| Crew: | 24 men. 1 ship's cat |
SS Hopelyn was a Merchant vessel from Newcastle which became stranded and then wrecked on Scroby Sands of the Norfolk coast on 17 October 1922.
The Hopelyn was a steam merchant ship which was built in 1918 at Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Ltd Sunderland, England with the Yard Number 1041. She was 2,348 gross register tons (GRT) and 285 feet (87 m) long. The ship was ordered by the Hopemount Shipping Company Ltd, (a subsidiary of Swan, Hunter Ltd & Wigham Richardson Ltd) and operated by Stamp, Mann and Company shipping mainly coal from Newcastle.
The SS Hopelyn left Newcastle on 17 October 1922 with a cargo of 3,400 tons of coal and a crew of twenty four plus the ship's cat called Tishy, bound for London. As she made her way down the east coast of England she encountered a north-easterly gale. On the morning of 18th the Hopelyn encountered problems when her steering gear broke down. Temporary repairs were made to the steering but the gale had gradually increased making conditions increasingly worse by the hour. The captain decided that it would be safer for his ship and crew to head for the relative safety of Yarmouth roads. Unfortunately the temporary repairs failed and the captain could not control the ship. The strong gale and crashing seas drove the Hopelyn on to the Scroby sands where she became stranded.
The captain immediately asked the wireless operator to send out a Mayday. This he managed to do, just before the heavy sea caused the wireless mast to be swept away. It was now 9:30 pm and the Hopelyn was breaking up fast. The crew of 24 took shelter in the Bridge but after a short while had to move to the highest point of the ship’s superstructure, namely the 12 foot square wireless room.
Following the Mayday being received by the coastguard, the Gorleston Lifeboat Kentwell had been launched. She was only powered by oars and Coxswain Billy Fleming had acquired a tow from the tug George Jewson. The two vessels found conditions at sea difficult with 30 to 40 foot waves. As the lifeboat approached the Hopelyn, coxswain Fleming sent up flares to highlight the ship's position. By now the Hopelyn's back was broken and she was beyond any idea of salvage. The crew of the lifeboat were concerned to see that only a small section of the ship was showing above the heavy seas. The crew were also concerned that they could see no sign that the crew were still alive and on board the Hopelyn. Equally coxswain Fleming had no reason to assume that the crew had perished or left the ship. With this in mind Fleming held his position right through the night. At daybreak Fleming and his crew could still not see or hear any sign of life on the wreck and so coxswain Fleming made the decision to return to shore. Within one hour of the lifeboats return to Gorleston, the coxswain received word from the Caister coastguard that a makeshift flag had been hoisted from the funnel of the Hopelyn.
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