Maritime record MKE129099 - Gerda

'Carrying 191 tons of cargo, left Picta on 22-AUG (sic), and 15 days later, on 13-OCT, lost her four topsails in a bad SW gale. The crew threw overboard several tons of cargo to save the vessel when she took a heavy list to port. She then lost her jib-boom and anchored in the Downs between 12 and 4am on 17-OCT (sic) to take on fresh water and carry out repairs. She remained there waiting for the weather to moderate until 1pm yesterday, when the captain found she was dragging, despite having 180 fathoms of chain out, in heavy seas. She drifted alongside an Italian barque at 2pm, breaking her chains, and hoisted signals for a tug, the Italian captain refusing to allow them to board his ship. The VICTORIA steam tug of London came out, whose captain would make no agreement other than that he would tow the GERDA to Ramsgate. On entering the harbour, she struck the pier with her port side very heavily, causing the vessel to become a total loss. The value of the ship was put at £300.' (3)

GERDA Russian barque, Ramsgate Oct 23 from Pitea for Plymouth (timber) lost anchors and chains towed in by London tug, fouled pierhead and damaged booms. (4)

The text cited above has internal discrepancies with its dates, which may be partly explained by a possible use of the Eastern calendar by the Russian vessel. Sources (2) and (3) give the date of loss as 14-OCT-1891, which has been recorded as the date used by the majority of sources.

NB Source (3) gives the name of the vessel as GIRDA, whilst citing a text naming the vessel as GERDA, which is also the form of the name given in source (2).

Master: John A Anderson (3)
Crew: 10 (3)

Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss

Additional sources cited in Shipwreck Index of the British Isles:
Ramsgate Custom House Deposition Book 1891

<1> Larn, Richard and Bridget, 1995, Shipwreck index of the British Isles, volume 2 : Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Sussex, Kent (Mainland), Kent (Downs), Goodwin Sands, Thames (Bibliographic reference). SKE31910.

<2> Goodwin Sands Shipwrecks (Monograph). SKE6709.

<3> Larn, Richard and Bridget, 1995, Shipwreck index of the British Isles, volume 2 : Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Sussex, Kent (Mainland), Kent (Downs), Goodwin Sands, Thames (Bibliographic reference). SKE31910.