Stranded on passage from Rijeka to Rotterdam and abandoned by her crew after 3 days of trying to hold out in the
hope that she would come off the sand bank.
She had been charted by the UK Hydrographic Office (Source 1) as the SILVIA ONARATO (Possibly), in position
51°12.88N, 001°32.96E in a general depth of 10m, but after a 1991 echo-sounder survey failed to find the small
fragment of wreckage located in the previous year, the UKHO record was amended to 'DEAD'. Source 3 states that
'divers report her as reasonably intact, but deeply imbedded [with a] centre full of sand', and the position given for the
wreck by sources 2 and 3 is 51°.53N, 001°33.04E. The dates of these reports are not known however, and as the
position given by these sources differs slightly from that examined in 1991 and charted by the UKHO (source 1), so it
is not known whether anything of her remains.
Source 2 names her as the SILVIA ONORATO; while source 3 lists her as the SILVIO ONORATO; it is not known
which name/spelling is correct.
'The Walmer lifeboat arrived alongside this stranded vessel in very heavy seas, one of the lifeboat crew going aboard
to assist the captain but unfortunately there was already a broad low sand bank between the ship and deep water.
Coxswain Upton attempted to advise the captain to leave but [he refused] so the lifeboat pulled out into deep water
and anchored for the night, the Italian captain again refusing to leave at dawn... After 3 days the crew finally
abandoned the wreck which broke in two. Her cargo consisted on plumbago, the special graphite from which pencil
lead is made.'
The coxswain of the Walmer lifeboat was awarded a silver medal, and mechanic C Cavell a bronze 'for rescuing 30
men, including 2 stowaways, and a dog, from the steamer SILVIA ONORATO aground on the Goodwin Sands. The
lifeboat spent 45 hours at sea.'
Footage of the SILVIA ONORATO aground on the Goodwin Sands.
Built: 1916
Builder: J Priestman and Company
Where built: Sunderland ; Southwick
LBD: 88.4 x 12.4 x 5.8m
Tonnage: 2327 ; 2320
Propulsion: Screw-driven 3-cylinder triple expansion engine.
Speed: 9.5 knots
Crew: 28
Passengers: 2
Ownership: 1916 - Built as USKMOUTH and owned by R W Jones and Company. 1927 - Sold to Dunn and Company
and re-named ENSIGN. 1933 - Sold to Constants S Wales and re-named WROTHAM. 1937 - Re-named to
SELLINGE by the same owner. 1947 - Sold to A Onorato and re-named the SILVIA ONARATO [sic]