Scary situation on a rough sea
THE expression 'every picture tells a story' can frequently prove only too true when the picture features a vessel, sail or steam.
Usually rough sea weather is responsible – and so it was for the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry in the early hours of November 27, 1924.
The steamer Dieppe (1905-1933), which was on night service and arrived off the breakwater at 3.30am, was already delayed because of the adverse conditions.
The swirl of the sea and the strength of the wind, swung her so that she headed stern-first towards the steps leading down to the sand beach.
In this situation she required assistance to eventually get into the harbour and discharge her passengers and any cargo. Our two tugs of the time were the Alert and the Richmere – the latter, the smaller.
The job for the small one was to connect a steel cable between the Dieppe and the Alert, which, being the larger, would require a considerable depth of water, or she might get grounded.
Unfortunately, the cable found the Richmere's propeller and she was smashed against the sand beach steps – a frightening situation in a rough sea in the dark and in November.
The local lifeboat, the Sir Fitzroy Clayton, Cox Richard Payne with his crew made a spectacular rescue of the tugs staff despite the lifeboat being damaged during the ordeal, the coxswain receiving an award for his skill and bravery.
Eventually the Dieppe reached harbour and I don't recollect any other recorded incidents during her remaining years.
She was a vessel of 1,250 tons, steam turbine driven with a speed of 21 knots. In her later days she was mostly on the night service.
However, she surprisingly had a future in store. The top picture shows her moving away from the East Quay. In respect she displays the French flag atop her foremast and the Newhaven-Dieppe House flag atop the main mast, with the radio aerials between the two. Our red ensign would be on a jack staff at her stern. In studying this area with a magnifying glass I was reminded of the size of the landing stage where the major tug of its time was moored
Right up to the recent Meeching, but before the last war, this was an extensive area with a white, high fence all around the three sides (leaving the waterside clear). But then where one would normally leave the stage and on to the road, was a mechanical turnstile built into a wooden pay box.
In the summer seasons, many coastal pleasure steamers would visit our little port, not just to let the passengers stretch their legs and enjoy the little gift shops and cafes of Bridge Street and the High Street, but while they were tasting these delights, a barge load of fuel coal would be discharged into their little paddle steamer to last for another few days.
The human cargo would return at the appointed time, unaware of what had taken place.
That was the reason for the turnstile. In the 1970s-80s, the hut found its way to the seafront toll station, painted yellow it finished as a store hut near the cliff.
Back to the landing stage near is the lifeboat slipway where these noble craft used to crash into the water at their launch.
The lifeboat house roof is being raised for a new craft to be launched (christened) by HRH Prince George, Duke of York. The Cecil & Lillian Philpott, the boat with the little buff funnel. The boathouse roof was raised for her. The Dieppe was sold at this time to become a converted yacht, by Thornycrofts in 1933 for Lord Moyne of the Guiness family (I think in some government capacity, he was murdered in the Middle East).
Assuming he might have come to Newhaven to view the Dieppe might he also have thought this a good place for a holiday home for poor children, hence HMS Forward.
As a yacht the Dieppe was named Rosaura. Edward VIII (Prince of Wales, who abdicated the throne) with Mrs Wallis Simpson cruised the Mediterranean in the Rosaura, but during the 1939 war the vessel was lost in service, March 1941.
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Weather for Lewes
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -6 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: East
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Sunny
Temperature: -5 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
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