The wreck of the S.S. ALBA, 31st January 1938.

The wreck of the S.S. ALBA, 31st January 1938. - Research and story by Robin Langford.

I have written this story in remembrance of the courageous Lifeboat crew and the gallant actions of the St.Ives residents.

The Panamanian registered steamship ALBA had finished loading her cargo of coal and had battened down the hatches ready for her voyage from Barry docks in Wales to Civitavecchia in Italy. She was due to depart on Friday 28th January 1938 but this was delayed because of bad weather. Despite the delay Captain Horvath must have thought the weather was favourable for the passage because they slipped their mooring lines and got underway on Sunday morning 30th January.

 As the ALBA steamed southwesterly down the Bristol Channel the weather was worsening and by the time they had reached Lands End there was a severe northwesterly storm blowing. They had battled with the weather for over 24 hours and conditions were now so bad that they could not round Lands End safely. The Captain decided to turn back and after consulting his charts decided that St.Ives bay would be the only option for some shelter. Darkness and driving rain made the visibility very poor and on the evening of Monday 31st, Godrevy Lighthouse was sighted between the squalls as they neared St.Ives bay.

The lights above Porthmeor beach were also sighted by the lookouts and reported to the Captain who ordered the ship’s anchors to be prepared. The Captain and his officers thought they had reached the anchorage and the shelter of St.Ives bay, but in actual fact they were still off Porthmeor beach. The ALBA was turned head to wind and the anchor was ordered to be let go but before the anchor could hold on the seabed, the stern of the steamship struck the rocks off St.Ives head. Captain Horvath and his officers quickly realised the ship was aground and sounded the ship’s steam whistle in distress. The steamship was also now broadside on to the surf and was being battered by huge waves.

The continuous sounding distress signal from the ALBA was heard by many of the St.Ives residents including Thomas Cocking the Coxswain of the St.Ives Lifeboat. He thought the distress signal sounded very close by so hurried to the Lifeboat Station and fired two maroons to summon the rest of the crew. By this time it was now 7.30 pm and the Lifeboat “Caroline Parsons” was launched in record time and soon got underway. She rounded St.Ives head in mountainous seas and some of the Lifeboat crew stated that the waves were 40 foot high that night ! The lights of the stricken steamship were soon sighted and the area was well illuminated by the St.Ives Life Saving Apparatus searchlights and car headlights. The Police, Ambulance service and hundreds of people had gathered on the Island to witness the spectacle.

Coxswain Thomas Cocking skilfully manoeuvred the Lifeboat towards the leeward side of the steamship in order to gain shelter from the enormous breaking waves. He then positioned the Lifeboat alongside the ALBA in order to rescue all of the 23 crew. Once they were all aboard he asked the Captain to order his men to lie down on the deck. The Lifeboat then pulled away from the steamship but as she cleared the lee shelter a huge wave struck the Lifeboat broadside on and capsized the boat throwing 32 men into the raging seas. This terrible spectacle was witnessed by the people gathered on the Island, many of whom were related to members of the Lifeboat crew.

The “Caroline Parsons” was a modern Lifeboat and within a few seconds had self righted and luckily three members of the Lifeboat crew had clung to the boat and managed to stay aboard her as she rolled back over onto an even keel. The engine could not be restarted but they were able to help the rest of the crew and most of the shipwrecked sailors back aboard. Without the engine the Lifeboat was now at the mercy of the sea and was being blown towards the rocks, eventually being driven ashore. The Coxswain told the men not to jump overboard because they would “be dashed to pieces”.

Seeing the Lifeboat being driven onto the rocks prompted hundreds of onlookers to scramble down the rocks and onto the beach in order to help rescue the men aboard the wrecked Lifeboat. One brave man courageously entered the water in order to get a line over to the Lifeboat and after several attempts he eventually succeeded. The line was then secured to the Lifeboat and one by one the sailors and crew came along the line and made it safely ashore, being dragged from the surf by the hordes of waiting rescuers.

All of the Lifeboat crew made it ashore unscathed but most of the ALBA’s crew were cut and badly bruised. Captain Horvath had sustained a broken leg during the ordeal but all were grateful to be alive. Five of the ALBA’s crew who didn’t make it back to the Lifeboat after the capsize were still missing and eventually three badly beaten bodies were washed ashore but the other two were never seen again.

The next day the full extent of the disaster could be seen in daylight. The ALBA was still broadside to the surf and was being battered by huge waves and the Lifeboat was very badly damaged and lay perched on the rocks. She was eventually set on fire and burnt in situ as was the tradition with wrecked Lifeboats. 

The “Caroline Parsons” was the first motor driven Lifeboat to be stationed at St.Ives. She had been in service since June 1933 and during that time had launched seven times and saved 73 lives. The heroic crew aboard for her last rescue were: Coxswain, Thomas Cocking. Second Coxswain, William Peters. Bowman, Matthew Barber. Signalman, John Thomas. Mechanic, Jack Cocking and crewmen, William Barber, Phillip Paynter, Henry Peters and D Cocking.

The wreck of the ALBA became quite an attraction and brought many visitors to the town. The cargo of coal also kept the residents of St.Ives warm for many years and people were often seen “fishing for coal“ down by the wreck. The Cornish Marine Salvage Company acquired salvage rights to the ship and soon began removing any items of value before starting to cut up and dismantle parts for the ship.

As the salvage continued, the sea also pounded the wreck to pieces and after several years little could be seen above the surface apart from the ship’s boilers which have always been visible at low water and so the wreck of the ALBA and the loss of the Caroline Parsons have never been forgotten.

S.S.ALBA was built in 1920 by the Detroit Shipbuilding Company in the USA and was originally named CAYUGA. She had a gross tonnage of 2310, a length of 251 ft and a beam of 43 ft. A 265 horsepower, triple expansion steam engine powered the ship.

The shifting sands of Porthmeor beach often completely cover the wreck and only the top of the boilers can be seen. In the 1980’s the wreck of the ALBA became popular with scuba divers because the sand had moved and exposed parts of the ship never seen before. It was now possible to swim into the bow section and climb the ladder into the fo’c’sle. The engine and boilers were completely uncovered and brass steam gauges glittered amongst the wreckage. Swimming aft towards the stern you could follow the propeller shaft whilst swimming through the prop tunnel and once at the stern you could swim into the deckhouse which contained the ship’s heads where it was possible to lay in the bathtub or sit on the toilet - just for fun. One lucky St.Ives resident had a dream come true in the mid 1980’s and whilst diving on the wreck he found the ship’s huge bronze propeller and as it had been polished by the sand moving over it, it shone like gold. After writing to the Panamanian government he was given permission to salvage the propeller, the proceeds of which put a large deposit on a house in St.Ives.