It was 153 years ago today that the Great Gale of 1871 brought tragedy to the Yorkshire Coast.
During the storm 23 ships ran aground, 70 lives were lost and Bridlington's lifeboat, "The Harbinger" capsized with the loss of six crew.
Mike Milner from Bridlington RNLI says it's an event which etched on the towns memory.
Tomorrow the RNLI will mark the 153 years with a service taking place at Bridlington priory, Mike Milner says the RNLI team will be there in force to mark to the event.
The tragedy occurred on 10 February 1871, when a storm hit the East Yorkshire coast. Many ships were using an area known as the ‘Bay of Refuge’ to shelter from the bad weather when the wind significantly increased and changed direction, causing at least 23 ships to run aground or be wrecked against the harbour walls. It’s thought that up to 30 vessels were lost that dreadful day, although it is difficult to know exactly how many were lost and as many as 70 lives lost.
At the time Bridlington had two separate lifeboats, the RNLI’s Robert Whitworth and a locally owned vessel named the Harbinger. Both boats were launched multiple times, with both crews succeeding in saving several lives. Tragically, the Harbinger was attempting to save the crew of the brig Delta when a wave capsized the lifeboat and six of the nine local men aboard were drowned.
One of the poor souls lost that day was a 14 year old boy from Whitby, who had begged his widowed mother to allow him to go to sea in order to follow in his father’s footsteps. The day before the Great Gale she relented and he joined a collier which was intending to head south. The poor lad had only been at sea for a day when his ship was lost and he died only a matter of miles away from his home town.
The Reverend Neil Bowler, Rector of Bridlington Priory, will conduct tomorrow's service, he said
‘As the new Rector at Bridlington Priory it will be a privilege for me for the first time to lead The Great Gale service, because I've become very quickly aware of how much it means, not only to the whole of the community here in Bridlington, but also beyond.
It is a time, together, to visibly give thanks and to remember all those who were involved and continue to be involved today in the RNLI, saving lives at sea. The service and The Great Gale memorial in the church grounds shed light not only upon the past but also the present and into the future.’
Steve Emmerson, Bridlington RNLI Coxswain, added,
‘Lifeboat Stations are built on the achievements of those who have gone before. This year we remember those lost not only in the Great Gale but all those lost around the coast of the UK.
This year the RNLI will celebrate their bi-centenary and as volunteer crew of the current Bridlington lifeboat it is essential that we remember them all and reflect on their contribution to Saving Lives at Sea. Never more so than on this day.’
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