Description
SS White Swan Shipwreck Gorleston
Oil on canvas, diptych
92 x 122 x 3cm
2024
The SS White Swan at Gorleston sunk in 1916 when the collier ran aground during a storm while transporting coal from Hartlepool to London.
‘A combination of extreme weather and her position so close inshore meant Gorleston lifeboat was frustrated because it could give assistance to neither ship nor crew.
But the local rocket lifesaving brigade, with their breeches buoy, strove to save the 20 seamen but conditions continually frustrated their attempts to deliver a rope across the stricken vessel. One report claimed it took 13 hours before they succeeded in firing four ropes to the White Swan whose crew secured them so they could be saved.
Then all the seamen were hauled hand over hand to the safety of the beach by volunteers. There were no casualties.’
Gt Yarmouth Mercury
Various sightings of the skeletal remains of the wreck have been reported as bodies, whales and swimmers in distress over the years. When I see it I think about all the folk at Gorleston collecting up the coal washed ashore with which to keep themselves warm that winter. Maybe some were my ancestors.
The painting spans across two stretched canvases which meet seamlessly to form the entire painting. The canvases are unframed, and will hang together easily, but can be also framed together. If you would like me to frame it for you please contact me and we can discuss the possibilities.
