The Saturday after Thanksgiving ( here stateside) marks the anniversary of the sinking of the sidewheel steamer Portland during the Gale of 1898. This year, we observed the 125th. Some 198 passengers and crew lost their lives when a gale with winds of up to a hundred miles an hour overwhelmed the Portland. It’s sometimes called New England’s Titanic.
On Sunday, I read an article about the sinking. Tears came to my eyes even though no one in my family was aboard. I am, however, the son, nephew, and descendant on both sides of my family, for unknown generations, of seaman. As a seaman and sailor, I’ve seen gales, hurricanes, and foul weather. I’ve listened to my father tell about how he survived the torpedo sinking of a tanker. And in my library is a little book issued to merchant seamen titled How To Abandon Ship. I take lives lost at sea personally and seriously.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes on the sea:
“People are always comparing the sea to a woman. That’s a mistake. Even a woman you’ve cheated on and abandoned is more forgiving than high seas and a bad storm.” -Petty Officer John O’Toole, USN.
“Whenever your preparations for the sea are poor, the sea worms its way in and find the problems.” ~ Francis Stokes
“He that will learn to pray, let him go to sea.” ~ George Herbert.
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Among the people in my family who immigrated here, two of them died onboard the ship (The Francis and Elizabeth) and were pitched overboard. 1744. When I was writing about their Atlantic crossing I began to see how completely insane that was and more insane were all those people for all those centuries setting out without longitude. I’m sure the stars are great, but a little undependable. I couldn’t do it. I’m 100% a dryland person. One of my all-time favorite films is Longitude. I admire those determined people so much.
I carve portraits of ships, and many were incredibly beautiful – until you find out about how poor the immigrant accomodations were. You had to be brave, a bit desperate, and a bit foolish.
There is a full-rigged, iron-hulled ship in San Diego — The Star of India. I liked visiting her, but she felt haunted. I don’t know how to explain that, but…
http://sdmaritime.org/visit/the-ships/star-of-india/
Sailors have reputation for a raft of beliefs about the personality of their ships, hauntings on their ships, things to do for luck, things to avoid, and more.
I did not have to invent much for the story I wrote on this a few years ago:
https://loucarrerascarver.com/2021/10/03/mr-wakey-wakey/
Great story!
Thanks. All the “stuff” was stories that had been told to me by family, in-laws, friends and other sailors. Mr. Wake Wake was from the Royal Navy, but I’d hear variants here in testates. Sadistic bosun’s are a breed.
Give a man (or a kid) a whistle and there’s sadism right there…
true – unfortunately.
I have seen what a hurricane can do to boats docked at the marina, so cannot imagine being out in open water during one. Watching “A Perfect Storm” was wild, but the book was even scarier. Living down here in FL for so long and I have only been on a boat around 2-3 times. I need to see land at all times.