(No, 7516.) “BAYARDO” (88.). Jy the matter of a Formal Investigation held at the Jaw Courts, Hull, on the 28h and 29th days of Fehruary, and Ist and 2nd days of March, 1912, hefore J. G. Hay Haukerr, Esquire, assisted by Commander G. K. Wrrewz, R.N.R., and Come mander A. §. Hovstorx, R.N.R., into tho circumstances attending the stranding and sub- sequent loss of the British steamship “ Byxanpo ” near No, 10 Buoy, River Humber, on the 2st Sanuary, 1912, Report of Cont. ‘Tho Court having carefully inguived into the ‘cumstances attending the abovementioned. shipping {faialty, fins for ‘ho seasons stated in the Annes lereto, ‘that the stranding and suhsoquent. lost of the vessel were eaused hy the master not continuing the N. hy E. course long enough to enable her to get into the channel, his proceeding. in thick wenther without being able to distinguish any marks, and his, failure to realise from the soundings that she was not in the channel. ‘The Court finds the master, Mr. Predeviek Richard Soulshy, in default, but on account of his tong and escellent record it refrains from dealing With his e tifieate. Tt severely censures hiv. Dated this 2nd day of March, 1912. J. G. Hay Hausers, ‘Thdge We concur in the ahore Report. Groner K. Wnzcut, } ACS. Hoverous, }Assesnrs Annex to the Report. This inguiry was held at the Law Courts, Hull, on the abovementioned days, when Mr H.’ Leleester Saxelbye appeared. for the Board of ‘Trade, and Dr. 7.°C, Juekson for the master. Mr. H.C. Lane tert watchod the cage on Hlinlf of the owners. ‘Tho steamship ** Bayardo,” Official Number 192,256, was "British steamaitp built of steel at Hull in 1911,"by Barle's Shiphultding and Engineering Co any, Limited, and ler respective dimensions were: Nrongtty, S81 fect; breadth, 47-2 fect; depth of hold, BUEN fect: grom gong, 3,10 does ad, ro tered tonnage, 1,607 tons,” She wns. ftted by her Inilders. with’ triple-expansion engines of 288) hp. (uominad), the. diameters, of her’ eylinders being 2 inches, 454 inches, and 70 inches, respectively, het role heing 8 fest 9 inches, and het speed is given in tlle regiater as 1B knots, She had eight waterallast lanka with % capacity of G36 tons. “She was owned by Messrs. ‘Phomas ‘Wilson, Sons, and “Company, Vimited, Mr. William Joseph Tarn, of lull, being her registered manager. Ske hind six lifeboats and ‘to smaller boats, capable of ‘neconmmodating 422 per- fons. She carried eight fifehnioys and 712 lifejackets, Sho was also provided with a Waller's patent cherub {affenilog, with a patent sounding machine, “and with a double set of deap-sea and ‘hand lends and lines,“ Sho was well fted. and found in all respects for tie trade in which she was engoged. ‘The Bayardo," ab about 6 pam of the 19th amiary Inne, left Gothenburg for ifuil with a. crew ef 44 hands, all told, under the command of her aster, who’ holds certifente. of competency "as ‘srdinaty Iuaster, No. 09907, and dated 16th February, 1ss9." Bhe had 42 passengers on board-—she waa cor: tied to accommodate 633—and earried 1,800 tons of eneral cargos _ Nothing eventful occurred on the vorage across the orth Son or up the Humber until about G40 a.m. (29874) We 15-53, 180, 91, DHS. of the 2ist January, when the vessel arrived off Paull, where she was’ only about 4 miles from er destination—the Riverside Quay. Her draught the was T8 feet forward and 20 Foot aft. Just before this time it had come in foggy, and at G40 the ‘master ordered the anchor to. be fet go, and the ship was Brought up. im seven. fathoms of water. Sie lay at anchor until about 7-15, when, as the fog lifted sult giontly to enable the master to see No. buoy lhe, hearing 8."by E. (magnetic at 0 distance whicks ie estimated ‘atl from’ two to three ship's lengths, he considered it safe to proceed and ordered the anchor to he hove up. The point of departure at this thine Was no doubt, substantially accurate, although the distance from the buoy was only arrived at by estimes tion. “Htigh water on the moFning in question was at 7.37 at Hull, and as there hud been hese moon e 10th, it, was the top of spring tides—the rise ned fall being shout 21 reek,” PT" From the anchoroge off Paull, where the vessel rode to the ood, she was turned under & starboard. helen af half speed until she headed about N:Ee (magneto), when the master stopped the engines and fet he continue to turn une! she headed Ny by E(u netic). ‘The engines were then. put slow abead this course with the view of taking her over to. ber proper ‘sidethe orth side—of the channel, hut no careful estimation appears to have heen mde of the time that this would take, The master only: kept her ‘on this eourse for a very few mintites--the helio did not remember thay she was ever put on itand hho certainly: did not Keep her on it long ‘enough to ako her seross the chanel or even asian ag mid channel, the reasons for this being that he adiniteedly Svervestimated both the speed! of iis vesse! and tke ‘fect of the flood tide, which at thie time was pracy ticalle’ spent. “Prom leaving the siichorage until the easnalty, Teademen made aliiost continual soundings, which Wore reported to the master wha wag. on the bridge.” After the very short period on the N. by BE. course, the master put the vessel, the engines eo inning slow, on a magnetic conse of NNW. } We, hich ‘course, 7 its point of departure had not bees too muuch to the southward, would have been a safe agit "proper cour for thn fench af the river, hut things were, was not a safe or proper comac. Very Soon after this course was sty the eae! mst ha passed close to No. 8 buoy, whieh ought to have heen Seen, and was not soon” ‘This fact, apparently, aid hot trouble the ‘master, who wan content, an the slenderest grounds, ‘that ho was on the north, side of the chanel, hug it shows that the tow had hy this timo thickened again very” considerably, Then, or Soon after, the master should have realised that it was unsafe to proceed. Dating the N.N-Wy 4 Wy course the soundings reported wore seven to eight fathoms, ‘These depth do not, in the then state of the tide, agree with the greater depths of water” which the tater would have found on ost of the course which, Ab the inguiry, he laid off on the ehart ae the one of ‘whieh he believed he was—eay the north side of the channel. He stated that he kmew he was not in the ater" of tho chanel, but these ‘uniformly 5 ings are inconsistent with her being in nay da move. renvon for Supposing he was on one side of it than on the other, Tuideed, a more or less uniform seriew of shallow sound- ings is, from the conformity of the banks, more likely t9.be obtainable on the south side than on the north Slde—but" well out of the hi fev minutes After the vessel had heen on the N.N.W, § W. course, ‘he master altered it (the engines still going slow) to A 'inagnetic course of NW. by Wj Woon whieh Simint soundings were got. The same remarks spply to this course nnd to the soundings obtained upon i fs applied to the former course and soundings. Tt nay, however, be added that from what must have been! the original point. of departure after the short Nz hy B, course, this course netually headed for the sandbank, and upon it the vessel passed to the xouth= fward of No. 9 lighted buoy, which was not sighted “until well after it had been passed.” At the point on the course when the master expected to past No. 12 boy on the north side of the ‘channel ‘and No. 9 ighted buoy on the south, and sayw neither, he ought 40 have realised that the’ wentier had again became ‘too thiek for him to attempt to proceed further, andIhave made at once for n safe anchorage. But he kept his vessel on her course in the fog, contenting himself “as the only precautions against sineertainty—vith the casts of tho Tead and with Keeping his engines alternately slow ahead and stopped. If he had looked ft the chary at this time, oF prior to it, he would ave seen that he was out of the channel, and. by altering the course of his veal for afew moments hie would have realised from the soundings which way the water shoaled. “The fog and he smoke, driven down the river by tle breeze from the westward, eame, apparenthy, ches, 60 that the master ‘and second. offer sighted the No. 9 lighted hnoy—which liad not been reported from the foreenstle head when it was three or four points abaft the starboard beam. ‘The master then for the first time realised hat he was on the hank to the southward of the channel, and_ ordered the slut to he ported” and. the vessel put on a Niwsby N. coufees Up. to then the “soundings reported bad heen still from six to. ight fathoms ‘Sistas the helm. was being ported, an whlighted buoy Yeas reported before the beam on’ the pore side, but the markings on it were indistingwishalle iy the halfe Hight. Taking’ this buoy to. he No. 10. hung, the iunster ordered the lela to be. starhoarded, ahd a8 the onder was being enrried into effect another un Tighted hoy was reported, right ahead. "The master then knew that he had made a mistake, and that the buoy ahead, and not the one he had starhoarded for, war No. 10 boy—the one he lind starboarded for was The Bast. Deposit Bell Buoy, the hell on. which was hot heard. Bo he stopped dite engines, put the helm hhard-asport, and sent the second eifcer below for the hare to see if he had sufieient water to enable him fo come out of the position that he was in ae the time. ‘After, looking at. the Admiralty sheet (Hull Road, No. 3497 surrey, 1909, small corrections wp to Decem= ther, 1911), in which he stnted he had every confidence, and finding 7) 8 and 9 feet at low water marked ot this part of the bank, he concluded that he had sui- lene water to put the engines. slow lead agai He then got 8 fathoms nnd 4} fathoms from the leads man, which satisfed him as corresponding, with the water "which, according to the chart,” he. should have been getting. The ext. sounding’ he got was 3} fathoms, andche ssid that he also yt one of 3'tathome, ‘but this Dick, who was Tendsman at the Yime, did’ mot remeniber. Upon whieln tie. master nid something £0 the second officer, and looking over the side saw that the ship was not moving, that she Was aground, although there was no pereeptible shock. The vessel stranded, heading N. by We 4 W. (mag- netic), nt 7.40 am. at a-point near the eastern extremity of the Hull Middle, which is immediately ‘opposite tho Alexandra Dock éxtension--No. 10 buoy fore NW. (magnetic), 3 to 4 ship's lengehs off, and East Deposit ‘buoy, S.S.W., 2 to 3 ship's lengths off-the depth of water at the place according to the Ghovementioned chart heing eight feet at low water. ‘After the stranding, soundings round the vessel dis. ‘losed ‘tho fact that she had 21 fect of water fore fand aft, but only 19 fect amidships. ‘Wtenever the master found that his vessel was aground, he ordered the engines to be put alternately Hh speed ahead and astern, but for Uhe most part astern, “When he found that she did. not_move he ordered the only full tank on board—the engine-room Yanke—to be pumped out, but this was of no avail. ‘Tho engines “were kept ‘at full speed in. the ‘same rianner'as before, with che aid of three tugs, until ‘hout 0.20, when,’ as it became impossible on necount Of the falling tide to attempt to move the. vessel, tho engines were finally. stopped. About two hours after this, vis., at sbolt Il am. the stokehold plates Baried €9 move, rivets to fly, the boiler to life, and The ship (which had broken her hnck) to make water. Early in the forenoon, viz., about 10 a.m., the saloon ‘and second-class passengers and. their baggage were DUE ashore by one of the owners’ tugs, and ae about Inid-day the ¢hird-class passengers, and Inter on. their Baggage, were poe on the tug by the ship's boats ‘Atfow water tle sand Dank on which the vessel was Stranded was dry, instead of there being, as necording, to tho chart, eight feet of water upon it All the ship's company remained on bogrd through- ‘out, the day’ of the 2ist and during. the following hight. At high water on the eveniog of the Bist part of the cargo was discharged into lighters, hut ts fhe Ship bad ‘led again an the tide rose’ ie Necame obvious that there was no chance of getting her off The master and crew went ashore in tuge at high ater on the morning of the Bnd, Te was subse: {quently found impossifle to do anything to salve the eset, and sho he become a total lose ‘The master of the Bayardo"” has been for 88 sears in the service of the owners, for the last 214 seats of hich ho bus boon master’ of one. of their veseels He is unquestionably a man of the Iighest. characte id capacity, pesscsing along. and unilempbed coord Tt alone in consideration of ‘these’ facts int the Court: has retrained from denling with hig certificate. His position in tho river after the short Why" course find no clement of certainty to mark Be” All Mis aubeeqaent. conrses inthe then” fougy ‘weather depended upon its exactitude, upon his sew nd. intermittent speed, nd upon the ‘see tade St tho. soundings reported to him. Aw as ‘been Pointed out; these soundings onght to hse shown hin Tint his veel was not in the ehannel, and hey of al ton, considering. the length of hie experience’ of tho Hunter, onght to have fealied the danger of being out of the channel, This danger would have beet voided ify when tho weather thiskened again, he had Stonce sought safe anchornge. ‘Then at the vers Ine moment, after No. 10 Buoy had. been sighted, he Showed some ignorance in trusting implicitly. 0 the hare regarding. the depths on the sand bank. As Captain Homing, EN. tho Humber Conservator. on sshose survey the chart’ was prepared im 1000. stated, Invevidence, the rive since the sirvey of ahout seve fot in the dand bank at tho place of stranding was mn Sbnormal rise, considering the speedy and. enor Imows fivetgations which tke place in. theeo banks Poosibly, if the bell on the eastern extension hoy had betn sounding, the camialty might have heeh verted. This fact, however, dacs not exonerate 1 Inoster, who had no business’to be anywhere nest i, find iti only mentioned at all on. general. grounds In fous, when bells are most needed, there is seldom nour wind or motion of water to causo them to in fhenrd, and. for. this reason the Court. is of opinion hat inechanienlly rung hells are far preferable * those which are merely suspended in buoys. idence Mr. Saxelbye, om belilf of the Board of Trade, submitted the following {questions for the opinion af the Gourt:— 1. What number of compasses had the vessel, were they in. good ‘order and sifisient for the safe’ navi tfon of tho vesiely and when and. Uy ‘whom were hey Inst adjusted? 2 Did the master ascertain the deviation of his conpnasta by observation from time to time, were the rrove correcly ascertained nd the proper corsetions fo the courses applied? 3. Was a safe and proper anchorage taken up in the iver ‘Humber’ st ¢ about 840 nm, of the Zit Sanuary lat? 4. Having rgard tothe state of the weather. ws tho’ master justiied in resting bis voyage up the iver at or about 715 nan of the Bist Jantary 1st? 8, Were safe and proper courses steered at oF abnut and after 716 aim. of the Sist January, and was due nd proper allowance made for tide and eurrente? ©, What was tho buoy seen and, reported on the port bow shortly before’ the stranding, and, was the Master justified ia taking it for No. 10 buoy? 7. Was a good and proper look-out kept? 8. Was the lead ned with suficient care and fregueney? 9. Was the vessel navigated with proper and ser aslo care? 10, What was the cause of the stranding of te westl? 11. Was serious dainage to the steamhip ‘“Basardo” caused by the wrongful act oF default of tho mast ‘Dr. Jackson having addressed the Court on ebalf of the master and. Mts. Saxeloye having replied ot Sonalf of the Board of rade, the Court gave JE ent, and returned the, following anewers tot {ertions of the Bonra of Trade" 1. The vesee} had three compasacs in one in'n binnacie inthe wheelhouse. (by which 8 Gourses were seu and. steered), one on te bridge, * front ef tie wheelhouse (wet was only used ftpurpose of comparison), and a compass aft (which Sravnot tsed ata). ‘he two isiramed comnnct tere In good order snd guiiclont forthe safe nevigee {on of tte vestl, and they wero last adjusted on Sho Bh “Faly, Wolly by” Mean Casi aid Company, Bul. 2 The master did ascertain the deviation of his compasses "hy. obirvation from time. to" times tae Crore were gorvestly asertained andthe proper or rections applied to tho conse, 3. As a thick fog prevailed in the river Humber a about’ 40 nat Ube Bisedamiaty hat, eh i ‘rauld have bron. unsafe'to proceed farther, tho nnchorage then taken ip was cafe and proper one “The fog having lifted aaflontly to eaahle the aster to ace the ight on Nor? hugy ak Detanee which he ‘estimated at” From two" "three ‘ships Iengt, he" jotiGe in entming his "vapege ap ier iver at or about 7-15 a.m. of the 2ist Fannary last. 7 5. The comse of N. by E. (magnetic), which was st au pent 718 am of he Sie Sanuniy ame ud proper course, but was not continued long enowy to take the vessel into” midcehannel. “Owing. to this fet, the vessel wag well tothe southwant of mide channel ‘when the N.N-W. & W. (magnetic) course twas set. "Under these ciroumstanees that course: and Stsequent courses were not safe and proper. As tho foe again thickened and prevented the: master from making out any huoys, marks, or lights from soon after the time he got ander weigh until just before the castaly, about 25 minutes later, the Court is of opinion that he. should. at once have. sought out another safe anchorage and Temained theres till the weather cleared. Seis peg geen and roported nthe part bow he East Deposit tho state of the was justified “in taking that buoy for shortly ‘before the stranding. wa buoy. ihe dates, xesthor, and the similarity between the tno ‘ho matter No. 10 buy. 7. A good and proper look-out was kept 8. The lead was used with suficient eare and fr quoney, bub the master did not draw the deduce rom the soundings reported. to. im which ee et experienced navigator ef the Humber, he ought to have drawn. 9. Tho vessel was not navigated with proper and seamanlike care, oa 10. Tho stranding of the vessel wag caused by. the master not continuing the Ne by. Bs eourse’ long enough to onablo the vessel to get into the channel his proceeding in thick weather without boing able to distinguish any marks, and. his failure. 10 sealge from she soundings that’ is vessel was ‘not in the channel. U1, The loss of the steamship «3 was caused by the default of the master. Taking. into consideration his long and exoellent record, the Court refrains from dealing with his eertifieste, Nat severely edo” J. G. Hay Hanxere, Tiidye. We concur. ke Geonon K. Waronr,) 4. ALS. Hovsroux, J Assessors (Ussued in Loudon by the Board of Trade on the WGA day. of March, 1812.)