03/09/2026
THE HERMANN
A story of a wreck close to Mousa
Year 1900
Month February
Wreck of a Danish Schooner at Sandwick.
MARVELOUS ESCAPE OF THE CREW.
INTERESTING NARRATIVE BY THE CAPTAIN.
On Tuesday morning information was
received at Lerwick stating that during the night the three-masted Danish schooner
Hermann, of Nexo, Odbersen master, had been driven on the rocks at Burraland, Sandwick Parish, where she sank shortly after striking. The crew were saved. The Hermann was on a voyage from Wemyss for Moss, Norway, with a cargo of coals, and had proceeded so far on the voyage as to be within thirty miles of the destination. On Tuesday last week, a strong southerly wind was encountered, and being unable to tack up the fjord, in the face of the wind, the vessel was put about, and dodged under the shelter of the Naze of Norway, in the hope that the wind would abate.
On Wednesday the wind backed to south-east, and snow fell heavily, while the sea steadily increased, until it blew with the full fury of a gale. The Hermann was then driven off' and being thrown on her beam ends, the fore and main masts had to be cut away before she righted. The cargo was then shifted, and the vessel drifted helplessly before the storm.
On Monday morning the Shetland coast was sighted, and the vessel was carried by the wind and tide down on the shore near Mousa. In the evening signals were shown, but no assistance could be rendered, and at three o'clock on Tuesday morning she struck the rocks, and two hours later she was so severely damaged that she sank in deep water, the crew having a very narrow escape.
NARRATIVE OF THE VOYAGE BY
CAPTAIN ODBERSEN.
After his arrival in Lerwick, Captain Odber-
sen kindly supplied the following narrative of the voyage to our representative:-
We shipped a cargo of coals at Wemyss and left there for Moss, in Norway, on Friday the 2nd of February. After leaving port we had the wind northerly for two or three days, when it shifted to south and south-west, becoming squally with heavy showers of rain and wet snow. We experienced this weather all the way across the North Sea.
On Saturday the 10th instant we had
the Naze Light bearing north-haif-east, and were within thirty or forty miles of our destination. We then encountered very strong southerly wind which freshened to a gale, and blew very hard all day on Sunday the 11th. We were unable to tack up the fjord, and ran down before a south-east wind under the Naze for shelter. We dodged there until Tuesday night, when the gale came away from south-east in all its fury, accompanied by a heavy sea.
The sea broke over the vessel repeatedly, while a blinding snowstorm raged overhead all the time. The cold was most intense. During Wednesday and Thursday the weather got worse, the seas running mountains high and threatening to engulf us every moment. I have been twenty years at sea, and I never experienced such weather before.
When the ship was down in the trough, the seas on each side of her resembled
huge mountains, and it seemed almost impossible that she could escape destruction. On Friday it was even worse, the fury of the storm battling description. I do not think the wind could blow any stronger than it did that day. The vessel was the struck by a succession of heavy seas in morning and thrown on her beam-ends, the weight of the seas striking her preventing her uprighting again. It was then deemed necessary to cut away the foremast, but on that being done, she still refused to right. The mainmast was then cut away, when she regained her proper position. But we found the cargo had shifted, and the sails on the mizzen having been blown to ribbons, we were utterly helpless, and had to drive before the storm. We continued driving in this manner on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
On Monday morning, after daylight broke, we sighted the Shetland coast.
The wind and tide carried us towards the land, and in the afternoon we were well up towards the Bressay Lighthouse, when the wind veered round to east-north-east, and the wind and tide carried us down along the south coast.
In the evening, between seven and eight o'clock, when we were from four to five miles off the shore, we saw the lights of a steamer passing us to the south, and immediately made signals of distress, showing lights and burning flare-ups. Whether she saw us or not, we do not know, but she passed without paying any attention. Darkness had then set in, and we realised that we were in great peril.
The tide carried us round the island of Mousa, and at three o'clock on ashore at Burraland.
Tuesday morning, we went We had no means of getting ashore, and no person had witnessed our shipwreck. However, the vessel was close to the cliff, and one of the crew, Hans Svendsen, A. B., made fast a line round his waist, and climbing to the top of the remaining mast, he watched a chance when the vessel rolled towards the shore, and sprang from the masthead on to the cliffs. Communication having thus been established between the ship and the shore, the rest of us, five in number, reached the shore in safety. Two hours after the vessel went down in deep water, and we lost all our clothes and effects.
We remained on the rocks till seven o'clock in the morning, when we found our way to
the house of where we Mr George Smith, Pund, were most kindly received and hospitably treated by inmates.We were then utterly worn out. For three nights and three days we had been without sleep, as the crew could not venture down in the forecastle since Friday night. On Wednesday morning, Captain Odbersen went to Sandwick, and returned with his crew in the evening, who although sorry at thir loss were quite cheerful that they had saved their lives. On Wednesday the vessel had entirely disappeared, only part of a boat having come ashore.
The Hermann was quite a new vessel
having been built of steel at Ronne ten mouths ago, when she cost £2400.
She had about 300 tons of coal on board.
On Thursday the crew left Lerwick for
Scalloway, and sailed for Leith by the steamer
St Nicholas..
