Great Storm of 1901 - Editorial Location: North Tyneside
On the 11th of November 1901, the wind started to blow and, as the hours went by, its intensity increased. Driven onto a lee shore, ships run into any sheltered anchorage. But against the easterly gale few harbours were safe and the wind and waves took a heavy toll on ships and men.
Many ships were affected, for this was still the era of sailing ships, and not many had engines to allow them to make way against the wind toward safety. On the 12th, ships started to be driven aground by the storm. By the time the wind subsided on the 15th over 40 ships were wrecked on the North East coast and over 200 sailors drowned.
All down the coast, brave men risked their lives trying to save the sailors driven ashore in this near hurricane, for the wind had reached Force 11. There were many acts of heroism performed in the Great Storm. Some were recorded and a number of gallantry awards were rightly given. Some no doubt went unrecorded.
The Maritime Archaeological project pays tribute to all those individuals who attempted to help others and to the 200 or so seafarers who lost their lives in the Storm of the 12th -14th November 1901 and have no other memorial. The project was set up in January 2001 to find and survey ship wrecks on the North East coast and the majority (but not all) of its 20 strong membership are divers. It was decided as a first step to look into the ships which were lost in the Great Storm of November 1901 on the North East coast.
By the time the wind subsided, over 40 ships were wrecked and over 200 sailors drowned.
2 wrecks which have been researched are the Inga and the Juhrneeks. The latter ship capsized off Sharpness Point at Tynemouth and the 4 crew were flung into the mountainous seas running between the Castle and the North Pier.
Michael Lowes of the Tynemouth Volunteer Lifebrigade took a lifejacket with a line attached and climbed down off the pier into the boiling surf below. He struggled bravely to reach one of the sailors, who was plucked from his rescuer’s grasp but luckily swept up onto the shingle 20 or 30 yards away. Fred Newton from the Lifebrigade seized him and with the help of Coastguard Baird and Mr. Gibbs dragged him to safety. Mr Fletcher and Mr. Wilson managed to drag the stunned Michael Lowes ashore where Dr. Wilkinson tended him.
The Inga was an 1100 ton iron barque which had just completed a voyage of about 15,000 sea miles, which would have taken her between 90 and 140 days. She was sent to the Tyne to unload, and having made this epic voyage was within a mile of safe harbour when the sixty mile an hour winds drove her ashore in the dark of that November early morning at 4.30am.
As she struck the rocks at the north end of the Long Sands she heeled over and all aboard her were thrown into the sea which was running “exceedingly high “. Of the 16 hands and two boys aboard the ship only one man, Andres Barklund, survived.
In a curious touch next day on the beach was found a brown paper parcel containing two photographs, one of the Inga herself (shown here) and one of the crew on the deck.
To find out more about the daring heroism of Michael Lowes and the wreck of the Juhrneeks, take a look at the related documents.
On the 11th of November 1901, the wind started to blow and, as the hours went by, its intensity increased. Driven onto a lee shore, ships run into any sheltered anchorage. But against the easterly gale few harbours were safe and the wind and waves took a heavy toll on ships and men.
The Maritime Archaeological project pays tribute to all those individuals who attempted to help others and to the 200 or so seafarers who lost their lives in the Storm of the 12th -14th November 1901 and have no other memorial. The project was set up in January 2001 to find and survey ship wrecks on the North East coast and the majority (but not all) of its 20 strong membership are divers. It was decided as a first step to look into the ships which were lost in the Great Storm of November 1901 on the North East coast. 
Michael Lowes of the Tynemouth Volunteer Lifebrigade took a lifejacket with a line attached and climbed down off the pier into the boiling surf below. He struggled bravely to reach one of the sailors, who was plucked from his rescuer’s grasp but luckily swept up onto the shingle 20 or 30 yards away. Fred Newton from the Lifebrigade seized him and with the help of Coastguard Baird and Mr. Gibbs dragged him to safety. Mr Fletcher and Mr. Wilson managed to drag the stunned Michael Lowes ashore where Dr. Wilkinson tended him.
The Inga was an 1100 ton iron barque which had just completed a voyage of about 15,000 sea miles, which would have taken her between 90 and 140 days. She was sent to the Tyne to unload, and having made this epic voyage was within a mile of safe harbour when the sixty mile an hour winds drove her ashore in the dark of that November early morning at 4.30am.
In a curious touch next day on the beach was found a brown paper parcel containing two photographs, one of the Inga herself (shown here) and one of the crew on the deck.