Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v4p2.djvu/85

 arrived off Sardinia on the 20th, from whence she proceeded towards Malta, but unfortunately, at 9-30, when going nine knots, she struck on the Esquerques. It immediately became necessary to lighten the ship, to prevent her from falling over on her broadside, and the masts were cut away for that purpose; but in less than half an hour after, from the violent concussion, she filled up to the lower-deck-ports, and fell over to port on her beam-ends. Captain Raynsford, who, from the first, foresaw the total loss of the ship, ordered the boats to be hoisted out, with an idea that they would be useful in towing a raft that was constructing to leeward, and which might have been the means of saving a great many from destruction; but so soon as the two quarter boats were lowered, and clear of the ship, the men (for there were no officers in them) bore up, and were no more seen by their unhappy shipmates who staid by the wreck. the cutter and barge, in hoisting out, were stove and swamped, and thirty men, unable to regain the ship, perished. By the fall of the masts several people wore killed, and others desperately wounded; – two midshipmen wore killed by the spanker-boom crushing them between it and the side. The termination of the sufferings of all appeared fast approaching; and the launch, being the only boat that was not either stove or swamped, was filled with men on the booms, and, without having the means of mechanical power, or the necessity of using it (the sea having at this time covered the whole wreck, with the exception of the poop), she floated off the booms, to the great joy of every one, and escaped the many dangers she had to encounter with the floating pieces of the ship and masts. She afterwards came under the stern, where many, in attempting to swim to her; shared the untimely fate of those who had preceded them. At this time, ll-30, there being but little hope of the ship holding together till the morning, I urged Captain Raynsford to save himself by swimming to the launch, but in vain – he declaring to me that he was perfectly resigned to his fate, and determined not to quit his post whilst a man remained; but at the same time advising me to do that which I had recommended to him. I accordingly, at the moment the launch (full of people) was bearing up before the wind, leapt into the sea, and succeeded in gaining the boat, and providentially escaped the unhappy catastrophe of the remaining officers and crew, 347 in number, who, I lament to say, most probably perished that night, as the wind continued to increase after she first struck, and the next day it blew stronger. Early on the following morning, we fell in with a Danish brig, and put two officers and some seamen into her, to beat to windward, to endeavour to save as many of the people as might be still clinging to the wreck – but without effect. We afterwards continued our course to Maretima, and arrived there on the 21st. The next day we started for Trapani, in Sicily; where, finding a small vessel bound to Malta, we embarked, and arrived at Valetta on the 25th, after encountering all the horrors of a shipwreck, as dreadful, perhaps, in its consequences, as was ever experienced.” 