Famous wrecked boat revealed by super-low tides
Part of what's left of the hull of the SS Fernebo on Cromer beach. Picture: ALAN TUTT - Credit: Archant
An unusually low tide has revealed the wreck of a boat at the centre of one of Norfolk's most heroic rescues.
A view of the SS Fernebo's remains on Cromer beach. Picture: SWEDISH MARITME MUSEUM - Credit: Archant
The remains of the Swedish vessel SS Fernebo were spotted on Cromer's East Beach on January 9 - 103 years to the day since it was blown apart by an explosion near Cromer Pier.
One man was killed by the blast, possibly caused by a mine, but the 17 other sailors were rescued by famed lifeboatman Henry Blogg and his crew.
Richard Leeds, Mayor of Cromer and former RNLI lifeboat operations manager, said: "Quite a lot of people know about the wreck, it's just being there at the right time to see it.
"The best time for people to see it will be this weekend on Sunday. It is to do with a mixture of the tides and sand being swept over the wreck.
The remnants of one section of the SS Fernebo. Picture: Alison Toon - Credit: Alison Toon
"I wouldn't say it has been seen more regularly over the last few years. It's an unusual sight and it doesn't get revealed at any particular time of year."
The last time the wreck was visible was on June 7, 2018.
Most Read
- 1 Bid to build 70-bed care home and 24 affordable houses
- 2 Where and when you can park for free in north Norfolk this Christmas
- 3 Fury at bikers' who rode over dead seal pup
- 4 School closed its doors for three days after Covid outbreak
- 5 'This affects everyone' - Erosion strikes Hemsby again
- 6 Your say: How would you improve Holt?
- 7 Sensory tent to feature at lights switch-on
- 8 Conservatives gain Lib Dem ward in double by-election victory
- 9 Deer herds relocated as part of dinosaur attraction's expansion plans
- 10 'I'd throw a massive street party' - Q&A with Tracey Ringwood
Photographs of the shipwreck were posted on the Cromer Museum Facebook page, along with an account of the rescue.
The 70m (230ft) steamer Fernebo was carrying a cargo of timber to London from Gävle in Sweden - which remained neutral throughout the war - when it ran into trouble in gales and rough seas.
The remnants of one section of the SS Fernebo. Picture: Alison Toon - Credit: Alison Toon
When it broke apart, one half of the boat drifted with six crew on board towards shore, where the crowd of onlookers that had formed made a human chain to rescue them.
The 11 men on the other half were saved by Mr Blogg and his crew. The team received medals from the RNLI for their efforts during the 14-hour rescue.
The sailor who died in the explosion, engineer Johan Adolf Anderson, washed up at Mundesley, where he is buried.
