In 1862 an Act of Parliament was passed authorising the London and South Western Railway Company to own and operate ships. Consequently the London and South Western Railway took complete control of the New South Western Steam Navigation Company, which it had backed financially for years. Thus commenced a new era in Channel Islands mail ship history.
The early records of the London and South Western Railway vessels are a little difficult chronologically, because very few ships were on a permanent station. In the summer the service was supplemented by extra vessels and one ship might arrive in Jersey, take the passengers and mail to Southampton and perhaps not return for months, having been placed on another station.
Normandy
The first vessel built for the London and South Western Railway Company Channel Islands service was the ill-fated Normandy, built in 1863 by J Ash and Company of London. Engined by J Steward of Blackwall, she was an iron paddle steamer of 600 tons, 210 feet long and with a 24-foot beam with a speed of 15½ knots. Normandy had 130 passenger berths and carried 200 tons of cargo. Her maiden voyage to Jersey was on 19 September 1863 and she continued to operate to the islands until she was lost in 1870.
The vessel is best known for two collisions with other vessels. She suffered serious damage on 21 April 1864 when she hit the liner Bavaria and six years later, on a voyage from Southampton to the Channel Islands on 17 March, 1870, she was involved in a collision south of the Needles with a Baltic trader of 900 tons, SS Mary and sank 20 minutes later, with a loss of 33 lives, including 16 crew. Another 31 were saved. Mary was towed to Southampton, and the survivors were brought to Jersey by the Havre. The mails were lost, but later a floating bag was picked up and the mail delivered.
The Court of Inquiry held Normandy to blame for the collision.
History of shipwreck
Total loss of Normandy, 17 March 1870
By Mark Tully. Previously published on his Facebook group Maritime Jersey
The London And South western Railway passenger steamer Normandy left Southampton at 2345 on Wednesday 16 March 1870. At 0345 this morning, when 25 miles south of the Needles, she was in collision with the screw steamer Mary.
Captain Henry Beckford Harvey of Normandy died, remaining on the bridge as his vessel sank.
Normandy was traveling south to the islands, Mary, Captain Stranack, a 900 ton Grimsby vessel, was heading to London with a cargo of wheat from the Black Sea and Mediterranean.
Normandy travelled at full speed of about 12 knots as she entered a bank of fog. The officer in charge, chief mate J Ockleford, sent one of the lookout men to raise Captain Harvey out of his cabin.
Normandy's engines were not slowed until after the collision.
Mary traveled slowly at 2.5 knots, against the tide, and bringing the fog with her up the channel.
Mary put to starboard on seeing lights, her engines reversed, but before the back flow could be felt she struck Normandy three feet behind her starboard paddle wheel.
In a large swell the bow of Mary crashed down several times on the Normandy, smashing her paddle box and cutting her down to the water line. One of Normandy's lifeboats was smashed.
The bow of Mary was badly damaged and she began taking on water. However, her cargo of wheat was thrown overboard to save the vessel. With Normandy sinking fast, one of her lifeboats rowed with passengers to Mary. They passed a lifeboat from Mary heading to Normandy. They shouted "hurry up she is sinking fast". But were then shocked as the second mate of Mary John Howe Andrews turned his lifeboat around, and headed back towards Mary for instruction from his captain.
Mr Andrews later regretted his action and wished in the confusion, he had rowed directly to Normandy.
Mary had rockets and burning blue lights but her masthead light was not in the correct position, having just been trimmed, but all other lights were correct. Normandy had large bright lights trimmed with paraffin oil.
Normandy has been found solely to blame. Chief mate Ockleford should have slowed the engines on entering the fog, and before sending for the captain. Under articles 14 and 15 of the navigation rules, it was Normandy's responsibility to get out of the way of Mary.
As news filtered through reports indicated a final loss of 34 dead.
Jersey Archive History
Among the Jersey Archive collection is a porthole from the Normandy. This is their history of the vessel:
Normandy was a British paddle-wheel steam ship built in 1863, operated by the Steam Packet Company (part of the London and South-West Railway), and was one of the finest of their fleet. Its usual route was from Southampton to Guernsey and Jersey, carrying mail in both directions.
On the evening of 16 March 1870 Normandy embarked on its journey from Southampton to St Peter Port, and onwards to Jersey. The captain was Henry Beckford Harvey and the ship was carrying 28 crew and 31 passengers. Travelling along a different route, but in the same area, was the steamship Mary , of the more powerful propeller type, commanded by Captain Stranack. Mary was carrying 500 tons of corn from Odessa, Ukraine to London, weighing a considerable amount more than Normandy.
Fog began to roll into the channel. With Normandy heading south, and Mary bearing north, the chance of their paths crossing was next to none. While Normandy was travelling under a clear sky, Mary was making her way under a thick fog bank. Despite both vessels making use of their foghorns and lights, it was not until it was too late that either noticed the other. At around three in the morning, despite a last-minute attempt to change course, Normandy crossed perpendicular to Mary. Though only travelling at two knots, due to the angle and significant load, the bow of Mary thrust into the starboard side paddle of Normandy, breaching the hull, allowing water to rush in. The starboard lifeboat was also lost.
Heroic captain
As the vessel was taking on more water, Captain Harvey initiated what would become a notable display of heroism and gallantry, ordering all women and children to board the remaining lifeboats, while the men stood back. Although calls were made to Mary to send all available lifeboats, fearing that his vessel was too damaged, Captain Stranack sent only one lifeboat, which eventually turned back before reaching Normandy. A quote from one of the surviving passengers, published in the Annual Register: A Review of Public events at Home and Abroad, 1870, perfectly captures the actions of Captain Harvey – 'The Captain behaved with the greatest coolness and judgement under such trying circumstances. During the whole occurrence extraordinary order and quietness prevailed, and the greatest fortitude was shown. I last saw Captain Harvey on the bridge, giving orders for the management of the boats and engines'. 34 lives were lost, but but there would have been many more if not for Harvey’s actions.
The event caught the interest of Victor Hugo, who had been on Normandy three years earlier. He recorded the event from a first-hand account of a passenger, in ‘Actes et Paroles, Ce que c’est que l’exil, 1875. He wrote: 'Harvey, impassive in his position as captain, commanded, dominated, directed, took care of everything and everyone calmly governed this anguish, and seemed to give disaster orders. It was as if the shipwreck obeyed him'.
Hugo worte that at the 20th minute after the collision, ‘Captain Harvey, standing on the bridge, made no movement, did not say a word, and entered the abyss motionless. We saw, through the sinister mist, this black statue sinking into the sea'.
