MV Tuskar

When researching shipwrecks we can not only learn about the circumstances of the sinking, but also the actions of those who help those in peril. 

Help can arrive from different sources.

As an island nation, or perhaps thanks to reality television shows, most of us are aware that the RNLI and the HM Coastguard are ready to respond to incidents across the United Kingdom. Often, nearby vessels can also be first on the scene.  However, support doesn't end there; back on dry land, the Shipwrecked Mariners' Society could help with practical matters  ^[1] . When the Captain and crew of the Dutch Motor Vessel (MV) Tuskar had to abandon ship in April 1961, each of these entities played a role in ensuring the safety and comfort of the crew of the Tuskar.

Tuskar was transporting a cargo of salt from Runcorn to Belfast on 18th April 1961 when she struck a submerged reef off the Isle of Man.  HM Coastguard received the radio distress call and alerted the RNLI. In the meantime the Captain, his wife, and three crew had abandoned ship and were rescued from their life-raft by HMTS Ariel, a nearby cable ship. They were given a meal onboard Ariel before being collected by the RNLI lifeboat, the SS Matthew Simpson, and taken ashore to Port Erin on the Isle of Man. 

This incident was well reported at the time. There are interviews and images of Captain, Claus Bos, his wife Jean Bos, who were recently married. These stories can be accessed via the British Newspaper Archive ^[2] .

Mrs Bos later told newspaper reporters that they had lost everything they had including their wedding presents but more positively that "when the sea is your life you don't get put off by a thing like this" ^[3] . Back on shore the Shipwrecked Mariners' Society arranged accommodation, clothing, food and onward travel for the crew of the Tuskar.

The maritime rescue services of the United Kingdom have long histories. HM Coastguard were formed in 1822, they co-ordinate search and rescue responses. The RNLI was formed in 1824 and operates lifeboats from 238 locations, including at Loch Ness! They celebrate their 200 ^th  anniversary this year.

It is also an anniversary for the, perhaps, lesser known Shipwrecked Mariners' Society who helped the crew of the Tuskar. The Society was founded 185 years ago. So who are they?

The Shipwrecked Mariners' Society was founded in 1839 to support the widows and orphans of fishermen lost at sea, and to assist those who suffered shipwreck. Members paid a subscription fee, but the Society would help anyone in need. A report shows that in 1880 the Society assisted 1,857 shipwreck survivors and that 1,078 of these were non-members.

During both world wars the Society came to the aid of thousands of shipwreck survivors. For example, at Greenock Port between 1941 and 1943 the Society helped 11,157 survivors who were landed there during the Battle of the Atlantic. This was just one of twenty-one British ports where survivors were assisted by the Society  ^[4] .

Being a registered charity, and with shipwrecks being much rarer today, the primary purpose of the Shipwrecked Mariners' Society is to provide financial help to seafarers and their dependants. Since 1851 the Society has been recognising outstanding acts of bravery at sea with an annual Skill and Gallantry awards ceremony and they also commemorate the contribution made by the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets during wartime  ^[5] .

So, what became of MFV Tuskar, and what is its status today? 

The wreck seen here in the sonar images has been recorded by the UK Hydrographic Office as MFV Tuskar (reference 5282 ^[6] ). It is located in the vicinity of the location where Tuskar was reported as sinking. The wreck has been dived previously and two ship bells were recovered, but as they were not inscribed with the ships’s name it was not conclusive evidence of the identity of this wreck  ^[7] . 

Sonar images enable us to see the shape and dimensions of the vessel. When combining this information with records of the ship, and the location where it sank, it is probable that this is the wreck of MV Tuskar although, its cargo of salt will have long since dissolved.

For more stories like this visit:   https://unpathdwaters.org.uk/science-and-the-sea/  

References

 ^{[1] The Shipwrecked Mariners Society, "Our History"  https://shipwreckedmariners.org.uk/who-we-are/our-history/}  

 ^{[2] via The British Newspaper Archive: Belfast Telegraph 19 Apr 1961 "Ship sinks in Irish sea Captains wife among five people rescued"; Liverpool Daily Post 20 Apr 1961 "City Woman saved from Sinking Ship"; Belfast Telegraph 20 April 1961 "Their ordeal over, master's wile manages a brave smile".}  

  ^{[3] via The British Newspaper Archive: Liverpool Echo 20 April 1961 "Welcome for Shipwreck Couple"} 

 ^{[4] The Lifeboat. The journal of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, September 1961. 36: 397, page 107.  https://rnliarchive.blob.core.windows.net/media/1381/0397.pdf#page=11}   

 ^{[4] The Shipwrecked Mariners Society, "Remembering Our World War II Contribution"  https://shipwreckedmariners.org.uk/who-we-are/wartime-contribution/remembering-world-war-ii-contribution/}  

 ^{[5] Shipwrecked Mariners' Society: "Society calls for heroic nominations"  https://shipwreckedmariners.org.uk/skill-and-gallantry-awards/society-calls-for-heroic-nominations-2/}  

 ^{[6] UKHO Wreck report (via Wrecksite):  https://www.wrecksite.eu/ukhoDetails.aspx?5282}  

 ^{[7] Corkill, Adrian, 2004. Shipwrecks of the Isle of Man. Tempus Publishing, Stroud, pages 149-152} 

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