Page 59 - Greystones Archaeological Historical Society

GREYSTONES ARCHAEOLOGICAL & HISTORICAL SOCIETY JOURNAL VOLUME 8

Ferguson asked Second Engineer John Taylor if the engines
could be restarted to make a fast dash to the more sheltered
coastal waters but was told that the engine room was too badly
flooded to do this. A general message was then broadcast to all
shipping: ‘SOS. Now stopped. Ship on her beam end’.

At 1.15 p.m. MV Princess Victoria informed Portpatrick
Radio: ‘We are preparing to abandon ship’.

When it became apparent that the MV Princess Victoria was
nearer to the Northern Ireland coastline than previously
calculated, the Donaghadee lifeboat was launched at 1.40 p.m.
and headed for her last known position. By this time the list to
starboard meant that her lifeboats on the port side could not be
launched. Two of the three lifeboats on the starboard side were
prepared for launching. At 1.30 p.m. passengers were told to
assemble on the weather deck and be prepared to abandon ship.
They then had to make their way through the severely listing
ship, parts of which were in darkness, while it continued to rise
and fall with the sea. Some elderly passengers, unable to make
it to the weather deck, remained where they were and resigned
themselves to their fate. A message from HMS Contest advised
Captain Ferguson that she expected to reach them around 2.15
p.m. and to hold on if possible.

Around 1.50 p.m. with the MV Princess Victoria lying on her
starboard side and slowly sinking, the lifeboats were launched.
All the women and children were placed in lifeboat No.4 which
was successfully lowered into the water, only to be tossed back
by the waves against the ship’s side breaking her back and
sinking with all the occupants being thrown into the icy water.
None survived.

At 1.58 p.m. Radio Operator David Broadfoot, who had been
sending and receiving messages continuously for over 6 hours,
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