The Disaster...

THE Mexico Disaster of 1886 remains the worst tragedy in history, and had a significant impact on global maritime safety and the procedures of the then newly formed Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

The Mexico was a:- 484 ton, 3 masted Iron Barque built in:- 1960, in Sunderland. Originally named the:- John Bull, she had a long career in the Atlantic Trade before being sold to German owners:- Oetling GebrÜder, and renamed. On 5 December 1886, the Mexico departed Liverpool bound for:- Guayaquil, Ecuador, carrying a mixed cargo that included:- textiles and machetes (some of which were later scavenged from the wreck and remain in local Southport homes today). By 9 December 1886, she was caught in a violent West Northwesterly (WNW) Force 7 to 9 Gale, eventually grounding on the Horse Bank in the Ribble Estuary. The Horse Bank is a treacherous sandbank, roughly:- 14 miles South of Southport's shoreline, off both:- Ainsdale and Birkdale Beaches. Having struck the Horse Bank sands, The Captain of the Mexico was Gustave Burmester (sometimes spelled Burmeister in some historical records) ordered the 12 man crew to immediately fire distress rockets into the pitch black sky. These flares were 1st sighted by the lookout at the Southport Lifeboat House.

At 21:10, the Southport Sstation responded by firing a mortar, the traditional signal to:- "assemble the crew." Simultaneously, the heavy fog bell, located at Southport Pier, began to toll a haunting, rhythmic signal intended to guide the Lifeboatmen through the storm and alert the Town to the unfolding emergency. The bell's tolling served as a sombre backdrop as the volunteer crew, largely consisting of local fishermen, abandoned their homes to head for the shore, to launch the Lifeboat, Eliza Fernley.

By 21:15, the distress gun from:- St Annes Lighthouse, was heard further up the coast in Lytham. The crew of the Charles Biggs, under the command of Coxswain Joshua Harrison, began their preparations. Meanwhile, at:- 22:25, the Lifeboat:- Laura Janet, from St Annes, commanded by:- Coxswain William Johnson, was launched into the mountainous surf.

In Southport, the tide was too low for a direct launch. At 23:00, the Lifeboat Eliza Fernley was placed on its carriage and hauled:- 3.5 miles along the shoreline by teams of horses toward Ainsdale Beach. The crew, led by:- Coxswain Charles Hodge, battled freezing winds and shifting sands for nearly 2 hours before they reached a point deep enough to launch.

The 1st success of the night occurred on:- 10 December 1886, at:- 00:30. The Lytham Lifeboat, Charles Biggs, reached the Mexico. In a display of extraordinary seamanship, Harrison and his crew rescued all 12 men from the stricken Barque. Unbeknownst to the other 2 stations, the mission was technically complete after Gustave Burmester and watched his 11 crew members, who had been lashed to the timbers depart the Mexico disembarked himself on to the Charles Biggs.

At 01:00, the Eliza Fernley neared the wreck site. As the crew prepared to drop anchor and veer down toward the Mexico, a massive:- "broken" wave struck the boat broadside. The vessel capsized instantly. Because the water was too shallow for the self-righting mechanism to fully rotate, the men were trapped beneath the hull or swept into the freezing surf. 14 men, including Coxswain Charles Hodge, Benjamin Peters, and brothers Thomas and Richard Robinson, were lost. Only Henry Robinson and John Jackson managed to survive by finding a pocket of air beneath the upturned boat and eventually clinging to the keel.

The fate of the St Annes boat, Laura Janet, remains a mystery of the storm. It is believed she was overwhelmed at roughly the same time, around:- 1:10. All 13 crew members, including:- Coxswain William Johnson and Charles Tims, perished without a single survivor to recount their final moments.

By the 10 December 1886, the scale of the disaster became clear. At 3:00, Henry Robinson and John Jackson reached the shore at Birkdale, exhausted and near death. They raised the alarm, and search parties were dispatched.

At 07:00, the Eliza Fernley was found washed up near Weld Road, Birkdale. The bodies of the crew were recovered and taken to the coach house of the Palace Hotel. Later that morning, at, at:- 10:30, the Lytham crew, exhausted and having safely landed the Mexico's survivors found the St Annes boat, Laura Janet, drifting bottom up in the Ribble Estuary.

The disaster devastated the tight knit fishing communities of the Lancashire coast. In Southport, 10 of the crew came from:- Ecclesfield, where family ties were the backbone of the service. The 27 men lost that night left behind a community in mourning, including:- 16 widows and 50 orphans. The disaster remains the deadliest in RNLI history. Today, the Southport Offshore Rescue Trust maintains the legacy of these men, operating as an independent station. The names of the fallen are etched into memorials across the 3 Towns, and the tolling of the fog bell remains a symbol of the night the Lancashire coast stood still.

The disaster remains a case study in Victorian maritime engineering. While all three boats were:- "pulling and sailing" Lifeboats, subtle design differences proved fatal. This lead to a rethink about how Lifeboats should be made and also lead to safer boat designs in general.

It is worth adding that in 1891, in response to the tragedy, the 1st Lifeboat Saturday was held within the English City of Manchester, organised by Manchester' industrialist:- Sir Charles Macara and his wife Marion. They were moved by the plight of the families organised the World's 1st organised street collection for charity. Both of them realised that this vital service run by the newly formed RNLI could no longer depend solely on wealthy patrons. The event, we are told from reports at the time, included both bands and Lifeboats parading through the streets of Manchester as volunteers collected:- "pennies from the masses." This model doubled the RNLI's income within 10 years and is the direct ancestor of modern:- "Flag Days." The most significant legacy was the birth of modern fundraising, that we all know thought the world today!

The Lifeboats...

To understand why this was a turning point in RNLI and all maritime lifeboat building and engineering it is vital you understand why 1 lifeboat survived while 2 failed. So why did the Lytham Lifeboat survive? According to RNLI records from the time of the incident indicates that the Charles Biggs was on her maiden voyage. She was a:- "Watson Class" boat, so critically, she was fitted with 4 water ballast tanks. These tanks provided superior stability in the shallow, turbulent waters of the Ribble Estuary, and the Mersey Bay, compared to both the:- Southport and St Annes boats, which relied on older self righting mechanisms that ultimately failed in the Force 9 Gales.

Peake Class...

• Eliza Fernley (Southport): 34ft Peake Class - Relied on a heavy iron keel and air boxes. In shallow water, the boat hit the sandbank while upside down, preventing the lifeboat from performing a:- "self righting" motion.
   

• Laura Janet (St Annes): 34ft Peake Class - Relied on a heavy iron keel and air boxes. In shallow water, the boat hit the sandbank while upside down, preventing the lifeboat from performing a:- "self righting" motion.

Watson Class
 

• Charles Biggs (Lytham): 34ft Watson Class - Relied on Water Ballast Tanks.  The wider beam and ballast tanks provided a lower centre of gravity, preventing the capsize entirely.

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lost Crews...

Timeline
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What happened to the Mexico?

It is a common misconception that the Mexico was destroyed during the storm. It is documented that the Mexico had remained grounded on the Horse Bank, was deemed salvageable. According to RNLI records, the Mexico was salvaged and repair, 3 months after the disaster, in March 1887. The wreck was reported to have been sold to a Preston based firm for the remarkably small sum of:- £45. According to historical records she was then successfully refloated and towed to Preston Docks for extensive repairs. Despite the violence of the storm, her iron hull had remained largely intact.

For the following 2 years it is documented that he ship became a morbidly popular tourist attraction, between:- 1887 to 1889, after being moored off Lytham Pier and opened to the public as a:- "show ship."

The publicity the tragedy had gained drew thousands of members of the public, all paying a small fee, to board the vessel and see the rigging where Captain Burmester and his crew had lashed themselves to survive the night. The money raised from these visits often contributed to the relief funds for the widows and orphans of the Lifeboatmen.

After her short time as a tourist attraction, the Mexico was sold again and returned to her original purpose as a working cargo vessel. She resumed international trade, including:- a documented long distance voyage to the:- Falkland Islands and back to London, in 1899, when she was renamed.

Her renaming to:- 'Valhalla' from Norse mythology would not save her from the clutches of the sea. The ship's long and troubled career finally ended 14 years after the Southport tragedy, on:- 2 February 1900. Whiles operating in another storm in Scottish waters, She struck the rocks known as the:- Ox Cars, situated just below the cliffs of:- Tantallon Castle, near North Berwick, Scotland. All 12 crew members on board were taken off the ship safely, by the:- North Berwick Lifeboat. There were no casualties among the shipwrecked crew or the Lifeboat volunteers. Sadly she was a totally wrecked. Unlike the catastrophic tragedy at Southport 14 years earlier, her final wrecking did not result in any deaths, but it marked the definitive end of the ill fated Barque.

Today, the site near Tantallon Castle is a known spot for local divers, though very little of the original structure remains due to the shallow, high energy environment of the coastline.

What was a Barque?

This type of ship (an Iron Barque) (often spelled:- "bark" in American English) was a type of deep water sailing vessel that became the workhorse of global trade during the late:- 19th Century. They were not built for speed like the famous Tea Clippers; as they were built for economy, featuring a hull constructed from iron plates riveted to an iron frame, unlike earlier ships, which were built entirely of wood. Iron hulls were thinner than thick oak timbers, providing more internal space for bulky cargo like:- coal, grain, or wool.

This transition marked a significant shift in maritime technology, thus allowing for larger, stronger, and more durable ships. Because their rigging required fewer sailors to manage, they were cheaper to operate. They dominated the:- "pink batts" and:- "bulk" trades until the early 20th Century, when steamships finally became efficient enough to replace sail power entirely. As these ships did not suffer from rot or wood boring shipworms, meant they could stay at sea for longer periods, and withstand the immense strain of larger masts and heavier sail loads. The construction mean these ships to navigate the rough waters, like the extream weather of Cape Horn, more reliably and safely.

The defining feature of a Barque is its specific rigging plan:-

• 3 or more masts... Most Iron Barques had 3 masts, though some had:- 4 or 5.
   

• Square rigged foremasts... The forward masts carried square sails, which were excellent for catching the wind from behind during long ocean crossings.
   

• Fore and aft rigged mizzenmast... The rear mast (the mizzen) carried a:- "spanker" sail (similar to a modern yacht sail). This made the ship easier to steer and required a smaller crew than a fully square rigged ship.

f you want to see a surviving example of an Iron Barque, the most famous is the James Craig, an iron hulled Barque built in:- 1874, that has been fully restored in:- Sydney, Australia. She is now 1 of only 4 operational 19th Century tall ships in the world, and frequently sails on public experiences, from the Port of Sydney.

What is a Force 9 Gale?

Today a Force 9 on the Beaufort scale is often the threshold for issuing a:- "Strong Gale Warning" in maritime forecasts. These wind have speed of:- 47 mph to 54 mph (or 41 knots to 47 knots / 75 km/h to 88 km/h). At this speed, on land, they can cause slight structural damage, such as:- roof shingles blowing off, and large branches break off trees. For shipping though, these Gales present significant dangers, with most small to medium vessels avoid going out entirely, as maintaining control and stability is extremely challenging. These winds t see often come with high waves that can range from around:- 7 meters to 10 meters (23 feet to 32 feet) and dense streaks of foam. For any vessel these conditions are considered dangerous, particularly for a vessel like the Mexico, in an area with torturous sandbanks, as steering (broaching), is difficult and, in some cases, causing vessels to be blown off course and hit sandbanks and grounding. Not only that but the dense foam and spray generated by the wind can significantly reduce visibility, making navigation harder. These conditions also increase the risk of rigging and mast damage from the wind, potential for the waves can cause dangerous rolling leading to capsize, injuries from falling objects, and the potential for crew members to be swept overboard, and crew exhaustion. That is not include the potential for sinking from taking on water, due to waves crests crashing water onto the decking and from roll over from cargo shifting violently. And, that is just the start of the problems the crews of all the Lifeboats and the Mexico faced that night! Even today, most Ports, including Liverpool's Port, operations can be interrupted, with guidance indicating that vessel movement should not be undertaken within a port or harbour when wind speeds exceed 40 knots (Force 9).

Did You Know?

At the time of the incident, like the City of Liverpool, the Ribble Estuary was part of the Lancashire Coastline, but is now part of the Merseyside Coastline, on the Southport side of the Ribble and the opposite side, Lytham St Annes, remains within Lancashire today.

Valhalla is a majestic, shield roofed hall in Asgard ruled by the Norse god Odin, where half of the warriors slain in battle (the einherjar) live, fight daily, and feast nightly in preparation for Ragnarök. Chosen by Valkyries, these warriors enjoy eternal life, healing daily, and consuming endless mead and meat from the boar SæhrÍmnir.

Today, the Merseyside coastline is still the Merseyside coastline, particularly in the Sefton area, is still considered 1 of the most dangerous in the UK due to its rapidly shifting, soft mud and strong tides, leading to regular rescue incidents.

Related Pages

Charles Livingston Disaster
Liverpool Bay Lifeboats
Liverpool Bay Pilots
Light Vessels (Light Ships)
Liverpool Bay's Fog Horns and Fog Bells
World 1st Lifeboat Station
Southport Lifeboat (SORT)