A lifeboat station on strike
It is not very well known that in 1906 the crew of Walmer lifeboat went on strike following what was considered to be their difference of opinion with the Central …
A restoration project – the Francis Forbes Barton lifeboat
At a meeting of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s Committee of Management on May 9, 1912, the decision was made to close Broastairs lifeboat station, with the actual closure taking …
A busy weekend for the lifeboats – November 1916
Over the weekend of November 19th to the 21st, 1916, two large steamships went ashore on the Goodwin Sands. Volunteers went to Kingsdown to launch the lifeboat situated there, which …
Loss of the SS Piave
One of the most outstanding incidents and rescues attended to by the North Deal lifeboat occurred a century ago in January 1919, with the rescue of the crew of the …
Coxswain James Laming – ‘a man as straight as a line’
The Deal, Walmer & Sandwich Mercury newspaper reported on the death of former Kingsdown lifeboat Coxswain, James Laming, who had been born and lived in Kingsdown all of his life. …
Walmer lifeboat coxswain, John Mackins
The death of former Walmer lifeboat Coxswain, John Mackins, was broadcast with an obituary in the Shipping Gazette and Lloyd’s List printed on Monday January 12, 1907. The obituary stated …
Henry Marsh – a Hero of the Goodwin Sands
On Saturday January 12, 1907, the East Kent Mercury newspaper printed a lengthy article following the death of Henry T. Marsh. The article described him as an aged boatman, who …
Lifeboats of The Downs on the big screen
Having found an old black and white photograph several years ago I didn’t get very far with my research to try and discover that was occurring and taking place in …
The disappearing lightship
On the 21st October 1940, the South Goodwin lightship disappeared from her station close to the South Sand Head. Fortunately the crew had been taken off a few days prior …
Goodwin Sands Treasure
Over hundreds of years, the 10 mile stretch of sand called the Goodwins has been the demise of thousands of ships and their crews. This natural hazard has trapped and …
Lost Patrols
It is a little known fact that there are at least twenty Hull and Grimsby deep sea fishing vessels sunk within eyesight of the Goodwin Sands. It has not been …
SS Mahratta 1939
At the beginning of the Second World War the anchorage in the Downs was full to overflowing with ships awaiting inspection from naval officers of the Contraband Control. Neutral vessels …
Another ship on the Goodwins
Within ten minutes of the maroons being fired the Walmer lifeboat Charles Dibden was launched from the steep beach. The weather was starting to deteriorate with an increasing southerly breeze …
U 48 – Death on the Goodwins
In the latter part of the First World War, German submariners were feeling the effect of the diligent Royal Navy and losses of U-boats were mounting up. Volunteers for the …
The fate of the ‘good ship’ Miss Lollipop
On 26th May 1944, the B17 Miss Lollipop, so named because one of the manufactures employee’s felt she would be a ‘good ship’, had just received her new American crew …
Deal and the Great Storm of 1703
With a fresh south westerly wind blowing on the 22nd of November, 1703, a British naval fleet comprising of large first, second and third rate ships-of the-line limped into the …
The mysterious U boat
Many years ago a television company was filming a pilot programme about a Goodwin Sands shipwreck, the U-16, in our local maritime museum. Although one of the presenters of this …
“Eerie, elemental and surreal …”
Writer Deborah Moggach discusses with Ivan Wise of the Better Known Show, six things which should be better known. Top of her list is the Goodwin Sands. Deborah has written …
Your February 2021 newsletter
If you didn’t get our February 2021 newsletter, you can read it here.
University of Kent webinar, January 2021
In January, we were invited to join a webinar at the University of Kent’s Centre for Heritage entitled ‘Preserving Underwater Heritage: Perspectives and Challenges’. The discussion focused on the issues …
Welcoming Dan to the team!
We are delighted that Dan Pascoe of Pascoe Archaeology and the University of Bournemouth has agreed to be our first retained archaeologist. We are really looking forward to working with …
GAD 23 | Bow Sprit wreck
GAD 23 is the remains of a wooden merchant sailing vessel carrying a cargo of coal. Ship’s equipment and its design and construction suggest that it dates to around …
Mystery shipwrecks added to England’s national heritage list – The Guardian 4 February 2021
An unidentified sail-powered collier that sank on the Goodwin Sands has been granted national legal protection by the government. It is one of two wrecks added to Historic England’s list …
ITV Meridian 10th November 2020
Read ITV Meridian’s report on making a mockery of marine conservation status. Dover Harbour Board’s claim that the project will create hundreds of new jobs is disingenuous to say …
The Guardian 29th October 2020
We hope many of you will be amongst the 165,000 to have read this excellent article by Karen McVeigh of The Guardian about the problems facing the Goodwin Sands MCZ …
Britannia
Britannia was an East India Company ship that was in convoy with the Admiral Gardner and the Carnatic when she sank on the Goodwins during a storm on 24th / 25th …
Please help us make the Goodwin Sands a Highly Protected Marine Area
Following the Benyon Report published earlier this year, the government has now launched a Call for Evidence giving the public the opportunity to express their opinion regarding the five proposed …
HMS Stirling Castle
Introduction In 1674 Samuel Pepys, MP and Secretary of the Admiralty convinced King Charles II to begin the building of 30 ships to improve the performance of the Royal Navy …
Rooswijk
Introduction In the late 18th Century the Dutch East India Company, or VOC as it was known, was one of the most powerful commercial companies across the globe. It had …
HMS Restoration
Historical background HMS Restoration was a 70 gun third-rate Man of War built in 1678 by Betts at Harwich and subsequently rebuilt at Chatham in 1702. She weighed 1,055 tons …