The killer gale which had already claimed thirteen lives when the Aberdeen trawler George Robb wrecked near Duncansby Head less than 24 hours earlier, drove another helpless ship with nine men on board on to the barren, rocky Caithness coast. She was the 360 ton Leith coaster Servus, on a passage from Leith to Kirkwall with coal.
Late at night she was drifting rapidly shorewards at the mercy of mountainous seas, whipped up by an 80 mile an hour gale, only five miles off the Ord of Caithness, between Helmsdale and Wick.
Coastguards along the Moray Firth anxiously plotted the Servus's course, watching her move closer and closer into danger. The Servus radioed for help at 0900 hours, 25 miles north of Buckie. Her captain, James Pierce, of Aberdeen, said she had broken a propeller shaft and was drifting. The Scotia was first on the scene and managed to get a line aboard. It broke several times during the day as the Scotia battled the gale. And then at dusk, with the wind and seas still rising, the line parted for the last time. There were no more rockets left to attempt the reconnection. Another Aberdeen fishery research vessel, Explorer, arrived on the scene, along with the Aberdeen trawler Progress, (a month previously the Progress had safely shepherded two smaller boats into harbour during a gale). Cromarty and Buckie lifeboats, after a 30-mile dash from their bases were standing by the stricken ship as she was pounded nearer and nearer the rocks beneath the 200ft high cliffs along the Ord of Caithness, by the south-easterly gale. The Servus set off distress flares, which were seen from Latheronwheel.
Helmsdale life-saving crew of 15 raced north when they heard the tow-line between the Servus and the fishery cruiser Scotia had parted, and the Scotia had fired her last rocket in attempt to re-connect. All day the Scotia had battled to bring the Servus, crippled by a broken propeller shaft, to safety.
The nine man crew of the Servus was believed to have included several from Moray Firth ports. Mr. W. Lyall, manager of Edinburgh Shipping Company, her owners, said that her skipper was Captain James Pirie, a Kincardine man.
Among the other members of the crew were believed to be three Rosehearty men. Alexander Crawford, 29, Pitsligo Street, and two brothers, Alexander Downie, 2 Queen Street, and Forbes Downie, 10 Dingwall Street.
Two more ships were in trouble in the North Sea that same night. Life-saving teams from Fraserburgh and Rattray Head raced to the shore at St. Combs when the Swedish freighter Anna was reported ashore. Peterhead and Fraserburgh lifeboats had been alerted earlier to go to the ship's assistance when flares were seen, but they were unable to leave harbour because of the weather.
Said a Peterhead coastguard: "We don't know yet what the ship is. But we are making immediate rescue plans."
At the same time, the converted German sailing ship Merkur signalled: "Need immediate assistance." Her distress signals were answered by Norddeich radio, West Germany. The 116 ton Merkur, built in 1910 and powered by an auxiliary oil engine, gave her position as 20 miles off Brora and 14 miles south of the Ord of Caithness.
The Servus (ex-Ransel until 1937) was built in 1933 by Gebr. Niestern & Co, Delfzijl, Netherlands. She was owned at the time of her loss by the Enid Shipping Co., Ltd. She had a 6-cylinder oil engine and single shaft, one screw and had 300 bhp giving her a speed of 9 knots.. She was 360 gross registered tons and her dimensions were 45.2m x 7.2m x 3.1m.
Today what's left of the Servus can be found rammed into a large cave directly below Dunbeath Castle. It is believed parts of her engine appear at low tide.
Late at night she was drifting rapidly shorewards at the mercy of mountainous seas, whipped up by an 80 mile an hour gale, only five miles off the Ord of Caithness, between Helmsdale and Wick.
Coastguards along the Moray Firth anxiously plotted the Servus's course, watching her move closer and closer into danger. The Servus radioed for help at 0900 hours, 25 miles north of Buckie. Her captain, James Pierce, of Aberdeen, said she had broken a propeller shaft and was drifting. The Scotia was first on the scene and managed to get a line aboard. It broke several times during the day as the Scotia battled the gale. And then at dusk, with the wind and seas still rising, the line parted for the last time. There were no more rockets left to attempt the reconnection. Another Aberdeen fishery research vessel, Explorer, arrived on the scene, along with the Aberdeen trawler Progress, (a month previously the Progress had safely shepherded two smaller boats into harbour during a gale). Cromarty and Buckie lifeboats, after a 30-mile dash from their bases were standing by the stricken ship as she was pounded nearer and nearer the rocks beneath the 200ft high cliffs along the Ord of Caithness, by the south-easterly gale. The Servus set off distress flares, which were seen from Latheronwheel.
Helmsdale life-saving crew of 15 raced north when they heard the tow-line between the Servus and the fishery cruiser Scotia had parted, and the Scotia had fired her last rocket in attempt to re-connect. All day the Scotia had battled to bring the Servus, crippled by a broken propeller shaft, to safety.
The nine man crew of the Servus was believed to have included several from Moray Firth ports. Mr. W. Lyall, manager of Edinburgh Shipping Company, her owners, said that her skipper was Captain James Pirie, a Kincardine man.
Among the other members of the crew were believed to be three Rosehearty men. Alexander Crawford, 29, Pitsligo Street, and two brothers, Alexander Downie, 2 Queen Street, and Forbes Downie, 10 Dingwall Street.
Two more ships were in trouble in the North Sea that same night. Life-saving teams from Fraserburgh and Rattray Head raced to the shore at St. Combs when the Swedish freighter Anna was reported ashore. Peterhead and Fraserburgh lifeboats had been alerted earlier to go to the ship's assistance when flares were seen, but they were unable to leave harbour because of the weather.
Said a Peterhead coastguard: "We don't know yet what the ship is. But we are making immediate rescue plans."
At the same time, the converted German sailing ship Merkur signalled: "Need immediate assistance." Her distress signals were answered by Norddeich radio, West Germany. The 116 ton Merkur, built in 1910 and powered by an auxiliary oil engine, gave her position as 20 miles off Brora and 14 miles south of the Ord of Caithness.
The Servus (ex-Ransel until 1937) was built in 1933 by Gebr. Niestern & Co, Delfzijl, Netherlands. She was owned at the time of her loss by the Enid Shipping Co., Ltd. She had a 6-cylinder oil engine and single shaft, one screw and had 300 bhp giving her a speed of 9 knots.. She was 360 gross registered tons and her dimensions were 45.2m x 7.2m x 3.1m.
Today what's left of the Servus can be found rammed into a large cave directly below Dunbeath Castle. It is believed parts of her engine appear at low tide.