The story behind the Berrow wreck

Nothing is known about the Nornen’s movements after she left Bristol on 8th February 1897. Until, that is, just over 3 weeks later, on 2nd March, when she is known to have taken refuge in the lee of Lundy Island. As fierce storms swept the coast, countless ships were forced to take shelter wherever they could: the steamers Collier, Devonia and Ethel all put back into the river Parrett for safety, while the Raf came ashore at Burnham-on-Sea after sustaining damage.

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Captain Peder Olsen and the crew of the Nornen battled against the elements to keep the ship safe, but in vain. Her anchors dragged and her sails were “blown to rags”. Hurricane force winds, rain, sleet and snow drove the helpless Nornen away from the comparative safety of Lundy Island, up the Bristol Channel and across Bridgwater Bay. With no means of control and virtually zero visibility, the crew must have spent the night in a state of terror, not knowing whether they would survive such a catastrophe. For the Captain, Peder Olsen, this was almost certainly not his first experience of being involved in a shipwreck and being witness to the subsequent loss of life. Such memories must have been on his mind.

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At 9 o’clock the next morning, 3rd March, the mists began to clear and the Nornen was spotted just off Gore Sands, on Berrow Beach. She had been blown 40 miles during the stormy night. Having travelled under bare poles in horrendous conditions, it’s astonishing that she avoided the perilous rocks of the Welsh coast and instead fetched up on the sand and mud at Berrow. Captain Olsen disembarked and, with the help of locals who threw out ropes to him, was safely pulled ashore. The crew however, could not be persuaded to leave the doomed ship.

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Word was sent to the local lifeboat crew stationed at Burnham-on-Sea. As sheer luck would have it, the crew were already in the vicinity and were able to launch the John Godfrey Morris at 10am, within a quarter of an hour of receiving word of the stricken barque. Whilst the storm had died down, the crew still had to row against forceful winds and rough seas to reach the Nornen. But within an hour and a half, they had made it to the distressed vessel. Once there, they were able to rescue the 10 crew and the Captain’s dog and bring them safely to shore where they were given refuge by local families. Not a single life was lost.