Daily Event for September 24, 2010

The Suffolk was a four masted passenger/cargo ship owned by the Federal Steam Navigation Company and used on the UK - Australia - South Africa route. She was launched on July 24, 1899 and completed November of the same year. The ship was equipped with electric lights and a refrigeration system for carrying frozen meat and other perishable goods. She had made one round trip to Australia and was en route to Sydney on her second voyage when she hit the rocks about 17 miles west of Cape St. Francis, South Africa on September 24, 1900. The 142 man crew was rescued by the SS Lake Erie, but 900 horses and mules perished in the ship. The Suffolk soon broke up and sank.

The captain, John Cuthbert, had his certificate suspended for six months following the inquiry for "neglecting his position with insufficient or unseamanlike caution". Second Officer Charles Stokes was found guilty of default, leading to the loss of the ship, by "neglecting to keep a proper look-out", the court cancelled his master's certificate. A third man, an unnamed mate, was cited for gross neglect of duty and severely censured by the court.
© 2010 Michael W. Pocock
MaritimeQuest.com





2009 Daily Event