Maritime record MWX1680 - Athlete

Fitted with Iron bolts and built in 1865 by Bourke, Prince Edward Island, McDonald was Master of the Athlete. She had a crew of seven, of which six were lost and six passengers, of which one was lost.

`..during a gale the coastguard on Portland Hill saw a brigantine attempting to weather the Bill. She was labouring very heavily for some time, seemed to spring a leak and was seen to founder with all her crew in the rigging as she went down. In raging seas, it was impossible for her to launch her boats. Later the AMELIAN, master Profit, arrived at Bridlington Bay on 21-MAR, where she landed a boy named John Mchaven, having picked him up off Portland on the 12th, belonging to the ATHLETE, but who had initially given the name ATHLIA. Six of her crew and the masters wife were lost. [paraphrased from (2)]. ATHELETE, foundered six miles from Portland Bill in a NNW force 9.(5)(6).

This vessel is only known from documentary evidence. The location given is only approximate

<1> Larn, Richard, 1992, United Kingdom shipwreck index, Extracted 23 November 1992 (Index). SWX5030.

<2> 1897, Southern Times, 18-MAR-1876 (Serial). SWX2003.

<3> 1897, Southern Times, 25-MAR-1876 (Serial). SWX2003.

<4> Larn, R, and Larn, B, 1995, Shipwreck index of the British Isles, volume 1 : Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset Section 6, Dorset (AJ) Vol 1 (Monograph). SWX4541.

<5> Board of Trade, 1876, Parliamentary papers 1876, Board of Trade Casualty Returns 1875-1876,, p58(290) (Monograph). SWX5091.

<6> Board of Trade, 1876, Parliamentary papers 1876, Board of Trade Casualty Returns 1875-1876,, p79(311) (Monograph). SWX5091.

<7> Le Pard, G, 1995-2003, Dorset Coast Forum Maritime Archaeological Database, 733 (Digital archive). SWX8707.

<8> Cumming, E, The Dorset shipwreck and maritime incident directory, 11 (Monograph). SDO16406.

<9> National Record of the Historic Environment, 901133 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 21 2023 12:57PM