The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Calls to honour the “forgotten” victims
Dundee sandboat Islandmagee sank with all hands in Tayside maritime disaster
Acall has been made to honour the “forgotten” victims of a Tayside maritime disaster. Steve Rendall ’s grandfather James Rendall died when the Dundee sand boat Island ma gee sank with all hands on October 26/ 27, 67 years ago.
The Arbroath lifeboat, which was dispatched to the scene after being alerted by rocket flares and calls of mayday on the radio, also went down in the dark.
All but one of her crew perished as well.
A plaque in the lifeboat crew’s memory is displayed in the lifeboat shed and Steve has called for the victims of the Islandmagee to be remembered in a similar fashion.
James, who was married with three grown-up children, only agreed to take his place in the crew of the ill-fated Islandmagee after 40-year-old sandboat seaman Christopher Howie broke his arm while playing football.
The coastal cargo class steamship had been carrying 200 tonnes of wet sand to the port of Leith.
She set sail from Birkhill around 5pm on October 26 1953 despite warnings on the BBC shipping forecast of gale-force winds.
A storm gale came up that quickly turned into a force 9 storm, with strong winds and high waves.
The Islandmagee managed to fire off her distress rockets when the force 9 storm blew up, before going down off the mouth of the Tay with all six crew.
No sign could be found by the quickly-launched Anstruther and Arbroath lifeboats and further disaster struck when the latter vessel capsized as it entered the town harbour.
Only one man, Archibald Smith, survived and the other six crew were lost.
Steve’ s father Ted received a telegram from his older brother Gavin with the cryptic message: “Father lost at sea – Gavin”.
The wreck of the Islandmagee was later positively identified by recover y of the ship’s maker’s plate and bell in 1986.
Music producer Steve, who lives in Three Hills, Alberta, Canada, said: “From the very little I know about my grandfather I have been told he was a quite a shy, reserved man.
“He was very artistic with one of his specialties being ships in bottles which he could craft.
“I think the fact that my grandfather’s body was never found would be much more difficult for his own children.
“I think a plaque would and could be very fitting. I would be more than happy to contribute to such a project.”
He went on: “There was compelling evidence that at least some of the crew had made it into one of the lifeboats but it sank as well.
“All the crew except my grandfather were washed up on the coast of Fife, still wearing their lifejackets.
“The hypothesis is that my grandfather rushed to launch the lifeboat which would have been tied down on deck, as his leather knife holder was found later in the lifeboat, floating on the sea.
“He did not have time to put on a lifejacket.”
A court inquiry held in February of 1955 stated:
“The evidence does not disclose that the casualty to Islandmagee was caused, or contributed to, by the fault or default of any person or persons.”
The loss of the lifeboat Rober t Lindsay had a profound impact on the Arbroath community, and the 60th anniversary was marked by a wreath-laying at sea.
A plaque in the crew’s memory is displayed in the lifeboat shed, and a street in the town was named in their honour.
A fatal accident inquiry before Sheriff MacKinnon and a jur y in Dundee returned an open verdict on the six victims.
Sheriff MacKinnon gave his opinion that this most tragic affair was not to be put down to any human fault, but was solely due to an overwhelming combination of the elements.