Walkure SV (Ex Conway)

WALKURE (EX CONWAY)

Written and researched by Paul Hennessey

Position ... 52 54 832 N / 001 44 155 E

Type ... 3 masted fully rigged Ship / Poop 33 feet, Forecastle 29 feet

Built ... 1896 Yard no 334

Tonnage ... 1907 grt

Dimensions ... 267 x 40.1 x 23.6 feet

Build ... Steel

Builder ... Mcmillan & Son Dumbarton

Owner at time of loss ... H. Folsh & Co

Depth ... 20mtrs max

Lost ... 3/12/1911

Cause ... Ran aground

Voyage ... Hamburg - Santos (Brazil)

Below ... Enlarged from the photograph of the Walkure above can be seen a sailor at the top of the fore mast

Overview of the Walkure (Pronounced Val-ker-e)

The Walkure was launched in 1896 as the Conway. During her short 15 year career, she was to have three different owners. She was wrecked in 1911 when she ran aground on the Haisborough sands off North East Norfolk, whilst on route from Hamburg to Santos in Brazil. Her cargo at the time was listed as general, this included sewing machines, spirits, Creolina disinfectant, glass paper, China clay in barrels, spun yarn, paint, red lead, margarine, steam machinery,bath tubs, preserves, bicycles and crockery. At the time of the Walkure's loss, the value of her cargo was estimated to be in the region of £40,000. At the time of her loss a great deal of her cargo was saved, this later being auctioned off at the Corn Hall, Great Yarmouth by W.M. Gambling. Despite the efforts at the time off her loss to salve the cargo, much of it is still to be found on the wreck. The crew of 24 were all rescued by the Gorleston lifeboat. The bell has been recovered, the inscription upon it was Conway. Although she was given a change of name by her final owner, it would appear the name on the bell was never updated.

Amongst the listed cargo, the Walkure carried a large quantity of Gin, this coming from the Wynand Fockink distillery of Amsterdam. The distillery was started in around 1679 by Wynand Fockink. Soon after starting the distillery, Wynand added a tasting tavern to the premises where customers could taste and buy the products. To this day liqueurs and genevers are still being made using the same 17th century traditional craft methods.

Below ... The bell of the Walkure under its former name of the Conway. When the Conway had a name change to the Walkure in 1905 the name on the ships bell was never updated. Bell recovered by a local diver, year unknown.

Below ... Solidified china clay, the wooden casks having long rotted away (cargo)

McMillan & Son, builder of the Walkure ... Archibald McMillan and Son started building in a West Bridgend yard in 1832 and transferred to James Lang's Dockyard in 1845, building 504 ships there until their demise in 1932. They moved from wood to iron in 1866 and to steel in 1881. They did not have an engine works and thus concentrated on large sailing ships.

Their most remarkable ship was the Swanhilda (pictured left) which they launched in 1890. In 1899 she left Spencer's Gulf near Adelaide, South Australia, with a cargo of grain. She sailed eastwards across the Pacific, rounded Cape Horn and sailed up the Atlantic to Britain in 66 days, a world record, never beaten!

Below ... Small forward hatch

Definition of a fully rigged ship ... A vessel that has at least three masts, all of them fully square rigged. Most ships have a small gaff sail on their stern most mast. Square rig is a type of sail arrangement in which the primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars (Yards) which are perpendicular, or square to the keel of the vessel and the masts.

Below ... Sail and mast configuration of a typical three masted fully rigged ship

History of owners and names

1896 - 1900 ... Conway / R.N. Smith (liverpool)

1900 - 1905 ... Conway / J. Joyce (Liverpool)

1905 - 1911 ... Walkure / H. Folsch & Co (Hamburg)

Below ... Forward winch

Below ... Forward port bollard

The painting below 14th February 1912, depicts tugs pulling the SS Adriatico off the Haisborough sands. In the background can be seen the masts and sails of the Walkure.

The Walkure today

With a max depth of only 20mtrs to the seabed and 15mtrs to the top of the wreck, there is plenty of time to take in all that this magnificent wreck has to offer. For the most part the wreck is covered in a mass of anemones and dead mans fingers. Much of her cargo still remains, this taking the form of the solidified contents of barrels (China Clay)?, the wooden barrels now long rotted away, bottles of Creolina disinfectant, bottles of spirits, bath tubs and two steam engines of some description?..... For the most part the hull is in remarkably good order as are the bows and stern. At the bow can be seen the bowsprit, this still being in situ as it stretches out and away from the bow. As with the rest of the wreck, the bowsprit is decorated in a mass of anemones and dead mans fingers. Evidence of where the masts once stood can still be seen, this being in the form of about six feet or so of the base of each mast standing vertical down the centre line of the wreck.

Below ... A toppled stack of metal bath tubs (cargo)

Below ... Broken bath tubs (cargo)

Below ... Steam engine wheel (cargo) small steam engine

Below ... Steam engine funnel (cargo) small steam engine

Below ... Main mast stump (15 feet tall )

Below ... An article run in the Eastern Daily Press on December 7th 1911. The newspaper report below has the Walkure listed as a Barque, this being wrong as she was a fully rigged ship.