The Loss of His Majesty's Frigate Anson: Which was Wrecked within Three Miles of Helston, December 28, 1807 ... Also, an Authentic Narrative of the Loss of the Sidney, Which Ran upon a Dangerous Rock or Shoal, May 20, 1808

In Short

This public-domain collection presents dramatic accounts of maritime disaster, survival, and human endurance in the early nineteenth century. It details the tragic wreck of His Majesty’s Frigate Anson near Helston in 1807, the striking loss of the ship Sidney upon an uncharted coral shoal in 1806, and several harrowing records of extreme famine and cannibalism at sea. Through precise firsthand logs, eyewitness testimonies, and official inquiries, the book preserves these moments of extreme peril, highlighting both the brutality of nature and the extraordinary courage or compassion shown by ordinary people in times of crisis.

The Story

The narrative opens on the stormy waters off western Europe in late December 1807, where His Majesty’s Frigate Anson attempts to weather a severe gale. Driven off station and plagued by thick weather and heavy seas, the officers struggle to determine their true position, repeatedly mistaking the rugged coastline of Cornwall for the safety of Falmouth harbour. Tragically, a fatal navigational miscalculation brings them straight onto a treacherous ridge of sand near Helston. Despite the efforts of the crew to drop anchors, the cables part, and the frigate is slammed broadside by towering waves that snap her masts and wash scores of men into the churning surf.

Amid the horror, Captain Charles Lydiard and his officers labor tirelessly to save their men, using the fallen main-mast as a makeshift bridge to the shore. While local townspeople risk their lives in the crashing surf to pull survivors from the wreckage, Captain Lydiard is tragically swept away just feet from safety. Subsequent inquiries recover his body for a military funeral, while the narrative shifts from the Cornish coast to the distant waters of the Pacific.

In the second major account, the East India-bound ship Sidney leaves Port Jackson in April 1806. A month later, she strikes an uncharted, dangerous reef in the middle of the night. Recognizing the ship is doomed, the commander and crew of one hundred and eight souls abandon the wreck in three crowded boats with minimal rations. Their subsequent journey involves navigating the open ocean, enduring the tragic loss of the jolly boat and its passengers, and facing hostile encounters with armed natives on the Admiralty Islands and Ceram before finally finding refuge among benevolent Dutch officials.

The volume concludes with stark accounts of maritime starvation and survival. It details the harrowing escape of six artillery deserters from St. Helena who spend weeks adrift in an open boat, resorting to the grim drawing of lots and cannibalism before washing ashore in Brazil. Similar accounts recount the miraculous rescue of the Dolphin sloop after one hundred and fifteen days without food, the grim privations aboard the Spanish warship Asia off Cape Horn, and the tragic fate of a whale-fishing crew stranded on ice-shoals near Spitzbergen.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins as the frigate Anson and the transport Sidney set sail from port on their respective missions, carrying crews into the path of unforeseen tempests and uncharted dangers.

The fatal error occurs when stormy weather and thick fog lead navigators astray, causing the Anson to mistake the rocky Cornish coast for a safe harbor entrance.

The violent impact shatters the frigate upon the sand ridge near Helston, snapping masts and thrusting hundreds of sailors into a boiling, freezing sea.

The rescue ashore unfolds as local residents of Helston bravely brave towering waves and heavy surf to form human chains and save surviving crew members.

The reef encounter strikes the Sidney in the dead of night, forcing the captain and crew to abandon their sinking vessel for overloaded open boats.

The desperate drift across the ocean tests the limits of human endurance as boat parties face fierce weather, native hostility, and dwindling rations.

The ultimate extremity is reached in several companion accounts where stranded seamen, facing total starvation, cast lots for survival and endure unimaginable suffering.

The People

Captain Charles Lydiard commands the frigate Anson with resolute bravery, striving above all to save his men from the wreckage before he is himself swept away and drowned by the surf.

Captain Forrest commands the Sidney, steering his crew through the harrowing days following their shipwreck and carefully rationing their meager supplies of rice and water across open-boat voyages.

Mr. Robson, the first mate of the Sidney, stands out for his steady leadership through hostile encounters with island natives and his eventual safe arrival at Amboyna.

Mr. Tobias Roberts, a shopkeeper of Helston, exemplifies local heroism by placing his own life at extreme risk to pull exhausted sailors from the raging surf near the Anson.

John Brown, an artillery deserter from St. Helena, endures unimaginable horrors adrift at sea, recording the grim reality of famine, desperation, and the drawing of lots for survival.

M'Kinnon, the ringleader of the St. Helena desertion scheme, suffers a tragic fate when his illegal voyage collapses into starvation and he becomes the first victim of the desperate lottery.

Anthony Gallitia, a Spanish gentleman and passenger on the Dolphin, meets a tragic end when his companions are forced to cast lots for food after months without provisions.

In Its Own Voice

Describing the sudden realization of peril as the frigate approaches the shore, the narrative notes: "The ship was then wore, but the weather still continuing thick, we had a cast of the lead, and having 27 fathom, we were convinced we must be to the westward of the Lizard, and immediately wore ship again, and made all sail."

Detailing the horrifying moment when the crew of an open boat confronts starvation, the record states: "Parr then asked whose lot it was to die—none of us knowing what numbers we had in our pockets—each one praying to God that it might be his lot."

Reflecting on the kindness shown by a foreign official during wartime, the captain of the Sidney observes: "The governor supplied them with whatever their wants required; he accommodated Mr. Robson at his own table, and on his leaving Amboyna, furnished him with money for himself and his people, refusing to take any acknowledgement or receipt for the amount."

What It's Really About

The book explores the fragile boundary between civilized order and primal survival when human beings are cast into extreme peril by nature. It examines the dual nature of the sea as both a highway of empire and an indifferent force capable of stripping away social rank, military discipline, and national animosities in an instant. Furthermore, the volume investigates the moral weight of human action under duress—contrasting the calculated sacrifice of leaders like Captain Lydiard and the selfless charity of local townspeople against the grim, dehumanizing necessities of famine and desperation.

Why Read It Today

Modern readers interested in maritime history, true survival narratives, or the texture of early nineteenth-century life will find this collection striking in its directness. Without modern cinematic embellishment, the original logs and firsthand statements convey a raw immediacy that places the reader directly onto the deck of a sinking warship or into the cramped confines of an open boat. While the language reflects period formalities and occasionally touches upon grim subjects like starvation and shipwreck fatalities, the underlying exploration of human resilience remains compelling. It offers an unvarnished window into the dangers faced by sailors of the Royal Navy and merchant service alike, reminding us of the immense courage required to confront the sea in an era before modern navigational safety.