The Steamship Carnatic Divers
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The Carnatic was a sleek vessel with proud lines and, unlike many of the hybrid "sail and steam" ships of the period, this vessel responded well to either form of power - thus giving her a definite advantage when other ships were becalmed. Captain Jones personally negotiated the long narrow confines of the hazardous Gulf of Suez and remained on the bridge to give his personal attention to every detail of navigating his vessel safely.
This demanded many hours of relentless concentration until, at long last, the Sinai began to fall away to the east and the Egyptian mainland even further away to the west, as the Carnatic got ever nearer to the wider and safer shipping lanes of the open Red Sea. Satisfied with his work, Captain Jones finally handed over control to the Officer of the Watch and retired to his cabin.
At 1 am on September 13th the Carnatic struck Sha'b Abu Nuhas Reef and within moments of being rudely awoken, the Captain was back on the bridge to take control. Not a man to overreact, he was most thorough in checking every single aspect of the ship's condition. As the various reports were received, he became quite satisfied that the pumps could handle the amount of water being taken on and that passengers and crew were as safe as could be expected. He decided, therefore, that everyone would all remain on board.
At daybreak Captain Jones assessed the situation once again. The Carnatic was stuck fast on a Coral Reef - some 3 miles from Shadwan Island. Damage assessment was being regularly monitored and, though the ship was certainly leaking, she was still in pretty good shape and the pumps were coping.
To help matters, Jones ordered a large proportion of the cotton dumped overboard in a bid to lighten the vessel in the forlorn hope that she would simply float off the Reef with the tide. Whilst there was no panic amongst the passengers, some did make it known that they wanted to take to the lifeboats and head for the comparative safety of Shadwan island. Captain Jones, however, would hear none of it and insisted that life continued much as before on the stricken vessel.
At first sight, this may appear to have been foolhardy but Jones was well aware of the dangers involved in moving 230 people three miles to a remote island in small boats and of the deprivations they would suffer until rescued. For the moment at least, his vessel was relatively sound, they had power and could still enjoy all considerable comfort. He also knew that the P & O Liner - Sumatra, was due to pass by at any time, inbound for Suez and he fully expected to be rescued later that day. Meals were served, people strolled the decks and, up aloft, a constant lookout was kept for the expected ship.
In the event, however, the Sumatra did not appear and, as evening fell, a deputation of passengers approached the Captain once again with a plea to be allowed to reach Shadwan Island by lifeboat - and once again he refused. Totally underestimating the power of a Coral Reef to inflict damage on a steel-hulled vessel, Captain Jones made the fatal decision to spend another night on board. Accepting both his wisdom and his authority, some of the passengers even dressed for dinner and the waiters served drinks before they all enjoyed a sumptuous evening meal. For some, it would be their last.
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
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