Title
Vierge Marie
Description
Four fishermen who tragically lost their lives when their boat floundered onto rocks off Cornwall have been remembered by the descendants of those who tried to save them. Valentin-Henri Maertens, Alfonsus-Augustus Huisseune, Emilius-Julianus Dewaele and Albert-Emile Easton died when the fishing vessel the Vierge Marie, was wrecked under Tregiffian Cliffs, near Tater Du Point near St Buryan, Penzance.
The four fishermen from Ostend in Belgium were part of a crew of six when the motor trawler Vierge Marie hit the rocks in heavy seas, strong winds and thick fog conditions. The incident was reported at 7.40am on January 11, 1937 by a local police officer who alerted the crew of the W&S lifeboat who launched the lifeboat from Penlee Point at 8am and steamed down the coast to the site of the wreck.
A spokeswoman for Penlee Lifeboat station said the volunteers lifeboat men of the day put their own safety aside to come to the aid of the boat in atrocious weather conditions and certainly not using the modern state-of-the-art kit the team uses today.
She said: "The lifeboat crew located three men in the water and hauled them onboard. They were each given mouth to mouth resuscitation - sadly, only one of the men was revived, but he died later after being landed in Newlyn. The trawler had been heading for Newlyn from the fishing grounds with a crew of six. With no sign of the remaining crew being found, the W & S returned to Newlyn, landed the three fishermen, and returned to the station at 9.30am."
Cornwall Live 14th January 2023
The four fishermen from Ostend in Belgium were part of a crew of six when the motor trawler Vierge Marie hit the rocks in heavy seas, strong winds and thick fog conditions. The incident was reported at 7.40am on January 11, 1937 by a local police officer who alerted the crew of the W&S lifeboat who launched the lifeboat from Penlee Point at 8am and steamed down the coast to the site of the wreck.
A spokeswoman for Penlee Lifeboat station said the volunteers lifeboat men of the day put their own safety aside to come to the aid of the boat in atrocious weather conditions and certainly not using the modern state-of-the-art kit the team uses today.
She said: "The lifeboat crew located three men in the water and hauled them onboard. They were each given mouth to mouth resuscitation - sadly, only one of the men was revived, but he died later after being landed in Newlyn. The trawler had been heading for Newlyn from the fishing grounds with a crew of six. With no sign of the remaining crew being found, the W & S returned to Newlyn, landed the three fishermen, and returned to the station at 9.30am."
Cornwall Live 14th January 2023
Publisher
Morrab Library
Date
1937-01-11
Rights
Morrab Library
Format
Print
Type
Photograph
Identifier
M.2528
Coverage
Tater-du