{"id":1271,"date":"2026-04-24T08:57:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T08:57:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/curatedlines.online\/?p=1271"},"modified":"2026-04-24T08:57:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T08:57:44","slug":"the-loss-of-the-sterling-castle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/curatedlines.online\/index.php\/2026\/04\/24\/the-loss-of-the-sterling-castle\/","title":{"rendered":"The Loss of the Sterling Castle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sunk in the Great Storm of 1703 on the Goodwin Sands<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What decision earned them then their terrible fate,
Near all who manned her on that fearful date
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Officers, brave men and knaves
All helpless before the mighty wind and roiling waves?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here were the mighty ships of the greatest British fleet
Fresh from a campaign in sunny Mediterranean heat
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ill prepared for the Channel’s icy winter gales
Soaked by seas and frozen by winds that shredded sails<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The crew on deck saw the land and houses of Lower Deal
Their thoughts turned to women, ale, and a decent meal
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But all came second to the watch’s worth
As Captain Johnson sought to find his ship a berth<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a crowded anchorage, it took all his skill to guide
His ship, under reduced sail and against the rising tide,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Between so many mighty naval vessels;
While, to reduce her canvas, the whole crew wrestles<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They let go their best bower from the starboard bow
Ten fathoms of heavy hemp streamed from the prow
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Then another twenty fathoms more
To keep the anchor holding on that sandy sea floor<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heavy canvas sails were lashed to the spars tight
Anchor watch set, the men stood down for the night
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 With salt beef, hard tack and stale beer …
And the anchor held whilst the gale winds blew clear<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stormy days followed but then a late November day
Saw a winter sun shine weakly as the waves lost their sway
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Longshoremen and their beach boats were all around
And Admiral Sir Cloudsley Shovell was Medway bound!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His three-deckers up-anchored for a short sail worth
The safety and shore leave of a Chatham winter berth
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Stirling Castle watched them leave the sound:
They were for Portsmouth when the wind went round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A short lull but in two days the south-westerly gales grew
Top-masts and lower yards were taken down by the crew \u2013
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 To offer less purchase for the gale \u2013
Lashed securely to the decks, but needed later when they sail<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Late November: the new moon meant tides at high-water
Reached their strongest, with winds shrieking no quarter
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ships in the Downs dropped a second anchor fast,
As rigging and spars bowed before a wind that cracked a mast<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blocks and rigging fell among the men, spume crashed, flaying
The for’d watch as the anchor dragged, every man praying
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At pumps to empty bilges, or in the maelstrom’s face
Watching for vessels dragging anchor, bearing down on their space<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hours passed, the wind blew stronger, the ebb tide began to flow
Against the wind: waves grew rougher, the anchor dragged slow,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Held, and dragged some more. Half turning to the tide
The ship rolled and mountainous waves took men over the side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They knew she could not survive much longer. Men fell to prayer
Brave men, soaked, shivering, beaten by a mighty storm so rare.
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 At low tide they felt the keel judder on the Sands:
The Stirling Castle, broken on Bunt Head, sunk with her hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It was the early hours of the 27th November 1703
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Of the four hundred men who set sail on the Stirling Castle
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Only sixty-two survived the storm;
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Over one thousand naval sailors were lost that night
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But seventy ships rode out the storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After<\/em> G M Hopkins: The Loss of \u00a0the Eurydice<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sunk in the Great Storm of 1703 on the Goodwin Sands What decision earned them then their terrible fate,Near all who manned her on that fearful date\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Officers, brave men and knavesAll helpless before the mighty wind and roiling waves? Here were the mighty ships of the greatest British fleetFresh from a campaign in sunny […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[19,18],"class_list":["post-1271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poetry","tag-chris-armstrong","tag-poem"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/curatedlines.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/curatedlines.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/curatedlines.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/curatedlines.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/curatedlines.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1271"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/curatedlines.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1273,"href":"https:\/\/curatedlines.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1271\/revisions\/1273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/curatedlines.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/curatedlines.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/curatedlines.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}