The rescue of the crew from the wreck of the SS Stowijk from Carraig Na gCrubog (Crab Rock), Inishbofin.
The SS Stowijk was a Dutch steamship that was travelling in a convoy S13 from Canada to Britain in December 1940.
It was driven too hard in a gale and its rudder lines snapped. The vessel drifted rudderless towards Inisbofin and eventually struck a rock called Carraig Na gCrubog (Crab Rock) behind Inishdooey. Shortly before it struck the rock a large wave washed their Radio Officer from the deck. He was the first to die. Another nine died when they jumped into the water and swam to a ships lifeboat that had been washed overboard. The lifeboat was swept away. The other eighteen stayed on board and were taken off by the Arranmore Lifeboat using a breeches buoy the following day.
Seán told us ofthe award of a gold medal awarded by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and the Royal National Lifeboat Medals to his grandfather Jack Boyle, coxswain of the Arranmore RNLI lifeboat for that rescue and about award of medals to the rest of the crew.
There was an inquiry into the loss of the ship back in the Netherlands in 1941. Jan Wallet the chief Engineer gave evidence. His assessment was that the vessel had been drive too hard in a gale and this placed too much strain on the rudder lines until they snapped. He also provided a sketch of the broken rudder line.
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Paulus Vierkant, the Radio Officer of the Stolwijk who was washed overboard by a huge wave minutes before the vessel struck the rocks.
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One of the sailors fell out of the breeches buoy but he held on for dear life and they dragged him through the water to the lifeboat.
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The crew of the Arranmore Lifeboat. The man at the back far left Johnny (Bán) Byrne was not on the Stolwijk ‘run’ but he was in the photograph because he was the Launch Manager on the day of the Stolwijk. His two sons, Phil beside him and Neilly far right at the back were on the lifeboat that day. The photograph was taken in 1946 at the presentation of the medals at Letterkenny.
The man with the overcoat is the mechanic Teague Ward. The front line is left to right Brian (Nellie) Gallagher, Paddy (Chondy) O’Donnell, Jack (Charlie) Boyle, Joe (Annie) Rodgers and Phil (Charlie)Boyle. Jack and Phil were brothers and Joe (Annie) was their nephew.
Jerry Early from Arranmore wrote a song about the rescue called I’ll go. https://earlys.bar/ill-go-song/