Post by KG on Mar 30, 2018 21:33:57 GMT
Captain Cecil Patrick Thomas Foster
Master Mariner, Captain Cecil Patrick Thomas Foster passed away on August 8th 1930 aged 43 years. His wife Minnie Foster died on April 14th 1982 aged 98, the couple are buried at Merthyr Dyfan Cemetery, Barry, South Wales. The grave was recently restored by people of the town and is now also regarded as a memorial to all that have sailed.
Cecil Foster is remembered worldwide for the SS. Trevessa foundering 1923. The majority of the London newspapers commented at the time on the foundering of the Trevessa as one of the most thrilling sea stories ever told. They describe Captain Foster’s exploit as amazing. The "Daily Telegraph" said: "We may think with pride that our British sailors can match in daring, resolution, and loyalty those who won for their flag the 'realm of the circling sea ".
Captain Foster’s Earlier Exploits.
During World War 1, while a chief mate, his ship was torpedoed and the liner that rescued him was also was sunk. Foster, with 36 others, drifted in an open boat for 10 days before being rescued. Some went mad. When the boat eventually reached the coast of Spain, only 16 were alive. His experiences on those occasions had impressed him so much that he had often discussed with his steward of the Trevessa the question of how a lifeboat should be provisioned in the event of having to leave the ship on the high seas.
(The following quote was kindly provided by a relative, the words by the Captain himself.) "During the war, when I was serving as first officer, I was torpedoed twice within sixteen hours, in two different ships, and spent nine and a half days in boats. We were torpedoed about 320 miles W.S.W. of Scilly Isles, and landed on the north coast of Spain". C F.
An historic ordeal of 1,700 miles in open boats.
In June 1923 the Hain Line steamer "Trevessa" loaded with zinc concentrates and on route from Fremantle to Durban sank very quickly in the Indian Ocean during a violent storm. Owing to the foresight on the part of the captain the steward knew exactly what provisions to put into the lifeboats. The chief items were water, condensed milk, and cigarettes. Though an SOS message had been sent out, Trevessa’s position, 1,000 miles out in the Indian Ocean and miles from the nearest landfall to the west, made him prepare for the worst. He divided his crew between two lifeboats and had each of them stored with all the condensed milk, ship’s biscuits and water they could carry.
When the Trevessa plunged to the seabed soon afterwards her crew - 20 of them in the Captain’s boat and 24 in a boat commanded by the first officer James Stewart Smith - faced a doubtful future yet confident in their chances of saving themselves if they weren’t picked up. Two ships of the company’s fleet were in that ocean when the distress signal was picked up and were diverted to search for any survivors. All that was found was a broken oar which had snapped off when one of the boats was being launched. The conclusion was that they had all perished. The 44 crew members had actually managed to get into two lifeboats, some with very little clothing on, and the Captain Cecil Foster decided to endeavour to make for Mauritius some 2,000 miles away.
With no compass and only enough water for 7 pints per man, 550 biscuits and two cases of condensed milk they were immediately put on strict rations. In the weeks which followed the men in the two boats, fed twice a day on measured rations of condensed milk, biscuit and water, sailed towards the islands of Mauritius and Rodriguez keeping together for much of the time, but separating eventually. An abundance of cigarettes, packed in round tins which were later used to catch rainwater, helped their morale, yet it was the condensed milk which helped them to swallow the dry biscuits and kept up their stamina.
Water had to be most sparingly issued, while generally the men's mouths were so dry that any biscuits issued for food were seldom touched. The boats soon became separated and with the soaring heat of the tropics some succumbed to drinking salt water which caused them to become delirious and death followed quickly. With no wind the men had to row which aggravated not only their swollen hands and feet but also their bodies which were suffering from extensive salt water boils. It was only by perfect discipline and obedience to the Captain's orders that the stuck together and on the 23rd day one boat landed on the island of Rodriguez and three days later the second boat landed at Bel-Ombre, Mauritius and a total of 34 men survived.
The story was given to the public by Cecil Foster, captain of the ship, in a book entitled Seventeen Hundred Miles in Open Boats.' This plain unvarnished tale is practically the logs kept by the commanders of the two open boats that carried the crew of the Trevessa to safety - one to Rodrigues Island, the other to Mauritius. Again and again Captain Foster remarks on the benefit they all received from the cigarettes smoking appears to have comforted and soothed the sufferers; indeed, Captain Foster, writing of this, says: " When indulged in it revived everyone's spirits and added the touch of cheerfulness necessary to enable us to carry on and keep smiling." The daily ration of water allotted to every man was one-third of a cigarette tin; this was issued at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, when the worst of the heat of the day was over. At 8 a.m. each man had a ration of milk-one cigarette-tin lid and one biscuit, and another small ration of milk in the evening. While those who drank sea-water died of thirst, much relief was derived from bathing the head and body in sea-water, also from soaking the clothes in the sea, and, after partially wringing them out, putting them on again; the men who did' this suffered less from thirst than those who relied only upon their ration of drinking water.
LONDON, June 29 1923
Mrs. Foster, though she has been confined to her bed since the news of the disaster, has steadfastly refused to believe that her husband was dead. She states that this is his second experience in an open boat. After his vessel was torpedoed in the war, he was rescued from a raft. The rescuing ship also was torpedoed, and her husband was adrift in a boat with 31others for ten days
London, June 30, - Details were received today of the experiences undergone by 17 survivors of the British ship Trevessa, which sank about a month ago in the Indian Ocean.
Capt Foster’s wife and the vessel’s owners received cable messages yesterday stating that the captain and 16 of his crew had arrived at Mauritius Island, having landed first at Rodriguez.
When Captain Foster’s boat reached Rodriguez after 22 days of privation all but two of the boat’s 20 occupants had survived the ordeal. The first officer’s boat reached Mauritius after 25 days at sea, having lost eight of its 24 occupants through drinking seawater, falling overboard or from privation.
When the news was first flashed over the world that an open boat containing survivors from the SS. Trevessa had landed at Rodriguez Island, a sense of pride as well as relief was felt by every man and woman of our race. A monument to the crew of "Trevessa" was erected on Bel-Ombre and on the anniversary of their landing on Mauritius "Trevessa Day" was celebrated which is now become "The Seafarers Day" so that the islanders can ponder the fact that they are indebted to seafarers of many nations.
The reunited survivors were greeted as if they were men returning from the dead. When the good captain and his chief officer and their surviving crew arrived at Gravesend in a Union Castle Line mail steamer in August 1923 they received a heroes’ welcome. The flags were flying and ships’ sirens saluted them.
The good captain was received by the king at Buckingham Palace and his obituary was recorded as far around the globe as New Zealand. His actions then, continues to save lives at sea today.
Master Mariner, Captain Cecil Patrick Thomas Foster passed away on August 8th 1930 aged 43 years. His wife Minnie Foster died on April 14th 1982 aged 98, the couple are buried at Merthyr Dyfan Cemetery, Barry, South Wales. The grave was recently restored by people of the town and is now also regarded as a memorial to all that have sailed.
Cecil Foster is remembered worldwide for the SS. Trevessa foundering 1923. The majority of the London newspapers commented at the time on the foundering of the Trevessa as one of the most thrilling sea stories ever told. They describe Captain Foster’s exploit as amazing. The "Daily Telegraph" said: "We may think with pride that our British sailors can match in daring, resolution, and loyalty those who won for their flag the 'realm of the circling sea ".
Captain Foster’s Earlier Exploits.
During World War 1, while a chief mate, his ship was torpedoed and the liner that rescued him was also was sunk. Foster, with 36 others, drifted in an open boat for 10 days before being rescued. Some went mad. When the boat eventually reached the coast of Spain, only 16 were alive. His experiences on those occasions had impressed him so much that he had often discussed with his steward of the Trevessa the question of how a lifeboat should be provisioned in the event of having to leave the ship on the high seas.
(The following quote was kindly provided by a relative, the words by the Captain himself.) "During the war, when I was serving as first officer, I was torpedoed twice within sixteen hours, in two different ships, and spent nine and a half days in boats. We were torpedoed about 320 miles W.S.W. of Scilly Isles, and landed on the north coast of Spain". C F.
An historic ordeal of 1,700 miles in open boats.
In June 1923 the Hain Line steamer "Trevessa" loaded with zinc concentrates and on route from Fremantle to Durban sank very quickly in the Indian Ocean during a violent storm. Owing to the foresight on the part of the captain the steward knew exactly what provisions to put into the lifeboats. The chief items were water, condensed milk, and cigarettes. Though an SOS message had been sent out, Trevessa’s position, 1,000 miles out in the Indian Ocean and miles from the nearest landfall to the west, made him prepare for the worst. He divided his crew between two lifeboats and had each of them stored with all the condensed milk, ship’s biscuits and water they could carry.
When the Trevessa plunged to the seabed soon afterwards her crew - 20 of them in the Captain’s boat and 24 in a boat commanded by the first officer James Stewart Smith - faced a doubtful future yet confident in their chances of saving themselves if they weren’t picked up. Two ships of the company’s fleet were in that ocean when the distress signal was picked up and were diverted to search for any survivors. All that was found was a broken oar which had snapped off when one of the boats was being launched. The conclusion was that they had all perished. The 44 crew members had actually managed to get into two lifeboats, some with very little clothing on, and the Captain Cecil Foster decided to endeavour to make for Mauritius some 2,000 miles away.
With no compass and only enough water for 7 pints per man, 550 biscuits and two cases of condensed milk they were immediately put on strict rations. In the weeks which followed the men in the two boats, fed twice a day on measured rations of condensed milk, biscuit and water, sailed towards the islands of Mauritius and Rodriguez keeping together for much of the time, but separating eventually. An abundance of cigarettes, packed in round tins which were later used to catch rainwater, helped their morale, yet it was the condensed milk which helped them to swallow the dry biscuits and kept up their stamina.
Water had to be most sparingly issued, while generally the men's mouths were so dry that any biscuits issued for food were seldom touched. The boats soon became separated and with the soaring heat of the tropics some succumbed to drinking salt water which caused them to become delirious and death followed quickly. With no wind the men had to row which aggravated not only their swollen hands and feet but also their bodies which were suffering from extensive salt water boils. It was only by perfect discipline and obedience to the Captain's orders that the stuck together and on the 23rd day one boat landed on the island of Rodriguez and three days later the second boat landed at Bel-Ombre, Mauritius and a total of 34 men survived.
The story was given to the public by Cecil Foster, captain of the ship, in a book entitled Seventeen Hundred Miles in Open Boats.' This plain unvarnished tale is practically the logs kept by the commanders of the two open boats that carried the crew of the Trevessa to safety - one to Rodrigues Island, the other to Mauritius. Again and again Captain Foster remarks on the benefit they all received from the cigarettes smoking appears to have comforted and soothed the sufferers; indeed, Captain Foster, writing of this, says: " When indulged in it revived everyone's spirits and added the touch of cheerfulness necessary to enable us to carry on and keep smiling." The daily ration of water allotted to every man was one-third of a cigarette tin; this was issued at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, when the worst of the heat of the day was over. At 8 a.m. each man had a ration of milk-one cigarette-tin lid and one biscuit, and another small ration of milk in the evening. While those who drank sea-water died of thirst, much relief was derived from bathing the head and body in sea-water, also from soaking the clothes in the sea, and, after partially wringing them out, putting them on again; the men who did' this suffered less from thirst than those who relied only upon their ration of drinking water.
LONDON, June 29 1923
Mrs. Foster, though she has been confined to her bed since the news of the disaster, has steadfastly refused to believe that her husband was dead. She states that this is his second experience in an open boat. After his vessel was torpedoed in the war, he was rescued from a raft. The rescuing ship also was torpedoed, and her husband was adrift in a boat with 31others for ten days
London, June 30, - Details were received today of the experiences undergone by 17 survivors of the British ship Trevessa, which sank about a month ago in the Indian Ocean.
Capt Foster’s wife and the vessel’s owners received cable messages yesterday stating that the captain and 16 of his crew had arrived at Mauritius Island, having landed first at Rodriguez.
When Captain Foster’s boat reached Rodriguez after 22 days of privation all but two of the boat’s 20 occupants had survived the ordeal. The first officer’s boat reached Mauritius after 25 days at sea, having lost eight of its 24 occupants through drinking seawater, falling overboard or from privation.
When the news was first flashed over the world that an open boat containing survivors from the SS. Trevessa had landed at Rodriguez Island, a sense of pride as well as relief was felt by every man and woman of our race. A monument to the crew of "Trevessa" was erected on Bel-Ombre and on the anniversary of their landing on Mauritius "Trevessa Day" was celebrated which is now become "The Seafarers Day" so that the islanders can ponder the fact that they are indebted to seafarers of many nations.
The reunited survivors were greeted as if they were men returning from the dead. When the good captain and his chief officer and their surviving crew arrived at Gravesend in a Union Castle Line mail steamer in August 1923 they received a heroes’ welcome. The flags were flying and ships’ sirens saluted them.
The good captain was received by the king at Buckingham Palace and his obituary was recorded as far around the globe as New Zealand. His actions then, continues to save lives at sea today.