On This Day in Wembury — 12 January 1806
Naval launch capsizes in storm — 18 drowned near Wembury
Letters from Jamaica in early 1806 carried news of promotions in the Royal Navy, but Plymouth papers soon reported a darker local story. On the stormy night of Friday, 10 January, the launch of HMS Hibernia (110 guns), sent ashore for stores, attempted to return in a violent gale of wind, lightning, and hail. Despite every effort by the crew, the small boat could not beat back and tried instead to reach Wembury River (sic).
Near the shore, however, the launch capsized. More than 36 men were swept into the sea. A lieutenant and several sailors managed to reach land, but the midshipman and 18 others drowned. Their bodies were later washed ashore near Wembury, and the Coroner’s Inquest, held on the beach, returned a verdict of “found drowned.” The remains were buried in Wembury churchyard.
The incident reminds us that not all naval deaths of the Napoleonic era came from enemy fire. For many young sailors, the sea itself was the most lethal foe. Wembury folk who helped recover the bodies must have carried that grim memory long after the storm cleared, knowing the line between service and sacrifice could vanish in a single squall.
Source: Oracle and Daily Advertiser, 15 January 1806.
