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A week in Welsh waters:
Entering and exiting ports can be tricky for large vessels. It is no surprise that accidents can occur during the final stages of a voyage as the ship navigates the approaching straits to port where much maritime traffic can be present. [1/7]
Entering and exiting ports can be tricky for large vessels. It is no surprise that accidents can occur during the final stages of a voyage as the ship navigates the approaching straits to port where much maritime traffic can be present. [1/7]
Collisions close to port were not uncommon in the nineteenth century. But so too were vessels running aground in shallow waters. This was the case on 22 July 1895 at Cardiff when the Norwegian barque, FERDINAND, went ashore in the entrance channel. [2/7]
![Collisions close to port were not uncommon in the nineteenth century. But so too were vessels running aground in shallow waters. This was the case on 22 July 1895 at Cardiff when the Norwegian barque, FERDINAND, went ashore in the entrance channel. [2/7]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ednn6JUXsAIcNRd.png "Collisions close to port were not uncommon in the nineteenth century. But so too were vessels running aground in shallow waters. This was the case on 22 July 1895 at Cardiff when the Norwegian barque, FERDINAND, went ashore in the entrance channel. [2/7]")
Its casualty is noted in Lloyd’s Casualty Returns for July–September 1895. [3/7]
![Its casualty is noted in Lloyd’s Casualty Returns for July–September 1895. [3/7]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ednn2nxXkAAoKez.jpg "Its casualty is noted in Lloyd’s Casualty Returns for July–September 1895. [3/7]")
The incident was reported the following day in the South Wales Daily News. As both sources note, the FERDINAND was so badly damaged that it was soon condemned and later broken up and her remains sold. [4/7]
![The incident was reported the following day in the South Wales Daily News. As both sources note, the FERDINAND was so badly damaged that it was soon condemned and later broken up and her remains sold. [4/7]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EdnnzWuXkAIEF3t.png "The incident was reported the following day in the South Wales Daily News. As both sources note, the FERDINAND was so badly damaged that it was soon condemned and later broken up and her remains sold. [4/7]")
The FERDINAND was a 1,236-ton wooden barque on a voyage from Quebec to Cardiff with a cargo of timber and some passengers. [5/7]
Timber was one of the most popular commodities by value imported to Britain during the second half of the nineteenth century. After Sweden and Russia, North America was the biggest exporter of timber to Britain in 1895. [6/7]
The information held in the @LRFHEC Casualty Returns can offer valuable insights into our maritime, economic, and social history. In this case, a glimpse of the type of trade and trade routes connected with Welsh ports in the late nineteenth century. [7/7]
