Just in case you missed our previous post we thought you might like to see some of the photographs of the wreath laying at the site where the sailing ship Hera ran aground off Gull Rock on the night of 31 January 1914. The wreath laying took place as part of the National Coastwatch Institution’s (NCI) 30th anniversary celebrations.

The four masted sailing ship Hera ran aground off Gull Rock close to the coast at Nare Head on the night of the 31 January 1914 . Only five of her crew of 24 survived. They were rescued by the Falmouth lifeboat, Bob Newbon, after desperately clinging to one of the spars of the sinking ship in freezing temperatures into the early hours of the morning.

The Falmouth Sail Training Ship, Hardiesses, sailed from Portscatho harbour on the morning of the 5th July accompanied by the Falmouth All-Weather Lifeboat as far as Gull Rock.

The wreck of the Hera lies just 50 feet down just off Gull Rock at Nare Head. A simple ceremony was officiated by the Reverend Andy Earl from the Bishop of Truro Office and Roger Sprigge, Deputy Station Manager of the NCI Lookout at Portscatho, laid the wreath.

 Also present were Ray Lomas, who made all the arrangements, Helen Simpson who is NCI Trustee for Cornwall, Kevin Patience who gave a talk on the Hera author of the book ‘Hera – A Cornish Shipwreck Tragedy’.