Sailing vessel  ALF (Barque)

Written and researched by Paul Hennessey (NWR)

Postion ... Haisborough Sands / to date not located.

Builder ... J. Caird & Co, Greenock

Construction ... Iron

Built ... 1876

Type ... 3 masted barque

Dimensions ... 219.5 x 34.1 x 20.9 feet

Poop ... 40 feet / Forecastle 28 feet

Lost ... 23rd November 1909

Tonnage ... Net 1091 // Gross 1152 // Under deck 1026

Cause ... Stranded / grounded / Haisborough Sands

Voyage ... Porsgrunn, Norway to Birkenhead UK

Cargo ... Timber

Lives lost ... 4

Ownership history

Built in 1876 as Inchgreen for W. Linday & Co of Greenock, Scotland. In 1882 there appears to be a short period of joint ownership between W. Lindsay & Co and D. Mac Dougall, also of Greenock. In 1883 D. Mac Dougall take full ownership of the Inchgreen.  In 1891 the Inchgreen is renamed Adolph Harboe when she is sold to her new Danish owners F.R. Harboe. In 1903 / 1904  the Adolph Harboe receives another name change, this time being renamed Alf when she is purchased by her new owners, the Norwegian ship owners Chr. Nielson & Co who in turn retained ownership of the Alf up until the time of her loss in 1909.

Loss and rescue

Whilst En route from Porsgrunn in Norway to Berkenhead UK with a cargo of timber the Alf stranded on Haisborough Sands. Conditions at the time of the stranding were described as being Foggy, dark and cold. The Alf's captain, Captain Orberg reported he could not locate the Haisborough light vessel and as a consequence of this his vessel went head on into the sandbank. Shortly after the grounding and with little hope of getting the Alf off the sandbank captain Orberg gave the order to abandon ship. Both the port and starboard ship's boats were lowered, the captain being in charge of the starboard boat and the first mate being in charge of the port boat. As the first mate was boarding his boat along with the second mate a wave caught their boat and swung it away from the Alf. This in turn breaking the boats tethers and leaving both the first and second mate clinging to the Alf as the two ships boats drifted away from the Alf with the remaining crew of thirteen aboard them. The port boat, now under the command of the ships carpenter was little more than 100 yards from the Alf when it was hit by a wave causing it to capsize, this throwing all nine crew members aboard into the water. The starboard boat under the command of Captain Orberg went to the assistance of the capsized boat and managed to pull six men from the water, sadly the remaining three crew members drowned during the incident. With ten men now in the port boat they drifted through the night until they were picked up by the Chanticleer which took them on to Yarmouth. Sadly whilst en route to Yarmouth one of the crew members from the capsized boats died from hypothermia.

The two remaining crew members aboard the Alf, ie the first and second mate having found some flares in the ships stores spent the night setting them off. Their efforts were not in vain as the flares were spotted by the Haisborough Light Vessel, that in turn contacted the coastguard. At 10.15pm the Cromer lifeboat was launched, this being the Louisa Heartwell under the command of Henry Blogg as coxswain. At 1am the lifeboat had reached the Haisborough Light Vessel where they were given a bearing as to where the flares had been spotted. Within twenty minutes or so the lifeboat had reached the stricken Alf.  On reaching the Alf Blogg could see that both the ships boats had been launched. After coming along side and seeing no sign of anyone Blogg assumed the crew had all got away in the ships two boats. With this in mind he then proceeded to search for the two ships boats. After several hours of fruitless searching Blogg decided it was now time to head home. With weather conditions now worsening and being fifteen miles from Cromer Blogg elected to head to Sea Palling where the crew could rest up until the weather conditions had improved.  Within two hours of Blogg and his crew arriving at Sea Palling they were informed by the Yarmouth Steam Drifter King that they had seen the Alf on the Sands and that there were two men clinging to the rigging. It transpired that the two men had been below deck looking for materials in order to make additional flares when the Cromer lifeboat had arrived at the Alf and had not heard the lifeboat crew shouting out due to the noise of the sea and flapping sails. With this Blogg and his crew set off once again to the Alf. On their arrival they saw the ship was now in a very bad way indeed. The Alf was now awash and broken in two with her cargo of timber now floating out of her. On bringing the lifeboat along side the Alf both the first and second mate safely descended the rigging and boarded the lifeboat. With the two crew members now safely aboard Blogg headed to Yarmouth.  Within an hour of arriving at Yarmouth the Chanticleer came into port with the other survivors. On the 24th August the Cromer lifeboat returned to Cromer. During the rescue the Cromer lifeboat had sustained damage to her stern and several of her oars had been broken.

The Alf today (2023) ... Not yet located.