Hull's Own "Deep Waters" Arctic Whaler - The Diana

In the second part of the four part blog, inspired by the fabulous BBC2 drama, “The North Water”, starring Colin Farrell, Jack O’Connell and Stephen Graham and based on a novel by Hull-born Ian McGuire, the Unlocking the Treasures team look at how the weather conditions had a devastating impact on the whaling ship “Diana” and her crew during a whaling and seal hunting trip in 1866-1867 [photo 1- Map of Baffin Bay and Davis Strait showing the course of the Whaler Diana].

Photo 1 - Map of Baffin Bay and Davis Strait showing the course of the Whaler "Diana"

The voyage took a turn for the worse on 30 March, 1866 when Smith learnt from Bill Clarke [in charge of the watch] that Smith should put on his sea-boots as they might have to take to the ice at any moment.  Smith learnt that “the ship was in the greatest danger of being shove in by the immense masses of old ice which, in violent motion, surrounded us on all side”.

“The captain fully corroborated the alarming statements of the officers, and added that, from what he saw of our position and considering the size of the ice, the unprecedentedly heavy swell, the fearful gale, and the distance we were from the open sea, he had very little hope of saving the vessel, less still of our saving our lives in the event of our having to take to the ice”.

“We had to run the gauntlet through innumerable dangers, through interminable masses of stretching ahead as far as we could see, hour after hour, expecting every moment to be crushed, despairing of escape.  The excitement, the state of mind, was intense. It was one long agony of danger, a protracted mental torture, almost more than I could bear.”

Smith had nothing but praise for the crew:

“There was no skulking: no appearance of fear, faint-heartedness, or despair; no unmanly croaking or prophesying the worst (though all expected it) among them. Every man kept up with his own spirits and cheered his fellows”

The event, like so many of the future trials and tribulations of the “Diana” are brought to life in harrowing detail by his accounts-

“One’s ears were filled with the roar of the wind tearing through the rigging, the scream of escaping steam, the monotonous clash of the pumps (with the men lashed to the decks to enable them to keep their feet while working them), and the cries of the officers in command. The sea rolled around us in gigantic billows crested, not with foam, but with masses of old ice, which bore down upon us in incessant streams as though determined upon our destruction. Through it all the ship staggered along, rising and falling and reeling to and fro like a living thing conscious of its danger and struggling for dear life.  Add to this the terrible consciousness that, if the ship were crushed, we must perish inevitably from cold and exposure in open boats or upon the floating masses of ice.”

This was just the start of the hardships and misfortunes that the crew on the “Diana” were to endure.  They managed to catch two whales in Lancaster Sound.  The appalling weather conditions and ever-increasing ice floes were a growing concern to the Captain. By September 1866, the weather became harsher and ice formed around the “Diana” making a path to the open sea impossible. 

Captain Gravill realising the gravity of the situation issued instructions to ration the food.  Provisions were already running low.  They tried to attract the assistance of other ships by burning oakum, pitch and oil slung at the yard arm, but without success.  By August 1886, the ship was still seeking a route out of the ice with the additional problem of a shortage of coal.  They thought they had struck lucky when another whaler, “Intrepid”, managed to reach them and promised to lead them out of the ice.  Unfortunately, this was not to be the salvation they thought – the “Intrepid” sailed further and further from the “Diana” leaving them still trapped.  Captain Deuchars of the “Intrepid” later defended his actions by saying he thought the “Diana” would be able to clear the ice safely.

The harsh Arctic winter became even worse and the icy conditions caused pressure on the fabric of the ship.  In the Frobishers Straits, the “Diana” started to leaking water as a result of the ice pressure on all sides of the vessel.  Despite the crew’s best efforts with manning the pumps [this included Charles Smith], Captain Gravill gave the order to abandon the ship and make camp on the ice [photo 2 – On the Ice Floe – sketch by Dr Smith].

Photo 2 - On the Ice Floe - sketch by Dr Smith

The ship hadn’t taken on as much water as originally feared so the crew were able to return to the craft.  Understandably, morale amongst the crew was at an all- time low, – as well as fatigue, hunger, poor diet and hygiene conditions and weak physical health amongst the sailors, meant that Doctor Smith was working flat out – treating all their ailments such as frost-bite and lice as well as trying to raise the spirit of all those on board. 

Christmas Day, 1866 was celebrated as best it could in the trying conditions.  Most of the men had saved up their rations and as Smith noted –

“Joe, the cook, was up at three o’clock this morning, busy as a bee making plum puddings for the different messes.  Every man and boy on board had a large slice of very good plum pudding serves to him at twelve o’clock in honour of Christmas Day”

Smith spent the much of Christmas attending to Captain Gravill who died the following day.  His was the only body that would be returned to Hull, all the other dead crewmen were buried in Shetland.  George Clark was elected as Master of the ship.

Join us for part three of a four part blog where the crew face further suffering and hardship when scurvy makes its first appearance on board.

Caoimhe West, Reader Assistant, Unlocking the Treasures