The Final instalment of the "Diana" Whaling blog inspired by the BBC 2's The North Water" .

In this final instalment of a four part blog which has been inspired by the BBC 2 drama, “The North Water”, starring Colin Farrell who plays the ship’s doctor on a whaling expedition to the Arctic in the 1850s.  We have taken inspiration from the diary of Dr Charles Edward Smith who was the surgeon on the Whaleship “Diana” in 1866-1867.

By January 1867, all but one of the whaling boats had been burnt for fuel and one oil cask was burnt each day for cooking.  The cook was now also serving as a nurse for Doctor Smith.

February saw dysentery added to the array of misfortunes and by the beginning of March 1887, only 7 out of the remaining 47 crew were scurvy-free.  Finally in mid-March, the “Diana” had a change of fortune.  The crew blasted the ship out of the ice and despite having damaged the rudder, this was a success and with the help of a strong, northerly wind, the “Diana” managed to slowly clear the ice which had trapped her for so many months. 

By 2 April, 1867, the brave crew has reached Ronas Voe in the Shetlands.  A total of four Hull men and nine Shetlanders were dead. The higher death rate amongst the Shetlanders could partly be explained by the poorer standard of living and diet on the islands at this time, which contribute to a lower resistance to the cold and scurvy.  All through the narrative there are indications that the Shetland crew members were first to feel the effects of cold, hunger and labour in times of distress. Another factor was that the Hull crew being first on-board would have secured the best accommodation whilst those who joined in Lerwick had to make do with the coldest and draughtiest part of the ship.

The “Diana” and her crew moored in the harbour awaiting instructions from the ship’s owners.  A new crew was sent to sail her to her original port of Hull.  All but three of the crew returned to Hull by steamer or train.  Doctor Smith was one of the three original crew to sail with Captain Gravill’s body back to Hull where is arrived on 26 April, 1867 – fourteen months after it’s departure.  Although a large crowd gathered, it was in total contrast to the cheering well-wishers that waved them on their way – there was no happy homecoming to celebrate the return of the “Diana” given such a heavy loss of life.  Captain Gravill was given a hero’s funeral with fifteen thousand mourners and was buried at Hull’s General Cemetery.  A model of the Diana trapped in ice being erected over his grave as a token of respect by the citizens of Hull [see photo 1].  

Photo 1 - Engraving of "Diana" Whaling ship on Captain Gravill's grave

The inscription on the headstone serves as a reminder of the hardship, endurance and loss of life that the crew of the “Diana” suffered during this epic voyage:

“His death resulted from exposure, anxiety and shortness of provisions and fuel during a four months imprisonment in the ice surrounded by all the dreariness and perils of a cold and desolate arctic winter, the subsequent death of thirteen of the crew from scurvy and starvation, rendered the voyage one of the most disastrous and melancholy on record” [see photo 2]

Photo 2 - Captain Gravill's Grave,  Hull

Although Smith had not completed his medical training prior to the voyage and with a seemingly limited supply of medicines, he set a brave example to the entire crew and was credited with keeping up their morale through the entire ordeal.  During this trying time, Smith rediscovered his Quaker beliefs which had been put to one side whilst he was a student in Edinburgh.  He was credited by his positivity, example and encouragement in saving the lives of crew members who otherwise would have perished. 

After a period of recuperation, Smith initially resumed his studies in Edinburgh but found it too tiring.  After joining another expedition to the Arctic as surgeon and naturalist, he eventually obtained his medical degree at Glasgow. He seemed to have been “an explorer” at heart as in 1874 he was appointed surgeon on a ship bound for New Zealand.  He started a practice in Otepepo in the South Island where he was a respected doctor and magistrate.  He married there but ill-health forced his return to England with his wife and son.  He died aged 41 and is buried in a Quaker plot in Coggeshall, Essex.  His brother, Frederick Smith erected a red granite drinking fountain to be erected at Lerwick in memory of Charles and “The Providential Return of the S. Whaler Diana of Hull, 1866-7”.

Over the history of the whaling industry in Hull, it’s people learnt that if a Whaler did not return to the port of Hull in the autumn, it didn’t mean that “all hope was lost” and the “Diana” and her crew were the epitome of grit and determination that were essential to survive the harshest of the arctic conditions.

Caoimhe West, Reader Assistant, Unlocking the Treasures