The Union Star was a brand new mini bulk carrier launched only weeks before her disastrous end. Her Captain Henry Morton and his wife Dawn watched the launch at the Danish port of Ringkobing. On December 11 1981 captain Morton set sail on his maiden voyage to Ijmuiden to pick up his cargo of fertiliser, which was to be delivered to the Irish port of Arklow. On board for this first trip were his wife, two teenage daughters, and a crew of four.
The Village of Mousehole
Three days later in hurricane force winds the Union Star ran into trouble eight miles east of the Wolf Rock when sea water managed to get into her fuel supply. It was the beginning of the end. By Saturday night, just five days after the voyage had begun, the Union Star lay battered and wrecked on the Cornish coast, and Henry Morton, his wife, daughters, and all his crew had perished. What made the tragedy infinitely worse was the further loss of eight men, the complete crew of the lifeboat Solomon Browne, which itself was smashed to pieces on that dreadful night when it tried to go to the aid of the Union Star.
The wreck of the Union Star
Because of the truly awful weather the helicopters scrambled from Culdrose could do little to help, and it was left to the Penlee lifeboat, the Solomon Browne, launched at twelve minutes past eight in the evening from the little village of Mousehole. Under the leadership of the Cox'n Trevelyan Richards the lifeboat struggled down to the Tater Du rock braving forty-foot waves. In a magnificent effort the lifeboat snatched four people from the stricken Union Star, radioed her intentions back to base, and then went in again to try and save the rest. That's when disaster struck.
The Brave Crew.
What happened nobody will ever know for sure, but with such huge waves so close to the shore the lifeboat probably got smashed against the Union Star's hull and then pounded into the troughs of the waves against the seabed itself. What ever, all the crew perished and the Solomon Browne disintegrated. Anyone living in Devon and Cornwall that day was stunned by the news. For most of us, seamen or not, the lifeboat is our favourite charity, you see their little boat shaped collection boxes everywhere.
The Landlord was a crew member
We all pay lip service to the dangers, but we hadn't, thank God, had a disaster for years. The awful reality of ordinary men, most with wives and children, taking such extraordinary risks suddenly hit home, especially as we were all happily gearing up for Christmas. I went and saw the wreck of the Union Star a couple of days later and it was not a pretty sight. Nobody could have lived through that, but the crew of the lifeboat tried, and in the end that's all anyone can do. I hope that I would have had their courage, but somehow I doubt it.
The Memorial
Twenty years on the scars have healed and Mousehole is just another pretty Cornish village, but all around are little echoes of that fateful day. The most evocative is in the Parish Church of Paul, a village just up the road from Mousehole (an easy walk of about a mile) Here in this beautifully simple old church is a granite stone topped by a lantern containing a crystal chalice. The inscription says it all.
Map showing Mousehole and Paul
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
http://www.ilike.com/artist/Seth+Lakeman/track/Solomon+Browne
if you have any connection with mousehole you should see this link.it is a song Saluting the soloman brown I knew most of the crew (heroes)
As A Retired Fire Fighter Of 34 Years Sevice I pay Tribute To All Of The R.N.L.I. Life Boat Crews All Around Britains Coast Line.
I Also Give An Extra Tribute To The Brave Crew Of The Mousehole Crew
Who Lost Their Lives In Doing Their Duty, GOD BLESS THEM.
D.Tolton
As A Retired Fire Fighter Of 34 Years Service I pay Tribute To All Of The R.N.L.I. Life Boat Crews All Around Britains Coast Line.
I Also Give An Extra Tribute To The Brave Crew Of The Mousehole Crew
Who Lost Their Lives In Doing Their Duty, GOD BLESS THEM.
D.Tolton
My father was in the air sea rescue during the war.i will always remember the story he told me how his crew mates were lost at sea sunk by a mine.He was on a gunery course at the time,he always predicted that he should have been with them. It was his birthday a few days later, the crew had given him a cigarette box of which was painted inside, the boat of which he served. How sad for not just the crew but him left with a sad memory .God bless them all and the woderfull brave thing that you all do
my heart goes out to men so brave and who put their lives on the line for us all, and also the familys they left.. R.I.P……..
I am the window of one of the crew on the Union Star and extremely grateful to the crew of the solomon browne who tried in vain to help rescue them. All RNLI crews deserve great respect and gratitude for all the selfless work they do around our coasts. Can we also remember the crew of the Union Star, the captain’s wife and two teenage daughter’s who also perished that night. The weather that night is still vivid in my memory and apart from those involved in the rescue, nobody can comprehend the fear all must have felt during their last hours.
THESE MEN GAVE THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE AND SHOULD BE A REMINDER TO US ALL WHAT CREWS HAVE TO FACE EACH TIME THEY GO TO SEA.I HAVE THE HONOUR ALONG WITH MY WIFE SON DAUGHTER IN LAW TO BE THE PROUD OWNERS OF THE REPLECEMENT FOR THE SOLOMON BROWNE, THE MABEL ALICE
We visited Mousehole on honeymoon this September and felt truly moved and humbled by the bravery these men faced in their attempt to save others. Such a tragic event happened on that night – RIP all those lost and God Bless those that go out every day in their role as RNLI crew.
Keep rattling those tins!
Eileen I would be interested in chatting with you via email if at all possible, my email is bishopdanny7@hotmail.com
I am a young film make from Cornwall and I am starting a venture about the amazing story.
I remember the story and it is amazing, a time when men were men and courage was so important. An inspiration to us all.
many thanks
Danny
It is one thing (and a very terrible one) to be on a disabled vessel, being driven by furious weather towards destruction on a rocky coastline. But it is something completely different when men get up from their comfortable firesides, pull on their boots and oilskins, and volunteer to venture into those atrocious conditions to save the lives of others at the hazard of their own. It is this voluntary aspect that puts our lifeboat men, one and all, into the meritocracy of true heroes.
I am the proud Father of Gary Wallis who perished on that fatefull rescue, on the night the lifebout was scrambled Gary and I was playing snooker in the British Legion when the marines went off, he said ” look after my beer dad, I will be back”, as we now know he never finished he’s beer.
I lost a lot of friends that night, as one of the villagers I was a member of a great community, I would like to make one correction, Gary was 22 years of age and was the youngest member of the crew,
he would now have been 50yo and may have given me Grand Children but that was not meant to be, he will be alive with me forever.
With pride: Fred Wallis
Any contact concerning my comments are welcome, my Email address is, esrastar@adam.com.au
I am the current Coxswain of the Penlee Lifeboat and i have been reading all the comments about the disaster and i just want to say thankyou to you all, i am sure if the crew of the Solomon Browne were alive today they would be so proud of the crew past and present that serve on the Penlee lifeboat and how far the boats have come on since that night! the Ivan Ellen (our severn class Lifeboat) is just an amazing boat, so much more powerful and seaworthy than the old wooden lifeboats which in turn gives me and the crew confidence in the tasks and enviroment that we endure.
Please, please don’t forget the crew of the Union Star..The MN are at sea in every weather. It was a tragedy for all involved. The three women lost adds to the tragedy of tragedies.
My thoughts are with the people of Mousehole & the kin of the Union Star’s crew at this time
My heart will be heavy tomorrow as I remember all those brave souls on both vessels who perished on that dreadful night.
To their families I say – I for one will never forget them.
As a retired firefighter of 25 years I have had full admiration for the crews, male or female. In the the fireservice if something looks a bit risky we can be called to back off from the incedent, This is not the case with the Lads and Girls of the RNLI once they go out in adverse they rarely back off. I hope the families of all members of any crew are well looked after should they, like the Penlee crew suffer the loss of life.
May your God go with you and help and look over you to be every time you launch.
On the night of 19th December 1981 I was one and a half and no doubt tucked up in my cot in Falmouth during that horrendous storm. It is only this week, when as a leaving present I received ‘Penlee – the loss of a lifeboat’ and appreciated the horror of that night. The RNLI crews are truly amazing and the contiued effort of those on the ‘Solomon Browne’ is humbling. We are hugely fortunate to have such a wonderful service with dedicated crews.
It is good to see that those who perished both lifeboat men and those on the Union Star are remembered.
I am writing this on behalf of my husband Michael Smith who lost his only brother Kevin on the Soloman Browne – he was 23 at the time of the disaster and has now been dead longer than he was alive.Every year we put flowers on the railings of the boathouse for the crew – our daughters Laura and Emily who were never lucky enough to know their Uncle in person either come with us or have a memorial for the crew wherever they are – Laura lives in Lisbon so wasn’t with us this year.Roy,Kevin’s Dad comes with us to put a wreath on the railings we take our wreath and flowers off on Jan 6th which was Kevin’s birthday and throw them into the sea.This year Mike went out on the Ivan Ellen with Emily and she took a red rose for each crew member and threw them into the sea off Tater Dhu where the boys were lost.They were as Russell Smith the US Air Force pilot said the 8 bravest men – they will always live on in our hearts and memories.Shine on you crazy diamonds
please remember all that died that night ,my dad worked for union transport at the time henry was such a nice person i was a child then r.i.p for all the souls loss that night and thanks to the brave men that tried to save everyone regards paul
The moment I woke on that fateful morning I immediatley knew something terribe had happened it was a feeling I have never experienced before or since. As a serving policeman I rang the station at Penzance to be told the tragic news. I was not required to work but I walked along the prom and saw men I knew to be hard men openly crying. Everybody was saying the same thing that we had lost OUR lifeboat which went to show the high esteem that the lifeboat crew were held in. Everybody in Mousehole would have known someone in the crew but this was also the same for so many people in Newlyn and Penzance. During my 30 years in the police force I worked with all the emergency services who were just brilliant at what they did but I have always put the lifeboat crews at the top of the tree. I feel very proud to have personally known two of the crew of the Solomon Browne.
I lost my friend and his wife in this disaster, Henry (Mick) Morton and his wife Dawn. Mick sailed with me as my mate during our Tower Shipping days and I always found Mick to be a very competent seaman . I remember the evening well as I was working ashore at the time for Tower Shipping and people were ringing my home phone to see if I had any information on the incident.
My respect goes to all who perished.
respect to everyone involved. my dad worked as a shipwright in those days and solomon browne was a vessel he had worked on. though i was only 2 at the time he told me about this event when i was a bot older. ive done a youtube tribute to honour these heros and to remember then all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3UyfqjKJAU
any of you above if you would like to share any memories please contact me. my email is manicsubsidence@hotmail.co.uk