Exhibition of ship tragedy comes to Hebrides – Press and Journal

It was a horrific and shocking tragedy in which 635 people died, yet it has been largely forgotten by history.

Now Western Isles Lottery is telling the story of the sinking of the SS Norge off Rockall with a new exhibition which will tour the Hebrides.

The disaster took place on June 28 1904. Nearly half of the 795 passengers who were aboard the ship when she left Norway for New York were young mothers with their children.

Many were travelling to join their husbands in America. But tragically, only 45 children and115 adults survived.

At the time, the sinking of the SS Norge was the worst civilian maritime disaster in the Atlantic Ocean.

Now it is the second worst, having been displaced by the Titanic disaster of 1912.

Lessons from the SS Norge tragedy were not learned ahead of the larger disaster. The Norge had 795 passengers on board with only lifeboats for a capacity of 251.

The sinking happened near the uninhabited Rockall, to which the nearest permanently inhabited place is North Uist, 230 miles to the east.

Tony Robson, chairman of Western Isles Lottery said: A detailed mobile exhibition has been prepared by the WI Lottery which will be firstly unveiled in An Lanntair, Stornoway between May 10-16 this year.

It is hoped that the exhibition can tour the Hebrides so that people in the islands can learn about this event, which happened on our door step.

At 7.45 on June 28 the ship hit Helens Reef close to Rockall. Five lifeboats drifted in the Atlantic for up to eight days before, very fortunately, being rescued by passing ships.

One lifeboat, with a one-year-old-girl aboard, had almost reached the Faroe Islands, more than 400 miles from Rockall.

Of the 160 survivors, more than 100 were rescued and treated at the old Lewis Hospital in Stornoway. Sadly eight of the children and one adult died and are buried at Lower Sandwick.

The Western Isles Lottery is also undertaking the restoration of the original grave stone.

The exhibition comprehensively tells the compelling story, from Russians fleeing Tsar Nicolas, to the amazing help and treatment by Stornoway people towards 105 of the Russian, Norwegian, Danish and Swedish survivors.

It has been researched and compiled by Tony Robson.

Janet Paterson, founder of Western Isles Lottery, said: Sincere gratitude is extended to Tony Robson and Per Kristian Sebak of the Bergen Maritime Museum for their research and efforts to bring this exhibition to the Islands.

The project has been funded by the Western Isles Lottery and the Western Isles Development Trust.

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Exhibition of ship tragedy comes to Hebrides - Press and Journal