Voyage from Barrow: SKIPPER'S CHRISTMAS ADVENTURES:
OSCAR EIDUK, a
53-year-old Cardiff ships captain, will long remember Christmas 1946. Twice
within a few hours, he fought for his life.
First, his ship, the 233-ton coaster
Anastasi, sprang a leak in heavy seas in the Irish Sea and began to fill, and
he managed to run her ashore at Scar Point, at the north end of Walney
Island narrow, on Christmas Day. The tide went out and Skipper and his crew
started to walk ashore.
"When we were leaving the ship. I went up to my waist
in quick-sand", he told a Post reporter. "After a struggle, I
managed to get free but it was my first experience of quick-sands, and hope it will
be my last."
The Anastasi, which is 47 years old, sailed light from
Barrow for Kilkeel, on Northern Ireland, on Christmas Eve. In
Morecambe Bay, she met heavy seas and a leak was discovered. About 4 p.m. on
Christmas Day, the leak began to overcome the desperate efforts of the crew,
the stokehole flooded and the engines stopped. The position was getting
desperate. said skipper. It would just have been suicide to try to get away in
a little boat. I therefore, took the risk of trying to make for safety.
FLARES UNANSWERED: we started to send out flares and burned all the paraffin we had, together with blankets, pillows, and any other inflammable material which was available, but nobody answered our call. Finally, we began to bump our way through some breakers and to our great relief the vessel went ashore off Walney Island. Savas Anastasi, a Cypriot, owner of the vessel, was on board as member of the crew of seven.
Postscript The vessel is regarded as a total loss. The crew of
seven all survived: the skipper is Capt. O. Eiduk (Cardiff). The crew
includes: Bosun Alex. Ross (Bowling, near Glasgow), Chief Engineer J.
Macintosh (Aberdeen), three coloured seamen and the owner, Cypriot, Savas
Anastasi who worked as donkey-man.
Oskar Eiduk was born at Koknese in Latvia in 1894; had masters
certificate in 1939, married in Cardiff in 1939, died 1969.
The vessel slowly settled into the sand and was not refloated. It is now about 1/2 a mile from the NW corner of Walney Island. Several people who have attempted to visit the wreck have lost their lives.
SS Anastasi aground:
Wreckage in 2010:
SS Anastasi as SS J J Monks in service
See also image of vessel being hit by waves in the Duddon Estuary (assumed to be SS Anastasi).
See also here.
For a 2011 video see here.
