Inquiry into the Loss of the s.s. Rosella - 'A Board of Trade inquiry was opened at the Cardiff Law Courts on Wednesday (before Mr. E. Milner Jones, the deputy-stipendiary, and Captain Jenkin Thomas and Lieutenant J. L. Leftwich, R.N.R., sitting as nautical assessors into the loss of the steamship Rosella, of Cardiff, owned by the Rosella Steamship Company (Limited), and managed by Messrs. Elvidge and Morgan, of Cardiff. Mr. Ivor Vachell appeared for the Board of Trade, and Messrs. Downing and Handcock for the master, Captain Sven Julius Lyberg.

In his opening statement, Mr. Vachell stated that the Rosella stranded on a rock near the Roches d'Ouvres Lighthouse, near the coast of France, on September 16. She was an iron steamship, belonging to Cardiff, of 1,305 tons gross register and 780 tons net. She was built at Sunderland in 1881, was schooner rigged, and had two engines of 130-h.p. combined. There was a little discrepancy in the evidence as to her compasses, some of the evidence being to the effect that she had one spare compass, and other evidence being to the effect that she had four spare compasses.

She sailed from Penarth on September 14, bound for Granville, in France, and was laden with a cargo of 1,760 tons of coal. She passed the Runnell-stone Rock, off Land's End, at 3.30 p.m. on September 15, and from there she proceeded on the course S.E.¼E. magnetic. She kept this course until she neared the Roches d'Ouvres Lighthouse at 5.50 a.m. on September 16. It was then daylight. The course was then changed to S.E.¾E., so as to give her a wider berth of this lighthouse. Twenty minutes later the vessel appeared to have struck on a rock about a mile and a quarter from the Roches d'Ouvres Lighthouse, and almost in a direct line with the lighthouse.

She commenced to make water rapidly. The mate was sent in one of the boats to the lighthouse for assistance, and the master stayed by his vessel until 8.30 a.m., when the vessel was practically submerged by the rising tide. She had then to be abandoned, and the master and some of the crew landed in a boat at Jersey, and the rest landed in two other boats on the French coast. There was no loss of life, but there was a total loss of the vessel, her cargo, and freight.

The important question in the inquiry would be whether the captain properly estimated his distance when he was off the Roches d'Ouvres and altered his course. The log-books, unfortunately, had not been saved. Another point was whether the captain had altered his course sufficiently to clear the rock. The inquiry would be a short one, because there was very little divergence in the evidence.

The Master (Mr. Sven Julius Lyberg) stated that after passing Land's End he set the course S.E.¼E., and continued on that course until 5.50 a.m. on September 16, when he altered it to S.E.¾E. He computed that the Roches d'Ouvres Lighthouse was then five to six miles distant on the starboard bow. By changing the course he expected to pass the lighthouse at two and a half to three miles. After the stranding he found that he was only one mile and a quarter off. Although the patent log was used, he did not ascertain from it what distance he had gone from Land's End. He attributed his mistake as to the distance from the lighthouse to an unusual state of the atmosphere, which made the light appear further than it was. He knew that the sailing directions cautioned mariners against mirage near the French coast, but, notwithstanding that, he did not think it necessary to look at the patent log.

William Williams, chief officer of the Rosella, who has possessed a. master's certificate for eleven years, gave similar evidence, and said he considered the course steered was a safe one. He received instructions from the master to change the course from S.E.¼E. to S.E.¾E., and he saw the man at the wheel alter the course accordingly.

Other witnesses similar evidence.

William Wilson, boatswain, stated that ht was at the wheel when the master gave the order to alter the course to S.E.¾E. That was at 5.50. When he was relieved by Roberts, an A.B., at six o'clock on the morning of the 16th of September, he gave him that course. He then thought the vessel was about three miles from the Roches d'Ouvres Lighthouse.

John Roberts, who relieved the last witness at the wheel just before the stranding, created a sensation by stating that the coarse given to him by Wilson was S.E.¼E., and that was the course the ship was then on.

Mr. Vachell: This is very important. Are you sure the course given you was S.E.¼E., not S.E.¾E., - It was S.E.¼E.

That was the course given to you, and that was the course you steered ?—Yes.

Mr Vachell: He said the said the same thing in his original statement.

In cross-examination by Mr. Downing, witness stated that he was certain that the course given him was what he said it was. He had asked the chief officer at St. Malo for a couple of francs to send a message home, but he denied that he told that officer that he would make it hot for him if there was an inquiry.

The Court was then adjourned until this (Thursday) afternoon, and all the witnesses were requested to be in attendance.' - Evening Express [135] [361] 29th October 1908.