The lost of the Drente (II) 1935

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De Drente (II) ( ex Titan 1894-1919) of Bureau Wijsmuller

On Saturday 19th October 1935 the 8000 ton gross Dutch cargo vessel s.s. Kerkplein sailed out the piers of IJmuiden bound for Rotterdam. The ship sailed in ballast lying high on the water and has troubles to get away of the coast because of the havey gale which was south westerly, and it didn't take long the Captain of the vessel concluded that he couldn't resist the storm and his ship was drifting dangerly onto the coast, and was in danger to be stranding near Egmond aan Zee. At 12 am he send an S.O.S. message and asked for tugboat assistance.
The Drente stationed at IJmuiden immediateley proceeded to the given position and reached soon the ship in distress which allready appears to be in the ground-seas near the beach. In spite of the heavy ground swell, the men of the Drente succeeded to made towing connection with the Kerkplein, but by the first attempt to tow the vessel away from the coast, the line was broken by the havy seas,  they made connection for a second time, under even worse conditions, but just when the wire was made vast on the Kerkplein, an enormous braker plunged over the tugboat and the towing wire broke again. By the third attempt the towing wire came in the propeller, and the tugboat, which has helped so much ships in distress, was a helpless prey of the sea. The men of the tugboat dropped the anchor immediately but  shortly after the anchor chain broke and the Drente was drifting to the beach of Egmond aan Zee, trowed over the outer sand banks and grounded on the first sand bank 200 yards from the coast, right in the middleof the raging ground-seas.

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Havey seas pounded  the  near Egmond aan Zee grounded Drente (II)

With heavy seas shipping all over the tugboat, the crew flee to the radio cabin, between the two funnels on the upper deck. The wireless operator of the Drente send an emergency call, which was received by Scheveningen Radio. Immediately the lifeboat from  IJmuiden proceeded to the position of the Drente, but couldn't came close to the tugboat without risk to be caught on the lee-shore herself. The crew of the grounded Kerkplein didn't have need to left the ship. The crew of the big ship where not in danger because it rised high above the breaking seas.
At the end it seems the rescue work at that stormy night must be done by the rowing-lifeboat, which was brought into sea by horses. After a
fierce fight against the enormous ground-seas the lifeboat reached the helpless tugboat and succeeded to came alongside the Drente so a part of the crew could jump over. After arriving safely on the beach, the lifeboat went for the second time to the tugboat for the rest of the crew and brought also them safely ashore.

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After the storm abated the grounded Drente (II) attracted a great deal of notice
Behind the tugboat, in the distance, lay the grounded Kerkplein.

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The Kerkplein high on the beach , in the background
the light-house 'van Speijck'at Egmond aan Zee.

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The sea has withdrawn, the Drente (II) never will reach the high seas again,
on this place she will be breake up by a ship-breaker.

the Kerkplein , which cost Wijsmuller the lost of a tugboat, was at last taken of by tugboats of L. Smit & Co's International Towing Service. Salvage of the Drente was ,as well on account of her age,  unremunerative; so that after more as fourteen glorious years,  the ship has been demolished on the spot.

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