Captain L.W. Coverdale's ship, on its voyage from Newcastle to Cronstad, cleared the Danish straits sound toll on the 20th October 1852. The ship’s cargo was coal and the sound toll passage number was 7827. /ref 1/
The English ship Alfred, captain Coverdale, was wrecked on the 8th of November 1852, and sank the following day west of the island Vänö in the Åbo archipelago, Finland. The ship was on its way from Newcastle and heading for St. Petersburg with a cargo of coal. The residents of Vänö saved the captain, his wife and the crew. /ref 2, 5, 6, 7, 8/
Ropes, anchor chains, sails and other items, as well as barkass and yawl, were put on auction on the 4th of December 1852 in Åbo. /ref 3, 4/ On the same day the loss of Alfred was recorded in the Lloyd’s Loss and Casualty Book in London. /ref 5/
West of Vänö, at the south point of island Stora Hästskär, is an old ship wreck said to be of English origin. The ship’s cargo is coal and the name, information passed over number of generations, is said to be the Alfred. Maritime archaeologists and divers have recovered some items from the wreck, e.g. a name plate made of copper. The identification number of the wreck in the registers of the Finnish Heritage Agency is 1552. /ref 9/
Based on the facts known about the Vänö shipwreck and historical sources referred herein, the conclusion is that the Vänö wreck, Heritage Agency register’s #1552, can fairly reliably be identified as the English ship Alfred, which sunk close to Vänö on 9th of November 1852.
Information from historical sources
Date: 20.10.1852
Passage: 7827
Shipmaster: L. W. Coverdale from London
Section: Fra Nordsoen
Register: Nordsoen 1852 9 20 – Nordsoen 1852 12 31
Tonnage: Dr. 294 Tons
Depart: Newcastle
Dest.: Cronstadt
Cargo amount and unit: 144 Chldrs.
Commodity: Kul
Toll fyrpenge: 4 Da 24 sk
/ref1/
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Skeppet Alfred, kapten L. W. Coverdale, hemma i Leeds och lastadt med stenkol från Newcastle till St. Petersburg, sjönk d. 9 Nov. wid Wänö i Hiitis skärgård, 8 mil från Utö. Alla man bergade, äfvensom en mindre del af inventerierna.
/ref. 2/
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Resande. D. 21. Koff. Kapt. Coverdale med fru fr. London, i Soc.huset.
/ref. 2/
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Medelst offentlig auktion, som förrättas uti handlanden U. Kingelins gård härstädes, Lördagen den 4 förstinstundadnde December kl. 9 f. m. , kommer att försäljas diverse ifrån uti Hiitis kapells skärgård i Kimitö socken sjunkna Engelska skeppet Alfred bergadt tågwirke, kettingar, gamla segel och öfrige inventerier, jemte en barkas och julle; hwarsom samt att barkasen och jullen ligga i kanalen wid Slottet, hugade köpare härigenom underrättas. Åbo Sjö-Tull=kammaren, den 27 November 1852.
Jean Boije Carl Fredr. Peron
/ref 3/
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Auction. I morgon lördag d. 4 Dec. kl. 9 f. m. försäljes, uti handlanden U. Kingelins gård härstädes, diverse ifrån Engelska skeppet Alfred bergadt tågvirke, kettingar, gamla segel och öfrige inventarier, jemte en barkas och julle.
/ref 4/
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Saturday, 4th December, 1852
The Alfred
Coverdale
From Newcastle to Cronstadt, struck on some rocks near Hango prev. to 23 nov. & sunk: crew saved
ag Helsingfors
/ref 5/
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Den 8 Nov. strandade ett med stenkol lastadt Engelskt fartyg, ungefär två vesrt vester om Wänö-ö och by af Hitis kapell, hvarvid fartygets kapten, jemte dess hustru och besättningen, räddades af Wänö byamän.
/ref 6, 7 and 8/
References
1. Sound Toll Registers (STR) Online
2. Åbo Underrättelser, 23.11.1852
3. Åbo Underrättelser, 30.11.1852 ja 3.12.1852
4. Åbo Tidningar, 3.12.1852
5. Lloyd’s Loss and Casualty Books, 4.12.1852
6. Finlands Allmänna Tidning, 7.12.1852
7. Morgonbladet, 9.12.1852
8. Åbo Tidningar, 10.12.1852
9. The Finnish Heritage Agency, cultural environment service portal 6.1.2019
The National Library of Finland, digital collections: references 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8
Guildhall Library, London: reference 5
