The Missing

The world's oceans are filled with mysteries beyond counting. Amongst the many are ship's that disappear leaving few if any traces of their passing. The brave souls aboard these vessels have rarely had their stories told. Grief and loss confront family members when a loved one goes missing. In the days before satellite communications and GPS when a sailing ship ventured out over the horizon, there would be no further contact unless signalled by a passing vessel. It could be weeks or months before Lloyd's of London recorded the ship's safe arrival in Lloyd's List. Some however never arrived and would eventually be listed as overdue. Then telegrams would be sent out by agents and owners enquiring at ports around the globe asking if the missing ship had arrived or been heard of.

Eventually, there would be an inquiry conducted by Boards of Trade or Trinity House Masters as Lloyds now listed the vessel as 'Missing - presumed lost with all hands'. For the shipping trade, this would be an end to the matter as underwriters paid out on marine insurance policies and merchants had their lost goods replaced. For families and loved ones there would be no formal closure, no memorial, no grave, just endless grief and mourning. Here at least a few of their stories are now told - The tales of those who never came home.

The stories of the lost vessels told in this volume include the barque West Ridge, discovered in the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, the wool clipper ships Loch Long, Loch Laggan, Loch Maree, the iron hulled sailing ships; Marlborough, Mysore, Dunedin, Inchcape Rock, Seatoller, and Deanfield. the loss of the Archduke Johann Salvator von Habsburg and his wife Mili Stubel after they had run away to sea aboard the clipper Saint Margaret. Then finally the stories of Captain Nicholas Rutter who lost the barque Kohinoor, the ships Knight Errant, and the Foundling of Liverpool, before disappearing when the ship British King was lost without trace.