Shipwrecks on the Gower Coast, January 1879
Shipwrecks on the Gower Coast, January 1879 A Month of Severe Winter Storms January 1879 brought a spell of severe and destructive weather to the Gower coast, remembered for the loss of two vessels within the same month during violent south‑easterly gales. The first disaster occurred on 21 January 1879 , when the Arendal barque Mercur , a Norwegian vessel bound from Boston to Penarth with a cargo of maize, was driven ashore at Slade on the exposed southern coast of Gower. The gale, blowing fiercely from the south‑east, forced the ship onto the rocky shoreline where she quickly became stranded. Despite the perilous conditions, the crew succeeded in reaching land safely, most likely aided by local inhabitants familiar with the treacherous reefs and coves of the district. The vessel itself could not be saved and was declared a total loss, her timbers later scattered along the beach and cliffs. Edward Duncan’s Painting of the Mercur Wreck of the Norwegian Ship “Mercur” at Slade 1879 Edwar...
