An Irish Diary on the Saga ship (shipwreck off Cork coast 1895)

Almost 130 years ago, a Swedish merchant ship got into difficulty when sailing from Europe to South America. After losing its rudder in a storm in the English Channel, it came aground in Cork in the south of Ireland in February 1895. I have just written an Irish Diary about the ship known as the Saga in the Irish Times newspaper. Read it here.

 

Drawing of the Saga. Image source.

The story of what happened to the Saga and its Swedish crew was not fully known until recent years when the ship's anchor was recovered and some investigation was done into what happened. The anchor is now on display at Ballybrannigan beach in East Cork close to where the ship ran aground.  

Beside the anchor on the beach is an information board in English and Irish telling the story of what happened the Saga. Included on the board is a list of the crew that were on board when it ran into difficulty after being battered by the storm in the English Channel. 

This is a list of the crew that were on board the Saga. This information was obtained from the Oskarshamnssjöfart website. 

• Kapten [Captain] Lorentz Peter Sjöstrand, född [born] 1856 i Ålem
• Styrman [Mate] Johan Martin Hansson, född 1864 [born] i Falsterbo
• Konstapel [Constable] Frans Oskar Karlsson, född [born] 1870 i Mönsterås
• Matros [Able seaman] Karl Viktor Johansson, född [born] 1869 i Mönsterås
• Lättmatros [Seaman] Klas Viktor Danielsson, född [born] 1873 i Fliseryd
• Lättmatros [Seaman] Uno Rudolf Johansson, född [born] 1874 i Fliseryd
• Lättmatros [Seaman] Per Oskar Leonard Svensson, född [born] 1877 i Ryssby
• Jungman [Deckhand] Josef Edvin Gottfrid Gustafsson, född [born] 1878 i Häreda
• Kock [Cook] Ernst Herman Pettersson, född [born] 1876 i Oskarshamn

 

Anchor from the Saga at the carpark at Ballybrannigan beach, Cork, Ireland.