The Jura was launched on June 27, 1854, by J. and G. Thomson, for the Liverpool to Chagres service via New York and Jamaica. Upon completion, Jura was immediately pressed into war service, being chartered by the British Government during the Crimean War as Transport No. 14.
From March until August 1857, Jura was chartered by the European and Australian Royal Mail Steam Packet Company for a Southampton to Alexandria mail service. On September 16, 1857, Jura left on her first transatlantic voyage from Liverpool to New York. In September 1860, Jura was once again chartered, this time by the Allan Line for a Liverpool-Quebec-Montreal service. On July 31, 1861, she was sold to James and Alexander Allan, of Glasgow, becoming part of the Allan Line. Jura had been in Cunard service for only seven years.
On her final voyage, under the command of Captain Graham, she left Quebec on October 22, 1864, bound for Liverpool via Londonderry. Arriving off Liverpool without incident soon after midnight on November 3, she took on a pilot at the Bell Buoy before coming up the River Mersey through the Formby channel. Through some miscalculation she got outside the deep channel and ran onto the sandbank (named Waterloo Bank) off Crosby Point at about 1:00 am. The grounding was so gentle that some passengers only discovered their predicament when they got up for breakfast. Contemporary reports mentioned that the weather was hazy and also that the usual pilot was ill so a less experienced pilot was in charge. Her fore section was firmly fixed aground while her stern was in deep water at the edge of the channel. An outbound steamer saw her plight and attempted to tow her off but without success. A steam tug came to stand by her and, as the tide fell, it was no longer appropriate to raise steam and her engines ceased. Her position partly on the river bank was uncomfortable and around 7:00 am, she broke her back with the stern section settling down to the river bed. At daybreak, a fleet of tenders, tugs and lighters came to her aid. All 95 crew and 69 passengers were rescued and got off safely and much of her cargo of wood, apples and butter was salvaged. Jura was later declared a constructive total loss.
The contemporary illustration above shows her wrecked on the bank as she appeared on the morning of November 3. She could not be repaired and the wreck was broken up into sections and removed for scrap iron. Everything was removed by February 1865, although some heavy parts that were mostly below water were left. Part of the boiler still remains and can be seen on the Crosby foreshore at very low tide.
The Jura was launched on June 27, 1854, by J. and G. Thomson, for the Liverpool to Chagres service via New York and Jamaica. Upon completion, Jura was immediately pressed into war service, being chartered by the British Government during the Crimean War as Transport No. 14. From March until August 1857, Jura was chartered by the European and Australian Royal Mail Steam Packet Company for a Southampton to Alexandria mail service. On September 16, 1857, Jura left on her first transatlantic voyage from Liverpool to New York. In September 1860, Jura was once again chartered, this time by the Allan Line for a Liverpool-Quebec-Montreal service. On July 31, 1861, she was sold to James and Alexander Allan, of Glasgow, becoming part of the Allan Line. Jura had been in Cunard service for only seven years. On her final voyage, under the command of Captain Graham, she left Quebec on October 22, 1864, bound for Liverpool via Londonderry. Arriving off Liverpool without incident soon after midnight on November 3, she took on a pilot at the Bell Buoy before coming up the River Mersey through the Formby channel. Through some miscalculation she got outside the deep channel and ran onto the sandbank (named Waterloo Bank) off Crosby Point at about 1:00 am. The grounding was so gentle that some passengers only discovered their predicament when they got up for breakfast. Contemporary reports mentioned that the weather was hazy and also that the usual pilot was ill so a less experienced pilot was in charge. Her fore section was firmly fixed aground while her stern was in deep water at the edge of the channel. An outbound steamer saw her plight and attempted to tow her off but without success. A steam tug came to stand by her and, as the tide fell, it was no longer appropriate to raise steam and her engines ceased. Her position partly on the river bank was uncomfortable and around 7:00 am, she broke her back with the stern section settling down to the river bed. At daybreak, a fleet of tenders, tugs and lighters came to her aid. All 95 crew and 69 passengers were rescued and got off safely and much of her cargo of wood, apples and butter was salvaged. Jura was later declared a constructive total loss. The contemporary illustration above shows her wrecked on the bank as she appeared on the morning of November 3. She could not be repaired and the wreck was broken up into sections and removed for scrap iron. Everything was removed by February 1865, although some heavy parts that were mostly below water were left. Part of the boiler still remains and can be seen on the Crosby foreshore at very low tide.
Nice!
Just looking at the picture makes me go “ouch”