SS Stella

SS "Stella" (1,060 tons) was a passenger ferry, wrecked on 30 March 1899 off the Casquets during a crossing from Southampton, England to Guernsey.

"Stella" was owned by the London and South Western Railway. Her master, Captain H. Reeks, was proceeding at full speed through fog when the vessel struck rocks. A submerged granite reef tore her hull. She sank in eight minutes with the loss of 86 passengers and 19 crew; a further 88 passengers and 24 crew survived. Most of the deaths were due to exposure and hypothermia in the cold sea water.

The "Stella" was built (completed) in October 1890 by J & G Thomson on Clydebank. She was considered state of the art in her day, measuring 253 feet long. She was powered by two compound steam engines and propellor screws, her slim hull was designed for speed (her maximum speed was 19 knots).

The wreck was found in 1972 about a mile to the west of the Casquets.

There is a memorial to the "Stella" opposite the Royal Pier, Southampton.

Another steamship owned by the London and South Western Railway, SS "Hilda", sank in 1905 with the loss of 125 lives.

External links

* [http://homepages.tcp.co.uk/~jakesimpkin/Stella.html S.S. Stella website]
* [http://www.museum.guernsey.net/download/The%20Wreck%20of%20the%20Stella.pdf Guernsey Museum website]