The wreck of the 'HOPE' of Amsterdam
16th January 1749

Probably the wealthiest ship ever to founder on Chesil Beach was the Dutch vessel 'Hope'. The ship had been away from her home port Amsterdam far many months on a most profitable voyage to South America, trading illegally in the Spanish colonies where Spanish settlers exploiting the gold and silver mines had almost unlimited wealth to pay for European goods. The 'Hope' was in effect smuggling, for although Spain failed to supply her colonists adequately, foreign ships were unwelcome. The rewards for the trade were high, but the risks were great and the 'Hope' was armed with 30 guns to repel any attempt at capture.

Having almost completed her hazardous voyage home, the 'Hope' encountered storms in the English Channel and on 16th January 1749 she came ashore almost opposite Fleet House. Is there a suggestion of deliberate wrecking on that night? One writer claimed there was no light showing from Portland lighthouses 'whether from intense mists and particular fogginess of the air, or from the neglects of the persons concerned. I shall not pretend to determine'.

Whatever the true cause of the wreck, word soon spread that the ship was reputed to be carrying £50,000 in gold and silver and a 'merciless battalion' descended on the beach in search of her treasure. There was little assistance for the Dutch vessel's Captain and crew who had to haul their own boat down the shingle to cross The Fleet. The organised plunder continued for over a week as the looters turned the stones over and over in the raw January weather searching for gold. It was a scene of complete lawlessness and the size of the mob increased each day. There is no real explanation as to why it took so long for armed law enforcement officers to control the situation but it may be that those who should have been in charge had their 'agents' down on the beach joining in the plunder. Eventually the looters were dispersed, some of the gold was recovered and one man, Augustin Elliott of Portland and several accomplices, were put on trial. Perhaps not surprisingly, the verdicts were 'Not guilty' for it would have been difficult to find local jurors unconnected with the crowd of thousands involved in stealing the cargo of the 'Hope'

The wrecks of Admiral Christian's Fleet
18 November 1795

The lawless behaviour of the local population when ships were wrecked led the Rector of Langton Herring together with the Vicar of Fleet, Thomas Francklyn to preach and later publish a sermon entitled 'Serious Advice and Fair Warning to all that live upon the sea-coast of England and Wales' which they addressed 'particularly to those in the neighbourhood of Weymouth and Portland', reminding his parishioners of the penalties which could be incurred by those who looted stranded vessels. Their words appear to have had little effect for when a West Indies-bound fleet was wrecked on Chesil in 1795 and some three hundred people were drowned 'the Chesil Bank was strewn for about two miles with the dead bodies of men and animals, with pieces of wreck, and piles of plundered goods, which groups of people were at work to carry away, regardless of the sight of the drowned bodies that filled the newly arrived spectators with grief and amazement'. Battered and bruised survivors were callously disregarded as they pleaded for assistance and help to reach the mainland.

The fleet, consisting of some 200 heavily-laden troop and ordnance transports and merchant ships had left Spithead on 15th January 1795 under the command of Rear Admiral Hugh Cloberry Christian. They were destined for the West Indies where the French were threatening British supremacy but within 48 hours disaster struck. South westerly gales sprang up and Christian ordered his ships to make for Torbay, a poor decision since some of the fleet were already close to the dangers of Portland and the Chesil Beach. When a fresh order was given for the ships to stand out to sea it was too late and at daybreak on the 18th six were flung on the Chesil shingle. Two ordnance transports were lost between Wyke and Portland the 'Aeolus' and the 'Golden Grove'. To the west, between Chickerell and Fleet, three troop transports, the 'Piedmont', the 'Catherine' and the 'Venus' and a merchantman the 'Thomas' were smashed to pieces.

Others of the fleet suffered similar fates along the south coast. Admiral Christian's damaged flagship 'Prince George' returned to Spithead where he transferred his flag to the 'Glory' and set sail with his fleet once again on 9th December. The Admiral's troubles were not over as he was forced back once again when gales scattered his ships in the Bay of Biscay. Admiral Christian finally reached Barbados in April 1796

The wreck of the 'Royal Adelaide'
25th November 1872

The iron sailing ship 'Royal Adelaide' was Australia-bound when she left London on 14 November 1872. Eleven days later she lay wrecked off Chesil Beach, her master having misjudged his course in heavy weather as he attempted to seek the shelter of Portland Roads, for which mistake his certificate was later suspended for twelve months.

Carrying almost seventy crew and passengers and a mixed cargo (which included a large number of cases of spirits) the ship was seen to be embayed in the West Bay and driving towards the shore. Those on the beach were powerless to assist until the Royal Adelaide struck and they were able to get a line on board. A cradle was rigged up and the rescue began. It was a dramatic night-time scene, the Chesil Beach close to Portland illuminated by tar barrels and blue lights while a crowd hundreds strong looked on. Shipwreck news spreads fast and spectators arrived via the trains of the Weymouth and Portland Railway.All went well until one elderly passenger could not be persuaded to trust herself to the fragile line linking ship and shore. The ship began to break up; the line was lost and the last few on board were swept sway and drowned.

If the rescue had enthralled the watching crowd, the cargo thrown up by the dying ship was to excite them even more and wholesale looting began. The cargo contained a fine array of goods which were soon spread out along the shingle - everything from hats and gloves and boots to herrings, hams, tea, coffee and figs. Despite the efforts of the coastguards, police and military much of the cargo disappeared into local homes - and gardens, where stolen goods were buried to escape the searching eyes of the law enforcement officers who called in the days following the wreck. Roll call in local schools showed many absences as children joined their treasure-hunting parents at the scene.

Sadly, the tubs of spirits were to add to the death toll of the 'Royal Adelaide'. Many helped themselves liberally to the brandy and gin casks as they were washed ashore and fell asleep drunk on the cold Chesil pebbles. Friends and neighbours were too busy gathering up cargo to take much notice but by the following morning four locals, one a lad only fifteen years old, had been found dead, killed by a combination of drunkenness and exposure. The bones of the 'Royal Adelaide' still lie close to Chesil beach, a ship destined for the other side of the world which got no further than the Dorset coast.