Wreck of the Nornen II

Second of a short series on the wreck of the 'Nornen' a Norwegian

sailing ship which was driven ashore on Berrow Sands in a gale in

1897. The Burnham lifeboat was rowed out to the wreck and in about

six hours brought the whole crew of ten men and their dog safe to

land.

 

All comments welcome!

Very good idea to present this B&W version of the wreck. Adequate the B&W for a maritime disaster.

I like the camera point, interesting to see how well parts of the wooden body hold still together, exposed to the power of tides for 100 years...

Colin, right now the wrecks looks round like a " wash tab", probabaly a small vessel in these days, but very interesting to see it still present even in this form after all that time.I like the wavelets around it. B/W fit very nicely for it as well as the infortmation you have attached, which I think is important to " read" it.

Thanks!

 

Alberto, I thought this was best in b&w too.

 

Carsten, I was also surprised that the timbers have survived so long. It may be because the wreck is on a big shallow beach so is protected from the worst of the wave action.

 

Pnina, a wash tub! good idea - I had not thought of that. As you can see from the previous shot it is quite long - maybe 30 metres - and only looks round from this angle.

I like the story behind the shot and appreciate you sharing this, Colin. Interesting angle.

The remains of the ship look like a sculpture. Excellent effect in B&W.

Interesting view from nearer. Were you on board of a boat to take the shot ? It could have been nice to take it from a slightly higher point to show the shape of the hull open like the corolla of a flower.

Colin,i like how you represent it.First that overwhelming scene and now you come closer to the detail.the angle " like a bowl' (Pnina ) sits well there on the water. Certainly always well done the details with your skills.Thank you for giving the history..

Thanks everyone.

 

Henri, I was standing on the sand and this is as high a view as I could get.

Hello Colin, I thought that like this it looks a little like a crown. It gives a good impression of bulk.

 

Regards. Peter

Yes, it is interesting and appropriate in B&W. The top portion is a tiny bit too hot for me ... but all in all, I like this presentation, especially because of the slight reflections that you get in the water in the foreground. It's also interesting to see the sand built up inside the body of the ship, and yet to think that so many of the pieces used to create the outside of the ship are still upright. I am enjoying this series ... more please! :-)

Peter, thanks, I was trying for the impression of bilk so I am glad you mentioned it!

 

Lou Ann, I had a problem with the sky here as the wreck itself is very dark and being coverd in algae and seaweed is almost all dark browns and greens. So I decided to go for detail in the hull and let the rest go wherever it felt like going. I quite like the sort of high key feel to the sea myself. regards Colin

Colin, I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

as if its still moving. sky is bit white, bracketing might have helped (or nd grad)

Henri, - a very happy Christmas and New Year to you too!

 

Hans, thanks, I see what you mean about the ND grad but in this case I quite like the faded look of the horizon and bleached sky. It seems to suit the subject IMO.

Great to see the shot right down the line of the keel, Colin. This is fascinating stuff.

 

I can only imagine what would have happened to the sailors if the grounding had occurred further up at high tide. (Can you imagine rowing a lifeboat out to the wreck, or waiting for a lifeboat as the tide began to turn? You Brits amaze me.)

 

I wonder if the story of this rescue can be found on the web.

 

--Lannie

Thanks Lannie. I was fascinated by the keel too. Here is the story of the shipwreck -

 

http://www.burnham-on-sea.com/berrow-wreck.shtml

 

which is part of a website of the nearest decent sized town. Those lifeboat rowers nust have been tough!

Tough indeed!

 

Colin, I also watched the panorama unfold on that site, and it was more or less as I expected: you are OUT THERE, and nobody is going to be able to help you if you miscalculate on the speed that the tides come back in, or if you get stuck somehow. THAT WIDE, WIDE OPEN TIDAL FLAT WOULD SPOOK ME, and I am no stranger to tidal flats. I trust that that is mostly sand and not too much mud. . . . (I can see that it is all sand right in front of you.)

 

--Lannie

Lannie, it was a bit spooky, and I kept a sharp eye out for the returning tide. The sand is quite muddy there as it is a mixture of sea sand and estuary mud. My camera bag still has some muddy marks on it. There are also large red signs when you get there warning about dangerous quicksands which is a bit off-putting. The sand was quite soft in places but from what I understand it gets softer when the tide approaches - so I did not stay to find out from personal experience.

I'm glad you braved it for the rest of us! This is a really great shot with an interesting story. I'll have to check out the link you provided. At first glance at the thumbnail, I thought the timbers were concrete or stone...after looking at it large it is much easier to see what this is. No matter what it is or was, it's a very interesting subject and you've captured it well. Nice.

 

Leslie

Thanks Leslie!

wonderfully composed, Collin, cheers Jana