Grace Darling - the heroine of Longstone Light

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On 7th September 1838, the SS Forfarshire was in trouble. Carrying goods, passengers and crew she had been caught in the storm and driven towards the rocks. At 4.a.m in the morning the 150 ton steam ship struck Harker's rock with such force it broke in half. One part sank immediately, while the other was caught on the rock.

Shortly before 5 o'clock, Grace spotted the wreck and alerted her father, but it was not until seven that they saw the survivors in the storm. The seas were so heavy that the lighthouse keeper feared the mainland lifeboat would not be able to reach the wreck. The only boat at the lighthouse was a coble - a rowing boat which needed three men to row properly and was usually used for ferrying supplies. Grace and her father decided to put to sea to try to reach the survivors.

Grace Darling and Her Father Saving the
Shipwrecked Crew, 17th September 1838
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The stormy seas were heavy, but the lighthouse was in the lee of the storm making the feat possible. While her father scrambled onto the rocks to assess the survivors' condition Grace rowed the boat to keep it clear of the rocks.

There were nine survivors from the sixty crew clinging to the rocks. They had been trapped there for hours, exposed to the storm, and were in poor condition. One of the nine was distraught: Mrs Dawson was holding her two children, who had died in the wreck. The small boat was not able to take all of them in one trip, so five of the crew remained behind while the boat returned to the lighthouse.

Once there Grace's mother Tomasina took over caring for the injured survivors, and Grace who was exhausted. Her father and some of the rescued crew rowed back through the storm to recover those remaining on the rocks.

The Lifeboat off Tynemouth Bay
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Despite the storm, the mainland lifeboat at Sunderland managed to put to sea later in the day. It arrived at the wreck at around 11:00 but found only bodies. As the storm worsened they were driven to find shelter at the lighthouse, where to their surprise they found nine survivors from the Forfarshire.

The weather was so bad that they were cut off for three days, only able to leave the shelter of the lighthouse once the storm had cleared.