User:Worm That Turned/List of wrecks on Doom Bar

The Doom Bar is a sand bank in the estuary of the River Camel where it meets the Celtic Sea on Cornwall's north coast. There have been many shipwrecks there through the centuries.

History
The Doom Bar is a river sand bar, comprising sediment from the River Camel and sand from the Celtic Sea. At high tide, the waves from the sea deposit sand as they lose energy when forced against the flow of the river. The varying directions of the sediment-filled water create a process of forced diffusion, scattering the sedimentary deposits at the river mouth. In addition, the sediment held by the river whilst it is flowing along the channel is deposited on the bar as the river widens and loses energy.

It is unclear exactly when the Doom Bar formed, but the nearby port of Padstow was prosperous in Saxon times. Although its fortunes had waned by the time of Edward III, it was still able to send "two high-sterned turreted vessels" to the Siege of Calais in 1346. The Doom Bar began to form much later, during the reign of Henry VIII (1491–1547).

The name "Doom Bar" is a corruption of the Gaelic word dunbar or dune-bar a combination of two words "dun" and "bar". Both can mean hill or summit, and are associated with sand. Although the name "Dunbar sands" was common prior to 1900, "Doom Bar" was used in poetry and House of Commons papers as far back as 1860.

List of shipwrecks
For centuries, the Doom Bar was regarded as a significant danger to ships—to be approached with caution to avoid running aground. It has accounted for over 600 beachings, wrecks and capsizings since records began early in the 19th century, with about 300 being wrecks. When sails were the main source of power, ships would come round Stepper Point and would then lose the wind, leaving them to drift onto the Doom Bar. Sometimes, gusts of wind known colloquially as "flaws" blew over the top of Stepper Point and pushed the hapless vessels in the direction of the sand bank. They could not even drop anchor, as it would gain no purchase on the sand. According to one report, the Doom Bar was regarded as so dangerous that vessels would risk being wrecked on the coast in a storm, rather than negotiate the entrance to Padstow.

In 1761, there were recommended methods for entering the Camel estuary during rough weather. The London Chronicle published a letter explaining the difficulty of reaching the harbour whilst north-northwest winds were blowing. Safety features were installed, such as three capstans at Stepper Point, and bollards along the cliffs, which could warp the boats safely into the estuary and past the Doom Bar. A number of mooring rings were also attached to the cliff, to be used instead of an anchor.

When larger boats wanted to enter Padstow they were offered help, generally by pilots who would wait at Stepper Point when a ship signalled it would be entering. If a boat was foundering, salvors would step in and help. There were cases where salvors attempted to overstate the danger in court, so as to extort more money from the owners. An example was the Towan, which was not in significant danger and did not need assistance, but salvors interfered and then attempted to claim a large amount from the owner.

In 1827, the Life-boat Institution helped fund a permanent lifeboat at Padstow, a 23 ft rowboat with four oars. The lifeboat house at Hawker's Cover was erected two years later by the Padstow Harbour Association for the Preservation of Life and Property from Shipwreck. Reverend Charles Prideaux-Brune of Prideaux Place was set up as the patron. In 1879, four of his grand-daughters along with their friend, were rowing on the Doom Bar and saw a craft go down. They rowed out to save the drowning sailor. As it was so unusual for women to rescue men in these circumstances, all five girls received a RNLI Silver Medal for their bravery.

Despite the safer channel and improvements in maritime technology, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution still have to deal with incidents at the Doom Bar. The most recent deaths were in February 1997, when two fishermen who were not wearing lifejackets drowned after their boat capsized. Two anglers were killed in a similar incident in 1994. On 25 June 2007, the Padstow lifeboat and a rescue helicopter rescued the crews of two yachts in separate incidents from the area of the Doom Bar.