The Wreck of the Irex - Riddles of the Sea

The three masted barque Irex was wrecked in Scratchell's Bay  in January 1890. The Irex was on her maiden voyage from Glasgow to Rio, having left the Clyde in December with a cargo of sewer pipes.  Aboard was Captain Hutton, a crew of 33 and two stowaways. During weeks of bad weather, the Irex was blown from the Irish Sea, to the Bay of Biscay, and back up to Falmouth where the captain was urged to go ashore, especially for the sake of the men who had been badly injured in the storms. Mad with worry and exhaustion, Captain Hutton refused to put into port and the Irex floundered on through heavy seas and gales, eventually wrecking on the rocks about 300 yards off the Needles on the night of January 25th. With the deck swept by huge, violent waves, the crew took refuge in the masts, but not before six men, including Captain Hutton, had been swept to their deaths.

Coxswain Stone and his Totland lifeboat attempted a rescue but, to the disappointment of the lifeboatmen and the sailors waiting to be rescued, the lifeboat turned back before reaching the Irex. As local Island people arrived from afar to see the spectacular wreck, the soldiers at the Needles Battery meanwhile made preparations to rescue the men by use of a breeches buoy. But how to get the rope 400 yards down and 300 yards out to the Irex? The Coastguard fired a rocket at the masts of the shipand with luck, it caught in the rigging so that the crew were able to work their way along the mainstays to reach the bosun's chair. Fourteen year old Jones, an Apprentice, was paralysed with fear so he was wrapped in a rug and lashed to the mizzenmast where he spent the night alone on the sinking Irex. He was rescued next morning, frozen but still alive. In all, twenty-nine men and boys were rescued by the heroic efforts of the coastguard and soldiers at the Battery.

Reproduced with kind permission from the Isle of Wight Heritage Service

Photograph courtesy of The Needles Battery

The Isle of Wight County Press duly reported the event in great detail on February 1, 1890. The coroner's inquiry had concluded that the wreck was an accident, pure and simple, and that the captain and crew had done everything they could to avoid disaster. However, evidence from some of the crew indicated that all may not have been well on the Irex and that Captain Hutton may have had something to hide, mysterious cargo to protect, perhaps, or that he may have gone insane with exhaustion and the violence of the storms. Witnesses reported that he had threatened to run the ship into the white cliffs of the Needles rather than turn back to safety.

The ship's log went down with the Irex so the truth will never be known. But we have the evidence of witnesses and pertinent questions from Mr. Reason, Foreman of the Jury. He wanted to know why the captain refused to take shelter in safe ports and why the Captain had scrambled to be first into the doomed lifeboat. Others argued that the turning back of the Totland lifeboat was shameful and Coxswain Stone and his family were shunned by the community.

The story of the Irex contains drama, terror, mystery, intrigue, bravery and death. Though we have as yet found few answers, our search for documents and revealing records goes on. Meanwhile, through drama and our poetry, we have brought the story to many people around the Isle of Wight and debates about what happened and why are still going on.