Certificate of rescue of shipwrecked persons from the burning steamer ABYSSINIA

Every month, the German Maritime Museum (DSM) / Leibniz Institute of Maritime History presents a special treasure from the archive in its “Archival item of the month” series. In December, the curator looks back more than 130 years to December 1891, when Captain Charles Polack rescued shipwrecked people and received an honor for it. The certificate is part of the DSM collection.

The certificate, issued on January 28, 1892 by the “Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society”, attests to the presentation of a silver medal to Charles Polack (1860-1934) on the occasion of the rescue of passengers and crew of the British steamer ABYSSINIA on December 18, 1891. At the time of the accident, Charles Polack was sailing on the fast steamer SPREE of North German Lloyd (NDL) as second officer.

Contemporary newspaper articles provide information about the dramatic events on the Atlantic: On December 15, 1891, the SPREE, under the command of Captain Wilhelm Willigerod (1839-1917), left the port of New York and was on its way to Bremerhaven via Southampton. Three days later, on December 18, 1891, the crew of the SPREE sighted a burning ship around noon. It was the British steamer ABYSSINIA, which had already left New York a few days before the SPREE with general cargo and a load of cotton. There were around 60 passengers and 88 crew members on board. The fire, which had probably originally ignited in the cargo of cotton, had only recently been discovered, but had spread so quickly along the entire length of the ABYSSINIA that even the immediate use of the steam pumps did not help. When the SPREE arrived at the scene of the accident, the ABYSSINIA was already in flames. Captain Willigerod was unable to bring the SPREE close enough to the burning ship due to the high swell that prevailed at the time. He therefore launched boats, one of which was captained by Charles Polack. As can be seen from the document, Polack had put himself in danger in stormy seas in order to rescue the shipwrecked passengers from their burning ship (“The rescue was a work of some danger on account of the rough sea.”). Several trips were necessary to bring first the women and children, then the remaining passengers and finally the entire crew of the ABYSSINIA on board the SPREE to safety. The ABYSSINIA itself had to be abandoned to its fate, burning.

In recognition of the rescue operation, in which all the shipwrecked passengers without exception were saved from on board the Liverpool-based ABYSSINIA, the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society awarded Captain Willigerod the gold medal, Second Officer Polack and Third Officer Randermann the above-mentioned silver medal and eleven sailors from on board the SPREE 20 shillings each. The Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society is a local rescue organization founded in 1839. The organization still exists today and recognizes assistance in saving lives in cases of shipwreck, fire and other dangers in and near the port of Liverpool or ships registered in Liverpool. In addition to this organization, the British government also thanked the rescuers and presented Captain Willigerod with a gold watch and chain and Officers Polack and Randermann with a pair of night binoculars. Over the course of his career, Polack received further awards for various maritime achievements. By the First World War, he had become one of the best-known and most popular captains of North German Lloyd.