A Fateful Voyage
The HMS Eurydice was a 26 gun frigate sailing ship built in 1843, and later converted to a training vessel. On March 24, 1878, the ship was returning from a training mission in the West Indies with 366 on board, including 35 passengers. As it passed the south coast of the Isle of Wight, it was seen by the Bonchurch Coastguard, and 40 minutes later by those on board two smaller vessels in Sandown Bay.
Soon after, a strong gale and heavy snow storm enveloped the ship without warning. Reportedly, the Eurydice kept sailing on as the storm came in, with full sail and its gun ports, despite the other vessels seeking safety. The storm lasted less than ten minutes, but all that could be seen of the Eurydice afterwards were her rigging and masts above the surface of the water.
An Unexpected Storm
The Eurydice had quickly capsized in the storm as water gushed into its ports, trapping most on board in the hull. Those who managed to get out of the ship and into the water froze to death in the frigid waters. The schooner Emma picked up four survivors from the water, but two of those men later died. In total, 364 perished. Most of these men found their final resting place at the cemetery at Haslar Hospital in Portsmouth. The two men who survived claimed the captain did order the sails to be struck but the sudden storm did not provide enough time for the order to be executed.
The vessel was raised and taken to Portsmouth Harbour. A court martial concluded the ship foundered due to sudden and severe high winds and an extremely heavy snow storm. No blame was placed on the captain or crew for the ship’s demise.
The Phantom of the Eurydice
Ever since the sinking of the Eurydice, people have reported seeing a fully-rigged ghostly sailing ship moving at a high speed along the coastline, before suddenly disappearing. Some have reported seeing visions of the ship capsizing in a storm.
The captain of a British submarine, Captain Lipscombe, reported a near collision with a fully-rigged frigate in Sandown Bay in 1934. He claimed this ship appeared suddenly, as if from thin air, and forced him to make evasive maneuvers. The ship then disappeared just as suddenly as it appeared. Captain Lipscombe apparently had no knowledge of the sinking of the Eurydice all those years before.
Even the royal family is involved in this story. In 1998, Prince Edward spotted a sailing frigate off the Isle of Wight while filming a television show. The crew allegedly captured footage of the ghost ship but the film was damaged, resulting in only a small portion to be played on the show “Crown and Country.”
The tragedy of the HMS Eurydice is one of the worst peacetime naval disasters in British history. Some believe these stories to pure fantasy of imagination. But to those who claim to have seen this phantom ship, it is very, very real.