The S.S. MALTA was owned by the CUNARD STEAMSHIP COMPANY and was built in 1865 by J. & G. Thomson Shipbuilders, Glasgow. This early transitional steamship was powered by both sails and a 212 horsepower compound steam engine and fitted with a modern screw propeller.

The MALTA was an elegant iron hulled ship that had a streamlined clipper ship bow which was adorned with a magnificent golden female figurehead. The ship had twin masts and was Brigantine rigged, carrying square sails on the foremast and fore & aft sails on the mainmast. the ship was 305 ft long, had a beam of 39ft and a displacement of 2244 gross tons.

The MALTA was launched on the 9th October 1865 and started her service on 20th February 1866, she transported both passengers and cargo, initially servicing the transatlantic shipping routes but later the ship changed to the Mediterranean service.

The fateful voyage began on 14th October 1889 when the S.S. MALTA departed from Liverpool, bound for Genoa and Venice via Falmouth. The ship was carrying a full complement of 42 crew members, 21 passengers and 2,000 tons of general cargo, the weather was clear with a moderate South Westerly breeze. At 8.55 pm the ship was clear of the land and the South Stack lighthouse had been sighted off the port beam, Captain Richard Lavis passed the order to steer a South Westerly course and “full steam ahead”

The S.S MALTA was now making her top speed of nine knots and this continued throughout the night, at 8.10 am the next morning the Captain altered course to South by West and this was maintained until 5.50 pm when he changed course again to South South West. No lighthouses had been seen to confirm the ships position, so at 7 am the captain ordered the ships speed to be reduced and the sounding lead made ready to ascertain the depth of seawater. Before the depth sounding operation could be carried out a noise was heard off the port side and soon after the S.S. MALTA steamed straight into the cliffs at Kenidjack Castle.

The MALTA quickly ground to a halt and was stuck fast on the rocks, she was so close inshore that the ship’s bowsprit was virtually touching the cliff face. Fortunately the sea was calm and the ship’s lifeboats were launched easily, by 8.30 pm all the passengers had been safely landed ashore. The crew remained onboard and made efforts to get the ship off the rocks, but the ship was slowly filling with seawater, at midnight the Captain gave the order to “abandon ship” and the crew stood by in the lifeboats until 8.30 am the next morning. Captain Lavis was the last to leave the stricken ship when the MALTA filled with water and became a total wreck. Throughout the day the local fishing boats arrived at the scene to retrieve the cargo that was floating free from the ship’s cargo holds.

The Board of Trade enquiry into the loss of the S.S MALTA proved that a navigational error was the primary cause and that Captain Lavis had not applied the compass deviation correctly, or taken into account the effect of the tide on the ships course. The Court ordered that Captain Lavis had his licence suspended for three months.

No lives were lost during the wreck of the S.S. MALTA, however one local man was drowned near the wreck after he overloaded his boat with salvaged goods from the shipwreck and it capsized.

Research and story by Robin Langford.