Special ceremony to commemorate maritime tragedy at Wick
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A TRAGIC maritime event is to be commemorated at a special ceremony in Wick at the weekend for what is thought to be the first time.
A flotilla of boats will gather in the bay on Sunday afternoon for a wreath-leaving ceremony as a tribute to those who died in August 1848 during Black Saturday and in other tragedies over the years.
The Seafarers Memorial Group is among those organising the event. The group is raising funds to erect a memorial at the town’s Braehead in memory of those lost at sea from or in the WK registration area.
Black Saturday occurred on the morning of August 19, 1848, and was described in reports at the time as a "fearful calamity". In Wick Bay, 37 fishermen from Caithness, the Western Isles and Orkney lost their lives, with many others perishing around the coast. For each of those lost, grieving families were left behind.
The tragic events unfolded after the boats had left port as usual on a Friday afternoon. By that evening, the beginnings of a colossal storm had become evident.
Many of the vessels began to head for home but in the early hours of the morning the severity of the storm caused boats to crash against each other as they tried to reach the mouth of the harbour.
Willie Watt, the chairman of the memorial group, said: "As far as we know, this will be the first time Black Saturday will be commemorated and we want this event to be a very fitting commemoration of what was a tragedy on a massive scale. The boats were in touching distance of Wick harbour when they came to grief."
Mr Watt explained that a flotilla led by the Wick Society’s historic Isabella Fortuna will leave the harbour and assemble in Wick Bay where wreaths will be laid in the area where the disaster occurred.
With the support of the RNLI and a number of locally based boats, the ceremony will include a two-minute silence and the reading of the names of those lost on Black Saturday 171 years ago. Flags, both onshore and on the boats, will be lowered to half-mast.
Members of the public can take up positions on the Braehead, the North Head and, where safety allows, on the north and south river piers. It is hoped the service can be broadcast to the public.
"A lot of people from all over the north died and we hope representatives from the other areas will be able to join in the event. It will be a moving ceremony," added Mr Watt.
Meanwhile, a painting depicting the terrible events of Black Saturday has been gifted to the Seafarers Memorial Group.
It was done by Wick artist Jo Sutherland and based on the original painting by Robert Anderson which hangs in the town hall.
Mr Watt, who received the painting on behalf of the group, is delighted with the gift. "We are very grateful to Jo for taking the effort to produce such a painting of Black Saturday. It is a unique contribution to the group which we use as a backdrop when we hold an event."
Ian Leith, a group committee member, said: "Jo wanted to donate the painting to us and we are delighted to get such a great gift."
On this week's special ceremony he added: "The event has the potential to be quite emotional as we commemorate the fact that so many lives were lost on that terrible day."
