'Six men and a child - dead in the water': Sunderland ship's captain's report after the Titanic disaster

Captain H Harker from Havelock Terrace in Sunderland was the captain of a liner called the Gibraltar.

Seven bodies in the water

It was a ship which served the Lamport and Holt line and its route took it close to the site of the sinking in April 1912.

Captain Harker spotted seven bodies and the whole crew of the Gibraltar was stunned because of the circumstances of the find.

The ship had left Middlesbrough three days before Titanic hit the iceberg.

Sadly, the Gibraltar did not have any wireless equipment which meant it had no idea of the tragedy which had befallen the ship.

The crew had no idea of the tragedy at sea

Indeed, when the Gibraltar reached the scene, it was the first time anyone on board had known of the tragedy.

Our thanks go to local researcher Derek Holcroft who first made us aware of Captain Harker and his small role in a huge piece of history.

He also shared other Titanic links to Wearside with us.

A Sunderland-based steamship may well have been the last vessel to see the Titanic before she struck the iceberg.

The steamship Portland was carrying timber from Mobile Alabama to Grimsby when its officers spotted the Titanic at about 4pm on the afternoon before the tragedy.

A narrow escape for a Sunderland man

Unlike Titanic, the Portland found so much ice that it changed course to take a southerly route.

The Portland was another ship which did not have wireless on board, and it could not send or receive any messages.

The Portland spent 28 days navigating and changing course to avoid the ice.

One Sunderland man had a narrow escape from the tragedy.

Mr A. Donovan had intended to be on board the ship.

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But the Norfolk Street resident had to leave for America before Easter and left on another passenger steamer.

“But for this unforeseen change in his plans Mr Donovan would certainly have been a passenger the ill-fated liner,” said the Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette on April 17, 1912.

Our thanks to Derek for his contributions.

If you have a family story connected to the Titanic disaster, tell us more by emailing [email protected]