The Forfarshire - the largest paddle steamer ever built in Dundee was launched in 1834. On 5th September 1838 the Forfarshire set out from Hull toward Dundee with 61 passengers on board and a cargo of cotton. The power of her steam engines was reportedly reduced due to an onboard water pump and passing St Abbs Head the captain ordered the sails unfurled despite a heavy storm.
Weather conditions continued to deteriorate and the Captain made for shelter at the nearby Farne Islands. With minimal manoeuvring possible from the faltering engines and reliance upon the sails the ship ran aground and was torn apart by the raging storm. Eight crewmembers managed to escape in a small lifeboat but the remaining passengers and crew were at the mercy of the sea. By morning only the front section of the boat remained above water with a few people clinging to it.
Grace Darling, the daughter of the lighthouse keeper of Longstone Lighthouse spotted the wreck and realised there were people in dire need of assistance. She convinced her father into attempting a rescue and launched their open rowboat into the storm. Fighting high waves and heavy winds the pair rowed their boat for around a mile over to the wreck where they discovered nine people still alive, many clinging to the adjacent rocks.
Grace's father had to transfer onto the rocks to help carry the weakened survivors to the rowboat - leaving the 23-year old Grace to handle their boat alone and keep it from being smashed onto the rocks. It took two trips in the small open boat to ferry the remaining survivors back to land. Grace and her father William were to become the first recipients of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s Silver Medal.
The Mcmanus Galleries collection includes three paintings that celebrate the rescue.