Mathilde

At the base of Blackgang Chine, the Dutch galiot Mathilde ran aground in a southerly breeze and heavy rain. The Wheeler family came to the aid of the ship’s crew, and the cargo was subsequently recovered and sold, providing locals with a lucrative opportunity.

She had being prepared for salvage when a strong tide lifted her off the ground, only to have her go aground again just beyond St. Catherine’s Point. Subsequently new plans for rescue were planned.

When everything was ready, she was hoisted upon baulks of wood and slowly lowered back into the water.

However, once again mother nature interfered and she began floating away in a stormy sea, this resulted in Mathilde eventually crashed on the rocks and cliffs and broke up.

• http://backofthewight.co.uk/mathilde.htm

• Back of the Wight – Fred Mew
• Shipwrecks of the Wight – J.C.Medland
• Shipwrecks of The Isle of Wight – Ken Phillips
• The Lifeboats of Brighstone Bay – Christopher J. Willis and Edward H. Roberts