A lifebelt from the largest sailing vessel ever built, the seven-masted ‘Thomas W. Lawson, which ended her short career off Annett, Isles of Scilly, in December 1907. Built in the steam age, in an attempt to show that sail could still be competitive, she was designed with fore-and-aft rig and donkey engines at each mast to raise her enormous areas of canvas – over 40,000 square feet in all, or almost an acre. She had a crew of 18 when a similar-sized steamer would have required anything up to fifty. 395 ft long overall, she was carrying 2,225,000 gallons of paraffin oil, when following a rough Atlantic crossing she was brought to anchor in Broad Sound, only six of her sails remaining serviceable. Here it was hoped she could ride out the storm and when the St Agnes lifeboat reached her the Captain would only agree to taking a pilot on board. Charlotte Dorrien-Smith remembered: ‘The Captain hoisted no signals of distress and said he did not consider himself in any danger. With his tackle he could have ridden out any storm on the American coast, but alas, not here.’ During the following night, as the gale reached 90 mph, the ship’s cables parted and she was driven helplessly onto Shag Rock, west of Annett, capsizing and throwing her crew into the sea. Next morning, floating wreckage suggested to those watching on St Agnes what must have occurred and the St Agnes gig ‘Slippen’ set out in high seas to search for survivors. Those who could be seen on Annett were dead by the time the weather made a landing possible but later a seaman from London was found on an island: he subsequently died. ‘Slippen’ continued to search and on Hellweathers the master and engineer were found. Frederick Cook Hicks, son of the pilot who had been lost, swam a line through the surf to make an heroic rescue but all the remaining crew died.

‘Thomas W. Lawson’ details at time of wreck. 7-masted steel schooner of 5218 tons, registered in Boston, Mass. Built by Fore River Eng. Co., Quincy, Mass., 1902. Dimensions (in feet and tenths): 375.6 x 50.0 x 22.9. Owner: Coastwise Transportation Co. Registered voyage: Philadelphia to London. Cargo: paraffin oil. Master at loss: George Dow. Wrecked: 14 December 1907.