The Elifrida, 7 January 1915
The Newcastle registered collier Elfrida was carrying 4,150 tons of coal from the Tyne to London. At 00.40 on the morning of Thursday 7 January She was taking soundings in dense fog in preparation for weighing anchor when she struck a mine two miles ENE of Scarborough. Fortunately, the sea was clam and the vessel took around twenty minutes to sink, allowing the entire crew of twenty-one men to get away in the ship’s two lifeboats. The boats became separated, one under the charge of the chief officer, E.M. Stephenson, spotted the lights of Scarborough and as they began to row towards the town, en route they were picked up by a minesweeper and landed at the West Pier at 5am. They were met by the agent of the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, Mr W.H. Ellis, and recuperated at Mrs Christian’s at 21 Sandside. The other lifeboat, containing thirteen men under the command of Captain William Pepperell, was picked up two hours after the sinking by the West Hartlepool register steamer the Glenesk. They were put ashore at Hartlepool. The contingent who had been landed at Scarborough, left the town on the 13.17 train and twenty-four hours after the sinking all of the crew were back in their homes in North and South Shields.
