ALMOST 210 years to the day, Weymouth’s Tall Ship Pelican commemorated the sinking of the Earl of Abergavenny ship, in collaboration with Portland Museum.

Students from Thornlow Preparatory School and Dorset Studio School went on board the Pelican in Weymouth Harbour, where they enjoyed a local history experience which included a tour of the ship, an opportunity to see real artefacts from the Earl of Abergavenny and learn about what happened to the Abergavenny in 1805.

The pride of the East India Company, the Earl of Abergavenny was a 54-metre fully-rigged ship completed in 1796. She is comparable to TS Pelican which is 45 metres.

The Earl of Abergavenny got into trouble in Weymouth Bay after hitting the Shambles with a pilot on board and sank one-and-a-half miles from Weymouth Harbour on the evening on February 5, 1805.

Two-hundred and sixty three lives were lost, including that of the Captain John Wordsworth, brother of the poet William.

While on board TS Pelican, students learned what happened to the ship to make it sink and what precautions are taken today to make sailing much safer.

Becky Simmons, marketing and fundraising officer at Adventure Under Sail, said: “Engaging young people in local history is really important to us.

“We wanted to take advantage of having a tall ship as a back drop to bring the experience to life for them. Lisa, David and Ed from Portland Museum were fantastic to work with and the students really enjoyed looking at artefacts and being shown around the ship.”

Members of the public wanting to learn more about the Earl of Abergavenny are invited to join TS Pelican’s day sail from Weymouth on April 12.

The ship will be sailing through Weymouth bay and visiting the place where the Abergavenny sank, to lay a wreath.

Members of Portland Museum will again be on board and will be displaying artefacts from the Abergavenny and talking about the events of the past.

  • For more information, please contact Adventure Under Sail on 01305 858274 or visit adventureundersail.com