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Through theHurst Narrows:SS VarvassiFrom its vantage point opposite the Needles,Hurst Castle is no stranger to shipwrecks,many of them off the Needles, barely 1.5kmacross the Solent. Among them was the SSVarvassi, which went down in January 1947.crossing until, on Saturday 4 January,Captain Coufopandelis stopped the enginesnear the Needles in order to pick up a pilotto guide him through the Solent. In a strokeof bad luck, the engines failed to restart,and as the vessel drifted out of control onthe rising tide, it wasn’t long before she hitthe rocks and became wedged fast.A Trinity House pilot was immediately takenon board but, hoping that his ship could berefloated on the next tide, the captaindeclined the offer of help from Yarmouthlifeboat. Instead, a tug from Southampton,the Calshot, attempted to pull the Varvassiclear of the rocks. As the weatherdeteriorated, with rough seas andincreasingly poor visibility, the ship’sbottom began to grind on the rocks, yet stillthe Calshot tried to refloat her, and thelifeboat was again turned away.The 3,875-ton steam-powered freighter, builtby the Northumberland ShipbuildingCompany, was launched at Howdon-on-Tynein November 1914. Originally christenedBronze Wings, she was renamed Noelle, thenLady Charlotte, before Greek ownershipbrought a change of style to Moscha DKydoniefs, under which name the ship didconvoy duty between Europe and NorthAmerica during World War II. Her final namechange, to Varvassi, came only in 1946.As they boarded the Varvassi at Annaba inAlgiers, the largely Greek and SouthAmerican crew had no indication that thiswould be different to any other sea-goingjob: a standard haul from the Mediterraneanto the English Channel. Tucked down in thehold was a heady cargo of tangerines andwine, bound for Southampton, plus a load ofiron ore en route to Boulogne. Also on boardwas a small herd of heifers to provide meatfor the journey, while some of the crew hadbrought pets – cats and canaries – to keepthem company on the voyage.It seems to have been an uneventfulBy the following morning it was clear thatthe vessel was beyond help, and the orderwas given to abandon ship. With thelifeboat now back on the scene for the thirdtime, all 35 members of the crew, plus thecaptain and the pilot, were rescued andtaken safely to Yarmouth. Some, however,returned to the ship the following day tofeed the cattle and try to salvage what theycould, but the weather wasn’t on their side.The animals were slaughtered; almosteverything else went down with the ship.For sailors in 1947, huge barrels of winebobbing around in the sea added anunusual hazard to Solent navigation, as didheavy baulks of timber later in the year asthe Varvassi began to break up. Localbeachcombers, though, revelled in theunexpected bounty – though the tangerineswere said to be past their best.Today, 75 years later, parts of the ship stilllie in shallow waters about 150m west ofthe Needles lighthouse, her boilersoccasionally breaking the surface at lowtide: an ongoing hazard to shipping and aconstant lure for divers.Tricia Hayne, Membership Secretary, Friendsof Hurst Castle. The group was formed in 1986to support this historic building, which isowned by English Heritage. Why not join us?For details, contact trjhayne@gmail.comPlease mention The Village Voice when responding to adverts9