Caroline of Leigh
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Caroline of Leigh |
| Owner | Patrick Godfrey |
| Builder | A. H. Moody & Son Ltd. |
| Completed | 1979 |
| Fate | Sank on 14 December 1979 |
Caroline of Leigh was a Moody 36 yacht which sank three miles (4.8 km) off Lulworth Cove, Dorset, England on 14 December 1979 with the loss of four lives. Three bodies were subsequently washed ashore and the wreck was located in June 1980, but the cause of the sinking was never determined.
Caroline of Leigh was a newly built £35,000 Moody 36 yacht which was bought by Englishman Patrick Godfrey, who intended to take it Greece and use it for charter work in the Mediterranean.[1] On her maiden voyage to Bordeaux, France, Godfrey was accompanied by three German nationals: professional skipper Wilfried Niemann, seaman Lothar Griep and nurse Ursula Buths. The yacht departed A. H. Moody & Sons boatyard at Swanwick, near Southampton, on 12 December.[2] Due to rough weather conditions, the yacht called into Portland Harbour that night. The crew mistakenly believed that they were in Weymouth Harbour, but the naval authorities allowed the yacht to remain at Portland overnight. She then departed for Weymouth the following day.[3]
Despite an ongoing gale with force 10 winds, she departed Weymouth on 14 December 1979 and sank under mysterious circumstances off the coast of nearby Lulworth Cove, with the loss of all four on board.[4][5] The yacht was equipped with the latest navigational aids and safety equipment, but no distress calls were made.[1]
The first indication of the sinking was the recovery of a storm jacket, containing personal documents belonging to Griep, at Chapman's Pool on 18 December 1979.[5] A body, later identified as belonging to Niemann, was discovered at Chapman's Pool on 28 December 1979, followed by the recovery of Griep's body in the same area on 2 January 1980.[6] Godfrey's badly decomposed body was washed ashore on Chesil Beach on 10 February 1980.[7]
Owing to the undetermined circumstances surrounding the sinking, an open verdict was recorded at the inquest.[4] The body of Buths was never recovered, although authorities reported that the discovery of a leg bone in a tracksuit, found wrapped around a lobster pot off Swanage by fishermen on 26 July 1982, possibly belonged to her.[8][9]
