Lucerne

About half-past two, the lights of a vessel making for the harbour were dimly seen, and a keen glance rendered evident that she too had got to the wrong side »f the pier, and a few minutes more, and the brig Lucerne, of Blyth, was ashore just outside the Cora, which had by this time turned head to sea and against which the waves dashed her with such force that their timbers could be heard creaking and crashing in a manner that told plainly of impending destruction. The crew availed themselves of their proximity to the Cora to jump into her, but the flow of the tide, and the increasing fury of the waves rendered it impossible for them to avail themselves of the mode of escape which the crew of the Cora had resorted to. Help was, however, hand. A few of the more experienced of the life brigade men, carrying their gear them, made their way down the pier, a service of no small danger, for the waves were continually sweeping bodily over it, and now and again many of them had to catch at the rails laid down the parapet, their comrades- anything they could get to keep themselves from being swept over into the deep water on the north side, where they would have been hopelessly lost. Though drenched to the skin, and with the salt spray dashing in their face, they manfully held on their way, and on getting opposite the Cora they were able to throw the hand lead on her deck, and in a few minutes longer the whole of the crew of the Lucerne were safely got ‘on to the pier, whence they were taken to the Half Moon public-house. Before they had left the pier, however, they had seen the last of their vessel, which, yielding to the furious assaults' of the waves, turned over with her deck seaward, and in little over ten minutes from the time they left her she had gone to pieces. The crew of the Lucerne rescued, the life brigadesmen began to hope that with the near approach of morning they had got over their work, but their expectation was a vain one, and about half-past three they saw the rapidly approaching lights of the fourth vessel doomed to meet her fate.

The Lucerne was a handsome new vessel, belonging to Blyth, and is the property of Mr Watt, of that port. She was manned by the following crew:—Captain Manners, George Brown, mate, William Morris, Nicholas Oliver, Wm. Wood, John McDonald, Joseph Hall, and Joseph Whisk, the whole of whom, far as we could learn, belong to Blyth. She was bound from London to Blyth in ballast.

Source: Shields Daily Gazette 7-8th of January 1867

On Sunday morning January 6th 1867 @ 12-30 a.m. during a heavy gale from NNE & strong sea the brig Mary Mac of Whitstable in entering the harbour mistook the light on the South Pier for Harbour lights & ran ashore on the South Pier rocks, the “Margee” of Whitstable & the brig “Lucerne” of Blyth followed the first named vessel’s course & they all drove ashore the signal guns were fired and the “Tyne” manned by 17 hands Providence 18 hands Northumberland 18 hands all proceeded down to render what assistance they could but owing to the position of the vessels on the rocks they were unable to get alongside the crews were rescued by the South. Shields Life Brigade with the exception of 2 boys drowned, the Lucerne & Margee broke up

Tyne’s crew (17 hands)

George Smith	Geo Chambers
John Purvis	Thos Brown
Wm Wright	Thos Young
Mathew Young	John Shotton
Wm Wright 2nd	Wm Young
David Young	Robert Purvis
Wm Tinmouth	Henry Young
John Wells	Thos Marshall
Mathew Heslop

Providence crew (18 hands)

Andrew Harrison	James Purvis
George Ayre	Wm Marshall
John Ridley	Henry Johnson
William Burn	Robert Lang
Robert Shotton	Robert Wilson
Frederick Young	George Brown
Ralph Thew	Mathew Young
William Bedlington	Robert Chambers
Thomas Stephenson	John Bone

Gilbert Young	John Stobbs
Henry Sadler	Magnes Almer
Thomas Mould	William Foster
Robert Amour jun	William Stevens
Michael McInlay	William Bogie
James Milton	Moses English
Robert Amour sen	James Smith
Henry Towns	James Turnbull
Peter Marshall	John Watson

Source: Tyne Lifeboat Institution Service Record