The sea was riding high that day
And the winds were howling through the rigging
But when Captain Ferguson took his vessel out
Many graves he would be digging

She left Stranrear on the night of fifty three
To Larne, Princess Victoria would sail
But the cargo doors weren't robust enough
As she ploughed into this awesome gale

The crew fought bravely with the damaged doors
That the waves had twisted and tore
But the rising sea came pouring in
Soon this ship would be no more

An S O S was promptly sent out
As the power failed all around
And the out of control vessel she listed hard
It was clear she was going down

The women and children huddled down below
While men clambered along the swaying deck
But the boat lurched sidewards and slipped below
Steam and smoke spewed from its stack

The rescue boats picked up some men
But all the women and children they were gone
133 lives went down with her that night
That night when it all went wrong

In ninety metres of water Victoria creaks
She's lay creaking from that night of fifty three
But we can't ask why the captain sailed her out
Cause' down with the ship went he

 
                     Gerald J Tate