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Calliope & Samoa Site Map
HMS Calliope prior to the Samoa Hurricane Wrecked Ship, SMS Adler after the Samoa Hurricane

SAMOA HURRICANE & HMS CALLIOPE

In Apia Harbour, Upolu, Samoa, March 1889, were congregated the warships of 3 great nations: the United States, Germany and Great Britain. As they prepared for human conflict, they were assaulted by nature, when a terrible hurricane battered the little port with the fiercest storm ever known in the islands - either before or since.

The American vessels USS Trenton and USS Vandalia, and the German vessels SMS Adler and SMS Eber, were destroyed, whilst the USS Nipsic and SMS Olga were forced to beach severely damaged. The many merchant ships in the harbour were lost.

Only the British man-of-war HMS Calliope, commanded by Captain Henry Kane, Royal Navy, managed to escape the death trap that Apia had become. Click on the image of the ships to find out more.

William Isaac Thorndale, a sailor on HMS Calliope during the Samoa Hurricane.

WILLIAM ISAAC THORNDALE

Scaramouche's great-grandfather was a sailor on HMS Calliope.
Click on his image to find out more about him.

Scaramouche The Fool

SCARAMOUCHE THE FOOL

The Origin of my Web Name is hidden deep in the mists of history.
Click on the character to find out more or contact me on this page.

Potton Plane Crashes

WARTIME PLANE CRASHES

A number of plane crashes occurred around Potton during World War Two.
Click the link for more.


Potton Town Square St Mary's Church, Potton

POTTON, BEDFORDSHIRE

Scaramouche has lived in the lovely village of Potton, Bedfordshire since 1986. Click on the link to see the Potton History Society web-site on the town, which has many details of the town in its heyday.

The photo of the town square was a link to go to the town council web site for other images but is now broken and the council sadly ignore my e-mails about it.

Click this link for data about the church's activities: St. Mary's Church and on the image of the church for some amazing panoramic views of the inside and outside of the building. If you are researching family who were based in the village in the past, one of our parishioners has compiled a list of the names on the graves in the churchyard, which was closed to new burials from 1882. He also happens to be the chairman of the Potton History Society mentioned above which has a wealth of information on past residents. Drop me a note using my contact form, and I'll put you in touch.


Dorothy Dorothy

DOROTHY HAGUE 1941-2008

This web-site is dedicated to the memory of my most precious and beautiful lady, and to her son, Stephen Burrows.




Come back! Even as a shadow, even as a dream!
You have not gone, while you live on in my heart.
The spirit smiles when you speak their name.
The Hurricane Jumpers - The Escape of HMS Calliope from the Hurricane at Samoa.

THE HURRICANE JUMPERS

Scaramouche, aka Graham Hague, has written a book about his great-grandfather, his life as a boy and man in Queen Victoria's Royal Navy, his ships, HMS Calliope, and her miraculous escape from the awesome hurricane at Samoa in March, 1889, and about the other people who were there.

Click on the image of the book to find out more about it, and how you could order a copy on-line. Take a quick look at a preview containing some extracts: Amazon Book Store.


My family name is HAGUE. Click on the name to get some historical information about it.

I have got as far back as my six-greats grandfather Hague on my father's side, and possibly a few generations further back, though they haven't been proven yet. I have got to twelve-greats grandparents on my mother's side.

This web-site is designed to be "responsive", i.e. to look good (or at least, acceptable) on any device.

If you think it can be improved on your device, contact me and tell me about it. I have deliberately chosen a reasonable font size for visually impaired visitors.

Author: Graham Hague. This web site has been relocated from Homecall (now Talk-Talk) in August 2016. As of 25th April 2017, the old site now only contains re-directs to the relevant pages on this site. You can contact me on this feedback submission page. Please note there are no adverts on ANY of the pages on this site (other than for my own book!) Links to other pages on this site open in the same window; links to external sites open in a new window. The Homecall pages are now automatic links to this web-site; if that is how you got here, please update any bookmarks you may have from the old site to this new site.

Site last updated Friday 2nd February, 2024.