This part of my web site is dedicated to the events in Samoa, March 1889, when a terrific hurricane battered the tiny bay named Apia Harbour, on the island of Upolu, and its various occupants. Four great men-of-war, two each German and American, were destroyed along with many other merchant ships. 150 men lost their lives, and only one fighting ship from each nation was eventually refloated and repaired.

In particular, the site also commemorates the British Man-Of-War HMS Calliope and her crew, and especially, my great-grandfather, Petty Officer (Captain of the Fore-Top) William Isaac Thorndale, who with his ship and crewmates, survived the disaster.