A lifeboat disaster that saw 27 people die was seen as a natural disaster across England.
The Mexico set sail from Liverpool on December 5 1886 and was bound for Ecuador but just four days later she was caught in a violent wind, heavy seas and snow showers.
The barque became stuck on the sandbanks in the Ribble Estuary and two lifeboats were sent to rescue the crew.
READ MORE: COP26: Map shows parts of Merseyside that could be underwater in 10 years
Eliza Fernley from Southport and Laura Janet from St Anne’s were launched but capsized during the attempted rescue with 27 of the 29 crew members drowning.
A third lifeboat was then sent on its maiden rescue, Charles Briggs, and saved the 12 members of crew from the Mexico.
Southport’s Eliza Fernley was the first of the two capsized lifeboats to be sent out, after the Mexico's distress signals. As the boat approached the stuck ship, rough water and strong winds capsized the boat.
J ust two of the 16 members survived, Henry Robinson and John Jackson.
They managed to swim back to shore and raise the alarm, with their lifeboat washing up at Birkdale just two hours later.
20 minutes after Eliza Fernley was sent out from Southport, Laura Janet was released from St. Anne's but never reached the Mexico and was found washed up the next day. Due to there being no survivors it's still not clear what happened to the lifeboat.
The disaster is the worst in the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's history, with the 27 men who died leaving behind 16 widows and 50 children, according to the RNLI.
A public appeal was made to support the widows and children of those who had died during the rescue mission, of which was donated to by Queen Victoria and Kaiser Wilhelm.
The money also went towards six memorials. Some of the locations include Duke Street Cemetery in Southport, the promenade at St Anne's and St Cuthbert's Church.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
