June 3, 1863 Tsunami: W. Luzon Island, Philippines

Reference #414:

1863, June 3,1863, 19:20 [local time]. There was a catastrophic earthquake in Manila and adjacent provinces. It was comparable in force only with the earthquake of 1645. The water in Manila Bay retreated from the capital to Cavite, and then returned, moving in the opposite direction. The captains of two English frigates, riding in the bay, related that at about 19:30, a wave surged onto the ships from the southeast. It hit the ships and rolled over the decks, completely submerging them. The frigates shook and trembled as if they were being hit on the bottom. The water around churned and was covered with foam. A boat [or one of the frigates?] supposedly touched bottom at a depth of 18 m (10 fathoms). It was also said that the steamship "Esperanza" disappeared with all its crew. The sources note that after the earthquake the coast was constantly visited by storms, which almost paralyzed navigation. The sea inflicted heavy losses. Listed as possible tsunami.

Reference #3029:

1863 June 3, 7:20 p.m. Manila and near-by provinces. This ranks among the very destructive earthquakes of the city of Manila... "1863, June 3, 7h 25m p.m. Earthquake in Manila. J. Winchester, captain of the English frigate Caribbean and D. Cobb, captain of the English frigate John Banks, describe the action in the bay of Manila: '3, June, 7h 30m p.m. we saw a wave coming on us from the SE to NW. It struck us with such force that it came over the deck which it covered completely. The frigate shook and shivered strongly as if it had struck bottom. The water boiled around the ship in strong convulsions and it appeared whitish. On the side of the land we saw a flame rise up, which danced on the water like a ball for one minute.'" BG, I, 363, quoting Perrey, who, in turn, quotes Memoires of the Academy of Brussels, XVII (1865). "The governor of Luban notified this office that on the 3rd of this month, at 7:25 in the evening, a strong earthquake was felt in that pueblo. The direction could not be determined, for it seemed to come from all sides; distinct oscillations had been noted during the day. Calapan, June 17,1863." GM, July 18,1863.

Reference #10958:

1863 June 3. […] In Manila Bay, the wave action was observed by the captains on board two English frigates. They described the wave as coming from the SE to NW. It then struck their ships forcefully and water completely covered the deck. The frigate shook as if the ship has struck bottom; Water around ship convulsed and appeared whitish. Water receded from Manila and returned towards Cavite and receded back from Cavite […] Considering the veracity of the eyewitness accounts, however limited, tsunami probability is ranked as “positive”