Tugs And Tide Fail To Save Ship Wedged On Rocks. An aerial view taken last night showing the Varvassi still fast on the Needles. The Greek tangerine ship Varvasst, carrying 300 tons of tangerines, went on the rocks at the Needles, Isle of Wight. Lloyds experts are pazzled why the ship, and tugs which had stood by to drag her off abandoned their attempts. Needles Bridge, one of the three dreaded underwater spikes, is a notorious hazard and "there is a lamp-post on the corner" as one mariner described the Needles Lighthouse. January 6, 1947. (Photo by Keystone).