S.T. Lily Melling FD222 | The Bosun's Watch

Additional information courtesy of Bob Baird, “Shipwrecks of the North of Scotland”.

Technical

Official Number: 127567
Yard Number: 394
Completed: 1908
Gross Tonnage: 246
Net Tonnage: 96
Length: 125.6 ft
Breadth: 22.1 ft
Depth: 12.1 ft
Built: Smith’s Dock Co Ltd, South Bank, Middlesbrough
Engine: 85hp T.3-cyl by N. E. Marine Engineering Co Ltd, Sunderland

History

24.9.1908: Launched by Smith’s Dock Co Ltd, South Bank, Middlesbrough (Yd.No.394) for The Melling Steam Trawling Co Ltd, Fleetwood as the LILY MELLING.
4.11.1908: Registered at Fleetwood (FD222). Henry Melling designated manager.
11.1908: Completed.
12.1914: Requisitioned for war service as a minesweeper (1-6pdr) (Ad.No.400). Based Stornoway.
26.9.1915: At 1.20 pm. Base received a W/T S.O.S. from HMS CARIBBEAN (5825grt/accomodation ship) on passage to Scapa Flow, in a heavy NE gale off Cape Wrath taking in water. At anchor in Loch Inchard, ordered to sail along with armed trawlers PRINCESS ALICE (Ad.No.2655) (SN15), IJUIN (Ad.No.2669) (CF35) and two armed yachts. Due to stress of weather yachts turned back and the three trawlers arrived at the casualty at 3.00 pm and stood by as crew of HMS CARIBBEAN attempted to stem ingress of water. At 9.00 pm. light cruiser HMS Birkenhead (P.No.9A) arrived on the scene but because of the weather could not approach to connect for tow. At midnight, with the casualty listing heavily to port it was decided to abandon and PRINCESS ALICE picked up some men swimming and one boat. With PRINCESS ALICE, boats from HMS BIRKENHEAD were towed to windward, allowed them to veer down on the casualty and together they took one officer and 45 men onboard bringing them to Stornoway.
27.9.1915: IJUIN stood by the wreck until she foundered at 7.15 am; fifteen men still missing. (Tug FLYING KESTREL (516grt/1913) ordered from Scapa had failed to find the casualty but took survivors from Stornoway to Scapa).
Post 12.3.1919: Returned to owner.
14.11.1919: Sold to Thomas F. Kelsall, Henry Robertson & Henry Blackburn, Fleetwood (Henry Blackburn, managing owner).
15.2.1920: Sold to Selby Trawlers Ltd, Fleetwood ( Henry Blackburn, manager).
12.3.1929: On morning tide outward for fishing grounds, ashore west side of Wyre channel. Run into by steam trawler YARMOUTH (FD334) which grounded on a groyne.
3.12.1929: Ran aground in Islay Sound and abandoned as a total loss.
23.12.1929: Fleetwood registry closed.
1930: Salved and repaired.
1933: Sold to William Gove, Torry, Aberdeen (managing owner).
18.9.1933: Registered at Aberdeen as GARELOCH (A.276).
18.8.1935: Left Methil after bunkering (100 tons). In dense fog stranded at Billow Ness near Anstruther bathing pool.* Badly holed and declared a CTL; broken up in situ.
20.9.1935: Aberdeen registry closed.
16.12.1935: BoT formal inquiry at the Sheriff Court, Aberdeen.

August 19 1935* Ran aground near Anstruther bathing pool in dense fog on the morning of 18 August. She had loaded over 100 tons of coal at Methil and was on her way back to Aberdeen with a skeleton crew when she ran aground and was badly holed.
When the tide receded she heeled sharply over on her port side, and one member of the crew was thrown on to the rocks, sustaining two broken ribs. The trawler lay so close to the shore that a number of visitors to the swimming pool swam out and boarded the vessel. With the return of the high tide in the evening she could not be refloated.
Declared CTL and broken up in situ. A boiler at 5612°910N, 0242°430W recorded by Maritime Fife during the Coastal Assessment Survey for Historic Scotland, Kincardine to Fife Ness in 1996, may be all that remains of the GARELOCH.

Note ** Excerpt from the forthcoming book: “Shipwrecks of the Forth and Tay”.
Wreck No: 159
Latitude: 56 12 56 N Longitude: 02 42 24 W
GPS Lat: 5612.939 N GPS Long: 0242.404 W
Location: Billowness, Pittenweem Area: Elie

Click to enlarge images

S.T. Lily Melling FD222
Picture courtesy of The Fred Baker Collection

S.T. Lily Melling FD222
Picture courtesy of The David Slinger Collection

Changelog
25/12/2008: Page published. 3 updates since then.
19/08/2017: Removed FMHT watermark from images.
08/04/2021: Updated history.