Category Archives: Sailing Trawlers

Sailing Trawlers

sv Sturgeon FD??

Additional information courtesy of Christine Simm

Technical and historical information needed about this vessel. Please contact webmaster@fleetwood-trawlers.info

Technical

Official Number: 55233.
Net Registered Tonnage: 21
Rig: Dandy – trawling

History

1866: Completed at Dublin, iron built, for Irish Sea Fishery Ltd, 176 Brunswick Street, Dublin as STURGEON.
12.6.1866: Registered at Dublin.
1871: Sold to Henry McKelvey, Ballyhemlin, Co. Down.
1873: Sold to Nicholas Wright, Fleetwood. Dublin registry closed. Registered at Lancaster.
27.3.1874: Fishing off the Cumberland coast. Started for home.
28.3.1874: A little after 1.00am. stranded on Digg’s Scar, near Ravenglass. Crew rescued but expected that nothing will be saved. The smack had about 6,500 oysters onboard.

Changelog
17/09/2023: Page published.

sv Eva – FD184

Additional information courtesy of Christine Simm

Technical
Length: 30 ft
Breadth: 9 ft
Depth: 3.6 ft

History
1895: Built at Glasson Dock.
28/08/1913: In ownership of Richard Wright and Ernie Salthouse.
06/09/1913: Richard Kirkham Wright was charged under the Merchant Shipping Act for failing to letter and number his vessel in such a manner as to comply with the regulations of the Board Of Trade, the height of the figures being 4 3/4″ instead of 10″. The defendant pleaded guilty to a technical offence and was fined 10/- plus costs.

Click to enlarge image

sv Eva FD184

sv Eva FD184
Picture courtesy of The David Slinger Collection

Changelog
13/09/2023: Page published.
30/01/2024: Minor update to history.

s.v. Overton – FD??

Information courtesy of Christine Simm

Technical

Official Number: 19835
Net Registered Tonnage: 24
Length: 40.00 ft
Breadth: 16.00 ft
Depth: ?? Feet
Built: James Woodhouse & Son, Overton, 1852
Rig: Smack – trawling

History

5.1852: Launched by James Woodhouse & Son, Overton for William Paley, Preston as OVERTON. Elm planked. After launch taken to Glasson for completion. Cost to build £292/296.
12.6.1852: Royal Mersey Yacht Club first sailing match of the season. Regretted that the smack could not be got ready for the race.
19.7.1852: Sailed to Preston.
24.6.1852: Registered at Preston.
3.9.1853: Reported that a case was brought by Thomas Woodhouse, son of James Woodhouse for full payment for the OVERTON by the owner William Paley. The case was complicated by the lack of proper paperwork being available to the Court and other issues. After much deliberation and often contradictory evidence, the Court found in favour of the plaintiff. Mr Paley asked for the right to appeal, but this was denied and the money paid in Court.
7.12.1855: Appropriated.
1862: Sold to Timothy Cragg, Fleetwood.
16.10.1868: On the fishing grounds when a gale sprung up, the sea was not high but there was a ‘chopping swell.’ Lost all the fishing gear.
14.1.1870: Fishing in the Irish Sea (Sk. Rimmer). At Fleetwood landed a halibut, 5 ft long, 2ft 6 inches wide, weighing 104lbs.
17.1.1873: Fishing about six miles E by N from the Morecambe Lightship (Sk. Rimmer) along with other smacks of the Fleetwood fleet. At about 8.10am. observed a large screw steamship approaching and as she came closer they called out to put her helm hard-a-port as she was coming right upon them. No notice was taken and almost immediately the steamer struck the smack.The steamer stopped her engine at once but still had way on her, and the crew, skipper, mate, James Pater, Charles Pater, Edward Leece and the cook Edward Rimmer, son of the skipper, scrambled up the anchor chain of the steamer and on to her deck. The smack foundered quickly. The steamer proved to be the Belfast registered SEMAPHORE (560grt/1855), Londonderry for Liverpool and they were carried on and landed at Liverpool at about 11.40am. Sk Rimmer complained that no effort was made to save his crew and they were landed at Liverpool with no courtesy or expression of regret. Several fishing boats including NIMBLE (FD11), ROYAL CONSORT (FD75) and MARGARET AGNES (FD10) were close to the scene and observed the collision, hauling their nets, the three ran down to the spot where the accident happened to render assistance. Fleetwood registry closed.

Changelog
07/09/2023: Page published.

sv Reindeer – SH62

Additional information courtesy of Christine Simm and George Westwood

Technical
Official Number: 5923
Completed: 1846
Registered Tonnage: 35
Length: 50.4 ft
Breadth 15.3 ft
Depth: 7.8 ft
Rig: Sloop

History
1846: Completed by John Richardson, Brixham for own account (64/64) as REINDEER.
9.1848: At Hull.
29.6.1849: Along with FAWN reported arrived Fleetwood from Hull.
6.1851: Purchased by Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Co Ltd, Manchester. Capt Dode designated manager. Fishing out of Fleetwood.
17.4.1855: Registered at Fleetwood O.N.5923.
27.8.1856: Sold to William Warren Perkings, Scarborough. Fleetwood registry closed. Registered at Scarborough (SH62).
26.9.1856: Remeasured 31.03nrt. 50.6 x 15.3 x 7.6
9. 6.3.1861: Sold to James Sellers, Scarborough.
19.1.1865: Sold to John Payne, Scarborough.
24.2.1875: Sold to Joseph Hemingway, Benjamin Brooke and Daniel Randall Jackson, Scarborough.
2.5.1875: Sold to Benjamin Brooke.
1877: Broken up. Scarborough registry closed.

Changelog
21/07/2023: Page published.

sv Mary James – CO6

Additional information courtesy of Maurice Voss and Christine Simm

Technical

Official Number: 78323.
Tonnage: 47n.r.t.
Built: J.W. & A. Uphams, Brixham
Rig: Ketch

History

1878: Completed by J.W. & A. Uphams, Brixham for John Petherbridge James, Brixham as MARY JAMES.
27.8.1878: Registered at Brixham (DH102).
8.11.1878: Off Start Point in gale force NNW winds with heavy squalls and violent showers, fell in with the Penzance smack IDEA (PZ482), which had her mainsail blown away while fishing and had become unmanageable. Connected and delivered Brixham.
4.3.1880: Put a fisherman onboard the Halifax, Nova Scotia, schooner CORA (56n.r.t./1851), Antwerp for Hong Kong with general, having a portion of her cargo shifted. Piloted to anchor in Tor Bay.
1.10.1886: At about 9.30pm, one of eight trawlers fishing under full sail in a SSE wind. Suddenly the wind fell away to dead calm followed by a full gale from the NNW, throwing the smack to lee and carrying away the mainsail. The gale lasted for about one hour during which canvas was reduced and a jury mainsail rigged to enable a return to Brixham.
30.4.1887: Reported that the smack had sailed to fish in the North Sea, one of sixteen trawlers that had left Brixham for the East Coast to date.
9.1.1890: Returned to Brixham with loss of her trawling gear, having parted the trawl warp about twenty fathoms from the shackle when fishing on the Clumps off Start Point.
23/24.1.1890: Following a series of gales, eighteen large steamers sought shelter in Tor Bay, one of whom, while riding the gales, lost her anchor and cable.
25.1.1890: Smack engaged to recover which was undertaken successfully.
13/14.10.1891: Gale force winds on the South Devon coast. Fishing near Berry Head, nearly all the Brixham trawler fleet were caught with their trawls down and suffered damage to sails, masts and rigging. Mizzen mast carried away. All smacks belonging to Brixham safe.
10/11.11.1891: In a S then SSE gale switching to WNW gale in the forenoon, parted the trawl warp and lost all her trawl gear.
6.9.1892: Mr John Petherbridge James (73), 1 Torbay Terrace, Brixham passed away following a heart attack.
24.9.1892: Mr S. T. Dugdall will sell by auction on Saturday at Banfield’s George Hotel, the fishing ketch, “MARY JAMES.”
10.1892: Sold to Thomas Lee Manchester, Westfield, Pwllhelii, Carnarvon.
1.11.1892: Brixham registry closed. Registered at Carnarvon (CO6).
30.12.1889: Converted to ketch rig.
1900: Sold to Arthur Anderson, Wholesale Fish Market, Liverpool & others. Arthur Anderson designated managing owner.
1903: Sold to Arthur Anderson and Robert McEwan Anderson, Wholesale Fish Market, Liverpool. Arthur Anderson designated managing owner.
1911: Sold to John H. Collins, 39 Derwent Street, Stratford, Manchester. John H. Collins designated managing owner.
14.2.1811: Arrived Glasson Dock (Herbert, master) from Fleetwood for docking and survey by Nicholson & Sons.
1915: Change of address. John H. Collins, 42 Park Road, Stratford, Manchester.
1918: Change of address. John H Collins “Yvoemar” Abercrombie Road, Fleetwood.
5.6.1918: At Fleetwood Police Court, two lads were charged with stealing 161/2 lbs of soles, value £2 8s from the smack, the property of Joseph Holmes. William Mellor, mate, stated that he locked up the smack at 5.30pm on the 2nd June and when he returned at 6.00am the following day he found that someone had broken into the trawler and the soles were missing. Early that morning, John Croft, fishermen saw the accused in his punt in which they had the stolen fish. Croft reported the lads to the police and they were arrested. Each lad was bound over for 12 months.
4.1920: Sold to René Vandeput, Oostende. Carnarvon registry closed. Registered at Oostende as MARY JAMES (O45).
1920: Remeasured – 32,24n.r.t.
19.10.1921: Registered at Oostende as GENERAL JACQUES (O160).
27.6.1922: When some 4 miles SWbyW of the Noordhinder Lightship, struck a mine and foundered. Crew picked up and landed safely. Oostende Registry closed.

Changelog
20/06/2023: Page published.