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The Bosun's Watch
S.T. Rockliffe FD98
| Official Number | 124683 |
| Yard Number | 270 |
| Launched | 1906 |
| Gross Tonnage | 240 |
| Net Tonnage | 63 |
| Length | 126.8 ft |
| Breadth | 22.0 ft |
| Draught | 12.7 ft |
| Engine | T.3-cyl by W. V. V. Lidgerwood, Glasgow |
| Built | J. Duthie, Sons & Co, Aberdeen, 1906 |
| Owner | W.H.Sutcliffe, Fleetwood |
| 1906 | Completed by J. Duthie, Sons & Co, Aberdeen (Yd.No.270) for W. H. Sutcliffe, Fleetwood as ROCKLIFFE. |
| November 07 1906 | Registered at Fleetwood (FD98). |
| November 11 1907 | Homeward from the Minch grounds (200 boxes) in heavy rain and poor visibility, wind WSW force 3, ran on rocks 2 miles south of Craig Laggan beacon, Portobello Bay, The Rinns of Galloway. Vessel badly holed; crew of ten abandoned and saved. |
| 1908 | Steamer RETRIEVER salved machinery and other equipment but bad weather halted attempt to refloat. Wreck abandoned. At subsequent BOT inquiry, skipper's ticket suspended for 6 months and mate's ticket for 3 months. |
| Note | Lost at Corsewall Point on the Rhinns of Galloway. ROCKLIFFE was making her way back to Fleetwood in heavy rain and fog with the wind at WSW force 3. Visibility was almost zero. She had 200 boxes of fish in her hold when she ran onto the rocks.
Below decks a huge gash could be seen in her hull through which water was pouring. As it was painfully clear that nothing could be done to save the stricken vessel, the crew of ten abandoned her and climbed up a sheer cliff to safety.
A subsequent inquiry into the loss found that the skipper, Thomas Perry, was at fault and suspended his certificate for 6 months. The mate, Thomas Millross was suspended for 3 months. The following year saw a salvage attempt when the salvage vessel Retriever managed to save engine, boiler, dynamo, anchors, chains and other equipment. Bad weather made further attempt at salvage impossible and Rockliffe was abandoned to the sea.
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