VIRTUE PETTIT M73
ANDREW WILSON M73
Launch on 29th September 1958
Barry Banham Photo Collection
[See below, as ANDREW WILSON]
Official No: 300164 Port Number and Year: 1st in Milford 1959
20th in Milford 1981
Description: Steel side trawler. Motor vessel, oil burner.
Crew: 11 men
Registered at Milford: 15 Jan 1959
Built: by Richards Iron Works, Horn Hill, Lowestoft in 1959. (Yard no. 444)
Tonnage: 181.49 gross 64.13 net
Length / breadth / depth (feet): 106.4 / 23.3 / 9.75
Engine: 5-cyl. 550 bhp.10 kts. H. Widdop & Co., Keighley, Yorks.
Owners:
As VIRTUE PETTIT M73:
17 Jan 1959: Pettit & Youds, Docks, Milford
Manager Owner: Joseph Arthur Pettit, 'Eversleigh House', Great North Rd., Milford
15 Aug 1967: James Wilson, 62 Larkholme Lane, Fleetwood
G. Antoniazzi, 75 New Rd., Hook, Haverfordwest.
Manager: James Wilson.
18 Jan 1968: Renamed ANDREW WILSON
16 Jan 1979: Bruno Linke, 'Camelot', Mastlebridge, Neyland. (64/64)
24 May 1979: G. Antoniazzi, 75 New Rd., Hook, Haverfordwest. (38/64)
Kenneth Lodge, 4 Waterloo Rd., Hakin (26/64)
Landed at Milford: 14 Feb 1959 - 14 Jul 1967
Skippers: Jack Ryan, Grenville Beckett (1960-65); J. Clarke, J. Bruce, George Birchwood, John Hewer Macmillan, John H. Banks, Fred D. Thompson, M.W.Oldman, James Broadie 4 Dec 1978 - 15 Aug 1979; J. Clarke Sep-Oct 1979; J. Donovan Oct 1979 - Feb 1980; J. Rogers Apr 1980- Jan 1981
Notes:
Cert. Cancelled & Milford Registry Closed: Jan 1984. Vessel broken up
Accidents and Incidents:
From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 26th September 1958:
One New Trawler and Three Converted
Another ultra-modern motor trawler for the Milford fleet will be launched at the Lowestoft yard of Messrs. Richards Ironworks on Monday for the firm of Messrs. Pettit and Youds. The launching ceremony will be performed by Mrs. Virtue Pettit of Milford Haven, and will bear her name, the M.T. Virtue Pettit. She is a sister ship to the 116
1 ft. "hake" class vessel Picton Sea Eagle owned by Picton Trawlers Ltd., and is expected to be in service within eight or nine weeks — a valuable addition to Milford's catching power. Today (Friday) Mr. E. E. Carter's "hake" class trawler Milford Star sails from Appledore for Milford after being converted from coal to oil burning at Messrs. C. K. Harries' yard. She was bought from Aberdeen earlier this year and was formerly the Star of the East. This week-end also at Messrs. Richards Ironworks Lowestoft yard, Mr. W. H. Kerr's drifter trawler Deelite is on her trials after conversion from coal to diesel power and she will rejoin the Milford fleet early next month. Another vessel of the same firm, the Deelux, is also being converted and when she is completed Messrs. Kerr's will have an all-diesel fleet. ...............Altogether21 vessels will be oil or diesel powered at the port by the end of the year — nearly half the total fleet of forty-six ships.
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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 30th January 1959:
The new trawler Virtue Pettit is expected to land her first trip at Milford Haven on Monday. Owned by Messrs. Pettit and Youds, this 116ft. ultra modern vessel sailed from Lowestoft in charge of Skipper Jack Ryan with a Milford crew. She landed her first trip's catch at the east Coast port and grossed £1,016 from 1,592 stones of fish, thus matching what was expected of her - a fine start.
She is now fishing on the West Coast grounds with other Milford trawlers this week. Her arrival at Milford makes the addition of an impressive new catching unit to the Milford fleet.
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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 10th September 1965:
Mr. Chester Knapp, a Polish cook on the trawler Virtue Pettit, fell into Milford dock on Thursday afternoon while climbing about his boat and was rescued by workers on the fish market.
Mr. David Thompson, 14 Observatory Avenue, Hakin (a member of Mr. Walter Davies' staff) and Mr. William John, 52 Coombs Drive, (who works for Messrs. Larvis) saw the accident, jumped down on to the trawler deck, then on to a painter's pram alongside, pulled it round the ship and lifted Mr. Knapp aboard.
It was a tricky operation as the heavily built victim was barely conscious, having hit his head before reaching the water.
Mr. Thompson applied artificial respiration while Dr. Keane and the Docks' P.C. Phillips were quickly o the scene in response to a 999 call.
After medical treatment the injured man was conveyed to the County Hospital.
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From the West Wales Guardian, possibly of Friday 28th July 1967:
There is speculation in Milford fishing circles this week over the fate of the former Pettit and Youds' trawler Virtue Pettit, which was re-possessed by the White Fish Authority last week. At present the vessel is in Milford Docks lying alongside the Hector Gull, the stern hake trawler, similarly out of commission.
According to reports, the trawler is to be put up for sale. However, it seems very unlikely that the trawler will remain at the port. She will probably sail to one of the East Coast ports as soon as she is sold.
The Virtue Pettit was owned by Mr. Joe Pettit whose family has been fishing from Milford for generations. The ship was built under a financial arrangement with the
White Fish Authority especially for the Milford fishing industry, and was launched at Lowestoft in 1959. However, we understand that the trawler had been making an unacceptable financial return and had, indeed, been laid up during the winter. .............
With the departure of the Virtue Pettit in the wind, the Milford fishing fleet is reduced to 19 ships, the lowest figure for well over 60 years.
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From a local newspaper, probably the Pembrokeshire Telegraph of Wednesday 16th August 1967:
Hopes that the recently laid-up Milford trawler Virtue Pettit would remain at Milford were shattered this week with the news that the vessel has been bought by a Fleetwood firm, Messrs. Hazael Fishing Co. Her new port at Fleetwood will bring the Virtue Pettit nearer the fishing grounds of the North Sea and the Hebrides which she has been fishing of late.
A crew from Fleetwood is expected to arrive at Milford today or Thursday to take over the trawler.
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As ANDREW WILSON
Courtesy of the North East Lincolnshire Council Library Service
From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 24th November 1978:
One of Milford's post-war diesel trawlers may be returning to join the local fleet if skipper and trawler owner Mr. Bruno Linke is successful in negotiations he is involved in at Fleetwood this week.
The 106 ft. trawler up for sale is the Andrew Wilson, built in 1959 by Messrs. Pettit of Milford, and originally named the Virtue Pettit. The trawler left the local fleet in 1967.
Mr. Linke already owns one trawler at Milford, the Westerdale, and previously owned the now-scrapped Lord Rodney, in which his business associate was Milford Marine and Salvage firm director Mr. Pino Antoniazzi.
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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 1st December 1978:
As forecast in the "Guardian" last week, two local businessmen, Mr. Bruno Linke and Mr. Pino Antoniazzi, have acquired the former Milford trawler Andrew Wilson from Fleetwood. She is already at sea for her new owners and is fishing a trip round to join the Milford fleet. She is in charge of Skipper J. Broadie with a local crew, and is expected to land her first trip at her port next week.
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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 27th April 1979:
Trawler owner explains Fleetwood landings
Reports that Milford Haven fishmerchants are angry because local trawlers are landing their catches at Fleetwood have been refuted by the fishmerchants' official spokesman.
On behalf of the Fishmerchants' Association, their secretary, Mr. Hugh Kerr, said on Wednesday: "We must agree that the particular class of fish involved, in quantity, is not conducive to the trade at this port. We are aware that the local trawlers will be returning to their traditional grounds within a few days."
It is Milford's only remaining firm with more than one vessel, Norrard Trawlers Ltd., some of whose five vessels have been landing catches of "small" fish from Morecombe Bay at Fleetwood rather than bringing the supplies back to Milford. ..........
And the Norrard Trawlers Company makes no secret of the fact that it ships CAN earn several thousand pounds per catch by landing this kind of fish in Fleetwood. Last month their "flagship", the Picton Sea Eagle, netted a record £18,000 plus on one catch landed there. This week, she and the Norrard Star together grossed £18,350 by landing at the northern port.
By comparison, the Milford-owned trawler Andrew Wilson landed a nice catch at her home port on Wednesday and earned just £7,080.
..........
[The "small" fish mentioned above refers to coley and small codling.]
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From the Western Telegraph & Cymric Times of Wednesday 18th April 1984:
One of Milford's few remaining trawlers made her last trip on Monday night - to the breaker's yard. The 178-ton Andrew Wilson, built specially for the port under the name Virtue Pettit in 1959, is to be scrapped by the local firm of K. and M. Davies at their Milford yard. The work will provide four extra jobs.
The 107ft. trawler made many trips out of the port in the sixties before being sold to a Fleetwood firm, who changed her name to Andrew Wilson, but in 1979 she was bought by Mr. Pino Antoniazzi, and brought back to the port. Eventually the trawler was forced out of business by rising fuel costs, which made her uneconomical to operate.
She made her last fishing trip last May, and on Monday night they raised the Castle Pill rail bridge as the Andrew Wilson edged her way into the graveyard, the first ship to be broken up at Milford since Ward's yard closed many years ago.
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