CALDY M 228 / M198

John Stevenson Collection

Official No:  127420  Port Number and Year:   9th in Milford, 1908 (M228)

                                                                              13th in Fleetwood, 1919 (FD66)

                                                                               2nd in Milford, 1921 (M198)

Description: Steel side / beam trawler; steam screw, coal burning. Ketch rigged: foresail, mainsail and mizzen

Crew:  9 men

Registered in Milford: 20 Oct 1908

Built: 1908; by Smiths Docks Co., North Shields.  (Yard no. 385)

Tonnage: 221.93 grt  85.16 net.

Length / breadth / depth (feet):120.5 / 21.55 / 11.6

Engine: T 3-cyl. 68 hp.   Engine: 1908 by W.V.V. Lidgerwood, Coatbridge; boiler (1908) by David Rowan & Co., Glasgow

Owners:

 

20 Oct 1908: Neyland Steam Trawling & Fishing Co Ltd, Neyland.

Manager: A. Scott

 

As FD66

14 Feb 1919: Jonathan Uttley, Orient Buildings, Station Rd., Fleetwood

Manager: Joseph Allan Taylor

7 Mar 1919: Vessel transferred to the port of Fleetwood, FD66.

 

As M198

10 May 1921: Joseph Samuel Pettit, Blakely House, Priory Rd., Milford

Frederick Steer, St. Peter's Rd., Milford

Joseph Baron Bardsley Huddlestone, Wellington Rd., Hakin

Walter Edward Wales, Brooke Ave., Milford

Charles Harold Bird, Priory Rd, Milford

 

31 Dec 1923: Wayne Flere, The Rath, Milford

 

23 Sep 1927: Joseph Baron Bardsley Huddlestone, Dania House, Wellington Rd., Hakin

Frederick Steer, St. Peter's Rd., Milford

Joseph Samuel Pettit, Blakely House, Priory Rd., Milford

Horace Samuel Fiddy, Shakespeare Ave., Milford (Clerk)

 

6 Apr 1937: Westward Trawlers, Docks, Milford

Manager: Edgar Erel Carter

 

Landed at Milford:  1, 12 Nov 1908; [Remainder at Neyland, to 1915.]

4 May 1921 - 10 Sep 1939

9 Jan 1940 - 10 Sep 1961

Skippers: Henry James cert. 5909, age 41, born Brixham, residing - ; 12 Oct 1908

W. Blewett, 3137, 42, Hull, - ; 28 Nov 1908

R.W. Gullett 6391, 29, Plymouth, 11 Charles St., Neyland; 8 Dec 1908; 7 Jul 1909;   41 High St., Neyland; 8 Jan 1910; 29 Charles St., Neyland; 5 Jul 1910.

James Henry Sheldon 7006, 29 Plymouth, 7 Margaret St., St. Thomas, Swansea; 80Dec 1910; 6 Jan 1911; 6 May 1913.

A Symons 5417, 42, Plymouth, - ; 26 Apr 1913

Hubert Morgan; 1953-54

Notes: Apr 1915: Requisitioned for war service and converted to a minesweeper (Admy.No.1372). 1 x 12 pdr.  [See extract from "The Times", below.]

1919: Returned to owners.

27 Nov 1939: Requisitioned for war service and converted for auxiliary patrol duties.

22 Jan 1940: Returned to owners.

Cert. Cancelled & Milford Registry Closed: 21 Oct 1961.  Vessel broken up at Briton Ferry

 Accidents and Incidents

Log book entries:

 

15.08.1908

Put into Dover with shoe on high pressure engine broke, was repaired and surveyed, and left for sea 21.08.1908

    Henry James (Skipper)

 

05.08.1909

F. Evans, age 45, fireman, Welsh, born Milford, residing Neyland. 

Slipped, fell, hand went in low pressure engine, crushed fingers.

    Robert William Gullett (Skipper)

    T.H. Dagwell (Chief Engineer)

 

02.07.1910

6 p.m. 120 miles ENE from St. Ann's Head.

S.A. Jones, age 20, deck hand, British, born Liverpool, residing Milford.

Warp slipped off fairlead and struck Jones, jamming him against the cylinder of the winch, badly bruising the knee cap of his left leg.

    Robert W. Gullett (Skipper)

    Walter E. D. Langnon (Second Hand 5232)

 

07.06.1911

Pontoon, Neyland.

Collided with steam trawler 'Bush'.  Miscalculation of distance and strong eddy round pontoon.

    J.S. Sheldon (Skipper)

    Thomas Allen Goodridge (Mate 7648)

 

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The Times, Saturday, Aug 25, 1917; pg. 3; Issue 41566; col C
     News in Brief

Salvage money awarded to HM Trawler Caldy for the salvage of the steamship Aranda (after-part), Aug 6-8, 1916.

 

 

Back to Trawlers 1888-1914

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From the Pembrokeshire Telegraph of Wednesday 4th October 1922:

 

    Just after noon yesterday, the body of a man was found in the Milford Haven docks, near the Milford Ice Factory.  It was identified as that of E. Luke, fireman on the steam trawler Caldy, and a native of Penzance, Cornwall.  He was a man of about 46 years of age.

 

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From The Irish Times of 14th November 1925, p.7:

 

THREE SKIPPERS FINED AT GALWAY

 

    Fines totalling £350 were imposed by District Justice Sean Ford at Aran District Court on Wednesday on the skippers of three steam trawlers which had been found within the prohibited area.  The trawlers were the s.s. Keyes, the s.s. Phineas Beard, and the s.s. Caldy.

    The skipper of the Keyes - Captain Setterfield - was also prosecuted for having been found within the prohibited area at night without lights, and for this offence he was fined an additional £50.

 

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 19th March 1937:

 

    A private company, Westward Trawlers Ltd., was registered on March 15th, with a capital of £10,000.  Directors - Edgar E. Carter, 16, Great North Road; Richard S. Bowen, Grove House, Port Talbot.

    Our Milford correspondent was informed on Thursday that the Company was formed to take over the Hakin Steam Trawling Company's fleet of five trawlers: the Kuroki, Kyoto, Slebech, Caldy and Gordon Richards.  This is understood to mean that the services of the present managing directeor of the Company, Capt. J. H. B. Huddlestone, are to be retained.

 

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Summary of local newspaper article dated 7th April 1938 ?:

 

Towed back to Milford the s.t. 'Aracari', Skipper W. Parry.  Had broken down on the Western fishing grounds.  J. Binham, skipper of 'Caldy'.

 

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 3rd January 1947:

 

    Apart from the 409 kits landed from the steam trawler Tenedos last Saturday, there have been no local trawlers in the week, the thinnest in the year as far as the market is concerned.  Today (Friday), the only ships in dock were the Caldy, 52 kits, and the Braes O' Mar, 82 kits, and the port this week had to fall back on frozen fillets of cod from Newfoundland and Iceland.

 

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 18th January 1952:

 

FISHING "LEAGUE"

"DUKE" AT THE TOP AGAIN

 

    After two years as "runners-up", Skipper Albert Saunders and the "Milford Duke" are once again in top place in the Milford fishing "league".  In 1951 Skipper Saunders caught a greater value of fish than any other individual trawler captain in the port.

    Second in the league on last year's results is Skipper W. Burgoyne, who has moved up a place, closely followed by Skipper Steve Pembroke, who was sixth in the list of 1949 catches.  "Crack" Skipper for 1948 and 1949, Skipper Tom Donovan, D.S.C., is a close fifth in results while consistent Skipper James Jobson again occupies fourth position.

    Here are the leading positions, the ships being classed according to size.

.....

 

BIG CRABBERS

    This class has provided a real family struggle, with Skipper Tom Salter pipping his brother-in-law on the post and his brother finishing in third place!

    The first three boats are owned by the Westward Company (Mr. E. E. Carter).

1.  Cleopatra II. (Tom Salter), Westward.

2.  Caldy (Hubert Morgans), Westward.

3.  Slebech (Harry Salter), Westward.

4.  Avonstar (Jack Ryan); 5, Ocean Brine (Frank Gambold); 6, Milford Knight (Harry Thompson); 7, Hero (Lenny Brown); 8, Montano (George Kersey); 9, Milford Countess (Teddy Funge).

 

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 30th January 1953:

 

    In a thrilling close finish, Skipper Tom Salter, Stratford Road, headed the list of big crabber skippers at Milford in 1952, beating Skipper Hubert Morgan by a short head in the fishing league.  Only £94 divided their respective grossings for the 12 months.  Byan oversight, the big crabbers section was inadvertently omitted from our fishing league reported last week.

1.  Cleopatra II (Tom Salter), Westward Trawling Co.

2.  Caldy (Hubert Morgan), Westward Trawling Co.

3.  Iser (R. Hannaford), Don Trawling Co.

4.  Milford Knight (H. Thompson); 5.  Milford Countess (Ted Funge); 6.  P&Y (Jack Garnham).

 

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L to R, back row: Fireman Albert Page, 3rd Hand George Kerrison, Ch.Eng. Phil Gammer, Deckhand Bernard Jenkins, Deckhand George Vincent

Front row: Fireman Sidney Underwood, Bosun James Owen, Skipper Hubert Morgan, Mate Bob Lincoln, 2nd Eng. Tim Thomas, Cook Joseph Cody

Taken for the West Wales Guardian of Friday 22nd October 1954

John Stevenson Collection

 

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 10th February 1956:  

 

    Two days before he was due to return to sea on the s.t. Caldy after a spell ashore, top crabber skipper Hubert Morgan, Waterloo Road, injured his ankle in an accident with a ladder at his home.  The Caldy returned to sea in charge of a temporary master, Skipper Jack Clarke.

 

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 15th September 1961:  

 

    The last of the old Milford crabber class trawlers, the Caldy, is to be sold for scrap.  Owned by Westward Trawlers Ltd., the Caldy was built in 1908 and has been fishing out of the port ever since.  She is the last but one of the port's coal burners, and in charge of Skipper Bruno Linke.  She completed her last fishing voyage and landed on Monday's market, grossing £1,007 for eleven days.

    "Since the subsidy reduction, the Caldy has become uneconomical," said a spokesman for the Company.

 

 

 

 

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