CAMEO M201

Official No:  121616    Port Number and Year: 4th in Milford, 1907

                                                                               -   in Grimsby, 1915 (GY754)

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

Crew:  9 men

Registered in Milford: 8 Mar 1907

Built: 1907 by Smiths Dock Co., North Shields.  (Yard no. 815)

Tonnage: 231.21 grt  81.18 net (amended by Board of Trade to 94.63 net., 1 Jan 1914:)

Length / breadth / depth (feet):120.5 / 21.6 / 11.65

Engine: T 3-cyl. 68 hp.  W.V.V. Lidgerwood, Glasgow.  Boiler: Richardson, Westgarth, Middlesborough.

Owners:

 

18 Mar 1907: Joseph White Johnson, Point House, Neyland (32/64)

Robert Samuel Longthorpe, 'Blakeley House', Priory Rd., Milford (32/64)

 

6 Sep 1907: David Pettit, 47 Priory Rd., Milford

John White Johnson, Point House, Neyland

Manager: David Pettit.

 

As GY754

Nov 1915: W. Alnutt, Grimsby

 

Landed at Milford:  3 Mar 1907 - 23 Dec 1912; 22 Jan - 12 Oct 1915

Skippers: Robert Samuel Longthorpe Cert. 2536; age 40, born Hull, residing - ;. signed on 4 Mar 1907.

T. C. Jobson 6950, 29, Nottingham, - ; 17 May 1907

Robert Major Limbrick 7616, 47, London, St. Ann's Rd., Hakin; 7 Jun, 5 Jul, 31 Dec 1907

T. Limbrick - , 22, Brixham, - ; 19 Dec 1907

T. J. Hawkins 2014, 43, Brixham, Albion St., Milford; 5 Jan, 14 Jul 1909; 13 Jan 1910

George C. Nichols 05538, 40, Stamford, - ; 15 Mar 1910

George John Bird 4628, 41, Ingham (?), 'Starbuck House' Starbuck Rd., Milford; 20 Apr, 7 Jul 1910

Robert Woodgate 4187, 42, Beer, - ; 24 Aug 1910

G. T. Cobley 2071, 42, Hull, 'Devon House', St. Davids Rd., Milford; 8 Sep 1910; 10 Jan, 18 Jul 1911; 5 Jan, 15 Aug 1912

Walter Jewsbury 7990, 28, - , 1 Charles St., Milford; 10 Jul 1912

Henry Ernest Moran 7743, 30, Hull, - ; 21 Apr 1913

William H. Davies 5716, 36, Caerphilly, - ; 19 Jul 1913

Notes: 29 Sep 1915: broke all port records with a trip that made £1,023.  Landed 100 kit of hake, which made between £5/17/6 and £6/2/7 a kit on the market.

23 Dec 1915: Driven ashore at Rattray Head, and wrecked. Crew of 10 were all lost.

Cert. Cancelled & Milford Registry Closed: 9 Nov 1915.  Transferred to the port of Grimsby.

 Accidents and Incidents

From the Haverfordwest & Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 6th March 1907:

 

    One of the finest trawlers amongst the many recent additions to the fleet at Milford is the steam trawler "Cameo", which arrived for Monday morning's market.  The ship was built to the order of Mr. Johnston and Captain S. Longthorpe at the well-known shipyard of the Smith Dock Company, North Shields.  The trawler attracted much attention whilst in dock, and her maiden voyage realised £207.

 

______________________________

 

Log book entries:

 

19.01.1910

50 or 60 miles W by S of Fastnet.

Boat loss and other damage - shipped heavy sea.

    T.J. Hawkins (Skipper)

    George Johnson (Chief Engineer)

 

26.02.1910

T. Haran, trimmer, age 29; Welsh, born Milford, residing Milford.

Rate of exchange P2700 to one pound Sterling.

G.W. Gethin for His Majesty's Consul.

I hereby certify that I have sanctioned the discharge of T. Haran on the grounds of sickness.  No wages have been paid.

    G.W. Gethin.

 

24.10.1910

On Saturday morning, 24th October 1910, whilst steaming from the westward to Kinsale, weather being thick and dirty, we struck a rock somewhere close to Mizzen Head.  We were steaming about 4 miles an hour at the the time.  I immediately put the engines full speed astern and got her clear, and I then stopped the engine and sounded vessel but found nothing amiss.  I at once proceeded to Milford, arrived Sunday 25th October.

    G.T. Cobley (Skipper)

 

05.03.1912

On 5th March, while steaming for the fishing grounds we came to a steamship 'Osmanie', disabled.  After lying by him all night, we towed him to Swansea with the help of the steam trawlers 'Kirkland' and 'Halcyon', arriving there on Thursday morning, 7th March, after putting two men on board the 'Osmanie' to assist in docking.

    G.T. Cobley (Skipper)

[ See local newspaper report below. ]

 

07.01.1913

Bay of Biscay

Broke the ship's frame on which the stay of the boiler fastened to and started several rivets leaking.

    G.T. Cobley (Skipper)

 

________________________

 

From a local newspaper, possibly the West Wales Guardian of Friday 8th March 1912:  

 

     News reached us yesterday that the Glasgow steamer Osmunli, of 2,240 tons, loaded with coal and bricks, had been towed into Swansea by three Milford trawlers. the Halcyon (Belonging to Messrs. Brand and Co.); the  Kirkland (Mr. Birt and D. J. Davies, part owner and skipper); and the Cameo (Mr. Johnson's).  They had found the steamer on her beam ends and abandoned, and the crew, it is believed, had put into Padstow.    No details are as yet known.

 

From the Haverfordwest & Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 13th March 1912:

 

    The Glasgow steamer "Osmanli", 4,000 tons registered*, was towed into Swansea on Thursday by the steam trawlers "Cameo", "Kirkland" and "Halcyon", having picked up the derelict off Lundy Island on Tuesday.  Before the trawlers took her in tow the Lowestoft fishing smack "V & A" had sighted her in a heavy gale flying signals of distress, and put two men aboard of her, and another Lowestoft trawler, the "Bentar", took off her crew of 25, subsequently landing them at Padstow.

    The "Osmanli" was loaded with steam coal, and the ship and cargo are assumed to be worth about £35,000.  The vessel had a big list when brought into the King's Dock, Swansea. 

    The trawlermen expect a big reward by way of salvage. "The Osmanli was caught by a gale 20 miles off Trevose Head," said the mate of the Milford steam trawler "Cameo", which was at the bow of the steamer that was being towed in.  "I do not blame them, the crew, for leaving her, for she was in a very bad way, terrible seas making her quite helpless.  We, together with the Kirkland and the Halcyon, all three trawlers belonging to Milford, then got hold of her, and with the smack V & A in attendance, made for Swansea.  We had a fearful time.  We had not a bite or sup for 48 hours, and every hour we found that the boat would break away.  The weather was something awful, and heaven only knows how we got her in eventually.  The Master of the "Osmanli", Captain McDonald, was loath to leave his ship, but the boat was rapidly heeling over, and it was touch and go getting her to port, I tell you."

    The "Halcyon" appears to have been the first of the steam trawlers to get hold of the prize, then the "Kirkland" (Captain D. J. Davies), but so hazardous was the task that it was extremely fortunate that the "Cameo" (Captain George Cobley) came along at just the right moment.

    The Mate, whose story is told above, is Walter Dewsbury, Milford Haven.  The trawlers have now left Swansea and put to sea, and the crew of these vessels will anxiously await the prize award.

 

[  * Actually 2283 g.r.t

In May 1912, Mr. Justice Bargreave Deane found that the value of the OSMANLI and her cargo was £7,845, and he awarded a total sum of £3,190, divided as follows:

PANTIRE (for saving 14 lives) £140;  E.M.W. (which saved 10 lives) £100; "G AND E" (whose mate and 2 hands took charge of the OSMANLI) £300; HALCYON, KIRKLAND and CAMEO (principal salvors) £800 each, apportioning £500 to each of the owners, £50 to each of the masters, and £250 to each of the crews; a pilot and 3 others received £100, the BEAUFORT £100 and the CONQUEROR £50.

    £800 is worth £52,748 today (measured by RPI) or £277,685 (by average earnings).  By the latter measurement, each of the trawler skippers would have received the equivalent of £17,355 today. ]

 

 

 

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