CLYTIE M123

John Stevenson Collection

Official No:    107042    Port Number and Year: 8th in Milford in 1896

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

Crew: 9 men

Registered at Milford: 21 Aug 1896

Built: Edwards Bros., North Shields, 1896.  (Yard no. 521)

Tonnage: 146.6 gross 32.62 net

Length / breadth / depth (feet):  106 / 20.62 / 11

Engine:

Owners:   21 Aug 1896: Frederick Robert Greenish, The Grove, Haverfordwest. (Doctor of Music)           Manager: Frederick Joseph Sellick, 'Marine Villa', Murray Cres., Milford

Landed at Milford: 7 Sep 1896 - 25 Jan 1908

Skippers: Herbert Smith cert. no. 3858, age 35, born Lincoln; signed on 19 Aug 1896; 12 Jan 1897; 27 Dec 1897; 6 Jan, 27 Aug 1898 W. Green 5528, 27, Hull; 2 Jul 1897; 23 Jun, 11 Jul 1898 E. Leeder 1699, 38, Norfolk; 22 Dec 1897 T. M. Pickering 4505, 29, Scarborough; 2 Jan, 5 Jul 1899 Richard Saunderson 2934, 46, Filey, (residing Priory Rd., Milford); 9 Jan, 6 Jul 1900; 1 Jan, 4 Jul 1901; 8 Jan, 2 Jul 1902; 6 Jan 1903 John Johnson 2459, 37, Nottingham; 4 Dec 1901 Thomas Trott 6069, 37, Boston; 14 Jan 1903 B. H. Galvin 1617, 39, Bradford; 20 Feb, 2 Jul 1903 J. T. L. Clarke 1612, 48, Yarmouth; 4 Dec 1903; 2 Jan, 16 Jul 1904; 3 Jan, 6 Jul 1905; 1 Jan 1906; 14 Jul 1906 James Bloomfield 6706, 38, Ipswich; 8 Jul 1904; 27 Mar 1906 James McDonald 7991, 44, Leeds; 18 May 1906 Josiah Pratt 6106, 35, Hull; 4 Jul 1906

Notes:  2 Feb 1908: Run down by SS CAPE WRATH, and foundered off Mine Head. [See full story below.]

Cert. Cancelled & Milford Registry Closed: 6 Feb 1908

 Accidents and Incidents:

Log book entries:

 

19.08.1896.

Off Thorn Island.

Damage to light and stone [?], going to the assistance of the steam trawler "Blue Jacket" whose engines had broken down.

    H.Smith. (Skipper).

 

03.06.97.

Towed for 60 miles the Bristol steam trawler "Exmouth". Picked her up SE by S off the Arum. Brought her back to Milford.  Her tail end of shaft broken.

    W.Green. (Skipper).

 

28.09.1897.

About 30 miles south south west of Smalls.

Clutch of main drum of winch breaking, heavy strain on gear, and vessel lurching in sea.

    H.Smith. (Skipper).

 

18.12.1898.

25 miles WSW of St Ann's Head.

William Wright, age 55, Boatswain, from Scratey [?], Norfolk.

Crushed his fingers whilst oiling winch.

    B.H.Galvin. (Skipper).

 

26.12.1898.

30 miles from St Ann's Head.

Trawlers small life boat smashed, shipped heavy sea.

    B.H.Galvin.(Skipper)

 

10.07.1899.

50 miles W by S from St Ann's Head.

J. Reader, Bosun, aged 21, British, from Scarborough, residing Milford.

Whilst he was hooking a shark it bit him severely on left hand.  Landed him back at Milford 11th July and put him under care of Doctor.

 

03.12.1899.

9 miles from Head of Kinsale.

Disabled winch. Broken cylinder head.

 

13.02.1901.

50 miles west of St Ann's Head.

Fell in with dismasted Ketch "Les" of Newhaven, (abandoned) and towed her to Milford.

    R. Saunderson. (Skipper)

04.02.1902.

I. Holland (Trimmer) T. Harries (5th Hand) J. Rimmer (4th Hand).

On February 4th, 1902 the above stopped the ship and is hereby requested that they be fined 5/- each.

    R. Saunderson. (Skipper).

Approval, fines may be appropriated to meet expenses.

    J.W. Crocker, Supt.

 

17.01.1903.

Towed French barque "Rubens" for six hours, eventually slipped tow as "Rubens" was in sinking condition, one mile SW from St. Annes Head.  Brought the crew into Milford Haven.

    His Mark X F. Trott. (Skipper).

    J. Bloomfield. (Second Hand).

 

03.01.1903.

12 miles SSW from Saltees Lightship Vessel.

Sprung a leak, returned to Milford Haven for inspection and repairs, cause unknown.

    R. Saunderson. (Skipper).

    J. Bloomfield. (Second Hand)

 

18.03.1904.

Milford Haven.

Collided with the "Star of Peace" of Ramsgate, sinking her. "Star of Peace" did not see any port light in time to port his helm.

    Jack William Setterfield (Skipper)

 

01 03.1905.

Milford Haven.

Damaging the "Interrioss" [ ? ] of Lowestoft on the port quarter through being up at anchor in channel and not room to navigate ship.

    J.T. Clarke. (Skipper)'

 

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From the Haverford west & Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 23rd September 1903:

 

    When the trawler "Clytie" (Sellick, Morley and Price) came into port on Thursday, the skipper reported that on the 12th inst., the day following the great storm, he picked up a small sailing yacht of about 20 tons about 40 miles west north west of the Smalls.  The yacht was deserted, and nothing to show her name, destination, or the probable fate of its late occupants, could be ascertained.  Her loose gear was taken aboard, and the yacht taken in tow.  She had not proceeded far, however, before she sank and was lost.

 

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Log book entry:

 

27.1. 1908.

On the fishing grounds off the west coast of Ireland.

On the January 27th 1908, we sailed from the port of Milford Haven to the fishing grounds off the west coast of Ireland. While we were engaged in trawling off Mine Head Light, about 9 to 10 miles away light bearing NW by N.  At four p.m. on the second instant, we were towing our gear SSW, when a steamer, which I found out later to be the "Cape Wrath" collided with us, striking us on the starboard bow. The "Clytie" started to take in water very fast, the bosun called out "All hands on deck." I called out to the "Cape Wrath" that we were sinking and to stand by. I gave orders for the trawler's small lifeboat to be launched. All of the crew got into the small boat and we pulled clear. That is, with the exception of one. The trimmer, Mr Charles Bowen, had tried to jump onto the "Cape Wrath" when she hit us but fell between the two vessels and was not seen again. We were in the small boat for around one hour before being picked up by the "Cape Wrath". During that time we searched for the body of our shipmate, but with no success. The "Clytie" sank with all steaming lights burning brightly one hour later at about 4.50.

    James Bloomfield. (Skipper).

 

[" CAPE WRATH "

O.N: 111288. Steel screw. Three masted Schooner. Reg. Glasgow. Built. 1900. Mc Knight & Co, Ltd. Ayr.

Owners: Cape Steam Shipping Co, Ltd. (Dawson Bros., Managers.)

Length: 140.0. Breadth. 23.6. Depth. 9.9.

Tonnage: 363 gross. 140 net.]

 

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From the Western Telegraph, of 5^th February 1908:

ANOTHER MILFORD TRAWLER LOST

S.S. CLYTIE RUN DOWN OFF THE IRISH COAST

 

The inhabitants of Milford were again thrown into a state of alarm on Sunday morning when a telegram was received to the effect that the Clytie, another of Messrs. Sellick, Morley and Price’s trawlers, had been lost.  Fortunately it announced that the crew, with one exception, were saved.  The exception was the trimmer, Charles Simms (or Bowen), aged 19. The notice was posted on the firm’s offices at the docks, and nothing further could be gleaned until Monday morning.

The crew arrived at Milford via Fishguard at 8.30 on Tuesday morning, when they gave the following account of the collision:- “They were fishing some nine miles off Mine Head on the coast of Ireland; the lights were burning brightly, and the gear down, the vessel towing.  Part of the crew were in their bunks, the remainder being on watch.  Suddenly a steamer about 140 feet long hove in sight, and in a twinkling came crash into the trawler, striking her for’ard on the starboard side, below the gallows.  The men aroused by the sudden impact quickly tumbled to the situation and rushed on deck to their companions.  Realising the condition the ship was in and their own peril, they took to their boat.  The steamer turned out to be the “Cape Wrath”, a Glasgow collier, and they succeeded in picking up the Clytie’s crew.  Just as the men were rescued, the Clytie disappeared from view, 10 minutes or so after the collision.  The men were unable to save anything, and they only had what they stood up in.  The trimmer, Charles Simms, was not so fortunate as his mates, for he essayed to jump from the sinking Clytie on to the Cape Wrath.  In doing so, his head struck the side and the poor fellow fell into the darkness and was never seen again.  His case was a tragic one.  Nothing is known of him locally.  His age was 19 and he belonged to Liverpool and he had stated he had no relatives.  A few weeks ago he, with others, stowed themselves away in Liverpool on one of the ocean going liners.  They were, however, soon discovered, and put ashore at Fishguard.  Deceased and his mate then tramped down to Milford, and he was only taken on the Clytie when she left for her last voyage.  The Clytie has for many years been in charge of Capt. J.T. Clarke, but on this occasion the veteran skipper stayed ashore, the vessel being in command of the mate, J. Bloomfield.  This makes three Milford trawlers lost during the last few weeks, including the Devon, the Tantallon Castle being the other.

 

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The Times, Apr 20, 1908; pg. 11; Issue 38625; col F :

 

Rule Of The Road At Sea. - A Board of Trade inquiry was concluded at Milford Haven last week into the loss of the Milford steam-trawler Clytie, run down off Minehead [sic] by the Glasgow steamship Cape Wrath in February last.  The Court found that the cause of the collision was the want of necessary manoeuvring on the part of the Clytie, and the want of a good look-out on the part of the Cape Wrath.  The Clytie was not removed of her duty to manoeuvre under Article 19, and according to the evidence the second mate of the Cape Wrath left the look-out and relieved the helmsman to enable the latter to call the watch below.  Both vessels were to blame.  The Court refrained, however, in the circumstances, from dealing with the certificates of the officers, but censored the second mate of the Cape Wrath and the boatswain of the Clytie.  By this finding the idea is held to be false that steam-trawlers are exempt from the usual rule of the road at sea.

 

 

 

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