EMERALD M37

RESPONDO HL63

As RESPONDO HL 63

John Stevenson Collection

Official No:  121601    Port Number and Year: 4th in Milford, 1905                                                                               -    in Grimsby , 1917 (GY1019)

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

Crew:  9 men

Registered at Milford: 25 May 1905

Built: 1905 by Cochrane & Sons, Selby.  (Yard no. 341)

Tonnage: 209.39 grt  66.23 net (1 Jan 1914: amended by Board of Trade to 82.3 net.)

Length / breadth / depth (feet):115 / 21.6 / 11.97

Engine: T 3-cyl. 60 rhp.;  by Charles D. Holmes & Co., Hull

Owners:   As M37 25 May 1905: Robert Cole, 117 Charles St., Milford Erel Edwin Carter, 20 Greville Rd., Milford Bernard Henry Galvin, 29 Dewsland St., Milford   17 Feb 1910: Robert Cole, 117 Charles St., Milford Erel Edwin Carter, 20 Greville Rd., Milford David Gwilliam Jones, 35 Dewsland St., Milford   12 Sep 1911: Robert Cole, 117 Charles St., Milford David Gwilliam Jones, 35 Dewsland St., Milford   19 Jan 1917: George Frederick Sleight, Grimsby Renamed RESPONDO   Oct 1933:  G. F. Sleight & R. L. Humphreys, Grimsby   As HL63 Nov 1933: Doris Burton Steam Trawling Co., Hartlepool Manager: R. H. Davidson & Co.   10 May 1940: Yolland & Llewellin Trawling, Docks, Milford Manager: Charles Llewellin.

Landed at Milford:   26 Jun 1905 - 16 Jan 1917 (As EMERALD)                                    5 May - 30 Aug 1940 (As RESPONDO)

Skippers: B. H. Galvin  cert. 1617; age 41, born Bradford, residing Dewsland St., Milford; signed on 7 Jun, 4 Jul 1905; 3 Jan, 29 Feb, 5 Jul 1906 J. Barnett 4244, 36, Hull, 38 Dartmouth St., Milford; 25 Jan 1906; 4 Jul 1907; 26 Jun, 12 Jul 1910 G. T. Cobley - , 38, Hull, St. David's Rd., Milford; 1 Jan, 25 Jul 1907; 8 Jan, 29 Apr, 6 Jul 1908; 4 Jan, 15 Jul 1909; 10 Jan 1910 James McDonald 7991, 48, Leeds, - ; 10 Mar 1910 Christopher Masterson 5740, 34, Salisbury, 8 Vicary St., Pill, Milford; 26 Aug 1910; 30 Jun, 6 Jul, 9 Nov 1911; 3 Jan, 16 Jul 1912; 1 Jan 1913 M. W. Mingay 4968, 39, Caistor, - ; 17 Dec 1910; 25 Oct 1911

Notes: 1906: Insured by owners for £6,000 1934:  Insurance value £2,500 Sep 1940: Lost with all hands off the Old Head of Kinsale [See story below.]

Cert. Cancelled & Milford Registry Closed: 20 Jan 1917

 Accidents and Incidents

Log book entries:

 

23.12.1907

Bay of Biscay

R. T. Crawford, Cook, age 37; British, born Tasmania, residing Milford Haven.  Drowning, committed suicide.

    G. T. Cobley (Skipper)

    A. J. Keen (Mate)

 

08.05.1908

Collision.  Steam trawler 'St. Vincent' failed to warn us when coming astern.

    George T. Cobley (Skipper)

    James McDonald (Mate)

 

23.07.10

Neyland

Collided with steam trawler 'Bournemouth' - trying to avoid touching the ground.

    G. Barnett (Skipper)

    D. G. Jones (Witness)

 

06.12.1910

Noon.

When 3 miles from St Govan's Head, bearing E, observed smack 'Vigilance' making for the headland, and having mistaken St Govan's for St Ann's, the 'Vigilance came round head to wind and carried away main gaff.  An effort was made to take 'Vigilance' in tow, when in act of taking tow rope a heavy sea struck the 'Vigilance' and knocked her before the wind and swept her towards shore where it is assumed she foundered with all hands.  'Vigilance' BX 218, 53 tons gross.

    Christopher Masterson (Skipper)

[See local newspaper report below.]

 

29.12.1910

Boiler gave out - joint of blow down pipe gave up.

    Christopher Masterson (Skipper)

    Hugh M. Jones (Chief Engineer)

 

01.11.1911

At sea.  Muros Bay, Spain

A. Sturley, age 30, Bosun; born Milford, residing Milford.

Bruised thigh through warp slipping on rail and nipping against gallows.

    M. W. Mingay (Skipper)

    W. Adams (Mate 5189)

 

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From the Haverfordwest and Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 28th June 1905:

 

    The new steam trawler, which has been expected for some time past to the orders of Messrs. R. Cole, E. Carter and Captain G. Galvin, arrived on Tuesday.  She is known as the "Emerald", and is of the latest class.  Her first voyage realised £158.

 

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

From the Pembrokeshire Herald of Friday 16th December 1910:

 

STIRRING SCENES AT MILFORD HAVEN

...................

    As was expected, Saturday brought the tidings of disaster in the Channel.  The steam trawler 'Emerald' reported a trying experience.  She had been driven in, and near St. Govan's Head, sighted the smack 'Vigilance' in peril.  Captain Chris Masterson attempted to get to her but could not make to leeward, and a rope was thrown without success.  The steamer's own position now became perilous.  When she last saw the smack it was in a hopeless position, but they could render no help, and took several hours to clear themselves.  The crew of the smack it is feared must have perished.  The skipper was Frank Crocker, and with three others, hailed from Brixham.

 

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From the Western Telegraph & Cymric Times of Wednesday 2nd October 1940:

During the week grave anxiety has been felt by everyone as to the vessel's safety. The vessel left port on Wednesday, September 11th, for the fishing grounds. She was a mixed fishing boat carrying a crew of eleven men, of which Mr Tom Owston was skipper. In the ordinary course the ship should have returned to port on the 18th or 19th. On Tuesday twenty days had elapsed and we were officially informed by the firm that they must regretfully regard the vessel as missing or lost.

The list of the crew is as follows:

Thomas Owston. (36) Skipper, married, The Lodge, Priory Road, Milford.

William Harteveld. (65) Mate, married, Cromwell Road, Milford.

H. R. Bennet. (26) Bosun, single, 9, Albion Street, Milford.

E. A. Scrivens. (35) Third Hand, married, 32, Brooke Avenue, Milford.

Peter Huys. (32) Deck Hand, single, Belgian, 38, Cromwell Road, Milford.

W. Owston. (33) Spare Hand, single, Castle Pill Road, Steynton.

A. Tichner. (50) Cook, widower, 19, Dartmouth Gardens, Milford.

H. B. Barr. (39) Chief Engineer, married, 33,Church Street, Haverfordwest.

A. Phillips. (60) Second Engineer, married, 8,Mayoral Terrace, Haverfordwest.

J. Evans. (43) Fireman, single, 83, Military Road, Pembroke Dock, late Marble Hall Road, Milford.

S. Eynon. (45) Fireman, single, 82, Marble Hall Road, Milford.

Skipper Owston and Spare Hand W. Owston are brothers and the sons of the late Mick Owston. William Harteveld, Mate and veteran of the crew, was a Dutchman who settled in Milford many years ago. This further catastrophe brings the total of the three trawlers lost to a death role of twenty eight men.

_______________________

In a letter from the Library for Contemporary History - World Wars in Stuttgart, dated 19th February 1964, and sent to a Belgian descendant of one of the RESPONDO's crew,  Dr. Jürgen Rohwer wrote that, as another trawler was lost by air attack in the same area a fortnight later, it is possible that the RESPONDO was lost by the same cause.  According to British Vessels Lost at Sea, 1939-45 (HMSO), the RESPONDO was lost on 11th September by "cause unknown or uncertain", and the trawler BASS ROCK was also lost off the Old Head of Kinsale on 24th September, by aircraft attack. However, according to the above newspaper report, she left Milford on the 11th, and so must have been sunk a day or more later, and closer to the 24th.  However, Dr. Rohwer stated that it was now impossible to determine either the aircraft involved, or the formation to which it belonged, and thus the exact date of her loss.

 

 

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