NILE H54

Official No:  95774   Port and Year:   Hull, 1888

Description: Iron side trawler; steam screw; ketch rigged.

Crew:

Built: 1888, by Cochrane & Cooper, Beverley.  (Yard No.21 )

Tonnage: 130 grt  56 net

Length / breadth / depth (feet): 100.9  / 20.3  / 10.5

Engine:  C-2.Cyl; 767 HP; by Lend Glasgow Co., Glasgow

Owners:


1889: William Wolfe, Milford

 

Landed at Milford: 8 Dec 1889 - 11 Apr 1894

Skippers: 1889: Pettit

1890: Pettit; Thomas.

1891: Pettit; Bromley; Wallace Watson

1892-94: Watson

Notes: 1 Jun 1894: Foundered off Iceland. {See story below.]

 Accidents and Incidents:

From the Haverfordwest and Milford Haven Telegraph, Wednesday 13th June 1894 :

Loss of the Steam Trawler “Nile” 

We regret to state that the s.s. “Nile”, belonging to Mr. W. Wolfe, and which is only insured for two-thirds her value, struck upon a hidden rock and sank at Iceland on the evening of June 1st.  The trawler had been fishing in a neighbouring bay for about eight hours, and at about six o’clock the man on the bridge perceived a rock about three-quarters of a mile off the port bow, and called for the skipper who was below.  He immediately came up and pulled the wheel hard over, and whilst doing so the vessel struck upon a sunken rock. She rapidly began to fill, and in about an hour and three-quarters, the crew, viz., skipper, W. Watson; mate, J.H.King; boatswain, Arthur Bond; third hand, H.Joy; fourth hand, H.Harland; cook, J.Shannon; first engineer, T.Toms; second engineer, J.Pratt; and two splitters named Cullen and Ellen, abandoned her, and pulled in the vessel’s boat to an island, from which place they saw a steamer fishing about eight or ten miles off.  Six hands manned the boat and pulled towards her, but the steamer not noticing her went in a contrary direction, and after three hours’ pulling they returned to the island, which the crew state was uninhabited.  Fortunately, the same vessel (which turned out to be the “Hellenic”, belonging to Messrs. Moody and Kelly, of Grimsby), steamed back towards the westward, and the boat was again manned; the steamer, happily, noticed the boat, came towards them, and took them on board, landing them at Grimsby on Monday morning.  Part of the crew arrived at Milford yesterday morning.

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 From the Haverfordwest and Milford Haven Telegraph, Wednesday 11th June 1894:

        The Board of Trade inquiry into the circumstances attending the loss of the steam trawler "Nile", belonging to Mr. William Wolfe, of Milford Haven, by stranding off Iceland on the 1st June, commenced on Wednesday, and terminated at Swansea on Thursday.. 

        The court found that the duty of the man on the look-out was not sufficiently performed; that the captain ought not to have left the deck just before the stranding without calling the second officer (mate), considering the proximity to the coast; that the vessel was not navigated with proper and seaman-like care; that the loss of the vessel was due to negligent navigation; that the master (Captain Wallace Watson) was in default; and his certificate would be suspended for three months.  On the application of Mr. Smith he was granted a second class certificate.

 

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