OKU CF25 / M99

Official No:  128499     Port Number and Year:  19th in Cardiff, 1909 (CF25)                                                                                  2nd in Milford, 1926

Description: Steel side trawler; steam screw, coal burning. Ketch rigged: mizzen sail

Crew:  11 men

Registered at Milford: 12 Jul 1926

Built: 1909 by Smith's Dock Co., North Shields.(Yard no. 412)

Tonnage: 248.04 grt  95.36 net.

Length / breadth / depth (feet): 125.3 / 22.1 / 13.6

Engine: T 3-Cyl. 81 rhp. 10 kts.  Engine by Shields Engineering & Dry Dock Co., North Shields; boiler by Richardson, Westgarth & Co., Middlesborough

Owners:   As CF25 1909: Neale & West, Hope St., Cardiff   As M99 12 Jul 1926: Hakin Steam Trawling Co., Docks, Milford Manager Owner: Joseph Baron Bardsley Huddlestone, 'Dania Villa' Wellington Rd., Hakin

Landed at Milford:  13 Jan 1926 - 3 Feb 1928

Skippers:

Notes: Mar 1915: Requisitioned by Admiralty as minesweeper (Admy. No. 1355).   1919: Returned to owners 11 Feb 1928: Foundered off Fastnet.  [See below.]

Cert. Cancelled & Milford Registry Closed: 1928

 Accidents and Incidents

The Times, Saturday, Jan 29, 1921; pg. 7; Issue 42631; col G
     News in Brief  

 

    Captain John King, of the South Wales trawler Oku, was washed overboard and drowned.

 

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The Times, Monday, Feb 13, 1928; pg. 21; Issue 44815; col G

     Casualty Reports.

(FROM LLOYD'S.).

Valentia Wireless station, Feb.11.- Following received from British trawler LIMESLADE:- Trawler OKU M99 of Milford, in sinking condition between Lat. 51.00 and 51.10N., Long. 11W.  Hole in Bottom.  Crew all safe on Limeslade.

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The Times, Tuesday, Feb 14, 1928; pg. 14; Issue 44816; col D

More Unsettled Weather.

High Temperature.

(FROM OUR WEATHER CORRESPONDENT.).

RESCUES AT SEA

The steam trawler Limeslade Castle [sic] landed at Swansea on Sunday night ten shipwrecked men of the Milford Haven trawler Oku, which foundered during Saturday's gale off the Irish coast.  The Oku was on the fishing grounds during the week, and on Friday night, when off the Fastnet, she was struck by a terrific sea, and half an hour later the vessel was sinking. The only boat had been washed away and the crew sent up distress signals and tried to construct a raft.  "We even burned our trawls and our bedding," said the mate, George Huddlestone, "in fact, anything that would burn.  Eventually we were sighted by the Limeslade Castle, and with great pluck her mate, J. Down, and a deckhand manned a boat and for over an hour tried to reach us, although seas were almost swamping them.  These efforts being unsuccessful, the captain of the Limeslade Castle drifted an empty boat towards us and we managed to secure it.  We climbed into the boat and were hauled to safety. The Oku sank a few minutes later."

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From the Western Telegraph of Wednesday 15th February 1928:

The 95 ton steam trawler "Oku" owned by the Hakin Trawling Company, put out from Milford Monday week to work the Irish fishing grounds and was engaged in trawling when severe gales overtook her and her crew of ten men.

Mr. George Huddlestone, mate, has given a graphic description of the hard ship's experience by the crew before they were picked up at 12.30 a.m. on Saturday morning. "An especially heavy sea struck us throwing the bunkers of coal on one side and putting the trawler on her beam's end. Skipper Hackett at once got the ship's head on to the sea and succeeded in getting her trimmed and on a level keel." But no sooner had this been accomplished, than the Chief Engineer, Mr. T. Russan , reported that the vessel was sinking. In the interval the wheelhouse had been washed away, the electrical lighting apparatus failed and the small boat smashed by heavy seas. Throughout the night the trawler was tossed hither and thither by huge waves, and all the time the crew were engaged in burning "for signal" anything that was inflammable on board, including the fishing trawl.

At dawn the steam trawler "Limeslade" of Consolidated Fisheries, Swansea, Skipper Gale, came to give assistance. The first officer and deckhand put off in the "Limeslade" small boat to see if they could rescue the crew of the Milford trawler. They made a gallant attempt, but after persevering with heavy seas for an hour, they were forced to put back to their own vessel. The mate was loud in praise for the courage shown by these two men, and declared that they deserved the Victoria Cross, or at least one of the Royal Humane Society's highest awards.

Captain Gale of the trawler "Limeslade" was still determined to effect a rescue and eventually succeeded in drifting an unmanned ship's small boat to leeward and float it down to the trawler "Oku", whose crew managed to grapple the small boat and bring close alongside. They were then hauled to safety on board the "Limeslade", which then stood by until the doomed trawler's deck was awash. They then proceeded to the trawler home port of Swansea and arrived late on Saturday night.

Four members of the crew from the "Oku" were admitted to Swansea Hospital, the most serious being the third hand, Mr. Toddy Evans, son of Mr. Arthur Evans, 2 Brooke Avenue, a nephew of the skipper, who sustained three fractured ribs. We understand that Mr. Evans' brother, Frederick Evans, who was sixteen years of age last month, was on a pleasure trip on the ill-fated vessel, but happily was unhurt. The crew arrived on Milford Station from Swansea Monday evening. .

CREW - S.T. "OKU"

Skipper - Thomas Hackett, 11 St. Peter's Road, Milford Haven.

Mate - George Huddlestone, 2 Hill Street, Hakin, Milford Haven.

Boatswain - Arthur Earles, 12 Greville Road, Milford Haven.

Third Hand - Toddy Evans, 2 Brooke Avenue, Milford Haven. 0

DeckHand - Joe Thomas, 55 Priory Stile, Haverfordwest.

Deck Hand - Jack Adams, Hubberston, Hakin, Milford Haven.

Deck Hand - Lewis Phillips, 6 Cambrian Road, Neyland.

Cook - L. Williams, 117 Portfield, Haverfordwest.

Chief Engineer - T. Russan, The Bungalow, Little Haven.

Second Engineer - W. Masters, 3, Concrete Houses, Pill, Milford Haven.

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Charles Down, 2nd Hand, and Selwyn Ernest Gill, Deckhand, of the LIMESLADE, were later awarded the Silver Medal for Gallantry for Saving Life at Sea, in recognition of their gallantry in attempting to rescue the crew of the OKU.  The Board of Trade also awarded a piece of plate to the skipper of the LIMESLADE, James Gale, and £3 each to Down and Gill.

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