P & Y   M1

 

John Stevenson Collection

Official No:  132117     Port Number and Year:  -   in Grimsby, 1912 (GY661)

                                                                               -   in Hull, 1919 ?

                                                                             2nd in Milford, 1929

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

Crew: 10 - 11 men

Registered at Milford: 3 Apr 1929

Built: 1912, by Cochrane & Sons, Selby.  (Yard no. 511)

Tonnage: 214 grt  82.89 net

Length / breadth / depth (feet): 120 / 21.5 / 11.4

Engine: T 3-Cyl. 57 nhp.10.5 kts.  Engine and boiler by builders

Owners:

 

As ELYSIAN GY661

Jan 1912: Great Central Co-operative Engineering & Ship Repairing Co., Grimsby

 

Apr 1918: J. Smethurst., Grimsby.

 

Nov 1919:  Hull owner

 

Renamed OLGA

1920?: Charles P. Stranne, 7 Johansgatan, Gothenburg, Sweden

 

1922?: Wilberforce Steam Fishing Co., Scarborough

Manager: W. F. Smith, 'St. John's Villa', Filey Yorks.

 

Renamed P&Y M1

3 Apr 1929:  Pettit & Youds, Docks, Milford

Manager: F. L. Youds

 

Landed at Milford:  14 Apr 1929 - 10 Oct 1960

Skippers: Matt Owston (1949); Jack Garnham (1953); Jack Ryan (1954 - 58+?)

Notes: Jan 1915: Requisitioned by Admy.,  no.3206, as ELYSIAN, and converted to a minesweeper.  1919: Returned to owners.

1939-45: Armed (see local newspaper report below) but not requisitioned.  Landed fish at Milford throughout the war.

Cert. Cancelled & Milford Registry Closed: 16 Nov 1960

Accidents and Incidents

From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 14th March 1941:

 

    The gunners who gave a splendid account of themselves in the recent attack on their trawlers were Mr. Arthur (Toddy) Evans, and Mr. Frank Hawkins.  Mr. Evans, who has four brothers in the Services, lives at Pembroke Dock, his wife, before marriage being Miss Lilian Smith, Gwyther Street.  He is a son of Mrs. Evans, Brooke Avenue, Milford.  Hawkins, who is also in his 30s, is married, and lives at Shakespeare Avenue.

 

[ Mr. Evans was aboard the GRACKLE, and Mr. Hawkins was on the P & Y. ]

 

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From an un-named local newspaper, dated around 17th September 1942:

 

On Tuesday evening's tide, the steam trawler 'P & Y' arrived in dock with the body of the cook, Mr. T. Brown.  He died at sea, and the skipper at once brought his vessel back.  Deceased was a married man and living at 9, Albion Street.  He was 54 years of age, and had been suffering from heart trouble for some time.

 

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From The Irish Times of Monday 4th April 1949, p.1:

 

Crew Battle To Keep Ship Afloat

 

     A six-hour battle by a crew to keep their vessel afloat ended early on Saturday morning when the Milford Haven steam trawler, P. and Y. No. 101 [sic], her decks awash, reached Valentia Harbour.  The trawler had earlier struck a submerged rock off Bolus Head, Co. Kerry.

    No sooner had she been berthed when her forepart sank, and she settled on the sandy bottom in 20 feet of water.

    The captain, Matthew Owston, and the 11 members of the crew told our correspondent how men were hurled from their bunks when the trawler struck the rock.

    Her bows were stove in on the waterline, and she began to settle swiftly.

    It was decided to launch the only lifeboat, but heavy seas caused it to be be dashed so hard against the side of the trawler's gunwhale that its side was stove in, and it sank immediately it hit the water.

    All pumps were then put to work, while for two hours every flare and rocket on board was fired, and the crew's bedding and clothing were soaked in oil and set ablaze, as a distress signal.

    They edged along, dead slow, but the ship was very sluggish, and there were times when the captain thought her next plunge in the heavy swell would be her last.

    The crew added that two Spanish trawlers failed to respond to their signals of distress.

 

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 22nd April 1949:

 

    Two of Messrs Pettit and Youds' trawlers collided in thick fog off St. Ann's Head at noon last Saturday.  The vessels concerned were the 'P & Y', returning for repairs after being aground off Ireland, and the 'Bahama', outward bound on a fishing voyage.  Both vessels were damaged, but the 'Bahama' returned to sea on Tuesday after repairs.  There were no injuries to any of the crews.  The respective masters were Skipper Matt Owston, from Johnston ('P & Y'), and Skipper W. Reynolds, Stratford Road ('Bahama').

 

L-R: Bosun Alec Simpson, Deckie Derek Saunders, Mate Jeff James & Brian Broome. (Taken In 1949)

John Stevenson Collection

[See also below]

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 10th February 1950:

 

    Shortly before 2.30 on Monday afternoon, the Milford Fire Brigade made a two-minute turn-out to answer a call to a fire on the steam trawler "P & Y", lying alongside the United Engineering Company's repair wharf.    

    They found the forecastle full of smoke, heat from the stove having ignited panelling.  Two workmen had got the donkey engine working, and were pumping water when the brigade arrived, but the firemen had to use special breathing apparatus to get below and deal with the outbreak.

 

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 30th January 1953:

 

    In a thrilling close finish, Skipper Tom Salter, Stratford Road, headed the list of big crabber skippers at Milford in 1952, beating Skipper Hubert Morgan by a short head in the fishing league.  Only £94 divided their respective grossings for the 12 months.  Byan oversight, the big crabbers section was inadvertently omitted from our fishing league reported last week.

1.  Cleopatra II (Tom Salter), Westward Trawling Co.

2.  Caldy (Hubert Morgan), Westward Trawling Co.

3.  Iser (R. Hannaford), Don Trawling Co.

4.  Milford Knight (H. Thompson); 5.  Milford Countess (Ted Funge); 6.  P&Y (Jack Garnham).

 

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 5th February 1954:

 

    A fireman on the steam trawler 'P & Y', Mr. T. J. Miller, of 7 Main Street, Cadoxton, Barry, vanished overboard in calm weather off the south-west coast of Ireland, early on Sunday morning.  It was his first trip on the trawler, which belongs to Messrs. Pettit and Youds.  The skipper is Mr. Jack Ryan.  In his fifties, the missing man only recently came to Milford, but it is understood that he had considerable previous experience.

 

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L to R, back row: Bosun Alec Simpson, 3rd Hand E. M. Fagan (101 Charles Street, Milford)

Middle row: Deckhands Raymond Manning and 'Basham'  Phillips (33 Cromwell Road, Milford) , Mate Jack James DSC, Skipper Jack Ryan (23 Stratford Road, Milford), Cook Ralph Beech

Front row: Ch.Eng. Albert Collarbone (2 Trafalgar Road, Milford) , 2nd Eng. Harry Harris (St. Davids) , Fireman Felix McCarthy (9 George Street, Milford)

Taken for the West Wales Guardian of Friday 8th October 1954

John Stevenson Collection

 

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 2nd May 1958:

 

HE REMAINED ON DUTY FOR 24 HOURS

    Badly scalded about the face and head, down his body and leg, Mr. Fred Williams, 23, Priory Avenue, Haverfordwest, Chief Engineer of the 'P & Y', remained on duty until the trawler anchored off Milford 24 hours later.

    The trawler was in charge of Skipper Jack Ryan, and blew a boiler tube while fishing off Ballycotton, Southern Ireland.  Chief Engineer Williams made "first aid" repairs, but the tube blew out again and severely scalded him.  Despite his pain, and with one hand severely blistered, he kept his ship going, and when the trawler anchored in the harbour on Monday he was brought ashore and given immediate attention by the Docks first aid attendant, Mr. Fred Reynolds, then rushed to the County Hospital.

 

 

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