SOLVA M222
As AGNES WICKFIELD FD32 (1914-53)
Courtesy of Fleetwood Maritime Heritage Trust and The Bosun's Watch
Official No: 128748 Port Number and Year: 5th in Milford, 1909
- in Fleetwood, 1914 (FD32)
Description: Steel side / beam trawler; steam screw, coal burning. Ketch rigged: foresail, mainsail, mizzen.
Crew: 9 men
Registered at Milford: 23 Feb 1909
Built: 1909 by Smith's Dock Co., North Shields. (Yard no. 400)
Tonnage: 219 grt 85 net.
Length / breadth / depth (feet): 117.4 / 21.6 / 11.8
Engine: T 3-Cyl. 72 nhp. 10 kts. Engine by Shields Engineering & Dry Dock Co., North Shields; boiler by Robert Stevenson & Sons, Hebburn on Tyne.
Owners:
23 Feb 1909: Thomas George Hancock, 'Hill House', Hill St., Hakin
John Davies Harries, Hamilton Tce., Milford
Mar 1914: Hudson Steam Fishing Co., Fleetwood
Managers: New Docks Steam Trawling Co (Fleetwood)
25 Jun 1914: Renamed AGNES WICKFIELD FD32
13 Apr1918: New Docks Steam Trawling Co (Fleetwood) Ltd, Fleetwood
Managers: Taylor & Tomlinson
1923: Clifton Steam Trawlers, Fleetwood
Managers: Taylor & Tomlinson
1925: New Docks Steam Trawling Co (Fleetwood) Ltd, Fleetwood.
1938: Clifton Steam Trawlers, Fleetwood.
Landed at Milford: 7 Mar 1909 - 5 May 1914
Skippers: Josiah Pratt cert. 6106, age 40, born Hull; residing Milton Tce., Pill, Milford; signed on 20 Feb, 6 Jul 1909; 11 Jan 1910
J. S. Barker 8056, 8056, 25, Scarborough; 16 Mar 1910
William Henry Fransham 4943, 39, Halversgate; Gwili Rd., Hakin; 1 Jul 1911; 1 Jan, 1 Jul 1912
Robert Woodgate 4187, 46, Beer; 21 Sep 1912
Robert Major Limbrick 9616, 50, London; 11 Nov 1912
Charles Thomas 7371, 32, Neyland; Robert St., Milford; 27 Dec 1912; 1 Jan 1913
W. F. Reynolds 7337, 30, Scarborough; 18 Feb, 8 Jul 1913
Frederick Walter Garton 8606, 27, Hull; 23 Jun 1913
J. Reader 1913-14
Notes: Aug 1914: Requisitioned as minesweeper AGNES WICKFIELD (Admy. No. 125). 1 x 6 pdr.
1919: Returned to owners.
Nov 1939: Requisitioned by Admiralty as minesweeper (P. No. FY.727)
Dec 1945: Returned to owners.
1953: Vessel broken up at Preston.
Cert. Cancelled & Milford Registry Closed: 23 May 1914. Transferred to the port of Fleetwood.
Accidents and Incidents
From the Haverfordwest & Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 3rd March 1909:
On Thursday the handsome new steam trawler "Dinas" made her maiden voyage, which, however, was not very large, fetching £217. The skipper is Mr. Tom Salter, who, when in charge of the ill-fated "Manaos", performed such a deed of valour in securing the safety of the crew. The "Dinas" has been built at the yard of Smith Docks Trust, South Shields, for Messrs. Hancock and Harries.
Another new steam trawler for the same firm, viz., the "Solva", is also on the fishing grounds in charge of Skipper G. Pratt.
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Log Book entry:
24.12.1912.
St. Ann's Head.
Carried away small boat. Cause - shipped a heavy sea.
Robert Major Limbrick. (Skipper) .
[ See newspaper article below. ]
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From the Haverfordwest & Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 1st January 1913:
THE GALE FELT AT MILFORD HAVEN
The gales which have prevailed all round the coast were severely felt at Milford Haven, for the greater part of last week. ... All the trawlers arriving at the fish market from Thursday onwards numbering about 25 all report terrible weather at sea, from every direction. The Lynmouth off the Smalls had an awful experience and was almost submerged as was also the Fishergate, and the Solva too reported a similar story of the battle with the mountainous seas. Almost every vessel was damaged in someway or another, some of course worse than others. Bridge windows were smashed and gear carried away, and more than one ship had her lifeboat washed away. Several vessels have had to seek shelter at various places on the Irish coast and those at sea were unable to fish and some of them returned with very small catches for about 15 days. A few of the boats, which have been on the Portuguese and Morocco grounds, have made good voyages of hake and soles, the Albion grossing £400 on Thursday. The home waters however are not productive and fish is scarce and unless the weather abates there will be a continued shortage of supply for some time yet.
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From the Haverfordwest & Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 8th October 1913:
On Saturday, Messrs Hancock & Harries, steam trawler owners, received a wire stating that an accident of a serious nature had occurred on their steam trawler "Solva", off the Irish Coast, and that the ship had put into Castletown, Berehaven, and landed its chief engineer, Mr Albert Mathias, whose head, the wire stated, had been crushed in the ship's engine. The injured man was taken by motor car to the North Hospital, Cork.
In the absence of any details of how the accident occurred, and the exact extent of the injuries, the relatives of the injured man were kept in a state of anxiety which was intensified on Monday morning, when in reply to their enquiries, a telephone message was received by Mr. A. J. Rust, stating that the injuries were were a fractured skull and jaw.
A wire was also received by the owners of the vessel, and this stated that the upper and lower jaw were fractured, the teeth loosened, and head crushed, and in two or three days' time Chief Mathias would be placed under x-rays for examination.
He is the son of Mr Jonathan Mathias, Beach House, Pill, and his wife and two young children, with whom much sympathy is felt in their anxiety. The brothers left for Cork yesterday..
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