TAMURA

TAMURA LO63

Official No:  145747    Port and Year: Cardiff, 1924 (CF12)
                                                                London, 1931 (LO63)

Description: Steel side trawler; coal fired. Ketch rigged

Crew:

Built: by Smith's Docks Co., South Bank, Middlesborough; in 1924. (Yard no. 794)

Tonnage: 301 grt 113 net

Length / breadth / depth (feet): 130.2 / 23.3 / 12.9

Engine: T 3-Cyl; 99 rhp; by builders.

Owners:

As CF12

Mar 1924: Neale & West, Wharf St., Cardiff

As LO63

1931: T. J. Jenkerson & Jones, Docks, Milford

Manager: Tom Jenkerson.

Landed at Milford: 17 Feb 1931 - 24 Sep 1939

Skippers: John Frederick Phillips (1932)

Notes: Replaced TAMURA CF47 (ON 139600), 268 grt., built by Cochrane & Sons, and completed in Feb 1917, which went aground between St. Ann's Head and Castlebeach Bay, c.1920. (Her only landing recorded at Milford was 14 Mar 1919.) [See below.]
Sep 1939: Requisitioned by the Admiralty, renamed COMET and converted to a decoy vessel
30 Sep 1940: Mined off Falmouth.

Accidents and Incidents

From the West Wales Guardian of an unknown Friday in May or June 1932:

SKIPPERS GOES TOO FAR

Dock Master Abused

Trawler Badly Navigated

MAXIMUM FINE INFLICTED

"If this conduct is allowed to continue there will be an end of discipline on the Dock," remarked the Chairman (Mr. D. G. Jones) of the Milford bench in fininga local skipper the maximum penalty of £5 at the sessions on Wednesday.

The skipper concerned was John Frederick Phillips, of the s.t. Tamura, and residing at Dartmouth Gardens. He was charged with using abusive and insulting language when navigating his vessel in the Docks, to Capt. James Hurry, the Dock Master. The proceedings were taken under the Dock Company's bye-laws.

ORDERS DISOBEYED.

Mr. G. T. Kelway (Messrs. Price and Kelway, solicitors), who prosecuted on behalf of the Docks Company, told the magistrates that that was a case which was not so common as the usual run of cases regarding the navigating of vessels. The prosecution was taken under the bye-law which read, "No master engaged in navigating any vessel in the limits of the Docks shall be intoxicated while so engaged ..... No person employed on the vessel shall be intoxicated ... Or use obscene or insulting language, etc." He mentioned that on Saturday, the 21st ult., the defendant's trawler was manoeuvring towards the Dock gates, which were open. She seemed to be towards the inner end of the lock pits. Capt. Hurry noticed that she appeared to be rather badly navigated, and was getting into a position from which it would have taken considerable time to extricate her. It was approaching the time for the the closing of the gates and there seemed every probability that she would miss the gates, and be detained for a time, thus causing unnecessary loss to her owners. She could have got out quite easily, and the Docks Master felt it his duty to take charge of the position with a view to getting the ship out of the Dock. He ordered the skipper to come ahead and manoeuvre the vessel in a certain way. The orders were disobeyed and he then went on to describe the words that led up to the charge. Mr. Kelway felt it his duty to ask their worships to say, if the offence were proved, it was a very serious one. There were a lot of people standing about and it was serious offence for masters of vessels entering or leaving the docks to use bad language to the senior official on duty in that way. The offence merited the imposition of a severe penalty. The defendant might very well have charged with disobeying the Dock master's orders. Since he did get out of the Dock, they did not think it necessary to bring the more serious charge.

THREATENED TO SMASH HIS FACE.

Capt. James Hurry, in evidence, said the incidents took place on the evening tide of Saturday May 21st. He saw the s.t. Tamura manoeuvring in a good position to come straight out. Suddenly she went straight towards the Hakin side of the lock and only avoided a collision by going astern. Witness thought the skipper was in difficulty and walked towards the vessel. Witness gave an instruction, after the vessel had gone sufficiently far astern, to come ahead, but the skipper (defendant) took no notice. Witness could see he was going to get the vessel in such a position as to be over by the Hakin coal tips. It was tide time in a few minutes and witness shouted to the defendant if he was going back to his berth or coming ahead?

The defendant, he added, then came outside of the wheelhouse and shouted, "I'm in charge of this ship. I'll do what I like," using also filthy and threatening language. Witness could see the vessel was going to be in and shouted to defendant to come ahead or he would be shut in. "I'll come ahead to you," shouted Phillips, cursing and swearing. "I'll come full speed ahead and smash up the lock if you like." He put his engines ahead and came out of the wheelhouse again and remained outside all the way through through the locks. The ship kept on ahead, but luckily a man in the wheelhouse obeyed witness's instructions. All the way down defendant kept on raving at him and shouting, amongst other things, that if he came on the wall he would smash the dock master's face in. While getting abreast of the gates he became worse.

Mr. Kelway (to the magistrates): Do you want a specimen of the language?

Capt. Hurry: It can't be worse, sir.

[ Missing a few lines of the original report, to the effect that the defendant was at sea and unable to attend the Sessions. ]

Defendant wrote that he was proceeding to [ text in original report garbled ] He admitted the offence, which he explained, was committed in the heat of temper when Capt. Hurry wished him to navigate the ship. He tendered Capt. Hurry sincere apologies for using bad language.

The Clerk (Mr. H. J. E. Price): Has he apologised?

Capt. Hurry: He came back the next morning. He seemed to have had an awfully bad time outside and as he was passing through the gates he said, 'I'm sorry for what happened last night.'"

"I told him he went too far," added witness.

Mr. G. T. Kelway said the boat put back owing to some trouble.

The Docks Master pointed out that there was a crown of people at the time and his subordinates were there as well.

A fine was imposed as above.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From an unknown local newspaper dated c. 2nd February 1939:

The steam trawler 'Tamura' (Jenkerson & Jones), returned to dock on Friday with a deck hand, Thomas James, 19 years old, of 27, Hakinville, injured. The vessel had only just got to work on the fishing grounds when a trawl board fell on James' chest, severely injuring him. On arrival, he was carried on the Docks Police stretcher to his home, and after medical attention was taken to the County Hospital, Haverfordwest.

Bosun Jack Dyer, 22 years old, of the same trawler, who was so seriously injured during the recent gales off the south west coast of Ireland, is still on the danger list in Cork's Hospital, where his arm has been amputated four inches below his shoulder. His condition is causing anxiety to his relatives. He is a son of Mr. Bert Dyer, fish merchant, Landsdowne House, Charles Street, and his mother is with him in Ireland.

"Trawler TAMURA thought to be on the rocks between Castlebeach and St Ann's Head about 1920".

[Bennet T: "Welsh Shipwrecks Vol. 3: Milford Haven, St Govans Head, Tenby & Carmarthen Bay"]