TRITON  M93

Official No: 98380  Port Number and Year:  6th in Milford, 1892

Description: Steel side / beam trawler; steam screw, coal burning. Ketch rigged

Crew:  9 men

Registered at Milford: 10 May 1892

Built: 1892, by J. Scott & Co., Kingshorn, Kirkcaldy, Fife. (Yard no. 79)

Tonnage: 169.75 grt  56.21 net.

Length / breadth / depth (feet): 103 / 21.1 / 12

Engine: T 3-cyl. 50 rhp.; by builders

Owners:

 

10 May 1892: Milford Haven Trawling Co., 273 Central Chambers, London

Thomas James Wales (sen.), Priory Rd., Milford

Thomas James Wales (jun.), Sea View Tce., Swansea

John Thomas Duncan         )

Thomas Brown                  ) 17 Hamilton Tce., Milford

Charles T. Blethyn             )

R. Cole                             )

 

6 Sep 1905:  Charles John Davies, Priory Rd., Milford

John White, Great North Rd., Milford

 

18 Mar 1908:  John White, Docks, Milford

 

Landed at Milford:  21 May 1892 - 9 Jan 1910

Skippers: Henry John Dove cert 2301, age 43, born Great Clacton; residing Great North Rd., Milford; signed on 19 Sep 1892; 10 May 1893; 8 Feb 1894

Caleb Ballard 2465, 30, Ticehurst; 4 May, 27 Jul 1893

W. Dayes 01211, 42, Leeds; 14 Feb 1894

R. Saunderson 29321, 41, Filey; 16 Jul 1894

Bart Foster 1608, 38, Greenock; 29 Aug 1894

T. J. Wales 10666, 56, Ramsgate; Charles St., Milford; 7 Jan, 2 Sep 1898; 7 Aug 1899; 7 Jan 1900

T. J. Wales 3389, 29, Ramsgate; Warwick Rd., Milford; 17 Nov 1900; 15 Jan, 9 Jul 1901; 30 Dec 1901; 4 Jul 1902; 6 Jan 1903;1 Jan, 22 Apr, 2 Jul 1904

C. Cladingbone 3189, 28, Ramsgate; 164 Foxhill Rd., Swansea; 8 Jul 1903; 9 Mar 1904

James S. Gray 996, 40, Woodbridge; 18 Sep 1903

William Holder 0964, 53, Aberdeen; 10 Jan 1906

Alfred Reeve 3300, 35, Newark; 1 Jun, 10 Jul 1906

H. Hewer 6526, 29, Gorleston; 11 Sep 1906

Henry Scott 0231, 57, London; 29 Nov 1906; 4 Jan 1907

Thomas Leggett 7028, 34, Gorleston; 17 Apr 1907

J. Cutler 5311, 37, Yarmouth; 27 Apr, 5 Jul 1907

William Thomas 1234, 47, Hull; 5 Nov 1907; 6 Jan 1908

I. Bloomfield 6706, 40, Ipswich; 23 Feb 1908

J. Joyce 5562, 40, Manchester; 18 Mar 1908

W. Blacker 7151, 41, Brixham; 18 Jun, 9 Jul 1908

F. Riby 1812, 56, Scarborough; 1 Aug 1908

Francis Smith 5288, 33, Tenby; 27 Aug 1908; 13 Nov 1909

W. Hall 6990, 30, Acle; 15 Jan 1909

E. Firth 7423, 34, Bradford; 18 Mar 1909

Robert Woodgate 4187, 42, beer; 13 May, 2 Jul 1909

Notes: 20 Jan 1910: Foundered 12 miles SSW of Black Ball Head, Ireland

Cert. Cancelled & Milford Registry Closed: 21 Jan 1910.

 Accidents and Incidents

Log book entries:

 

06.05.1893

25 miles W 1 N from the Smalls

Eccentric link of the steam winch carried away.  Invisible flaw in the links.

    C. Ballard (Skipper)

 

17.11.1893

Carrying away of tow rope, trawl nets, mizzen damaged.  Parting of tow rope whilst towing steam ship "Helvetia" in distress.

    Henry John Dove (Skipper)

 

[ HELVETIA, Liverpool; 131 grt, 78 nt; Iron schooner; built 1892, R. Smith & Co., Lytham; owners: Monks, Hall & Co. ]

 

21.08.1894

Dodman Point

Collision with "City of Bangor".  Bad lookout.

    B. Foster (Skipper)

[See newspaper report below.]

 

26.10.1900

Fined G. Warford the sum of 5/- for leaving the ship without permission.

Approved the amount appropriated by owner for expenses incurred by the ship losing the tide.

    J. W. Crocker, M.M. Office Supt., 26th October 1900

 

14.05.1901

Bay of Biscay

C. Warnell, age 20, deck hand; British, born Brixham, residing Warwick Road, Milford Haven.

Slipped while guiding a warp with a bar of iron onto the barrel of the winch.  The bar slipped striking Warnell on the shoulder fracturing his collar bone.

    T. J. Wales (Skipper)

    C. Miller (Chief Engineer)

 

16.10.1904

W Coast of Ireland

Loss of mizzen mast head.  Very heavy weather at the Blaskets

    T. J. Wales (Skipper)

 

19.02.1907

18 miles N by E from Hook Lighthouse.

Rudder head carried away.  Heavy sea struck vessel whilst lying to.

    Henry Scott (Skipper)

 

19.01.1908

11.30 a.m., 11 miles W by S of St Ann's Head

Wind WSW, slight breeze, weather fine, sea smooth.

We found vessel making water in engine room from under cabin.  We found on the starboard side of tail shaft.  Put plug in same, and with pumps kept water under.  Docked same evening at 4.30 p.m.

    W. Hall (Skipper)

 

17.09.1908

On 17th September 1908, vessel was making for dock entrance when the steam trawler 'Cambria', in trying to cut us out, collided with us starting the beading on port quarter.

    Francis Smith (Skipper)

 

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From the Haverfordwest & Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 4th April, 1894:

 

    Captain Dove, of the steam trawler "Triton", had a narrow escape from serious injury or perhaps instant death on Monday.  The steam winch of the trawler had been repaired, and the Skipper was making an examination, when his coat became entangled in the powerful cog wheel.  Had it not been for the fact that his strength was superior to the material of which his coat was made, and that the winch was not in rapid motion, he would have been drawn in, and the consequences may have been deplorable.

 

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From Reynolds's Newspaper of Sunday, August 26, 1894; Issue 2298

 

GENERAL NEWS

 

    On Tuesday morning the steam trawler Triton, of Milford (Captain Dove), collided with and sank the schooner City of Bangor (Captain Marks), from Teignmouth to Drogheda, with a cargo of bricks.  About twenty-five minutes past eleven the crew of the schooner observed the trawler about half a mile off steaming towards them.  They shouted and rang the bell, but no notice, it is alleged, was taken of them, the result being that the Triton ran down the schooner, causing her to sink in ten minutes.  The accident happened in clear weather, twenty miles south-west of the Eddystone.  The schooner's crew were saved.

 

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

 

From the Haverfordwest & Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 1st April 1896:

 

    A special court was held in Galway on Friday for the purpose of trying the charges of illegal fishing preferred against the masters of two Milford steam trawlers.  These two steam trawlers, named respectively "Triton" and "General Roberts", came over from Milford Haven to Galway Bay during the week, and were arrested by a gunboat while engaged in illegal fishing in these waters. 

    On account of a question asked in Parliament by Mr John Dillon, a gunboat was dispatched to Galway Bay to cope with the illegal trawling there, many complaints having been made by the local fishermen of their boats being nearly run down by steam trawlers during the night, fishing in Galway Bay contrary to the fishing regulations.

    The very first night the gunboat was in Galway Bay the two trawlers belonging to the defendants were seized.  After a lengthened hearing, J. T. Wales, of the trawler "Triton", and John Pettit of the trawler "General Roberts", the defendants, were fined £5 each, and costs for fishing within the prohibited limits, and £25 costs for steaming about and trawling without having their lights up as prescribed by the bye-laws.

 

 

From the Irish Times of Friday , 27th March 1896:

                                                                                                                                             GALWAY, Thursday

At a special Court of Petty Sessions, held today before J.C. Gardiner, Esq., R.M., and Michael Lynch, Esq., J.P., the captains of two steam trawlers, named respectively T.F.[sic] Wales, of the Triton, and John Petit of the General Roberts, were charged with two offences at the suit of the Fishery Commissioners and at the suit of the Board of Trade, first for trawling within prescribed limits on the night of 21st March, and secondly for fishing without lights, as required by statute.  The defendants were detected by Lieutenant Adby, of H.M. gunboat Albacore, by the aid of a searchlight.  They pleaded guilty to both charges, and for the first offence were fined £5 each.  For the second they were fined £25 each, with forfeiture of their nets.  The defendants belong to Milford Haven.

 

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

 

  From the Haverfordwest & Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 27th May, 1896:

 

    On Tuesday we observed a large cask of wine being landed from the steam trawler "Triton",  and handed over to the Custom Authorities.  The "Triton" picked it up in the Bay of Biscay.

 

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

 

Letter in the Les Jones Archive:

 

                                                                            55, Sea View Terrace,

                                                                    Swansea.

                                                                20th July 1903

To the Superintendent of the Board of Trade.

 

Dear Sir,

 

    Will you kindly accept log book for past six months.  I gave it to the Clerk in charge yesterday, and he refused to accept same, as it was in a bad muddle.  Dear Sir, the steam trawler "Triton" has had three skippers for the past six months, I myself being the third.  I opened log book, and asked Skipper Cladingbone to explain to me about the signing on and off of the crew, and he said he could not understand it as he was a bad scholar, and had never seen a log book before, except signing off and on.  The other skipper, James Gray, I have not seen.

    Hoping you will accept the log book, and I humbly apologise, and it will never occur again.  Hoping you will accept same and oblige.

    Yours truly,

            T. J. Wales,

                                                        Skipper and Owner of the "Triton".

 

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

 

The Times, Jan 22, 1910; pg. 12; Issue 39176; col F


     SHIPPING ACCIDENTS.

    A large steam trawler, Triton, owned by a Mr. White, and managed by Messrs. Sellick, Morley and Price (Limited), of Milford Haven, while trawling on Thursday afternoon suddenly sprang a leak which the crew were powerless to overcome and which ultimately resulted in the trawler's foundering about 20 miles S.S.W. of Blackball Head.  The crew were 25 hours in an open boat in mid-ocean.  The second engineer of the trawler arrived at Berehaven yesterday.  He stated that when the leak was discovered the men were put instantly to the pumps, but after working for some hours they found that the leak had grown worse and that no amount of pumping would lessen the amount of water, which, by that time, was breast-deep in the engine room and cabins.  Suddenly the ship began to settle down and Captain Joyce ordered the men to take to the lifeboat.  The half-dressed and almost famished men kept at the oars, pulling for Berehaven in the teeth of a strong north-easterly wind.  On reaching the harbour several of the crew collapsed from exhaustion and were conveyed to River Dart, where restoratives were applied and the men were supplied with warm clothing.

___________________________________

 

A local newspaper article of Wednesday 26th January 1910, probably the Haverfordwest and Milford Haven Telegraph

 

    One of the pioneering trawlers of this port has been lost at sea.  On Friday afternoon, the managers of the vessel (Messrs, Sellick, Morley & Price) received a telegram stating that the steam trawler "Triton" had foundered off the west coast of Ireland. 

    The crew fortunately were saved.  They had had time to launch their small boat, and clamber in.  They were landed at the Irish port of Berehaven, doubtless after a venturous experience

    The trawler "Triton" was associated for years with the late Captain Thomas Wales, and was at present owned by Mr. John White.

 

 

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