PILOT  M8

Official No: 29563     Port Number and Year:  - in Milford, 1844.

Description: Wooden sailing smack; trawling.  Cutter rigged.

Crew: 3 men

Registered: 1844.

Built:

Tonnage: 23 grt. 

Length / breadth / depth (feet): 36 / - / -

Engine: -

Owners:

 

As M ?

1844: No records.

 

1863: [ Recorded as registered in Milford in MNL 1863. No owner stated. ]

 

By 1867: William Francis, Tenby.

9 Apr 1969: As M8

 

By 1878: William Walters, 1 Park Place, Tenby.

 

By 1889: George Lewis, Tenby.

 

Landed at Milford: [Landed at Tenby]

Skippers: J. Lillycrop (Skipper - see 1874 newspaper below); William Walters (born Tenby); John Howells; George Lewis (see 1889 newspaper below).

Notes: 

Cert. Cancelled & Registry Closed: 6 Feb 1890.  Vessel broken up.

 Accidents and incidents.

 

From The Pembrokeshire Herald and General Advertiser of Friday, 5th June 1863:

 

On Tuesday a fine sturgeon, weighing about 120 Ibs., was taken in the bay by the fishing-smack Rose. It was sent off to Billingsgate Market. Another but smaller sturgeon, was taken the same day by the fishing smack Pilot.

 

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

From the Tenby Observer of Thursday, 24th September 1874:

 

    On Monday night the fishing smack Pilot, J. Lillycrop, master, was driven from her anchor in Caldy Roads. He succeeded in making the harbour with the loss only of his boat. He describes the gale at 2 a.m., whilst he was endeavouring to make the harbour, as being terrific. With only a foresail on his smack three streaks of the deck was under water. The fishing smack Four Brothers, S. Lewis, master, was also driven from his anchorage in Caldy Roadstead, but succeeded in again bringing up. The master describes the night as being one of the worst he has experienced for years.

 

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

From The Pembrokeshire Herald and General Advertiser of Friday 7th June 1878:

 

TENBY.

FOUNDERING OF A TENBY TRAWLER.

About six a.m. on Tuesday morning the fishing smack Ann, George Lewis, master and owner, carrying a crew of one man besides the master and two boys, sprang a leak about eight miles W.S.W. of Caldy Island. There was a stiff breeze blowing at the time, and in spite of the efforts of the crew the water gained on them, and at nine a.m. they took to the boat, and were picked up by the trawler Pilot, William Walters master, and were landed at Tenby during the forenoon. The Ann was unfortunately not insured, and her owner is deprived of his sole means of livelihood by the loss of the boat.

 

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

From the Tenby Observer of Thursday, 29th August 1889:

ACCIDENT TO THE LADY GWENDOLINE.

     A somewhat unfortunate accident occurred on Sunday to the well-known excursion steamer Lady Gwendoline. She left Cardiff on Saturday for Ilfracombe, proceeding from thence to Tenby. On the departure of the s.s. Briton on Sunday morning she was brought into the harbour at Tenby by Captain West, and safely moored under the direction of the harbour-master. After the harbour-master had left the pier the crew of one of the many fishing smacks lying near called out that the sponsons of the Gwendoline were damaging their vessel, and the mate (Mr. Cross), who was in charge of the bridge, gave orders, "Move ahead." The engines were started, and the steamer forged ahead until she struck the ground high and dry close under the Albion Hotel, almost wrecking the fishing smack Pilot, belonging to George Lewis. Right ahead of the Lady Gwendoline a large cutter yacht, the Neptune, was moored, and it was only by the merest chance that she was saved from destruction. Had the tide been a little higher, not only would the yacht have been wrecked, but the Lady Gwendoline, herself would have stove in her own bows against the pier wall, as her engines were kept going after she was hard and fast on the ground. Damages to the amount of about £80 have been sustained by the Pilot, an expensive landing stage smashed, &c., but the Neptune and Lady Gwendoline escaped injury.

 

        Back to Smacks