SKART M155
Official No: 73846 Port Number and Year: - in Glasgow, 1876
13th in Aberdeen, 1893 (A697)
1st in Douglas IoM, 1895 (DO259)
4th in Milford, 1900
Description: Iron steam screw coal burner. Lining and trawling
Crew: 7 men (1894); 6 men (1895); 7 men (1900).
Registered at Milford: 12 Jun 1900
Built: 1876, Thos. B. Seath, Rutherglen. (Yard no. 170)
Tonnage: 96 grt 34 net
Length / breadth / depth (feet): 80.4 / 13.9 / 7.6
Engine: C.2-cyl. 50 hp.
Owners:
As a yacht.
1876: Arbuthnot G. Guthrie, Duart, Mull, Argyllshire.
1889: William H. Dodds, 24 Gardner St., North Shields.
As A697
8 Mar 1892: John Lewis, Torry, Kincardine.
Managing owner.
1894: Jno. Lyon, 23 South Constitution St., Aberdeen.
Managing owner.
As DO259
14 Jan 1895: Alfred Fleming, 4 Duke St., Douglas, IoM. (Butcher.)
Managing owner.
As M155
12 Jun 1900: John Kilby & John Davies Harries, Docks, Milford.
Landed at Milford: 22 Sep 1900 - 21 Aug 1902
Skippers:
1900: John Kilby; Furze
1901: Kilby; Smith;
1902 Smith; William Spurgeon; Yarston, G.
Notes:
Skart: "A name of the cormorant in the Hebrides." [Adm. W.H. Smyth: Sailor's Word-book. (1867).]
May 1900: Bought by Skipper John Kilby, of Priory Rd., Milford, for £820.
26 Aug 1902: Foundered off Lundy Island.
[Thanks to Andy Hall for details of SKART's early years, and the help of Paul Weatherall, Library & Archive Services Officer, Manx National Heritage.]
Cert. Cancelled & Milford Registry Closed: 16 Sep 1902
Accidents and Incidents
From the Glasgow Herald of Tuesday 11th December 1888:
OBAN.― YACHT SALE.― The well-known steam yacht Skart, 68 tons, belonging to Mr. A.C. Guthrie of Duart, Mull, has been sold to an English gentleman. The trial trips and sale were carried through by Mr. John Munro, of the Highland Yacht Agency, Oban.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Glasgow Herald of Friday 22nd March 1889:
THREE TYNE SEAMEN WASHED OVERBOARD
Through the severe gale off the Tyne on Wednesday night a number of Tyne fishing boats which were out at sea arrived yesterday morning, reporting serious damage and loss of life. While the line boat Skart was making for Shields, she was struck by heavy seas. The boats were smashed, bulwarks knocked in, sails blown away, cabin flooded, and two of the crew - James and Joseph Sadler - were drowned. A man named Lowry was also washed overboard and drowned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Aberdeen Weekly Journal of Thursday 2nd June 1890:
ACTION FOR SALVAGE.― The record was closed yesterday in an action raised before Lord Kinnear by George Gault and others, the crew and engineer of the steam line fishing boat Skart of Aberdeen, against J. T. Cunliffe, Edinburgh, owner of the steam line fishing boat Earnest. The pursuers state that on 14th November they were returning from fishing off the coast of Aberdeenshire, and when entering the fairway at Aberdeen in a dense fog they passed the Earnest drifting out to sea in a derelict condition. They put about and boarded her, and brought her to a place of safety, and they now claim £250 as a reasonable sum for salvage. The defence is that the Earnest had been left moored in the harbour by the crew when they went ashore. Defender says he has no knowledge of how the vessel came to be drifting, and offers £20 in full of pursuers' claims.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Aberdeen Weekly Journal of Friday 29th August 1890:
A BOATING ADVENTURE IN ABERDEEN BAY:― Yesterday morning, a few minutes before nine o'clock, the steam trawler Skart (Captain Johnson) arrived at Aberdeen and reported that at about a quarter to six o'clock that morning he had picked up, sixteen miles off the Ness, a small pleasure boat in which there was a gentleman named Mansell, belonging to London, who had hired a boat from Mr. Ogilvie, Torry, and gone to fish on Wednesday forenoon, and been driven out to sea. The circumstances of the case are best told in Captain Johnson's own words. "The Skart", he said, "left Aberdeen about two o'clock on Wednesday afternoon for the fishing grounds. After fishing the greater part of the night the Skart's head was turned in the direction of Aberdeen. There was a nasty choppy sea running, and a stiff breeze from the north blowing. When the vessel was within sixteen to eighteen miles south-east of the Ness the man on the lookout espied a small light pleasure boat painted white, with a man sitting in it. The order was given to alter the course of the vessel and to bear down in the direction in which the boat had been seen. Having got alongside the crew of the Skart found some difficulty in getting Mr. Mansell from the pleasure boat to the deck of the trawler. This was eventually accomplished, however, and the boat also taken on board. It was then seen that Mr. Mansell must have suffered much during the night. The boat had been in danger several times of being swamped, but Mr. Mansell had the presence of mind to take off his boots and use them for baling out the water. There was only one rowlock in the boat when it was picked up, and Mr. Mansell had given up all hopes of reaching land. After being taken on board dry clothes were given him, and after being supplied with food he soon recovered. Several times during the night, he stated, he had almost been overcome with sleep, but he kept himself awake in the hope that he might be able to signal any vessel that might be passing." How the boat had drifted so far out is not rightly known, but it is supposed that Mr. Mansell's attention being taken up in watching his fishing lines the current had drawn the boat out until he was powerless to help himself. Upon the arrival of the Skart at the Fish Market, a large crowd assembled, some persons having spread the information that they had picked someone up at sea.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Aberdeen Weekly Journal of Tuesday 17th February 1891:
ACTION FOR DAMAGES TO FISHERMEN'S LINES
Sheriff Hamilton-Grierson has issued the following judgement in the action by George Gauld, fisherman, Lossiemouth, skipper of the steam line fishing boat Skart, of Glasgow, against William Yoston, fisherman, master of, and as representing the proprietors of, the steam trawler Lady Tredegar, of North Shields. Pursuer sued for £54, being the amount of loss and damage sustained by him in consequence of the defender's trawler, having been steered across pursuer's fishing lines, fouling and destroying them.
......................
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Aberdeen Weekly Journal of Thursday 19th November 1891:
THE FLOATING OF THE SKART.― The steam trawler Skart, belonging to Messrs George Lewis & Son, which ran ashore on the beach at Newburgh on 9th October, was successfully floated on Tuesday afternoon. Steam was raised in the Skart's boilers, and at the flood of the tide she floated off, and the vessel was almost into deep water when her propeller came into contact with a wooden pile in the sand, breaking two of the blades. Assistance was at once telegraphed for, and the tug John Maconnachie was sent to tow her to Aberdeen, where she arrived safely about three o'clock yesterday morning. Otherwise the damage to the Skart is trifling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Aberdeen Weekly Journal of Friday 6th January 1893:
ABERDEEN FISHERMEN'S GRIEVANCES
...........
Only two steam line boats landed catches yesterday. These were the Skart and Nightingale. The former belongs to Messrs Lewis, Torry, who have come to an agreement with their men, and the latter is owned by the crew ― Messrs J. K. Robertson & Co., Torry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Aberdeen Weekly Journal of Monday 20th November 1893:
TWO TRAWLERS ASHORE
Communications have been received stating that the steam trawlers St Fotin (Mennie, master), belonging to Mr. Thomas Walker, Footdee, and the Skart (Lyon, master and owner) have gone ashore at Scrabster. Mr Thomas Walker leaves with the first train this morning for Scrabster. It is expected both vessels will become total wrecks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Liverpool Mercury of Thursday 24th January 1895:
SHIPPING NEWS
WRECK TOWED INTO DOUGLAS
The schooner Thomas, of Liverpool, Jones skipper, bound from Glasgow to the Mersey with bricks, was towed into Douglas harbour yesterday morning, a complete wreck. She had experienced dirty weather, and had to run into Laxey Bay for safety, whence the trawler Skart brought her to Douglas with her main boom gone and the maintopsail yards and topgallant completely shattered, and otherwise damaged. The crew reported fearful weather in the Channel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Liverpool Mercury of Thursday 28th March 1895:
ANOTHER BODY FOUND ON THE MANX COAST
On Tuesday the Skart, steam trawler of Douglas, picked up the body of a man about seven miles off Niarbyl Point, to the west of the island. From papers found on the body it proved to be that of a seaman named Duncan Finlayson, of Ross. He formed one of the crew of 22 of the Glasgow steamer Abydos, which went down with all hands during the terrible storm of the 21st December last, off Port Erin. This is the sixth body recovered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Isle of Man Times and General Advertiser of Tuesday 12th February 1895:
THE SNOWSTORM
..............
On Monday ... at 11.30 in the forenoon the head Postmaster was informed that Mr. Alfd. Fleming's steam trawler Skart was going down to Ramsey, and by the kind permission of the owner the local mails for Ramsey and the north were sent down with her, free of charge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Western Mail of Thursday 22nd November 1900:
SHIPPING CASUALTIES
.............
SKART, steam trawler, ashore at West Angle; no damage; water smooth; will float next tide.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From The Pembrokeshire Herald and General Advertiser of Friday 29th August 1902:
FOUNDERING OF A MILFORD TRAWLER.—The Milford trawler Spart [i.e., SKART] sprung a leak in the Bristol Channel and foundered. The crew were saved and landed at Hayle (Cornwall) by the steamship Plover of Portreath.
From B.T. & R. Larn (1995): Shipwreck Index of The British Isles, Vol 5:
SKART 26/08/1902
Bristol Channel, Lundy Island, offshore, 25 miles WNW 51.20N 05.14W
...............
Foundered and lost offshore after developing a leak in wind conditions NW force 2.
Back to Trawlers 1888-1914