UPTON CASTLE  M125

Official No:  107043     Port Number and Year:  9th in Milford, 1896                                                                                 64th in London, 1897 (LO152)                                                                                 15th in Swansea, 1906 (SA22)                                                                                    -    in Aberdeen, 1915 (A407)                                                                                    -    in Grimsby, 1917 (GY1047)

Description: Iron side trawler / liner; steam screw, coal burning. Ketch rigged - foresail, mainsail, mizzen.

Crew: 9 men (1896)

Registered at Milford: 10 Sep 1896

Built: Edwards Bros., North Shields, in 1896.  (Yard no. 520)

Tonnage: 145 grt  49.23 net

Length / breadth / depth (feet): 106.5 / 20.9 / 11.0

Engine: T 3-Cyl. 55 hp.  Engine: North Eastern Marine Engineering, Sunderland

Owners:   10 Sep 1896: George Raymond Birt.       )                       E. Boyle.                            )    Docks,                       G. Tunley.                          )   Milford                       J. Ryde.                              ) Managing owner: George Hogarth Douglas Birt, 'Priory Lodge', Milford.   As LO152 10 May 1897: Castle Steam Trawlers, 2 Lothbury, City, London. Manager: George H. Douglas Birt, 'Priory Lodge', Milford.   As SA22. 1906: Castle Steam Trawlers, Swansea. Manager: Crawford Heron, 'Earlsmoor', West Cross, Swansea.   By 1910: John Smart (Jnr.), 59 Cleveland Rd., North Shields. Managing owner.   As A407 29 Jul 1915: T. Davidson, Commercial Rd., Aberdeen   As GY1047 23 Apr 1917: T. Langley, Grimsby

Landed at Milford:  3 Sep 1896 - 15 Jul 1904

Skippers: Bernard Henry Galvin cert. 1617, age 30, born Bradford; signed on 21 Aug 1896; 1 Jan 1897 David John Davies 5269, 24, Clynderwen; residing Charles St., Milford; 10 Jan, 7 Jul 1898 J. Reynolds 01432, 37, Scarborough; Robert St., Milford; 17 Jul 1898; 23 Jan, 11 Jul 1899

Notes:  Upton Castle is a small 13th century Norman castle, east of Cosheston, south Pembrokeshire. 24 Apr 1917:  Captured by UC-29; stopped and scuttled by bomb 60 miles E of Longstone. No loss of life.

Cert. Cancelled & Milford Registry Closed: 10 May 1897. Vessel transferred to the port of London.

 Accidents and Incidents

From the Aberdeen Weekly Journal of Wednesday, 4th August 1897; Issue 7804:

 

    A fine specimen of the Lesser Sunfish (Cephalus Brevis) has been caught by the trawler Upton Castle of London, in the Bay of Biscay.  It has been purchased by a gentleman residing at Plymouth.  It is uncertain whether this marine curiosity was caught at the bottom of the sea or near the surface when hauling the trawl.  Expert think the latter.

 

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From The Weekly Mail of Saturday 8th July 1905:

BRISTOL CHANNEL MISHAP

    In the Admiralty Court on Monday Mr. Justice Bargrave Deane, sitting with Trinity masters, gave judgment in the cross actions for damages arising out the collision between the ketch Rival, of Rye, and the  steam trawler Upton Castle.  At the time of the casualty, which occurred in the Bristol Channel on February 25 last, the ketch was bound from Southampton to Briton Ferry, while the trawler, which had been engaged in trawling, had just taken he trawl in.

    His Lordship found that the ketch was in no way to blame, and that the collision was solely due to the trawler, owing to an improper look-out, suddenly going full speed ahead across the bows of the sailing vessel.

     Judgment accordingly for plaintiff, the damages to be assessed.

 

 

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