WEIGELIA M96

Official No:  128754   Port Number and Year: 9th in Milford, 1911

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

Crew:  9 men (1911).

Registered at Milford: 27 Jun 1911

Built: 1911, Cochrane & Sons, Selby.  (Yard no. 485)

Tonnage: 261.53 grt  102.69 net.

Length / breadth / depth (feet): 125.2 / 22.0 / 12.25

Engine: T-3Cyl; 76 nhp., 12.2 kts.;  by Charles D. Holmes & Co., Hull

Owners:   27 Jun 1911:  Southern Steam Trawlers Co. Ltd., 127 Quay, Waterford, Ireland. (Messrs. Sellick, Morley and Price, Milford Docks.) Manager: Cornelius Cecil Morley, "Cnocaitiun"*, Milford.   (*Probably "Cnoc Áine" , Co. Limerick: "Aine's Hill". )

Landed at Milford:  17 Jul 1911 - 5 Aug 1914

Skippers:  James Kean cert. 5113, age 42, born London; signed on 1 Jan, 5 Jul 1912; 9 Jan, 1 Jul 1913 D. Smith 3566, 45, Lincoln; 29 Sep 1912 William Holder 0964, 56, Dundee;23 Jul 1913 William Harrison 4405, 40, Hull; 13 Dec 1913

Notes:  Weigelia (sic - usually Weigela) is a deciduous shrub with white, yellow, pink or red flowers. This ship does not appear in any report in any Welsh newspaper from 1911-17, which is surprising. Aug 1914: Requisitioned  and converted to a minesweeper (Admy. No.153). 1 x 3 pdr. 28 Feb 1916: Mined and sank off Dover. (At 51.08N, 1.27E; mine laid by UC-6; Matthias Graf von Schmettow.)  A boy, the sole survivor who escaped from the wheelhouse of the OTHELLO II when mined on 31 Oct 1915, was sent to join the WEIGELIA after he had recovered, and was on board when she sank. He survived again, and only one man from the crew was lost. (See below.) http://dover-subaqua-club.co.uk/pages/local_recks.html [Lofthouse T., Mayes G., Newton D., & Thompson M. (2012): Cochrane Shipbuilders, Vol.1: 1884 - 1914.]

Cert. Cancelled & Milford Registry Closed: 23 Jun 1917. Vessel totally lost.

 

Accidents and Incidents

From Admiralty report ADM137 / 376 in the National Archives (supplied by Peter Bell):

 

On Monday the 28th February H.M.A.T. 'Weigelia' No. 153 was mined in Lat. 51.8' 30" N. Long. 1.27' 35" E.

At the time she was attempting to destroy a mine when she struck another mine close to it.  Only one life was lost, namely Trimmer Thomson O.N. T.S.526.

 

From CWGC website:

 

THOMPSON [sic], John Francis: Service no. 526TS; Trimmer; Date of Death 28/02/1916; Age 32; Royal Naval Reserve; Chatham Naval Memorial, Ref. no. 20.

Son of John and Harriet Thompson, of 118, York St., Hull.

 

 

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