WILLIE  M75

Official No: 98374  Port Number and Year:  3rd in Milford, 1891                                                                                 - in Shoreham, 1925. (SM?)

Description: Wooden smack; beam trawler.  Cutter rigged; later ketch rigged: mainsail, jib, foresail,  mizzen.

Crew:  2 men, 1 boy (1901, 1904).

Registered: 9 Apr 1941

Built: 1891, Galmpton, Brixham

Tonnage: 21.91 grt  21.91 net.

Length / breadth / depth (feet): 51.3 (55 oa) / 14.3 / 6.75

Engine: -

Owners:   9 Apr 1891: William George Griffiths, Market St., Tenby. Managing owner.   6 Apr 1903: John Thomas, Crackwell St., Tenby. Managing owner.   1921?: John Nichols, 28 Dartmouth St., Milford. [ No date in Register. ]   1922?: Peter Llewellyn Hancock, 5 Picton Rd., Hakin. [ No date in Register. ] Managing owner.   16 Jan 1924: Thomas Frederick Leach, 49 Florence Rd., Brighton. Managing owner. By 1925: SM?

Landed at Milford:  Landed usually at Tenby, but occasionally at Milford, e.g.: 5 Mar; 4 May; 1 Sep to 11 Oct 1923.

Skippers: Samuel Kingdom; William Thomas; John Nicholas

Notes:

Cert. Cancelled & Registry Closed: 6 Jan 1924.  Vessel transferred to the port of Shoreham. [ Not listed under this name in the MNL 1929.]

 Accidents and Incidents

From "The Weekly Mail", of Saturday 12th January 1901:

SHIPPING NEWS.

TRAWLER DISMASTED IN CARMARTHEN BAY.

    In the early hours of Friday morning, during strong breeze from the eastward, the trawler Willie. belonging to Mr. W. G. Griffiths, fishmonger, Tenby, whilst trawling the Carmarthen Bar, was dismasted. Fortunately, no one was injured by the falling mast, the fishing smack Providence bore down upon the dismasted smack, took her in tow, and brought the vessel into Tenby Harbour.

 

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From "The Pembrokeshire Herald and General Advertiser" of Friday 30th October 1908:

 

MILFORD HAVEN

.......

FISHERMAN DIES AT SEA

An inquest was held on Friday morning by Mr. H. J. E. Price, district coroner, touching the death of a fisherman named William Harvey.  It was stated by Edwin Mortimer, skipper of the smack "Willie", on which the deceased was employed, that the ship left Milford on Saturday morning, the 17th inst., the deceased being then apparently in his usual health.  On Tuesday night the deceased complained of being unwell, and he was told to go below.  Sometime after the witness found Harvey lying on the locker with two two pillows under his head, and he concluded he was dead.  Dr. W. S. Griffith said that death was due to heart failure, and a verdict of "Death from natural causes" was returned.

 

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From the Cardiff Times and South Wales Weekly News, of Saturday 25th December 1909:

 

TENBY TRAWLERS DAMAGED.

        On Tuesday night a gale from the south-east sprang up at Tenby, and great anxiety was occasioned because of half-a-dozen trawlers which had not returned to harbour with the others which had made for port in the afternoon.  The boats were Elizabeth (Mr J. Smith, owner),  Gratitude (Mr. J. Smith),  Restless (Mr. T. Lillycrop), White Violet (Mr. W. Rowse), Providence (Mr Aaron Kingdom), and Willie (Mr William Thomas). The wind blew with tremendous force, and the sea both upon the north and south beaches was very heavy. The red lights upon the landing stage of the Victoria Pier could not be seen for spray, and the seas broke over the gangway leading to the lifeboat house. At 9 o'clock the lifeboat crew assembled, by order of Dr. Bryant, in the expectation that they would be required to go to the assistance of the trawlers which were out in the bay, and they remained on duty till 5 yesterday morning. The trawlers, however, managed to keep to windward until there was sufficient water to enter the harbour, which was about 11 o'clock. They did not get in without suffering considerable damage. The Providence smashed her pump and began to fill with water, also losing her mid-ship rail and main gaff; the Restless carried away her main boom. The Gratitude and the White Violet collided on entering the harbour, the former carrying away her mizzen boom and bowsprit, and the White Violet her mizzen boom. The Elizabeth was undamaged. A vessel supposed to be the Willie is in Caldey Roads.

 

 

 

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