From the
Haverfordwest and Milford Haven Telegraph of 10th February 1909:
NEW TRAWLERS
Last week we saw
two new steam trawlers arrive with their maiden cargoes of fish. Both have
been built at the well-known yard of the Smith Docks Trust, South Shields, to
the order of Messrs. Sellick, Morley and Price: the "Abelard" is commanded
by Captain J. T. Clarke, and the "Macaw" by Captain Matt Kingston, both
successful skippers. The vessels are of the class of the "Weymouth" and
others, and not of the the larger size trawlers, but thoroughly up-to-date
as regards equipment.
____________________________
Logbook entry,
16.03.11.
Sixty-five miles NW by W from the Bull Rock.
Damaged small boat,
engine room skylights,
galley skylight, cabin, galley
funnel and
starboard 1ight screen.
J. T.
L. Clarke.
(Skipper)
F. Cornish. (Second
Hand).
________________________
From the
Haverfordwest and Milford Haven Telegraph of 8th October 1913:
On Thursday afternoon,
the steam trawler Abelard, Messrs Sellick, Morley & Price, put back into the Haven and
reported a serious explosion which occurred at seven
a.m.
when the vessel, which
was on her way to the fishing grounds off the Irish Coast, had only steamed ten
miles from the Heads. Something went wrong with the acetylene gas apparatus,
and an explosion took place in the fish room, where the mate, William Adams, was
at that moment engaged in getting the fish room ready. He received the full
force of the blast, the fish room was literally wrecked, and the skipper at once
turned his vessel round and headed back to Milford with all possible speed. The
mate, it was evident, was in a serious condition, and on arrival in the Haven
the skipper went alongside the first of the warships, H.M.S. Terrible, and asked
for the doctor, who promptly boarded the trawler and had the injured man brought
aboard the cruiser, where everything possible was done for him.
Afterwards he
was placed on a Naval Ambulance and brought ashore by blue jackets, accompanied
by the naval doctor, who had him conveyed to Doctor Griffiths’ surgery, and
subsequently to his house in Warwick Road. The poor fellow was badly burnt but
the exact nature of his injuries could not be ascertained. Mr Adams was a native
of Brixham, but has lived in Milford for many years, and has a wife and a large
family. Mr Adams, whose condition remains serious, was on Saturday evening
removed to the County Infirmary, Haverfordwest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Haverfordwest and Milford Haven Telegraph of 5th August 1914:
BUSY SCENES AT MILFORD HAVEN
HUNDREDS OF MEN AFFECTED.
SERIOUS OUTLOOK
..............
On Sunday the order was given out for the
mobilisation of the Naval Reserve (trawler
section) of whom there are about 150 men in the port, including skippers,
mates, deck hands, engineers, etc. A naval officer was busy all day serving
notices on all the men in from sea. This was not all, for orders were given
for the handing over to the Admiralty of certain steam trawlers for the mine
sweeping service, the vessels to be manned. The stream
trawler Abelard
was stripped of her gear and prepared at once, leaving the port on Sunday
afternoon.
.............
________________________
From "Shipwrecks
and History in Plymouth Sound" [
http://www.promare.co.uk/ships/Wrecks/Wk_Abelard.html ]
The cause of her loss
is still uncertain, since all the official records suggest she was
originally showed 8 feet above the surface, salvage operations
commencing at once, but by 11 Jan 1917 were abandoned.
..........
Today she is well broken, her bows face south and her boiler stands
5m proud of a sandy seabed in 10m. The iron propeller is still to be
seen but the rest of the flattened wreckage lies among boulders and
kelp.
War Graves Records:
Labourer Philip Sydney
H.M. Trawler "Abelard." H.M. Dockyard 27 28/12/1916 PLYMOUTH (WESTON
MILL) CEM. Clarence Place, Morice Town, Devonport
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Trawlers 1881-1914