Accidents and Incidents

The Times, Monday, Nov 27, 1899; pg. 16; Issue 35997; col C 
     Probate, Divorce, And Admiralty Division. 

 

    This was an action brought by the owners, master, and crew of the steam trawler Amroth Castle to recover for salvage for services rendered to the defendants' steamship Balmoral, her cargo, and freight in the English Channel on June 22 and 23 of this year.  ..................   At about 12 30 p.m. on June 22 the Amroth Castle when about eight miles W. by S. of the Owers lightship in the course of a voyage from London to the fishing grounds off the Longships, fell in with the Balmoral flying the out of command signal. 

    The Balmoral is a steamship of 3,930 tons gross with a crew of 31 hands, and was at the time on a voyage from Philadelphia to London with about 5,000 tons of general cargo.  She had broken her shaft in the tunnel and was quite helpless.

    When the Amroth Castle came up it was agreed that she should tow Balmoral in the direction of Gravesend.  Hawsers were passed and the towage commenced about 3 p.m. and continued till about 8.30 p.m. on the following day, when the vessels being then off the South Foreland, the Balmoral hailed the Amroth Castle that she intended to anchor.  The hawser was taken in and the Balmoral informed the Amroth castle shat she should not require her further assistance, and about 11 30 p.m. the Balmoral was taken in tow and proceeded to Gravesend.  The Amroth Castle continued in attendance.

    The Balmoral was towed by the Amroth Castle about 100 miles.  The value of the Amroth Castle was £5,500, and the value of the Balmoral was £40,000, of her cargo £33,000, and of her freight at risk £3,430.

    ...............

    MR. JUSTICE GORELL BARNES, in giving judgement on Friday, said that the Balmoral might have anchored, but her master had elected to engage the services of the Amroth Castle, showing that he thought it was the best for him to do.  The Amroth Castle, though small, had done her work well and successfully brought the Balmoral, a vessel of great of value, to the Downs. It was proper to encourage such vessels as the Amroth Castle to render services to valuable ships, and though she had no risk, she had incurred some delay.  He should award the sum of £500, giving £375 to the owners, £45 to the master, £30 to the mate, and £50 to the crew according to their ratings.

 

[BALMORAL ON 105986, b. Wallsend on Tyne, reg. Glasgow 1896; owner Wm. H. Raeburn, 81 St.Vincent St., Glasgow.]

 

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The Times, Monday, Aug 10, 1903; pg. 5; Issue 37155; col B

 

Late on Saturday evening two men were drowned in Dale Roads, off Milford Haven.  The captains and some of the men of the steam trawlers the Marec, of Milford, and the Amroth Castle, of London, were rowing back to their boats, and when 300 yards from the shore one of the skippers said there were too many men forward and ordered some aft.  While this was being done the boat capsized.  Two of the occupants managed to right her and get in, and the chief engineer of the Amroth Castle, Hugh Jones, got ashore by the aid of an oar, but Skipper Thomas Trott, age 37, married, with seven children, of Milford, was swept away and drowned, as was the third hand of the Amroth Castle, a young man whose name is believed to be Smith.  The bodies have not yet been recovered.

 

 

From the Haverfordwest & Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 12th August 1903:

 

    The news of a sad calamity occurred late on Saturday evening in Dale Roads, resulting in the skipper of the Milford steam trawler "Marec", and the Third Hand of the steam trawler "Amroth Castle" being drowned, while the Skipper, Chief Engineer and Boatswain of the "Amroth Castle" narrowly escaped a like fate.

    The "Marec" is one of the boats of Messrs Sellick, Morley and Price, and her Skipper, Thomas Trott, has been a resident of Milford for many years.  He was 37 years of age, and has left a wife and seven children to mourn his loss.  The "Amroth Castle" is one of the Castle Line of Steam Trawlers, and her skipper is Henry Milford, of Warwick Road, Milford Haven.  The Third Hand who was drowned was a man of mystery, as no one seems to know of him.  He only came to Milford on the 30th of last month, and was known as Smith.  The other two men who barely saved their lives were Hugh H. Jones, Chief Engineer, and the Boatswain, only known as Alf.

    The "Amroth Castle" and "Marec" left Milford Docks for sea on Saturday morning.  Finding the sea too rough for fishing, they put back and sheltered in Dale Roads. The boats were anchored about 1,000 yards from shore, and the two skippers and men went ashore.  About half past ten they were returning to their ships, when about 300 yards from shore the boat capsized, and all were thrown into the water.  Skipper Milford, interviewed by a Telegraph reporter, said that when they put off he noticed there were too many men forward, and he called some of them aft.  They were obeying his order when the boat capsized.  He rose, and grasping the boat tried to right her.  Four times over he tried to enter her.  At last he got her right and scrambled in.  He could see nothing of the others by this time, and believed he was alone in the boat.  He heard someone cry out, "For God's sake, someone save us", but whether it was the Third Hand or the Bosun, he couldn't say.  He called out to keep cool, and if they had to die, to do so like men.  He remained clinging to the water-logged boat for what seemed to him hours, until a boat came off from a fishing smack, and took him and the boat off.  The Chief Engineer, he was told, had swam ashore grasping an oar, but the other two, Skipper Trott and the Third Hand, had not been seen.  He believed the boat was unseaworthy, and that the accident was due to that.

    Edwin Crocker, the skipper of the fishing smack "Unity", BH75, of the port of Brixham, told our reporter that he had just put into Dale Roads, wind bound, and had barely dropped his anchor when he heard cries for assistance.  He had a boat launched and within one minute they were afloat.  He saw a dark object on the water's edge a little ahead, and between them and the shore.  He pulled for it, and came up with boat half full of water, with two men in her, one, Skipper Milford, in a very exhausted condition, and the other, the Bosun, apparently drowned.  He believed both men would have perished in another ten minutes.  He got them on board and took them to his smack, and then sent a boat ashore for some brandy, which was given them, and they recovered.  Meanwhile a boat was searching about for the others, but they were never seen.  He heard the Chief Engineer had got ashore. 

    W. J. Beckett, the mate of the steam trawler "Marec", was also seen, but he could add nothing to the story.  On Sunday night the bodies had not been recovered.  The Chief Engineer, Jones, was then aboard, very ill.

    The facts have been reported to the Board of Trade.

 

From The Pembrokeshire Herald and General Advertiser of Friday 21st August 1903:

 

The Drowning Accident in Dale Roads.

        An inquest was held on Tuesday, at St. Ishmael's, by Mr Price, coroner, on the body of the Milford trawler who was drowned in Dale Roads by the capsizing of a boat. The body was indentified as that of Daniel O'Neill, a native of Dublin, who was making his first voyage as third hand of the Amroth Castle when he was drowned. He could only be identified by the fact that he was the only member of the crew wearing a guernsey and by a relic he wore around his neck. The evidence of Skipper Milford, of the trawler Amroth Castle, was that he and the trawler Marie left Milford on the 8th inst. Finding a rough sea they sheltered in the Dale Roads, and five of the crew, including the two skippers, went ashore. As they were returning aboard, about 10.30 p.m., the boat capsized, and ail were thrown in the water. Skipper Milford and Boatswain Stephens righted the boat and kept her afloat till help came. Jones, the chief engineer, was rescued by a boat which put off from the shore, but Skipper Trott and O'Neill were drowned. O'Neill's body was found on Musselwick Beach on Monday, but that of Trott has not been recovered.

        A verdict of 'Accidental death by drowning' was returned. The funeral of the man Daniel O'Neil, of Dublin, one of the men who was drowned in Dale Roads on the 8th inst. and whose body was found at St. Ishmael's, took place on Wednesday and was attended by relatives from Ireland.

 

 

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