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G.M. M47
As PASADENA FD103, 1919-32 - also see below
Courtesy of Fleetwood Maritime Heritage Trust and The Bosun's Watch
Official No: 128750 Port Number and Year: 2nd in Milford, 1910
- in Fleetwood, 1919 (FD103)
Description: Steel side / beam trawler; steam screw; coal burner. Ketch rigged: two masts.
Crew: 9 men (1910)
Registered at Milford: 19 Jul 1910
Built: Smith Docks Co., North Shields 1910. (Yard no. 420)
Tonnage: 225.06 gross 88.6 net
Length / breadth / depth (feet): 120.0 / 21.5 / 11.75
Engine: T.3-cyl. 74 nhp. 1910, by Shields Engineering & Dry Dock Co., North Shields. Boiler: 1910, by J. T. Eltringham & Co., South Shields.
Owners:
As G.M. M47
19 Jul 1910: John Henry Dove, 147 Charles St., Milford.
Managing owner.
As FD103
24 Mar 1919: The Tudor Steam Trawlers, Orient Buildings, Station Rd., Fleetwood
Manager: Joseph A. Taylor. (Same address.)
James E. Sellars, Lynwood, 56 Carr Rd., Fleetwood. (1924)
30 Nov 1925: Frank Thornley, Blackpool.
Managing owner.
1 Feb 1927: As PASADENA FD103.
Landed at Milford: 19 Jul 1910 - 7 Aug 1914
Skippers:
James Clarke cert. 3689, age 47, born Hull, residing Greville Rd., Milford; signed on 12 Jul, 28 Dec 1911
John Henry Dove 2287, 44, Hull; 26 Jul 1911; 17 Jan, 4 Jul 1912; 21 Feb, 28 Aug 1913
Francis Moxey Hawkings 8233, 26, Brixham, 61 Priory Rd., Milford; 20 Dec 1912; 3 Jan, 7 Jul 1913
Edgar Garnham 1571, 48, Sittingbourne; 26 Sep 1913
John Foreman 05379, 50, Whitstable; 24 Dec 1913
Notes:
G.M. are the initials of Gertrude Martin (neé), married to John Dove in March 1899.
Aug 1914: Requisitioned for war service; converted to a minesweeper. (Ad.No.308) 1x6pdr. Based at Lowestoft.
23 Jan 1915: Arrived Devonport to fit out for Mediterranean.
9 Feb 1915: Sailed for Dardanelles Campaign (Sk. Henry James). [See local newspaper article below.]
12 Mar 1919: Returned to owners.
3 Oct 1932: Stranded off Glengad Head, Co. Donegal. Declared total loss.
(Thanks to The Bosun's Watch & Fleetwood Trawlers.)
Cert. Cancelled & Milford Registry Closed: 24 Mar 1919
Accidents and Incidents:
From The Pembrokeshire Herald and General Advertiser of Friday 22nd July 1910:
MILFORD HAVEN.
NEW STEAM TRAWLER.
On Tuesday last a further addition to the fleet of steam trawlers at Milford was made by the arrival of the steam trawler "G.M.", owned and captained by Mr. H. Dove. The vessel is fitted with all the latest improvements. Her maiden trip realised £200 16s. 8d., which is a very good figure.
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From the Haverfordwest and Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 12th April 1911:
The steam trawler 'G.M', skipper and owner John Dove, came up the harbour at 1 o'clock on Saturday afternoon, blowing for medical assistance. Doctor W. S. Griffiths was sent for and put off to the vessel with all speed. On going aboard he ascertained that the cook, named William French, had been taken seriously ill. The Doctor, after examination, ordered the man to be taken home at once, and as this happened to be Neyland, the Skipper steamed up to that place. The poor fellow died very shortly after being taken to his house. He was around 50 years of age and leaves a wife and family.
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From the Haverfordwest and Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 24th April 1912:
About 9 o'clock on Monday night, the steam trawler 'G.M.' (Captain John Henry Dove), arrived at Milford and landed the Chief Officer Westmore and ten of the crew of the steamship 'Ashantee' of Liverpool, owned by Messrs. Elder Dempster Ltd. The men had been rowing hard all day and on landing were taken to the Bethel, where Mrs. Batestone and staff did all in their power to make them comfortable.
Some of the crew seen by our representative on Tuesday morning at the Bethel stated the 'Ashantee' was homeward bound to Liverpool from the West Coast of Africa, their last port of call being Las Palmas. On Sunday, when off the Bishops, the main shaft broke and the propeller being rendered useless the ship became totally disabled. Early on Monday morning, ten of the crew volunteered to man the lifeboat along with Chief Officer Westmore in order to go off and seek assistance, although in the track of Atlantic traffic not a vessel could be seen, and the men had perforce to row on the open sea all day long until picked up by the trawler off St. Ann's Head. The same night a message was once sent to Liverpool for assistance if the 'Ashantee' had not already been sighted by any vessel. A tug from Liverpool had reached her ere now. The men had a trying experience and were glad to find port. The 'Ashantee' carried a crew of thirty hands and the Captain is Mr J. Jones, of Carnarvon.
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From the Haverfordwest & Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 11th September 1912:
Supplies have been on a fairly liberal scale all the week and prices especially good, the result being that some of the trawlers have done remarkably well. Hake ranged from 52/6d to 36/- during the week; herrings from 18/6d to 10/6d, while other kinds made a fair average. .................. Another excellent trip was recorded by Captain J. H. Dove of the steam trawler "G M", whose 7 days fishing resulted in a sale of £270. A continuance of such voyages will do much good in re-establishing the prestige of the port of Milford.
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From the Haverfordwest and Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 21st April 1915:
Milford Skippers Home from the Dardanelles.
TRAWLERS' DARING WORK UNDER FIRE.
Deed Worthy of V.C. by Skipper Woodgate and His Crew.
THRILLING NARRATIVES.
The work of the mine-sweepers in the naval operations at the Dardanelles has been brought prominently before the public during the past month, and we are now able to bring some of the most thrilling incidents of this memorable campaign to the notice of our readers. Amongst the fleet of trawlers engaged in these perilous operations were five of the best trawlers belonging to the port of Milford Haven, viz: the G.M. (owner Captain H. Dove): Beatrice (Mr James Thomas): Koorah (Brand & Company); Syringa (Sellick, Morley Price) and Gwenllian (Mr M. W. Howell). The latter's experience was recorded last week in a letter from the skipper. On Sunday the skippers of the five ships arrived home in Milford Haven. and all have remarkable stories to tell. Their names given in the order of their ships mentioned above are — Captain H. James, senior; Captain H. James, junior (two cousins); Captain Robert Woodgate; Captain J. Blake, and Captain R. Limbrick.
A representative of the" Telegraph" called upon Captain Harry James, senior, at his home in Robert Street, on Monday and congratulated him upon his safe homing coming. Glad to be home again, Skipper?
Aye, that I am, though it did not look like it on more than one occasion, but, you can take it the sweepers have done fine work out there. Just look at these (here Captain James produced three memoranda from the officer commanding eulogising the work of the trawlers).
Speaking of his experiences since they left Milford in August last Captain James said they spent most of the time in the North Sea, and were attached to the Lowestoft base, and were in the swim at the time of the first German raid on the East coast. It was in the early part of February that they were sent to Devonport to fit out for the Mediterranean and left for Malta. A month later they were in the thick of it, and after a short spell in the Dardanelles his ship the "G.M." and the "Beatrice" were sent with others to the Gulf of Smyrna to work with Admiral Peirse's squadron where he had his baptism of lire. The sweeping is done by pairs. It was here that the trawler "Okino" (of Grimsby) was blown up, probably by a mine, and the "Beatrice" was her sweeping partner. They had completed a sweep, and the "Beatrice" had slipped the sweep wire and was proceeding back to the fleet, leaving the "Okino" to heave in the wire. The latter vessel then followed and had been steaming about five minutes when she was blown up. She went down in about two minutes, and out of the crew of 15 hands ten were killed or drowned. One of the saved was a Milford man—Fred Ingram, second engineer. He had just been oiling the engines when suddenly the dynamo was hurled from its place and flew past him into the bilge. This was the first sign to him that some- thing had happened and he rushed on deck, only to see that the ship was doomed. He jumped overboard and being a strong swimmer was able to take his life-saving collar from his belt, inflate it, and fasten it round his neck. He managed to cling to some wreckage, and after struggling in the water for hours was picked up by the picket boat. The "G.M." also was under heavy fire and with its partner, the "Achilles" (Grimsby) led the fleet in the attack on the Smyrna forts. How we came out of that corner, I do not know, said the skipper, shells and shrapnel were bursting all round, but there were no casualties. The "Beatrice" received a shell in the fore side of the funnel, and part of the missile penetrated into the stoke-hold and a piece of shrapnel struck the chief engineer, William Holland, of Milford Haven, on the head. He was afterwards operated upon and has now recovered.
All the ships were continually under fire, and although they were hit repeatedly, the shells and shrapnel did not strike the vital parts. Some had remarkable escapes, as for instance, one trawler was struck by a shell aft. It went through the bunkers, the fish room, cutting the main stanchion, through 25 tons of ballast and out through the bow. In another case the shell went clean through a trawler from side to side. His experiences in the Dardanelles were not so exciting as at Smyrna, though always dangerous.
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That the authorities appreciate the work of these men is shown by the fact that a special signal of congratulation was sent to the skippers in command by the Vice-Admiral.
Courtesy of Fleetwood Maritime Heritage Trust and The Bosun's Watch
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