MERCHANT VANGUARD

From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 16th January 1953:

    We understand that there was a very good attendance and a long discussion at a special meeting on Thursday night of Merchants (Milford) Ltd., an organisation set up by local fish merchants to purchase trawlers to supplement landings. Of the authorised share capital of £50,000, only £20,000 had been subscribed, but Merchants Ltd. have three drifter trawlers, and one boat of a pair which is now tied up.

    It was pointed out at the meeting that if the increased capital required is forthcoming, the Company will purchase a pair, use the Agnes Nutten as a crabber, and bring the three drifters Twinkling Star, Genius and Burnhaven back to the port for as long a period as possible. It is hoped that the small shareholders will increase their holdings and that further investment will be made by businessmen on the Docks and in the town.

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 6th January 1956:

    Within the next three weeks two more tied-up trawlers will be at sea again. They are the Merchants Ltd. vessels Genius and Twinkling Star, and both are now undergoing a refit by the Dry Dock Company. Through the good offices of the Milford Docks Company, capital has been found to revive the company, and it is hoped that these two sailings will be a milestone on the way to more important development.

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The gale which swept Ireland early on Saturday took toll of shipping along the east coast, but no lives were lost. The Dunmore East lifeboat rescued the crew of nine from the Milford Haven 42-ton trawler, Merchant Vanguard, after it was driven on the rocks at Hook Head, and the lifeboat from nearby Rosslare battled through dangerous seas to bring the battered 10-ton yacht, Julia, to port after her two-man crew had been taken off by a Dutch coaster.

The skipper and eight-man crew of the trawler Merchant Vanguard had a harrowing experience before being rescued by the Dunmore East lifeboat, and some of the men were suffering from fatigue and exposure when picked up. The trawler had been fishing of the south-east coast, and had on board a £1,000 cargo of fish. She was running to Dunmore East for shelter when she grounded on the rocks near Hook Head at 1.30 a.m. on Saturday.

Distress flares, which were fired immediately, were seen in Dunmore, and by the keepers of the Hook lighthouse, who telephoned the mechanic of the lifeboat. The lifeboat put to sea almost immediately. Meanwhile, the trawler crew got their lifeboat launched. Before abandoning ship the skipper, Mr. C. A. Wilson, learned by radiotelephone from another vessel, the Hosanna, that the Dunmore East lifeboat was on its way. After battling against the heavy seas, torrential rain and thick fog, the trawler crew found their lifeboat in danger of being swamped.

Some of the crew were dressed only in their night-clothes, and they baled desperately to keep their dinghy afloat. When the Dunmore East lifeboat located the men at 3.30 a.m. the boat was down to its gunwales. The Merchant Vanguard crew - skipper, Mr. C. A. Wilson; mate, L.S. Gale; boatswain, F.C. Osbourne; chief engineer, T.D. Jones; deckhand, G. Setterfield; second engineer, W. Kelly; deckhand, Leslie Curtis; cook, G.A. Taylor; and deck trimer, T. Walsh - were taken to the Ocean View, where they were given warm clothes and refreshments.

Later on Saturday, attempts were made to refloat the trawler, with the help of two sister ships, the Merchant Venturer and the De Luxe [sic], but after the hawsers repeatedly broke the attempt was abandoned. By the evening, when Mr. Wilson and his crew left Waterford for home in the Great Western, the vessel had swung broadside on to the rocks and had a damaged cabin, fish hold and steering post and was badly holed aft.