ROCHE CASTLE H419

Official No:  109064    Port and Year: 67th in Hull, 1898, (H419)                                                                  26th in Swansea, 1906 (SA35)

Description: Iron side trawler; steam screw, coal burning. Ketch rigged.

Crew:

Built: 1898; by Cook, Welton & Gemmell, Hull.  (Yard no. 211)

Tonnage: 168 grt  60 net

Length / breadth / depth (feet): 110.0  / 20.7  / 11.0

Engine: T.3-cyl; 54 rhp;  by Charles David Holmes & Co., Hull

Owners:   As H419 1 Oct 1898: The Castle Steam Trawlers, Ltd., 3 Lothbury, City, London. Manager: George H. D. Birt, Milford. 25 Jul 1904: Castle Steam Trawlers, South Dock Basin, Swansea. Manager: Crawford Heron, 'Earlsmore', West Cross, Swansea. 14 Aug 1906: As SA35 [ Thanks to Bryan Richards www.swanseamariners.org.uk ]   As NIKOLAI 1 Oct 1906: Kopitoff, Captain, Archangelsk.   1911: Malachoff, P. & C. Gebr, Archangelsk.   As SAAREMAA 1919: Unknown (Finnish?) owners.

Landed at Milford:  13 Oct 1898 - 14 Jul 1904.

Skippers: 1898-1902: Nightingale 1902: William Ellis. 1903: Walker; Rowlands; Nightingale; Salter; Smith; King; Gardner; Screech 1904: Screech; Barnett; King; Cook.

Notes: Jun 1921: Lost, Baltic Sea.

Accidents and Incidents

 From The Pembrokeshire Herald and General Advertiser of Friday 13th February 1903:

 

PETTY SESSIONS.—Wednesday.

Before Dr. Griffith (in the chair), Col. Roberts, Mr. J. Whicher, and Mr. J. LI. Davies.

..............

    William Ellis, of Milford, was summoned for wilful disobedience, whilst skipper of the "Roche Castle," in the county of Devon on Jan. 20th.

    Mr Williams in this case also asked to be allowed to withdraw as Mr. Birt, the owner of the vessel, who was the prosecutor, was satisfied that at the time Ellis was not responsible for his actions.

    Col. Roberts expressed the opinion that the prosecutor should have ascertained that before issuing the summons.

    Dr. Griffith said prosecutor might not have been in a position to ascertain the state of the mind of the defendant. Mr R. T. P. Williams said he believed nothing was known until the defendant returned to Milford.

    The application was granted.

 

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From the Haverfordwest & Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 27th January 1904:

 

    The steam trawler "Roche Castle" was towed from the Bay of Biscay fishing grounds by the steam trawler "Victoria" on Tuesday, having damaged her rudder.

 

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From The Weekly Mail of Saturday 30th July 1904:

SWANSEA FISHING INDUSTRY.

    The Castle Line of trawlers started running to Swansea for the first time on Monday. Three boats — the Picton Castle, Manorbier Castle, and Roche Castle — landed catches of fish. There are altogether sixteen vessels belonging to the line, and about three a day will put into Swansea. A large new fish market has been erected in the South Dock, which can be reached by the boats at almost any state of the tide.

 

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From The Cambrian of Friday 20th July 1906:

SWANSEA TRAWLER ASHORE.

ROCHE CASTLE BEACHES IN DENSE FOG PORTHCAWL.

    The steam trawler Roche Castle, belonging to Swansea, and making for that port with a load of fish, went ashore shortly before four o'clock on Tuesday morning in a dense fog at the Rest Bay, Porthcawl.

    It received no damage, and lies high and dry on even keel in a favourable position for refloating. A tug from Swansea was wired for, and an attempt to refloat on Tuesday afternoon was decided upon.

    The Roche Castle is a sister boat to the Manorbier Castle, which went ashore off the Pembrokeshire coast a little time back, and both vessels belong to the Castle Steam Trawling Company, Ltd.

    The Roche Castle, it is assumed, got out of her course owing to the prevalent fog in the Channel.

VESSEL SAFELY TOWED OFF.

    The Roche Castle was towed off the sands by a Swansea tugboat at three o'clock on Tuesday afternoon and proceeded to Swansea.

 

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From The Cambrian of Friday 5th October 1906:

FOREIGNERS AFTER OTHER TRAWLERS.

    Foreigners are bidding just now for Swansea trawlers. The Russians are after the Roche Castle, the property of the Castle Trawling Company, and the French, the Triton, belonging to Capt. Wales. The latter boat is a new one and both on Thursday and Friday was tried by its prospective new owners — a Bordeaux fishing firm.

 

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From The Pembrokeshire Herald and General Advertiser of Friday 19th October 1906:

 

Fishing Offences in Fishguard Bay.

FINES OF £85 INFLICTED ON A TRAWLER SKIPPER.

At Fishguard Petty-sessions on Tuesday a summons issued at the instance of the Board of Trade and the Milford Haven Sea Fisheries Commissioners was heard against Charles Edward Cornelius, skipper of the steam trawler Roche Castle, for concealment of the vessel's name and trawling in prohibited areas in Fishguard Bay on five occasions during June. The Lancashire patrol officer, A. Wignall, overhauled Cornelius, who was described as an old offender, and the latter exclaimed, "It's a fair cop."  Defendant, it was said, obliterated the vessel's name with nets. Evidence was given by numerous other skippers and coastguards, and fines totalling £85 were imposed.

 

 

 

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