SEA FOAM M139

From Evening Express of Tuesday, 10th May 1898:

WRECKED OFF USHANT.

MILFORD HAVEN SEAMEN LANDED AT SOUTHAMPTON

Nine members of the steam trawler Seafoam [sic], from Milford Haven, were landed at Southampton on Tuesday. Their vessel was totally wrecked on a reef off Ushant on May the 4th during a storm.

From the Haverfordwest & Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 8th June 1898:

Loss of the "Sea Foam."

BOARD OF TRADE INQUIRY AT MILFORD HAVEN.

An inquiry as to the loss of the steam trawler, Sea Foam," was held on Thursday and Friday, at the Masonic Hall, Milford.

The court consisted of Messrs. J. Llewellyn Davies and J. Whicher (justices), Capt. Brookes, Capt. Hughes and Mr Ashcroft (assessors).

Messrs. Strick & Son appeared for the Board of Trade. Mr Strick, in his opening speech, said the "Sea Foam" was a steel ship built at Aberdeen, rigged as a schooner, having triple expansion engines of 55 horse power and owned by Mr T.R. Oswald, of Milford.

Harry Glansford said he was master of the Sea Foam and held a Board of Trade certificate by examination for competency. The vessel was registered A1 at Lloyd's. The crew consisted of nine hands. They left Milford bound for Ile d'Yew in the Bay of Biscay. The ship was perfectly new and had two compasses which were last tested on March 31st, by Mr Blowey in Plymouth. He had brought the vessel from Aberdeen with these compasses, but found they were perfectly useless. After being adjusted, however, he had found them in splendid condition. They first put into Dover on the way from Aberdeen to have compasses adjusted, but could not get them done there. They then went into Plymouth where they were put right. They then went to the Bay of Biscay to their fishing ground. They next came to Milford reaching there on April 6th. Nothing was done to the ship there. They started again from Milford on May 4th, for the fishing ground in the Bay of Biscay. He gave orders to steer south-westerly. He was on the bridge when they passed the Longships about five o'clock in the morning. He then set the course south by west-westerly and they continued on that course all the way to Ushant about 100 miles. He went below about 9.30 at night. He told the boatswain to give him a call if they wanted him and to tell him what was on the log at 12 o'clock. The boatswain reported to him at 12 o'clock that the log showed they had made 70 miles. He asked if everything was all right, and being told it was, went to sleep again. Soon after he went on deck and found they had made 84 miles. The weather was clear. It was two o'clock as near as he could say. He stayed on deck about ten minutes and then went below. The next he knew was when the mate sent his watch mate down to say that Ushant light bore east by south and they had made 98 miles. This was about four o'clock. He went on deck and looked at the light and went on the bridge and talked to the mate a few minutes. He saw the light and gave the mate instructions that if he wanted anything he was to blow down the tube. He altered the course to south-half- west. He had no doubt whatever that the light was Ushant light and still believed it was. The weather was hazy but not foggy. He then went below. About If hours afterwards the mate blew down the tube and he ran on deck. Reynolds, one of the hands, said there was a light-house. He knew there should be only one light. The mate pulled the vessel over to the west. The Lighthouse was the Pierres Noires. He knew that because of the distance run. He saw the light and immediately lost it in the fog. He could not make out how they got there. The lighthouse was on the port bow. He was so much confused to think the vessel had got out of her course that he was trying to get her head round to the north. As soon as they got clear they stopped the ship and heaved the lead. They found eight fathoms of water and the lead had pieces rubbed off it by the rocky bottom. He kept to the north. Provided he had known the compasses were right, west would have been a better course, but he put it down that the compass had suddenly gone wrong or they would not have got in there. They went for a quarter of an hour with the lead continually going. Then the boatswain reported a rock a little off the port bow. He put the vessel over to port. It looked like one of these wall-sided vessel over rocks and he thought she could pass but she struck on the east side of the reef. The reef was 50 or 60 yards across. He reversed the engines but the vessel stuck fast. They could do no more. He left the boat about an hour after the others. He saw there was no hope of saving the ship as she was working on the rocks and there was water coming in to the engine room. She lifted once or twice with the water and fell down again on the rocks and he saw it was time to get into the boat. He sent the boatswain ashore to wire for a tug to Brest but it was useless. They waited till the water put the fires out and then came away.

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Richard Henry Hooper, of Milford, was the mate of the Sea Foam. He held a certificate as second hand and had held it for 15 years. He corroborated the evidence as to the previous history of the vessel and said all went well till they got to Lands End. ........................

Francis Reynolds living at Hakin was next called. He was the deck-hand. He joined the vessel on the day before she left Milford. Had not been on board of her before. .............

Dennis McCarthy was next called. He was boatswain and lived at Milford. He joined the vessel at Aberdeen His evidence was practically the same as given previously. ..............

James Mcquien, the second engineer, living at Hakin, joined the vessel at Aberdeen, and had been on board ever since. ...................

Mr Oswald the owner stated that he had instructed the master if there was anything he was not satisfied with about the compasses to have them adjusted again. As to the course steered, Capt. Hall who represented the underwriters said that it was not possible for a vessel to get into the position in which the Sea Foam was if they had gone east of Ushant instead of west. They must have gone west to get there, and after doing so some grave error must have been made between the course given and the course steered. .......................

At this point the Inquiry was adjourned till Friday at 11.30 a.m.

On resuming, Arthur Parsons, the chief engineer was called. He threw very little light on the subject. He had always found the Skipper alert. ....................

The Court then adjourned to consider their judgment and on resuming at 3 o'clock they decided that "The cause of the casualty was that the course set by the master when off Ushant was not correctly steered by the second hand. We attribute the loss of the 'Sea Foam' to this fact, and suspend the certificate of the latter in consequence for six calendar months from this date. The Court also considers the master committed an error of judgment in not coming to an anchor when he discovered the vessel in 8 fathoms of water, and the Court, while not dealing with his certificate, recommends him to be more alert and careful in the future."

From an unknown local newspaper dated 18th June 1898:

An inquiry into the loss of the steam trawler "Sea Foam" was held on Thursday and Friday at the Masonic Hall, Milford. The court consisted of Messrs. J. Llewellyn Davies and J. Whicher (justices), Captain Brookes, Captain Hughes and Mr. Ashcroft (assessors). Messrs. Strick and Son appeared for the Board of Trade.

Mr. Strick, in his opening speech, said the "Sea Foam" was a steel ship built at Aberdeen, rigged as a schooner, having triple expansion engines of 55 horse power, and owned by Mr. T.R. Oswald, of Milford Haven.

Evidence was given by Harry Glansford (the master), and other witnesses as to the loss of the vessel which struck a rock off Ushant. In reply to Mr. Strick, Mr. Oswald said the vessel was valued by the clubs at £6,125, and insured for £4,900, but she cost more than that to build, and he could not replace her for under £5,000.

At the conclusion of the hearing on Friday, the court adjourned to consider their judgement, and on resuming at 3 o' clock they decided that the cause of the casualty was that the course set by the Master when off Ushant was not correctly steered by the Second Hand. "We attribute the loss of the trawler 'Sea Foam' to this fact, and suspend the certificate of the latter in consequence for six calendar months from this date."