YOUNG ALFRED H1492
Official No: 93076 Port and Year: 19th in Hull, 1886
Description: Wooden smack; ketch rigged.
Crew: 5
Built: 1885, by E. Burchard & Co., Rostock, Germany
Tonnage: 95 grt - net
Length / breadth / depth (feet): 82 / 29.75 / 10
Engine: -
Owners:
12 May 1886: Arthur Barrett, Belgrave Tce., Eaton St., Hull
Managing owner (and Skipper).
Landed at Milford: 19 Nov 1889 - 10 May 1893
Skippers: 1889-90: A. Barrett
1890: Long; Scott
1891-93: A. Barrett
Notes:
3 May 1886: YOUNG ALFRED arrived in Hull from Rostock. [The York Herald, Wednesday 5th May 1886.]
27 Mar 1891: 3rd/Hand Robert Smith lost in the Irish Sea. [Pembrokeshire Herald - see below.]
14 May 1893: Lost off the Smalls. [See below.]
Accidents and Incidents
From The Times of Tuesday 18th March 1890; p.10; issue 32962:
LATEST SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE
(FROM LLOYD'S)
WRECKS AND CASUALTIES
.............
The smack Young Alfred, of Hull, has arrived at Milford badly damaged by a collision with the steamer Dunbrody on Sunday.
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From The Pembrokeshire Herald and General Advertiser of Friday 3rd April 1891:
MILFORD HAVEN
DROWNING FATALITY.- On Friday morning a man named Robert Smith, employed as third hand on the steam trawler Young Alfred, was washed overboard and drowned while off the fishing ground. Every endeavour was made to effect a rescue, but without avail. Deceased leaves a widow and family.
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From the Haverfordwest & Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 17th May 1893:
shipping casualties - The exceptionally dense fog of Friday night and Saturday morning was the cause of several serious disasters, three vessels being wrecked on the Smalls rocks, whilst many minor accidents are also reported. The most important near here was that of the "Rowena", 874 tons register, which was bound for Glasgow from Salta Cabelo in Spain, laden with iron ore, and commanded by Captain John Kerr. She violently struck on the rocks by the Smalls lighthouse about seven o'clock on Saturday morning, and is now gradually breaking up ....................
- "Young Alfred", commanded by Captain A. Barrett, whilst rendering assistance to the "Rowena", also foundered, striking possibly on a hidden rock. Her crew were brought to Milford by the steam trawler, "Sunbeam", on Sunday evening.
From the Haverfordwest & Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 14th June 1893:
BOARD OF TRADE ENQUIRY AT MILFORD
The whole of yesterday was occupied by an enquiry (instituted by the Board of Trade, which body Mr Strick, of Swansea, represented) into the foundering of the sailing ship "Young Alfred", owned and commanded by Captain A. Barrett. The enquiry was held before R. Carrow Esq. and Dr. G. Griffith, local magistrates, whose assessors were Capt. Wilson, Capt. Cunningham and Mr. R. Ascroft, at the Masonic Hall, in the body of which were numerous smack-owners and fishermen. Mr. T. C. Jackson represented the insurance company.
Mr. Strick, in opening the case, said the vessel was a wooden one, and was built in Germany in the year 1885. She was registered 82ft. in length, 29ft. 9in. breadth, and about 10ft. deep. She was registered in the port of Hull in 1886, her tonnage being 96. On the face of the register the vessel had been mortgaged on two occasions - but it could hardly be so - one for £950, and the other for £600.
Her estimated value was £1,000. She left Milford Haven on the 13th May last, and there being no wind at the time, she was towed out by the steam trawler "Commodore", who cast her off 18 miles west by north of St. Ann's Head, being about two miles off the Smalls rocks. Whilst for the wind to rise the skipper took his glass by which he discerned a vessel on the rocks off the Smalls, and he sent a boat to it with the second-hand and three of the crew, to enquire whether the Captain of the wreck - the "Rowena", required any assistance and the result of the enquiry was that he did not as long as the weather continued fine, and if he should during the night he would as a signal show a light. No light was shown during the night, and about five o'clock next morning, the skipper of the "Young Alfred" again sent his boat across to the wreck to render assistance, the only man he retained aboard his own boat being the cook. The boat rendered assistance this time by taking the skipper off the wreck to St. Ann's lighthouse, and the "Young Alfred" came to within a quarter of a mile of the Smalls. When this distance off the Smalls, the cook saw the vessel was leaking and informed the skipper, when they took to the pumps, but the water gaining on them, they hoisted signals, and the "Sunbeam" came to their assistance. The crew got on board the "Sunbeam", and in half an hour the "Young Alfred" foundered. The question was, what was the cause of the vessel foundering? There was no warning with the exception that the skipper saw the rudder was loose and swinging, and immediately after the cook found that the vessel was leaking.
[ The remainder of the article is partially obscured by deterioration of the page edge, until the penultimate paragraph. ]
The court reserved judgement.
From the Haverfordwest & Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 21st June 1893:
BOARD OF TRADE ENQUIRIES AT MILFORD
The enquiry into the foundering of the "Young Alfred" was concluded on Wednesday morning last, at the Masonic Hall ... [ Names of those attending, as above. ] The facts about the foundering of the "Young Alfred" we gave last week, but the decision had not reached us at the time of our going to press.
The chairman (Mr. R. Carrow) said the court were satisfied that the vessel was in a sound and seaworthy condition when she left Milford, and also that her pump was sufficient and in good order. They believed the skipper, knowing how dangerous the Smalls rocks were, should not have remained as he did in the vicinity of them; but considering the fact that he remained there for the purpose of rendering assistance to the wreck - "Rowena" - he was perfectly justified in doing so. The reason he (the skipper) sent his crew away in the boat next morning was because the sea and wind were rising, and that he thought the captain of the wreck would require assistance. The damage was done to the smack by striking on a sunken rock, and the court were of the opinion that every possible effort was made to save her. The value of the smack was about £850, and it was insured for £925, but the court believed the skipper would not derive any benefit by the wreck. The fact of the vessel being so near the Smalls proved that she was not properly navigated, and the skipper was much to blame for committing such a grave error by standing in so close to danger; the court, however, would not deal with his certificate that time, but recommended him to exercise more care in future.
The decision was received with loud applause.
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From R. &. B. Larn (2000): Shipwreck Index of the British Isles - West Coast and Wales:
YOUNG ALFRED 14/05/1893
Pembrokeshire, The Smalls, 1M NNW. 51.43.30N 05.41.30W
.........
Stranded and lost in wind conditions SSE force 5
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