Technical

Official Number: 127417
Yard Number: 383
Completed: 1908
Gross Tonnage: 222
Net Tonnage: 86
Length: 120.5 ft
Breadth: 21.5 ft
Depth: 11.6 ft
Built: Smith’s Dock Co Ltd, North Shields
Engine: 68rhp T.3-cyl by W. V. V. Lidgerwood, Coatbridge
Boiler: David Rowan & Co, Glasgow
Armament 1 x 12 pdr
Pennant : FY1367

History

25.8.1908: Launched by Smith’s Dock Co Ltd, North Shields (Yd.No.383) for Neyland Steam Trawling & Fishing Co Ltd, Neyland (Alexander Scott, Llanstadwell, manager) as ANGLE.
9.1908: Completed.
6.10.1908: Registered at Milford (M225).
20.12.1910: When 160 miles from Queenstown sighted the schooner KATHLEEN, which had been on passage Rio Grande to Liverpool, dismasted and in distress. Connected with difficulty and commenced tow to Queenstown.
23.12.1910: Delivered Queenstown.
4.1915: Requisitioned for war service as a minesweeper (1- 12pdr) (Ad.No.1367).
2.5.1915: Some 45 miles NW of Skelligs picked up nine survivors of steam collier FULGENT (2008grt/1910) (Admiralty hire) on passage Cardiff – Scapa Flow with coal and torpedoed by U.boat (U21) on 30.4.1915. Landed at Kilrush, Co. Kerry including body of Master C. W. Brown.
1919: Returned to owner.
24.2.1919: Sold to The Croston Steam Trawling Co Ltd, Fleetwood (Joseph A. Taylor, manager).
4.3.1919: Milford registry closed.
8.3.1919: Registered at Fleetwood (FD57).
7.1.1924: Sailed Fleetwood (Sk. William Glyn); eleven crew. Clear of Wyre Light, streamed log, severe south-east gale and snow storm off Isle of Man. Distance travelled underestimated due to gale and ran on the Bahama Bank, Isle of Man. Investigation concluded that disaster might have been averted if Bahama Bank lightvessel had not been removed; eleven crew lost plus two pleasure trippers*.
4.2.1924: Fleetwood registry closed “Lost”.

(Lost* – Sk.William Glynn; James Flaxman, Mate; Harry Gill, Bosun; Ernest Lord, Ch Eng; John Kay, 2nd Eng; James Casey, Ben Hickford, James Dennis, Deckhands; John Lord, & William Smith, Firemen; Charles Wilkinson, Cook; J Perkins & F Barrar, pleasure trippers.

Notes: By the end of January the owners were getting extremely worried and despatched Lieutenant Roger Owen, of the Fleetwood Steam Trawler Owners’ Mutual Insurance Association to investigate a wreck that had been reported on the Bahama Bank, off the Isle of Man.

Conditions enabled the divers on the chartered half-decker MOIRREY to dive on the wreck. The divers found the vessel open fore and aft and “Flattened like a fluke” and the greatest difficulty was experienced in finding any identifying marks. The letters “ANG..” was eventually found with the whole word “Fleetwood” underneath it.

No bodies were ever found. A clock found by the wreck was stopped at 12:30 and the ship’s boat was located at one side of the vessel. Lieutenant Owen’s opinion was that the cause of the ANGLE’s loss was that the vessel was running before a south-east gale and ran into heavy snow on the 7th of January. Distance travelled was reckoned using a patent log which underestimated the distance when running before a gale. As a result the trawler overran her distance and ran onto the Bahamas Bank. Owen concluded that the disaster might not have occurred if the Bahama Bank Lightship had not been removed.

The crew were…..

W.Glynn Skipper Fleetwood
J.Flaxman Mate Fleetwood
H.Gill Bosun Manchester
J.Casey Donkeyman Blackpool
J.Dennis Deckie Fleetwood
B.Hickford Deckie Fleetwood
C.Wilkinson Cook Address unknown
E.Lord Chief Engineer Fleetwood
J.Hay Second Engineer Blackburn
W.Smith Fireman Lowestoft
J.lord Fireman Fleetwood
J.Perkins Pleasure Tripper Manchester
F.Barrar Pleasure Tripper Blackburn

It is highly probable that the two people with the surname ‘Lord’ were from the same family thus making the tragedy a double one for them.

Changelog
14/05/2012: Page published. 8 updates since then.
04/07/2019: Updated information.