Technical

Official Number: 97926
Completed: 1891
Gross tonnage : 56
Net Tonnage: 56n
Length: 69.3 ft
Breadth: 18.7 ft
Depth: 9.05 ft
Rig: Ketch – trawling
Built: ??, Galhampton

History

1891: Completed by ??, Galhampton for Edward J. Wren, 77 Bevan St, Lowestoft, as SUNRISE.
16.9.1891: Registered at Lowestoft (LT432).
1911: Sold to Thomas Fairclough, 107 Mount Street, Fleetwood (The Sunrise Fishing Co Ltd, Fleetwood) (John N. Ward, manager).
5.5.1911: Lowestoft registry closed.
18.5.1911: Registered at Fleetwood (FD147).
1912: Magnus B.J. Wedum appointed manager.
3.10.1913: Tonnage altered to 24.46net. New Fishing Certificate issued.
10.3.1918: Fishing 18 miles SE from Maughold Head, stopped by U-boat (UC75) and sunk by bombs. Crew took to boat.
13.3.1918: Fleetwood registry closed.

Additional information courtesy of Adrian Corkill (Dictionary of Shipwrecks off the Isle of Man)

The Manx fishing smack Marguerite, under Skipper Tommy Lee, was bound from Bangor for Douglas. At 5 pm on 9th March 1918, she encountered a German submarine when she was about midway between Anglesey and the Isle of Man. On seeing Marguerite the submarine began shelling her, taking her to be a decoy, as at the time the smack had no registration number and was carrying all her sail. After a couple of shots Marguerite stayed and made towards the submarine, but still the shelling continued. One of the crewmen, Dicky Lee, held up a truce signal, but was dismayed to find that the German’s fired a bullet clean through it.
Tommy Lee, meanwhile, ordered all the canvas to be lowered, and as the submarine came closer, he held up his hand and the shelling stopped. When the submarine was alongside the smack two German officers boarded her and stripped off some of the sails taking it to the submarine. This was intended to be makeshift bedding for the prisoners. They then placed a bomb on the smack and took off her three crew. Marguerite foundered 25 miles N 1/4 E of Beaumaris.
The submarine submerged and lay on the seabed for several hours before cruising off in search of its next victim. The submarine commander then asked to see Tommy Lee and proceeded to conduct a lengthy interrogation through the use of an interpreter. When the commander discovered the smack was not being used for military purposes and was from the Isle of Man (home to many thousands of German prisoners of war), he was much more sympathetic to the crew.
When again the submarine surfaced the fishing smack Sunrise, of Fleetwood, was halted and went the same way as Marguerite, by use of a bomb 18 miles southeast of Maughold Head. This was twenty three hours after the Marguerite had been sunk. Together, the crews of Sunrise and Marguerite, seven in number, were bundled into Sunrise’s small boat, and were set off in the direction of St Bee’s Head, 14 miles distant. The Germans had given the seamen some food and a compass to ease the journey and the unfortunate seamen eventually landed at Whitehaven.

Changelog
07/01/2009: Page published. 3 updates since then.