sv Harriet – FD111 | The Bosun's Watch

Additional information courtesy of Christine Simm

FD 111, Harriet, is the only surviving example of the sailing smacks that fished from Fleetwood. Converted to motor power, she survived over 100 years before being abandoned in the Duddon Estuary. The first pictures shows her as originally built and the other two after she had been converted to motor and fitted with gallows for a trawl.

Technical

Official Number: 89709
Completed: 1893
Gross tonnage: 41.60
Net tonnage: 24.55
Length: 60.1 ft
Breadth: 16.8 ft
Depth: 9.0 ft
Rig: Ketch
Built: Singleton Brothers, Fleetwood
Built as a sister smack to MARGARET
Last sailing trawler to operate from Fleetwood.

History

29.7.1893: Launched by Miss Harriet Leadbetter, the owner’s youngest daughter, at Singleton Brothers, Fleetwood for Richard Leadbetter, Fleetwood & others as HARRIET.
9.1893: Completed at a cost of £1,200.
16/17.9.1893: Maiden trip/fishing trials. (Sk. Henry Leadbetter).
2.10.1893: Registered at Fleetwood (FD111).
13.5.1903: At about 12.30 pm in a strong WSW breeze, sailed Fleetwood (Sk. Henry Leadbetter) with Red Rose (FD99) (Sk. Peter Leadbetter), in company with MARGARET (FD208) (Sk. Richard Leadbetter/Capt. Double) for her sailing trial, the two vessels considered to be the fastest smacks sailing out of Fleetwood. Trials were very successful and MARGARET will obviously improve her sailing qualities once the sails are stretched and adjusted. The boats covered a distance 20 miles in two and a half hours.
5.12.1905: Sold to William Leadbetter, 62 Derbyshire Road, Fleetwood & others.
24.6.1911: At the Blackpool & Fleetwood Sailing Club regatta, in the open race for registered fishing smacks, there was a stiff NNW breeze and rain. The smacks, five in number, got away at 9.00am on a course taken from the flagship FALCON (25regd tons.1894) pilot boat No.1, moored between the Knot and the ferry, round Heysham No.1 buoy, Shell Wharf to Nelson’s buoy, back to Shell wharf, fairway buoy, finishing at the flagship, a distant of about 42 miles. Finished in third place, however with an early collision between the SURPRISE (FD15)and the LOUIE RIGBY (FD127) in which the former lost her bowsprit and the RELIANCE (FD10) failing to round Nelson’s buoy, the race caused a lot of friction between the Leadbetters, Wrights and Colleys. The matter was settled by dividing the prize money between all the entrants.
2.10.1924: At Fleetwood Petty Sessions, two Fleetwood lads were charged with breaking and entering fishing boat cabins. Alongside at the Jubilee, they broke in and stole a pair of prismoid binoculars, valued at £2. On a second charge they broke into the cabin of the smack LORD MARMION (FD131) and stole a barometer valued at 30s. The mother of one of the lads pawned the binoculars for 4s as she had no food and her son said he had found them on the promenade. Both lads had previous convictions but the magistrates gave them another chance; bound over for the sum of £5 to be of good behaviour for twelve months and placed under supervision of the probation officer.
10.5.1928: The Irish Sea experienced a severe gale and many fishing vessels, both sail and steam, suffered damage. Returned home (Sk. Nicholas Wilkinson) in company with the MARGARET (FD208), with sails torn to ribbons, the former had all her sails blown away.
23.4.1929: Sk. Nicholas Wilkinson, 4 Byron Street, Fleetwood died.
13.5.1929: Sk. Albert Iddon, 23 Oak Street, Fleetwood appointed skipper.
24.7.1929: Sold to David Helm, 41 Pharos Street, Fleetwood (Sk. David Helm).
19.3.1930: Converted to auxiliary motor with a semi diesel – remeasured 20.57n.
19.3.1930: Re-registered at Fleetwood as auxiliary motor.
24.3.1930: Sk. James Roskell appointed skipper.
25.5.1930: At 9.00am sailed Fleetwood under power for the fishing grounds (Sk. David Helm) with a charter party of business men onboard with the object of their gaining an insight into fishing operations. At 12.55 pm off the Cumberland coast shot the beam trawl and towed until 4.00pm. On hauling, with a good bag of crayfish and mixed fish, the engine stopped. Attempted to repair but on starting it was not running smoothly and stopped. Hoisting sail but with very little wind they drifted until they dropped anchor around 8.00pm about two miles from the Lune Lightship. Several steam trawlers passed but none saw the signals.
26.5.1930: One of the business men got the engine going and at 2.00pm got underway for Fleetwood, but only with two men holding a knife and screwdriver to the engine to make connections. At 8.00am arrived Fleetwood.
4.11.1830: Sailed for the fishing grounds in company with ASHBY (GY359) and LORD MARMION (FD131).
5.11.1830: In the early hours, about 4.00am, fishing some 40 miles from Fleetwood, with ASHBY some miles away, weather conditions deteriorated. Hauled gear. Sizing up the situation to was agreed that LORD MARMION would be taken in tow for home. Closed, connected and after a six hour tow, HARRIET and LORD MARMION arrived safely in port. AAHBY, with her gear stowed and under reduced sail arrived off the Wyre Light, and was taken in tow by the steam tug CLEVELEYS ((292grt/1902)) and brought safely into Fleetwood.
20.4.1939: After a 43 mile tow, arrived Fleetwood with motor trawler FLORADORA (GY317) picked up disabled with engine trouble.
1943: Re-engined with 4 stroke 4-cyl 68bhp oil engine by Gardner Engines Ltd, Patricroft, Manchester.
13.1.1947: Sold to David Helm, 41 Pharos Street, Fleetwood & George William Fletcher, 22 Whinfield Ave, Fleetwood (Sk. George Fletcher).
16.7.1947: At Fleetwood landed 139 boxes.
24.6.1950: At Fleetwood landed a sturgeon, at 11-12ft and weighing an estimated 25-30 stone, possibly the biggest ever landed at Fleetwood. Sold for £25.
3.1.1953: For 24 hours Seaforth radio broadcast an SOS for Edward Scott, Kemp Street, Fleetwood a fisherman onboard the smack, to return to port as his daughter Ann was ill in Victoria Hospital, Blackpool. There was no response and the Liverpool pilot boat and other trawlers the in the Irish Sea were asked to keep a look out for the HARRIET.
5.1.1953: In the afternoon steam trawler ALCMARIA (LT48) passed on the message. In thick fog, made for home arriving at Fleetwood just before midnight; Scott visited his daughter the following day and she was improving.
7.3.1958: Change of address George William Fletcher, 49 Pharos Street, Fleetwood.
1869: David Helm died.
20.1.1970: Sold to George William Fletcher, 49 Pharos Street, Fleetwood.
2.6.1975: Fleetwood Part IV registry closed “No longer fishing.”
1977: Sold to Mrs Josephine Banner, Little Langdale, Cumbria. Delivered Borwick Rails, Millom (Sk. George Fletcher). Taken out of the water and converted into a day centre for handicapped children – The Harriet Trust. Work mainly undertaken by Youth Training Scheme youngsters from Millom and Whitehaven with grant from Cumbria Tourist Board. Opened by Millom Town Council chairman, Cllr Bessie Schiff.
1994: Further converted to provide better facilities for children in a project by the BBC programme “Challenge Anneka”. Joined by mfv SULWATH (AR74) to provide a play space.
1995: Declared unsafe. After discussions between The HARRIET Trust and Lancashire County Museums Service an agreement was reached to buy the vessel and return her to Fleetwood for conservation and display in the Museum.
5.9.1996: Recorded with the National Historic Fleet. Cert. 638.
8.1998: At Millom lifted on to purpose built cradle and placed on a flat top pontoon for tow back to Fleetwood.
19.8.1998: Arrived Fleetwood.
2008: Stored behind Museum awaiting preservation.
2009: Open for public viewing.

Click to enlarge images

Harriet FD111 outbound. Picture courtesy of E V Todd

Harriet FD111 outbound with Ida and William & John FD162. Picture courtesy of E V Todd

sv Harriet FD111
Picture (with sv Wonder) courtesy of The David Slinger Collection

mv Harriet FD111
Picture courtesy of The David Slinger Collection

sv Harriet FD111

Sailing Trawler Harriet FD111

fv Harriet FD111
Harriet at Millom. Image from the Internet.

fv Harriet FD111
Preparing the cradle. Image from the Internet.

fv Harriet FD111
Ready for the move. Image from the Internet.

fv Harriet FD111
Towing form Millom. Image from the Internet.

fv Harriet FD111
Cllr. Bessie Schiff and Josephine Banner
Picture from the Internet

Changelog
28/01/2009: Page published. 2 updates since then.
02/06/2016: Removed FMHT watermarks from images.
20/10/2022: Major update to history.
21/10/2022: Added images.
24/10/2022: Added images.