Additional information courtesy of Christine Simm

Technical

Official Number: 148231
Yard Number: 1045
Completed: 1929
Gross Tonnage: 349.90
Net Tonnage: 136.16
Length: 135.4 ft
Breadth: 25.0 ft
Depth: 13.4 ft
Built: Cochrane & Son Ltd Selby
Engine: 600ihp T.3-cyl and boiler by Amos & Smith Ltd, Hull

History

15.3.1929: Launched by Miss Dolly Marr, daughter of J. A. Marr, at Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby (Yd.No.1045) for J.
Marr & Son Ltd, Fleetwood as CRISCILLA.
17.5.1929: Registered at Fleetwood (FD23).
23.5.1929: Completed at a cost of £15,000 (With all fishing gear – £20,000). Geoffrey Edwards Marr designated manager.
9.6.1929: Arrived Fleetwood from Hull via the Rockall grounds (Sk. James Charles Pennington) and landed 450 boxes – 40 shelf cod, 50 iced cod, 260 haddocks, 40 flats, 20 ling and conger and 38 head of halibut – £617 gross. The first 10st box of cod was bought by J. H.Tomlinson of J. H. Tomlinson & Sons Ltd, Blackburn for 52s.
20.11.1929: Entered the lock pit at Fleetwood followed by the FLORENCE BRIERLEY (FD105) with both trawlers being 24’-25’ beam, they became jammed. Efforts to free them by the steam tug CLEVELEYS (110grt/1929) and the trawler DANIA (FD22) were fruitless but with the hopper PREESALL (572grt/1912) connected, the two were separated and continued into the Fish Dock. After landing both trawlers placed on the slip to ensure that there was no damage below the waterline.
20.1.1931: After slipping and overhaul sailed for the Icelandic fishing grounds for the first time.
6.3.1931: Sailed Fleetwood for the Icelandic fishing grounds.
22.3.1931: Arrived Fleetwood (Sk. Alfred Skoyles) after an excellent trip of only 13 days having purposely been kept at sea for a further three days by the owners owing to a glut on the market (over 20,000 boxes of Icelandic fish). Landed 950 boxes chiefly of plaice, cod and haddock.
2.11.1931: Bad weather off Hebrides, no fishing, decided to run for home (Sk. Charles Walter).
3.11.1931: Running through the Sound of Islay, inner passage to avoid weather, Black Rock lightbuoy, off Jura extinguished, proceeded slow ahead with crew on look out for McArthur’s Head Light, Islay. At 10.40 pm stranded on reef, 54 yards off the Black Rocks, 2 miles N by E of McArthur’s Head, Islay. Propeller intact and not making water, upright and hard aground at stern. Steam trawlers FYLDEA (FD72) and SEA SWEEPER (FD171) proceeding.
4.11.1931: Attempts made to lighten ship by moving gear forward and jettisoning coal bunkers – 80 tons. With strong winds developing into a SE gale, now making water and rolling on the ledge.
5.11.1931: At 3.30am insurance surveyor, Mr Chapman, Fleetwood Steam Trawlers Mutual Association and Mr Harding assistant superintendent engineer for Messrs Marr arrived onboard the Glasgow tug FLYING KITE (260grt/1929 – 950ihp)). At high water with tug connected, after three hours failed to refloat. SEA SWEEPER left the scene.
6.11.1931: After trying unsuccessfully to save the ship, crew abandoned to boat and picked up by FYLDEA. Again with tugs FLYING KITE and STRONGBOW (197grt/1927 – 800ihp) connected failed to come afloat.
7.11.1931: Crew returned to vessel and picked up some personal items, etc., before being taken to Oban by FYLDEA.
8.11.1931: Liverpool & Glasgow Salvage Associations salvage steamer RANGER (409grt/1880) arrived on the scene, having refloated the Fleetwood steam trawler CEVIC (FD17) which had stranded at about 6.00am close by. FLYING KITE left to tow the CEVIC back to Fleetwood.
9.11.1931: Crew arrived at Fleetwood by rail from Oban.
7.12.1931: Having sealed all outlets above water with steel plates and rubber inserts, filled with compressed air, expelling the water via the holes in the bottom shell plating. Refloated by STRONGBOW and RANGER,* but in going ahead about 60ft, keel caught the top of the reef and on a falling tide, listed over and sank in deep water clear of the reef (55 47N, 006 04W). All salvage apparatus lost with ship. Salvage abandoned.
21.12.1931: Fleetwood registry closed “ Vessel stranded 3rd November 1931 and abandoned as a total loss.”

* – The first steam trawler to be refloated using compressed air.

Crew; All Fleetwood unless stated. Skipper C Walter, Hesketh Place; W E Gardner, Milton Street, Mate; M Elrick, Park Avenue, Bosun; F Welsh, Poulton Road; T Hudson, Hamlet Road, Ch.Eng; J Salisbury, Addison Road, 2nd Eng; A. Alger, Seamen’s Mission; J Rayworth, Peel Road, Deckhands; C Daly, Blackpool and W Hughes, Seabank Road, Firemen; J. Fletcher, Liverpool, Cook and J Quinn, Wyre Street, Wireless operator.

The seabed around our coasts is littered with the hulks of many wrecked trawlers.
This is especially true of the Scottish waters, with many Fleetwood trawlers foundering on the rocks and reefs as they ploughed their way through gales to reach home.
One such wreck is the CRISCILLA which was loaded with 2,500 stone of fish when she struck rocks at the entrance to Islay Sound – which separates Islay from Jura.

It was around 11pm on 3rd November 1931 that tragedy struck.
Ashore the first indication was when the local coastguard picked up a radio message, which read; “British steam trawler CRISCILLA two miles north by east of McArthurs Head ashore on rocks with stripped propeller.” And this was the start of an epic battle to try to save the 135ft long vessel.

Owned by J Marr & Sons, Criscilla was one of Fleetwood’s latest, largest and best equipped trawlers.
Under the command of Skipper C Walter of Hesketh Place the vessel had a crew of 12.
For three days and three nights the crew battled the elements in efforts to save their ship from the deadly rocks.
Despite gales and rough seas the men stuck to their posts until they were ordered to abandon her.
Luckily in this disaster no lives were lost and today CRISCILLA lies in two sections in about 45 feet of water – with her anchors and chain nearby.
But let us return to that dark Tuesday night when most of the crew were asleep in their bunks.
The shock of the impact as Criscilla hit the rocks awoke the men who rushed on deck.

One member described the scene; For three days and three nights we remained on board. She had gone on the rocks as we were going through the Sound and she seemed to be resting on a table of rock out of the water.
“Until teatime on Thursday we had been fairly comfortable, But it started to blow and it was terrible.
“The trawler was being pounded. We couldn’t stand up and had difficulty in keeping our feet.
“Every time the boat shuddered we had to hang on grimly with both hands.

“It was a nightmare. We kept the water under for 4 hours but it started to rise.
“The coal began to wash about in the end it put the fires out.”
With the CRISCILLA being pounded so much that she shivered from stem to stern the men were ordered to the bridge for safety.

Their efforts to lighten the trawler by dumping and moving coal had failed – as had the attempts by the engineers – working waist deep in water – to pump the vessel out. Water filled the engine room, lights went out and candles and paraffin lamps brought into use. The pumps were then out of action. Fleetwood trawlers FYLDEA and SEA SWEEPER had responded to the distress call and assisted in refloating attempts, as did a Glasgow tug.

But all was in vain and the crew were taken aboard Fyldea and later landed at Oban for the rail journey home.
During the weeks that followed Herculean efforts were made to salvage Criscilla.
The 350 ton ship eventually slid over and sank after a Liverpool tug had tried pumping the partially submerged vessel full of compressed air. As she had lifted, she bumped another rock, ripping away hull patches, and sank.
It was the first time this expensive method of salvage had been employed in efforts to save a trawler. It had been used to save larger craft.

Criscilla was built at Selby and launched in 1929. She was the first trawler built for Fleetwood since the first war. Her sister ship was MARETTA.

Aboard Criscilla were; Skipper C Walter; Mate W E Gardner of Milton Street; Bosun M Elrick, Park Avenue; Deckhands F Welsh, Poulton Road; A Alger, Seamen’s Mission; J Rayworth, Peel Road; Cook J Fletcher of Liverpool; Chief Engineer T Hudson, Hamlet Road; Second Engineer J Salisbury, Addison Road; Trimmers C Daly, Blackpool and W Hughes, Seabank Road and wireless operator J Quinn of Wyre Street.

Click to enlarge image

Changelog
26/01/2009: Page published. 4 updates since then.
12/03/2016: Pictures added.
07/02/2020: Updated information.
23/05/2023: Added an image.
11/10/2023: Significant update to details and history.
12/10/2023: Added images.