Tag Archives: Ketch

Sailing Trawler Pansy FD344

Technical

Official Number: 95758
Completed: 1893
Gross Tonnage: 48
Net Tonnage: 24
Length: 64.0 ft
Breadth: 16.7 ft
Depth: 8.5 ft
Built: ??, Douglas

History

Ketch – trawling

1893: Completed by ??, Douglas as PANSY.
12.12.1893: Registered at Douglas, IoM.
1908: Owned by Jn. Stowell, Willesden Villas, Douglas, IoM.
1919: Sold to Daniel Flinn, 11 Kingswood Grove, Douglas, IoM.
8.1919: Sold to Capt Peter Houghton, Hesketh Lane, Tarleton, Nr Preston.
16.8.1919: Douglas registry closed.
21.8.1919: Registered at Fleetwood (FD344).
28.12.1920: Fleetwood registry closed. Converted into a derrick barge for dock use.

Changelog

23/02/2009: Page published.

s.v. Onward FD17

Technical

Official Number: 109668
Completed: 1899
Gross Tonnage: 45
Net Tonnage: 24
Length: 60.2 ft
Breadth: 17.0 ft
Depth: 9.0 ft
Rig: Ketch – trawling
Built: Nicholson & Marsh, Glasson Dock

History

1899: Completed by Nicholson & Marsh, Glasson Dock for Richard Leadbetter & Others, Fleetwood (William Leadbetter, 33 North Church Street, Fleetwood, managing owner) as ONWARD.
9.10.1899: Registered at Fleetwood (FD17).
17.7.1920: Fleetwood registry closed. Sold to foreigners (Belgian subjects).

Changelog
23/02/2009: Page published.
06/10/2015: Information updated.

s.v. Merry Lass FD146

Additional information courtesy of Christine Simm and Maurice Voss

Technical

Official Number: 106596
Gross Tonnage: 49.37
Net Tonnage: 40.65
Length: 67.4 ft
Breadth: 18.2 ft
Depth: 8.45 ft
Rig: Ketch – trawling
Auxilliary oil engine by Laval

History

1897: Completed by R. Jackman & Sons, Brixham for John Berry James, King Street, Brixham as MERRY LASS. Registered at Dartmouth & Brixham O.N.106596 (16/97). Registered at Dartmouth (DH437). John Berry James designated managing owner.
14.12.1897: At 11.30am. in Plymouth Sound, in collision with steamer LADY WOLSELEY (1450grt/1894), from London, which was making for the docks. Bowsprit carried away and damage to stem.
30.11.1898: Arrived Brixham having lost her trawling gear valued between £30 and £40, caused by shooting the trawl without shackling on to the trawl warp.
15.2.1900: In a very strong gale and heavy rain in the Channel, many of the trawlers caught at sea with their trawls down either lost gear or sustained damage to it and all returned to harbour under double reefed canvas. Along with the smack had bowsprit carried away.
7.1.1901: The Brixham Fishing Smack Insurance Co Ltd received tenders for repair of the damage caused by the recent gale. MERRY LASS, J. W. & A. Upham £25; R. Jackman £27.10s. The tender of Messrs Upham was accepted.
26.5.1902: Registered at Brixham (BM29).
1907: Sold to Thomas Nicks, 61 Rotterdam Rd, Lowestoft.
5.10.1907: Brixham registry closed.
14.10.1907: Registered at Lowestoft (LT1091).
10.11.1907: Arrived Lowestoft in the afternoon with the crew of the London registered, Hartlepool owned, schooner JOHN SHELLEY (175nrt/1875) (Capt J. Storm) Hartlepool for London cargo coals, transferred from the fish carrier SPEEDWELL (H481). In dense fog in the North Sea the JOHN SHELLEY was run down by the SPEEDWELL although both vessels heard the fog signals from each other. SPEEDWELL took the crew onboard and then, on account of the weather, drifted until 10.00am, when some 12 miles off Lowestoft, she fell in with the smack.
21.11.1907: In South Bay, off Pakefield with thick fog, in collision the Banff steam drifter SUCCEED (BF1399) sustaining considerable damage. Went to anchor as not considered prudent to try and enter harbour in the weather conditions.
23.8.1910: Proceeding to sea from the former Herring Dock at Lowestoft (Sk. Thomas Vicks), in collision off the South Pier with the smack WHITE HEATHER (LT1013) which had left the Trawl Dock. Sk. Vicks who was bending over at the time, completed a somersault over the rail and into the water. Some of the crew of the WHITE HEATHER got hold of him until a boat came out, picked him up and put him back onboard his own vessel, apparently little the worse for his immersion.
10.9.1910: FOR SALE at once, ready for Sea, the SMACK “MERRY LASS”. Apply owner, T. Nicks, 61 Rotterdam Road, Lowestoft.
1911: Sold to John N. Ward, 114 Dock St, Fleetwood.
5.5.1911: Lowestoft registry closed.
11.5.1911: Arrived Fleetwood. Reported sold along with the smack SUNRISE (LT432) to a Fleetwood syndicate for the purpose of fishing in Morecambe Bay.
1911: Sold to Thomas Fairclough, 107 Mount Street, Fleetwood 7 others (The Sunrise Fishing Co Ltd, Fleetwood). John N. Ward designated manager.
18.5.1911: Registered at Fleetwood (FD146). Richard Wilson skipper.
1912: Magnus B.J. Wedum, Dock St, Fleetwood designated manager.
1.3.1912: At Fleetwood Police Court, Alfred Richardson, ship’s fireman, was charged with stealing an oil frock from the cabin of the smack. William Slinger, one of the crew of the smack, said the oil-skin belonged to the skipper and was seen hanging up in the cabin at noon on 28th February and was missing in the evening. Richard Wright, a broker, said that he bought a pair of sea clogs from the prisoner who asked if he would buy an oil frock. The prisoner returned with the oil frock and he was given 5s 6d for it. He afterwards heard that the oil frock was stolen from the MERRY LASS. He went in search of Richardson and kept him in conversation until P.C. Campsie arrived and arrested the prisoner. Sentenced to one month’s imprisonment.
3.10.1913: Tonnage altered to 24.94net as per Surveyor’s Certificate dated Liverpool 2nd October 1913.
27.1.1914. In a light fog, fishing some 20 miles WSW of Morecambe Bay Lightship (Sk. Peter Leadbetter). Sighted what appeared to be a submarine. Further ahead the skipper saw two small boats and a steamer to the westward with her bows in the air. Trawl was recovered and started for home, when some ten miles north of Lune Buoy met several steam trawlers that had left Fleetwood on the morning tide. Signalled to them that a hostile submarine was in the area and they returned to port. (The submarine proved to be U-boat (U21) and the steamer the BEN CRUACHAN (3092grt/1903), the survivors in the two boats were picked up by the smack MARGARET (FD208) and brought into Fleetwood.)
18.1.1919: Sold to Henry Boyden Hornby, Dock Road, Birkenhead & others. Henry B Hornby designated managing owner.
18.1.1919: Fleetwood registry closed.
3.2.1919: Registered at Liverpool (LL15).
1920: Sold to Henry Utting, 188 Denmark Road, Lowestoft & others. Henry Utting designated managing owner.
9.2.1920: Liverpool registry closed.
1920?: Remeasured 52.11g. 25.68n.
12.2.1920: Registered at Lowestoft (LT897).
8.1921: Sold to Engel Lycke, Oostende.
20.8.1921: Lowestoft registry closed. “Sold to Belgians”. Registered at Oostende as MERRY LASS (O146).
19??: Registered at Oostende as ANTONIA ISABELLE (O65).
1930: Re-registered at Oostende as HERMINA (O177).
25.1.1937: Sold to Henri Vanhoutte & F. Calcoen, Nieuwpoort. Oostende registry closed. Registered at Nieuwpoort as JAN BART (N55).
9.1937: Owner became Henri Vanhoutte.
19??: Fitted with 96hp oil engine by Laval
5.1940: German troops entered Belgium. Sailed Nieupoort for St.Vaast-La-Hougue. Returned and impounded by German authorities in ‘de Creek of Lombardsijde’, Nieupoort harbour.
8.1940: Capsized and total wreck.

Click to enlarge image

sv Merry Lass O146

sv Merry Lass O146
Picture courtesy of The Maurice Voss Collection

Changelog
22/02/2009: Page published.
15/02/2023: Major information update.
06/06/2023: Updated information and added an image.

s.v. Margaret FD208

Additional information courtesy of Henry Leadbetter.

Technical

Official Number: 114301
Completed: 1903
Gross Tonnage: 51
Net Tonnage: 22
Length: 64.8 ft
Breadth: 17.7 ft
Depth: 9.85 ft
Rig: Ketch/Auxiliary motor ketch – trawling
Built: John Singleton & Co, Fleetwood

History

1903: Built by John Singleton & Co, Fleetwood. 5.1903: Completed by Richard (‘Fish Dick’) Leadbetter, Wyre Dock, Fleetwood for William Leadbetter, 33 North Church Street, Fleetwood (20/64); Nanny Leadbetter, Fleetwood (2/64); Harriet Leadbetter, Fleetwood (4/64); Betty Wright, Fleetwood (8/64); William Coulburn, Fleetwood (2/64); John Coulburn. Fleetwood (2/64); Thomas Rigby, Fleetwood (8/64); George Butler Woods, Fleetwood (4/64) and Richard Leadbetter (16/64) (64 shares) as MARGARET.
29.5.1903: Registered at Fleetwood (FD208), William Leadbetter designated managing owner.
25.9.1903: Eight shares (W. Leadbetter) sold to Isaac Leadbetter, 40 St. Anne’s Road West, St. Anne’s-on-the-Sea and two shares (W. Leadbetter) sold to Edwin William Mann, 60 Claremont Terrace, Fleetwood.
30.1.1915: Fishing off Morecambe Bay (Sk. Leadbetter), picked up 23 survivors of steamer BEN CRUACHAN (3092grt/1903) on passage Scapa Flow – Liverpool, stopped by U.boat (U21) 15 miles NW of Morecambe Bay Light Vessel and scuttled by explosive charges in position 53.36N 03.51W. Landed at Fleetwood.
Pre 1924: Sold to William Leadbetter, 54 Sagar Terrace, Blakiston Street Fleetwood (managing owner).
1924: Converted to auxiliary motor at Skippool and fitted with a 4 stroke 4-cyl 56bhp oil engine by Gardner Engines Ltd, Patricroft, Manchester. Re-measured 56.87g 17.71 net.
10.10.1924: Registry closed and re-registered as auxiliary motor ketch. Owner William Leadbetter, 23 North Albert Street, Fleetwood (managing owner).
5.5.1939: Sold to John Wignall, 11 Walmsley Street, Fleetwood & others (John Wignall managing owner).
20.9.1941: Sold to William Winston Curwyn, Crawford Arms Hotel, Conway.
4.5.1944: Sold to James C. Screech, 10 Myrtle Street, Appledore.
27.6.1944: Sold to Hubert Jones, 30 The Grove, Uplands, Swansea.
10.12.1946: Sold to William Alfred & D. L. George, Swansea.
12/??/1949: Sold to James Robert Sheader, 20 Tennyson Terrace, Hartlepool. Fleetwood registry closed. Registered at Hartlepool (HL92).
1961: Suffered engine explosion and subsequently abandoned near old Lifeboat Station.
1991: Buried when new Boathouse constructed to house Atlantic 21.

Click to enlarge image

sv Margaret FD208

sv Margaret FD208

Changelog
22/02/2009: Page published. 5 revisions since then.
15/12/2014: Information updated.
02/07/2015: Updated information and added picture.
14/08/2017: Removed FMHT watermark.

sv Harriet – FD111

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. Picture courtesy of E V Todd

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

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

sv Harriet FD111

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

mv Harriet FD111

mv Harriet FD111
Picture courtesy of The David Slinger Collection

mv Harriet FD111

mv Harriet FD111
Picture courtesy of The David Slinger Collection

sv Harriet FD111

sv Harriet FD111

Sailing Trawler Harriet FD111

Sailing Trawler Harriet FD111

Sailing Trawler Harriet FD111

Sailing Trawler Harriet FD111

Sailing Trawler Harriet FD111

Sailing Trawler Harriet FD111

fv Harriet FD111

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

fv Harriet FD111

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

fv Harriet FD111

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

fv Harriet FD111

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

fv Harriet FD111

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.