Red Falcon - Click image for a larger view
The week before Christmas and the whole of Fleetwood waited.
A trawler was overdue… and a silence descended on the port.
For days the sea around Skerry – Vore in the South Minch was scoured for the 449-ton Red Falcon and her crew of 19 in a massive sea and air search.
Families waited with mounting anxiety – eyes scanning the horizon in vain and hope. But the Red Falcon was lost – presumed to have been overwhelmed in heavy seas as she made for home.
Wreckage – including a rocket container box, pieces of wood believed to be floorboards on a lifeboat and two lifebuoys stamped “Red Falcon” – was washed up 25 miles north of the vessel’s last known position.
Lost with all hands – leaving 25 children fatherless and a town too stunned to celebrate Christmas.
The Red Falcon – built in 1936 – was the last coal burning trawler in the lago Steam Trawler Co. Ltd. Fleet. She was formerly named Cape Barfleur.
Her last voyage started on November 25th 1959 when she sailed for the Icelandic fishing grounds, leaving on the same tide as the Red Sabre.
The two vessels fished together at Iceland for most of the trip and turned for home at the same time.
Red Falcon was skippered by Alexander Hardy, (45) of Broadway, Fleetwood. A most experienced skipper who undertook minesweeping duties during the war.
He was in contact with Sabre’s skipper (Tom McKernan) and the skipper of the Red Knight (John Mecklenburgh) during the voyage home. Both men later thought the falcon had been engulfed by a tidal wave.
Skipper McKernan had been about 70 miles ahead of the Falcon and Skipper Mecklenburgh about 150 miles behind. Both reported severe gales – with winds gusting to 100mph. Skipper McKernan advised the Falcon to avoid the tidal race off Islay which Skipper Hardy acknowledged.
The area was known to be treacherous with swirling tides.
But relatives had received wires from the ship saying she would be docking Monday night.
As was the custom, many went to meet her in on that Monday – December 14th. It was not unusual for ships to be delayed by bad weather and families again went down to meet Falcon on the Tuesday.
The radio silence from the vessel was ominous and anxiety mounted. “We fear the worst,” said Captain E.D.W. Lawford,
DSO, RN, managing director of the owners.
And as the terrible news began to sink in, the “mission men” continued their task of comforting the bereaved. The Superintendent of the Fleetwood branch of the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen, Mr Duncan Brown, and the Port Missioner Mr.G. Wright, visited homes.
All but one of the crew – Fireman Joseph Mair of Portsmouth – lived in Fleetwood.
The crew list was given as:
Skipper Alexander Hardy (45), Broadway, Mate George Gloss (59), Gordon Road, Chief Engineer Jim Carter (39), Macbeth Road, Second engineer William Irvine (45), Bramley Avenue, Bosun Jim Gorst, (38), Wingrove Road, Deckhands Joseph Blackburn (21), Radcliffe Road, Jack McDaid (27) North Street, Jim Read (26), Willow Street, Edward Archer (31), Belmont Road, George Harlin (24), Chatsworth Avenue, Joseph Riches (26), Knowsley Gate, Jim Morley (27), Heathfield Road, William Deery (36), Bold Street, Jack Preston (16), Radcliffe Road, Wireless Operator William Cooper (46), Heathfield Road, Cook George McLoughlin (44) Witton Grove, Assistant Cook John Coultas (20), Abbotts Walk, Fireman John Smith (33), Whinfield Avenue.
Within days an appeal fund for dependants was set up by the Mayor of Fleetwood (Councillor Jim Shaw,JP). Owners, lago, started it with a £1,000 donation and the fund eventually topped £20,000, with cash pouring in from all over the country.
A cheque for £10.10s. Was received from the Church of Scotland on the island of Tiree, Inner Hebrides. An accompanying letter said the loss of the Falcon so near their shores had made a deep impression on the community. It was on the rocky shores of isle of Mull and one from people in Oban.
Seven months after the loss an inquiry opened at Fleetwood Town Hall. It was revealed that the last radio contact with the Falcon was at 7am on December 14th. The Sabre’s skipper called up the Falcon and reported the wind as force 10 between Skerryvore and Rathlin Island. He said he had had a very rough passage but was now under the lee of Rathlin. Falcon’s skipper said he was abeam of Skerryvore Light and he would avoid the tide race.
A few minutes later the Red Knight had also been in radio contact with the Falcon and heard she was in bad weather with a “confused” sea.
The Sabre and Knight continued their homeward journey and no real anxiety was felt until Knight – which had been astern of the Falcon – docked at midnight on Tuesday, December 15th. A 3-day search was launched.
Both skippers thought a tidal wave had swamped the Falcon.
The inquiry believed it was difficult to ascertain the cause of the loss but the most probable cause was that the ship was “overwhelmed”.
And its loss left a town overwhelmed with shock and grief.
San Sebastian - Click image for a larger view
Four men died and the rest of the shipmates spent hours clinging to rocks before being rescued. The Skipper – who had been seen in hanging in the rigging – was stranded on rocks for 10 hours!
The drama unfolded 60 years ago – on 15th January, 1937 when the 122 ton San Sebastian had been at sea less than 48 hours. Built in Canada in 1916 and owned by Boston Deep Sea Fishing and Ice Company, the San Sebastian came to Fleetwood in 1926.
She struck rocks off the coast of the island of Islay, Argyllshire, on her way to the fishing grounds.
Crewmen who survived were the Skipper Richard Pook of Poulton Road; Mate James Maunders of Hatfield Avenue; Bosun Harold Evans of Back Arthur Street; Deckhands James McLellan, Rutland Avenue; Gilbert Pook (Skipper’s brother) Hatfield Avenue, Robert Allen, Lindel Road, James Meagher, Seamen’s Mission; Chief Engineer, William Pye of Flagg Street and Fireman Frank Haugherty of Rochdale.
The men who perished were T W Archer, Second Engineer of Pharos Street; deckhand W Sharp of Gordon Road, Joseph Cox of Blackpool and Joseph Gledhill of Heywood.
A crew member revealed what happened as the San Sebastian foundered.
“We felt the ship strike and could see we were on a reef. We launched the lifeboat but it crashed against the rail of the ship. Eight of us were thrown into the sea. The San Sebastian had a dangerous list and although we were hanging on we were swept overboard.
“The last time I saw the Skipper he was in the rigging.
“I got on the rocks and others came up in the darkness. We counted ourselves and found only 8 present.
“None of us were fully clothed and we were on the rocks for 7 hours.” They were picked up by the Glasgow Steamer, Pibroch, and three bodies were later recovered.
Skipper Pook said he realised that survival was going to be a life and death struggle. He had been flung into the sea as the trawler toppled over.
“I was going round in circles and have been swimming about a mile. Then I reached a fairly big rock and, almost exhausted, pulled myself up. It was bitterly cold. I lay down but had to try and keep warm so I waved my arms and stamped my feet.”
While sitting there marooned, one of the ship’s lifebelts was washed on the rocks.
“Then dawn broke and I saw a boat rescue the crew who had managed to reach the rock the San Sebastian had struck.
“I tried to attract their attention but they were half a mile away and didn’t notice me.
When I had been on the rock 10 hours I saw a boat in the distance. I signalled it and they took me off.”
The San Sebastian was one of the six Fleetwood trawlers which acted as observation craft when the Italian Air force made a crossing of the Atlantic in 1933. The others were Malaga, Wellvale, Daily Chronicle, Sommersby and Authorpe. All were owned by the Boston Firm and the Italian Government made Fred Parkes (head of the company), a commander of the Italian Navy.
Dean Swift - Click image for a larger view
But the Dean Swift (built in 1898) did become the port’s oldest steam trawler before she was scrapped in 1959.
Built in Dublin – and bought by the Dalby Steam Fishing Company in the 1930s – she returned to Dublin to meet her fate in the breakers’ yard.
Perhaps her greatest claim to fame was in February 1957 when she towed the port’s smallest trawler into port after a night long battle in Morecambe Bay.
The drama developed on a wild February night as hurricane force winds lashed the Irish Sea – it was one of the worst storms within memory of local folk.
As the news of the trawler’s battle spread, families ashore gathered round their radios to tune into the trawler waveband.
It was off Maughold Head, Isle of Man, that a crack developed in the combustion chamber of the boiler in the 148 ton trawler Alcmaria.
In control was Skipper Leslie Hatcher who decided to try and make it back to Fleetwood.
“But by noon, it was becoming hopless. All we could do was to just keep the engine turning over. The Dean Swift said she was coming to help.”
After a 40-mile voyage from Ramsey Bay the Dean Swift (Skipper Jack Randles) arrived at 5.30pm. The wind was reaching gale force.
At 6pm they shot a line to the crippled Alcmaria – but it parted.
With winds of 60mph and torrential rain the crews were soaking wet as they worked to try and secure another line.
Skipper Hatcher said “All we could do was to try and keep her head to wind – and that meant the engines must be kept turning over.
“Engineers, Dick Bailey (Chief) and Paddy Macauley (Second) did very well. It would have been hopeless without that bit of steam.
The trawler put out an SOS and Barrow Lifeboat was launched at 10pm. The trawler Red Sabre on passage to Iceland turned back and into the storm to try and help.
Red Sabre’s Skipper Jim McKernan fired his 6 rockets in a bid to fastern a tow rope.
Attempt number 3 was lucky and crewmen soaked by rain and spray shackled a 4” cable in Alcmaria’s another chain.
But with the trawlers wallowing in the angry seas the tow parted and other attempts saw the rockets carried away by the wind.
Hours passed. It was 3am and Skipper McKernan tried to float a line across with a barrel. It proved hopeless.
And then Red Sabre became crippled with a warp around her propeller. She had to anchor and await a tug from Heysham.
Alcmaria began to drift and radio contact with the lifeboat was lost for more than an hour when her radio mast was swept away.
Then the weather moderated and Dean Swift took Alcmaria in tow – anxious to complete the job she had set out to do – and determined to get her back to Fleetwood. Later Skipper Randles said;
“I have known no worse night in 25 years. The wind reached more than 100mph at the worse point.
“One sea – the biggest I have ever seen – swept the full length of the ship. It poured through the galley door, down into the cabin and engine room. All 15 deckboards were washed over the side.” Three minutes earlier the crew were on deck. If they had been there then it would have been the end.
“But the old ship was marvellous – bloomin’ marvellous. She wallowed a bit on her side in the trough when the big sea swept over but came right up again.
“It took two of us to hold the wheel to keep her steady most of the time,” he added.
And so the two trawlers (both owned by Dalby) came safely home.
They had just 41 boxes of fish between them for sale on the Wednesday market.
The previous day – as the little ships fought the elements – not one vessel had docked at Fleetwood causing the worst fish famine since the war.
Pasages - Click image for a larger view
During a storm in December 1931 the Canadian built vessel was wrecked at Jurby Head, Isle of Man.
At the time it was revealed that the trawler was “swept from stem to stern by the heavy seas such as to strike terror into the hearts of the Stauchest.”
The Ramsey and Peel Rocket Brigades were called to the rescue and Ramsey and Peel lifeboats were launched in “mountainous seas.”
Lying 100 yards from shore the 125ft trawler had a crew of 13 men under Skipper J James of Blakiston Street, Fleetwood.
She had been homeward bound with a £600 catch of herring from the north west of Ireland.
Buffeted by waves in south west gales, the Pasages’ visibility was reduced by blinding sleet and rain.
Afterwards the skipper said he had never experienced such a combination of storm and rain and absolute blackness. He proceeded cautiously and knew they were in the vicinity of the Isle of Man.
Realising the ship had grounded he gave the immediate order for the engines to reverse. But the Pasages would not budge.
She was in a perilous condition, hammered by heavy seas. The crew fired distress rockets and they huddled in the wheelhouse as they awaited the rocket brigades.
On shore the 18-man rescue squad arrived after a one and a half mile hazardous journey over waterlogged fields. Reaching the cliff top they descended to the shore.
But the man of the hour was 30-year old cook Norman Platt of Macbeth Road, Fleetwood.
He volunteered to swim ashore – and after a desperate struggle got a line across to the rescuers. Soon a breeches bouy was rigged up and the men hauled to safety.
The lifeboats stood by in the teeth of the gale and the weather proved too bad for the Peel Lifeboat to return to her home port she sailed on to Ramsey and put into harbour. The Ramsey boat went on the south beach and was pulled up to the Lifeboat House after one of the most strenuous services in the station’s history.
Fleetwood men aboard the Pasages (Boston Deep Sea Fishing and Ice Company) included mate R McCauliffe, Back Preston Street; bosun W.Hughes, Poulton Road; J.Wilson, Warwick Place, B.Jackson, Bold Street, A.Warwick, Cross Street and chief engineer C.R. Dadswell, Manor Road.
The Pasages was never salvaged.
We are indebted to Mr Harold Colley for information for this Trawler Tale.
Lois - Clickimage for larger view
Today’s fishermen have to battle against Government policy, quotas and de-commissioning.
Fifty years ago the fishermen’s main adversary was the weather! And it was into an horrendous storm that the Fleetwood trawler Lois sailed to her doom in January 1947.
Her crew had spent a happy Christmas ashore and the Lois was back fishing after being released by the Admiralty from war duties as a minesweeper.
Skipper George Smith of Oxford Road, Fleetwood, had sailed in Lois since she resumed fishing 18 months previously.
But that New Year trip was Skipper Smith’s last. Although all his crew was rescued the skipper lost his life in the tragedy of Iceland.
It was on Sunday, January 5th that the 111-ton trawler – built in 1917 – struck a rock and foundered as she reached the fishing grounds off the South West coast of Iceland.
The crew were thrown around as the trawler struck the rocks a short distance from the shore.
Distress rockets were fired and within minutes help was on the way. A rocket – launching party fired a line which landed on the deck. The crew were brought safely to shore.
A crewman later said, “We had all got away by breeches buoy and the skipper, who had remained to the last, was clutching the rigging ready to get into the buoy.
“As we watched a huge wave smashed aginst the side of the trawler and he disappeared.
“None of us saw him after that.”
Survivors described a terrific blizzard with mountainous seas as the trawler hit the rocks.
It was believed the skipper either slipped from the rigging or the breeches buoy as he was being brought ashore.
Many of the 15-man crew didn’t realise at first that the skipper had drowned. His body was later washed ashore.
The body of Skipper Smith, who was 44, was brought backi to Fleetwood aboard an Icelandic cargo ship.
Six of his crew acted as bearers at the funeral service conducted by Mr H Howes of the Fisherman’s Mission.
Persisted gales and high seas completely destroyed the Lois (owned by Fleetwood Steam Fishing Co) which was smashed to pieces on the rocks.
Lois crew was; Mate Harold Kaiser of Blackpool; Chief Engineer Micheal Hearty of Garfield Street; Second Engineer Christopher Bond, Lingfield Road; Bosun Mark Trott, Aughton Street; Deckhands Collin Hunter, Lowther Road; John Barratt (the skipper’s brother-in-law) of Arthur Street; George Harrison, Hatfield Avenue, R Reeve, Rutland Avenue, Joseph Brunt, Shakespeare Road, Phillip Whur, Beach Road, William Greaves of Preesall and Max Wilson of Blackpool.
The Cook was H Scott of Warrenhurst Road and Firemen James O’Dea, Blackpool and J Connolly, Kemp Street.
Davara - Click image for larger view
In six days in September 1939, the Davara, Rudyard Kipling, Arlita and Lord Minto were lost.
All four crews – 51 men – were saved. And so Fleetwood was plunged into war – her fishing fleet sailing into unknown perils.
Her trawlermen stalked by the silent submarines as they went to work in the inhospitable seas. The fishermen knew that far beneath the waves dark shadows were being cast on their lives and livelihoods. But these doughty, brave men of the sea had a job to do – keeping food on the nation’s table. And they did it – through five long years of war, through danger, death and disasters. They paid the price for their fish.
Fleetwood was stunned when news of the fate of the four trawlers reached the port. The town was propelled into the front line of hostilities – her ships not just going fishing but into the open seas where war knew no bounds.
Each voyage was filled with danger and dramatic incidents became part and parcel of a fishermen’s life.
The crews of the Davara, Rudyard Kipling, Arlita and Lord Minto had stories to tell when they finally got back to port.
Their stories differ – but all had the same result. Their trawler was sunk by enemy action.
Here are their tales;
DAVARA
The crew of the 291-ton Davara watched as their ship was pounded by over 30 shells.
The 27 year old trawler shuddered as each shell hit – but she recovered gallantly.
But after half an hour the Davara could take no more and sank.
Her 12 man crew – with nothing but the clothes they were wearing – had taken to the ship’s lifeboat. For four hours they rowed the open boat before being picked up. The men had to bail out as the boat had been damaged while getting away from the Davara.
“As soon as the boat was in the water we found she was leaking badly,” said Skipper William Boyles.
The Davara (Mount Steam Fishing Company) had been fishing when the submarine appeared about half a mile away.
Skipper Boyles said, “She gave no signal, but started shelling at once. “Most went over us – I imagine they were aiming for the wireless aerials.”
The crew rushed to get out the small boat and the submarine stopped shelling while the boat was lowered. Once the boat was in the water the bombardment began again with the submarine about 50 yards away. With their ship sunk and the enemy nearby the crew began to pull away. With their ship sunk and the enemy nearby the crew began to pull away.
Besides the leaks the little boat was shipping a lot of water.
Some 4 ½ hours later with the weather worsening and darkness falling the crew were picked up by a cargo steamer.
“We couldn’t have lasted another hour,” said Skipper Boyles.
Aboard Davara’s last trip were;
William Boyles, Skipper, of Broadway, G.T.Pugh, Mate, Littlewood; A Scott, Chief Engineer, School Road, Thornton; J Higgins, Second Engineer, Edward Street, Burn Naze;W L Spall, Bosun, Gordon Road; E Prentice, Deckhand, Radcliffe Road; D G Gall, Deckhand, Promenade Road; C S Hunter, Deckhand, Lowther Road; H R Wright, Deckhand, Elizabeth Street; C W Sharpe, Cook, Bramley Avenue; R O Welsh, Fireman, Poulton Road; J Greggor, Fireman, Whinfield Avenue.
RUDYARD KIPLING
The crew of the Rudyard Kipling spent 8 hours aboard a German submarine before being released 5 miles from land.
Their ship was blown up!
The 333-ton Rudyard Kipling was fishing when the U-boat surfaced and signalled the crew to abandon ship.
Crewmen immediately took to the ship’s lifeboat. Ten men were then taken back to the trawler. The Germans took tea, bread, butter, two boxes of fish, gas masks, the radio transmitter – and the ship’s cat!
They then put a time bomb on either side of the trawler at the water line and returned to the submarine with the fishermen. Minutes later there was an explosion and the Rudyard Kipling
sank. The German crew provided the fishermen with hot soup, cigars and rum – and gave each of them, an overcoat. They towed the ship’s lifeboat to within 5 miles of the Irish coast before ordering the crew into the lifeboat.
The trawlermen rowed ashore and the U-Boat resumed its patrol.
Skipper Charles Robinson said later; The U-Boat commander and his crew were courteous.
“They were unshaven and shabby and seemed to have been at sea a long time.”
But the skipper and U-Boat commander did have a argument about who started the war! The German apologised for sinking the trawler but said it was not his fault – but England’s.
The Rudyard Kipling was owned by the Sun Steam Trawler Company.
Rudyard Kipling’s last crew were;
Charles Robinson, Skipper, Romney Avenue; John Smith, Mate, London Street; H Spencer, Bosun, Park Avenue; C Shorrocks, Deckhand, Waterloo Road, Blackpool; H Ellerby, Deckhand, Radcliffe Road; H Mayor, Deckhand, Witton Avenue; G Harrison, Deckhand, Albany Road; F A Irving, Cook, Fleetwood Road, Carleton; C H Ashworth, Chief Engineer, Ariel Way; B Clark, Second Engineer, Shakespeare Road; L A Taylor, Fireman, Oxford Road; A J Willoughby, Fireman, Oxford Road; J Goffin, Deckboy, Oxford Road;
ARLITA and LORD MINTO
Three Fleetwood trawlers – Arlita, Lord Minto and Nancy Hague – were together when a submarine broke surface and fired a warning short. The Lord Minto had tried to escape, but was overhauled by the submarine. Each Skipper was ordered aboard the submarine and the crews took to their boats. The trawlers were searched and it was decided to sink the Arlita and Lord Minto and to put the crews aboard the Nancy Hague (Skippered by Mr Reginald King).
The 134-ton Arlita was owned by J Marr and Son Ltd and the Lord Minto (295 tons) by the Active Fishing Co and managed by Marrs.
Arlita’s crew was:
Ernest Christy, Skipper, Pharos Street; James Mayson, Mate, Addison Road; W Sloane, Bosun, Springbank Avenue, Thornton; Thomas Christy, Deckhand, Pharos Street; J Astles, Deckhand, Longton Avenue, Thornton; H Ramshaw, Deckhand, Harrison Avenue, Thornton; W Lee, Deckhand, Addison Road; C Bird, Half Deckhand, Grove Place, Hoylake; L Cashmere, Cook, Warrenhurst Road; Peter Croft, Chief Engineer, North Church Street, A Nyquist, Second Engineer, Warrenhurst Road; F woolfenden, Fireman, Radcliffe Road; H Dearden, Fireman, Hamlet Road;
Aboard the Lord Minto were;
Charles Pennington, Skipper, Romney Avenue; Arthur Dutton, Mate, Gordon Road; J R Rogers, Bosun, Milton Street; G Halliday, Deckhand, Warren Street; Bertram Lee, Deckhand, Addison Road; W Sharples, Deckhand, Rutland Avenue; J Beadle, Deckhand, Caryl Gardens, Liverpool; Robert Pooley, Cook, Agnew Road; T Hudson, Chief Engineer, Coniston Avenue; R Neill, Second Engineer, Warrenhurst Avenue; W Kneale, Fireman, Lancaster Road, Knott End; Herbert Coplin, Wireless Operator, Rydal Avenue.
Recent Comments