| The history of the Nellie Bywater is well-documented,
principally because her last owner wrote a book (see Source 2)
describing not only his own experiences with her, but also
giving a good account of her building and early history. This
book includes plans and many photographs. Trevor Morgan added
more detail in his article in Maritime Wales, and it is was he
who gave me the photograph of the painting of the Nellie
Bywater that is shown here.
The Nellie Bywater was a two-masted schooner, the
first vessel to be built at the Millom shipyard of William
Thomas & Co. Her designer and builder was the shipyard
foreman, Hugh Jones, who had been brought from Amlwch by William
Thomas and who would later own the yard in his own right.
He took ten months to build and the Nellie Bywater and
she was launched on the 20th December 1873. Her first
master was Capt. Richard Morgan of Amlwch and her owners were
the Hodbarrow Mining Company, in the guise of the Duddon
Shipping Association. Later masters included Capt. Soloman
Ellis, Capt. James Fairclough of Ulverston, Capt. Owen Jones of
Amlwch and then Capt. John Hughes Parry. Capt. Morgan took the Nellie
Bywater to Spain for iron ore, but the bulk of her work was
in home waters, principally the triangular route carrying iron
ore from the Duddon to South Wales, then coal to Ireland,
returning to the Duddon with pitwood. Later the ore trade from
the Duddon was largely to the Clyde rather than South Wales.
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The Nellie Bywater was sold to a group of people from
Annalong, Co. Down, for £1825 in 1921. Her new master and managing
owner was Capt. William McKibben. The vessel was requisitioned for war
service in 1940, and soon after the war ended she was sold to Capt.
Richard England. He kept her trading for several years, supplementing
her income with some appearances in films. With cargoes for schooners
hard to find in Britain, in 1951 he decided to take the schooner to the
Caribbean. Delayed by postwar bureaucracy, he found himself having to
set off to cross Biscay in December. After battling gales in the English
Channel for six days, the Nellie Bywater foundered near Bolt Head
on the 28th December 1951, whilst trying to make the safety of Plymouth.
One of Capt. England's daughters and a crewman drowned, the other nine
crew being rescued by H.M.T.Careful.
| Name |
Year Built |
Gross Tons |
Length (feet) |
Breadth (feet) |
Depth (feet) |
Masts |
Figurehead |
Stern |
Lloyd's Classn. |
| Nellie Bywater |
1873 |
115 |
89.7 |
22.0 |
10.2 |
|
|
|
12A1 |
Sources :
- "The Cumberland Connection: Hugh Jones, Shipbuilder, Millom",
by Trevor Morgan in Maritime Wales (1983) pp69-95
- "Schoonerman" by Capt. Richard England (1981), ISBN
0-370-30377-6
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