Christiana Davis

Official Number 51075

The Christiana Davis was a two-masted schooner built at Hugh Williamson's shipyard at Whitehaven. She was launched in 1864 and was initially part of the fleet of the Barrow shipowner James Ashcroft. She was first registered at Lancaster but the registry was transferred to Barrow in 1876. On the original registration document Capt.James Bond is shown as the first master of the vessel. The owners at the launch are listed as follows: James Ashcroft of Barrow, ship owner (32 shares), James Taylor of Hesketh Bank, shipowner (16), Peter Wood Stark of Barrow, surgeon (4), James Bond, master mariner (4), Jane and John Brown Williamson, shipbuilder, who jointly held 8 shares. The Christiana Davis was a medium-sized schooner and probably only operated in the coasting trade in Home waters.

The Christiana Davis was mortgaged to Thomas Ashburner in 1883 and within a year had been sold to him outright. Her ownership was quickly passed to William Hurford, the Ashburners' sailmaker, who was beginning to manage a small fleet of his own.

The Christiana Davis was captured by submarine (U-105) and sunk by gunfire on the 29th April 1918, eight miles SE by S from Tuskar Rock. She was bound from Newport for Duncannon with coal.

Sources :

1. "The Ashburner Schooners" by Tim Latham, ISBN 0-95-16792-0-1
2. Registration Document at Cumbria Record Office, Barrow (Information from Sue Bond)
3. Mercantile Navy List 1867: Christiniana Davis, 85 tons, official number 51075, owned by James Ashcroft, of Barrow, vessel registered at Lancaster.
4. Lloyd's Register of Shippping 1869-70: Christiana Davis, schooner, 85 tons, built by Williamson at Whitehaven in December 1864, owned by Ashcroft & Co., belonging to the port of Barrow, masters Capts.W.Davis and J.Bond.
   
5. Mercantile Navy List 1880: Christiniana Davis, schooner, 72 tons, built at Whitehaven in 1865, official number 51075, owned by James Ashcroft, of Barrow, vessel registered at Barrow.
6. Mercantile Navy List 1896: Christiniana Davis, schooner, 69 tons, built at Whitehaven in 1865, official number 51075, owned by William E.Hurford, of Barrow, vessel registered at Barrow.
7. Mercantile Navy List 1904: Christiniana Davis, entry identical to that of 1896.
   
8. Irish Wrecks Online (Waterford B List) - a schooner Christiana Davis, probably this same vessel, is noted as being wrecked at Tramore in 1911.
9. Closure of British registry in 1918 - from the National Archives, BT 110/272/41.
10. Loss from Naval History Net (citing from "British Vessels Lost at Sea 1914-1918" by HMSO, 1919).
11. Information on loss from Michael Lowrey at uboat.net.
    

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