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Official Number
65041 |
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Official Number
65041 |
The following launch report appeared in
the Barrow Times on Saturday, 16th July 1870.
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Shortly after ten o'clock on Tuesday forenoon, a fine new schooner was successfully launched from Mr. William Ashburner's yard, in the presence of a considerable concourse of spectators. Her lines are very pretty for a wooden vessel and her appearance graceful. In length she measures 76 6-10ths feet; beam, 20 1-10th feet; and depth 8 3-10ths feet. She is 77 tons register and is classed A.1 at Lloyd's for ten years. Prior to the launch she was fully rigged, and her sails bent, ready for going to sea. A numerous company had assembled on board to participate in the exhilarating effects of her first dip into her native element. When the dog-shores had been knocked away a hydraulic lift capable of raising 150 tons was applied to her bows, when she glided smoothly and swiftly into the water. After her first plunge the anchor was quickly dropped, and she was pulled up amidst the most enthusiastic cheers from those on board and in the building yard. When she began to move upon the ways, the customary bottle of wine was broken on her bows, and she was christened the Elizabeth Latham by Miss Latham, a daughter of one of the owners. She is a sister ship to the Catherine Latham, which was built in the same yard three years ago and has been paying an excellent dividend to her proprietors ever since she was launched. The new schooner went into the dock in the course of the day, and will at once proceed to load a cargo of iron ore. Mr. W. K. Chamley is her managing director, and she is commanded by Captain James Latham ........ In honour of the launch, on Tuesday a number of vessels in the docks and those lying off the Ironworks exhibited a profuse display of bunting. |
The Elizabeth Latham was a heavily-built schooner, designed for carrying ore cargoes from Barrow and the Duddon. Despite this, she seems to have been one of the faster Furness schooners, and in William Ashburner's obituary in the Barrow Times it was claimed that she was "the fastest schooner sailing out of the port". She was managed by Thomas Ashburner & Co. for virtually her entire life, and her masters included James Latham, Robert Latham (later to command the Mary Ashburner and James Postlethwaite), Thomas Latham and Thomas Iddon. They kept the schooner mostly in the Irish Sea, and she was commonly employed in carrying iron ore from the Duddon to Ellesmere.
At the time of the 1881 Census (1st April) the Elizabeth Latham
was berthed at Barrow and the crew were listed as follows:
| Daniel Banks | M | 36 | Tareleton, Lancashire, England | Sea Captain |
| William Banks | M | 41 | Tareleton, Lancashire, England | Mate |
| Edwin Waring | M | 42 | Caton, Lancashire, England | Cook |
The Elizabeth Latham was driven ashore at Moelfre, Anglesey, in the gale of early November 1890, in which several vessels leaving the Dee river were wrecked or foundered. One crewman died of exposure, the rest being taken off by lifeboat (see Source 6).
The career of the Elizabeth Latham ended somewhat farcically
in the Crosby Channel in July 1898, when she tacked across the bows of
the 4737 ton Liverpool steamer Chancellor. The schooner was struck
square amidships and began to sink immediately. Capt. James Bennet had
his wife and two children aboard, and also three crewmen. They had
to take to the rigging as the ship went down, until they were taken to
safety by the steamer's boat. The local Liverpool newspaper claimed that
the master's wife was the calmest of all of them. The accident happened
in clear visibility and moderate weather, so it appears that the loss was
due to poor seamanship. The schooner had been sailing from the Manchester
Ship Canal to Pentewan with a cargo of coal. [Full
newspaper report]
| Name | Year Built | Gross Tons | Length (feet) | Breadth (feet) | Depth (feet) | Masts | Figurehead | Stern | Lloyd's Classn. |
| Elizabeth Latham | 1870 | 77 | 76.6 | 20.1 | 8.2 | 2 | Knee | Round | 9A1 |
Sources :
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