J & M Garratt
 Official Number
88702
J & M Garratt, Bridgwater 19/4/1935, courtesy of the Craig/Farr Collection
The launch of the J & M Garratt in April 1884 marked the end of wooden shipbuilding at Barrow. She was built at the Hindpool shipyard of the Ashburner family, for owners at Connah's Quay. She was managed by Coppack, Carter & Co. of that port, and her first master was Capt. J.Garratt. The schooner was to have a fairly long life, sailing mostly from the Dee River in the coasting trade, and mainly staying on the west coast. In 1923 she had a motor installed, and then in 1934 this was replaced by two 50 hp diesels, making her a very powerful vessel. In her later years she was commanded by members of the Hutton family, Capt. Richard Hutton and his two sons, David and Robert.
The career of the J & M Garratt ended in spectacular fashion at Drogheda, Ireland in October 1940. Carrying a cargo of 160 tons of firebricks and tiles, and under the command of Capt. Robert Hutton, she was entering the River Boyne when her auxiliary engines caught fire. The fire quickly spread from the engine room, and the schooner crew abandoned their ship in the small boat. The blazing hulk drifted slowly towards the quay, the local newspaper writing "...on a pitch dark night, the flames from the oil and paraffin tanks shooting up into the sky and illuminating the countryside for miles around". The ship sank after local dockworkers put out the fire, the cargo subsequently being salvaged.

 
Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
J & M Garratt
 1884
104 
92.4 
21.5 
9.2 
 2
Scroll 
Round 
12A1 

Sources :

  1. Wreck reported in the Drogheda Independant, 12th October 1940, p6.
  2. The Ashburner Schooners ISBN 0-9516792-0-1
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