Nanny Latham

Official Number
54548

The Nanny Latham was launched in 1866 from the Hindpool shipyard of William Ashburner. She was a small two-masted schooner, very similar in dimensions to five other schooners built by the Ashburners around this time, and probably designed for the iron ore trade from the Duddon. Indeed, in 1878 she became  part of William Postlethwaite's fleet.

In October 1881 the Nanny Latham travelled from the Dee River to Ballyraine in Ireland and picked up a return cargo of potatoes at Lough Swilly, Co. Donegal. Her destination was Cardiff, but she encountered a Force 10 gale from the SW and on the 22nd November she was swept onto rocks at Portantruan on the island of Islay. Capt.Charles Griffiths and his two crewmen survived, but the Nanny Latham was a total wreck.
 
Name
Year Built
Gross Tons
Length (feet)
Breadth (feet)
Depth (feet)
Masts
Figurehead
Stern
Lloyd's Classn.
Nanny Latham
 1866
75 
77.1 
19.0 
8.1 
 2
Knee 
Round 
 

Sources :

  1. "The Ashburner Schooners", by Tim Latham (Ready Rhino, 2000) ISBN 0-95-16792-0-1
  2. Mercantile Navy List 1878: Nanny Latham, schooner, 68 tons, built at Barow in 1866, official number 54548, registered at Lancaster, owned by Thomas Ashburner, of Barrow..
  3. Wreck reported in Lloyds' List 26th November 1881.
  4. The wreck is listed on the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland website.