Nellie Bywater

Official Number
69715

Nellie Bywater by William McIllvennyThe history of the Nellie Bywater is well-documented, principally because her last owner, Capt.Richard England, wrote a book 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.

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 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.

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 
 2
 
 
12 years A1 

Sources :

  1. "The Cumberland Connection: Hugh Jones, Shipbuilder, Millom", by Trevor Morgan in Maritime Wales (1983) pp69-95.
  2. "Schoonerman" by Capt.Richard England (1981), ISBN 0-370-30377-6
  3. Painting of Nellie Byywater by William McIllvenny - photo courtesy of Trevor Morgan.
  4. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1874-5: Nellie Bywater, schooner, 99 net tons, built by Thomas at Millom in December 1873, official number 69715, registered at Whitehaven, owned by William Postlethwaite & Co., master Capt.R.Morgan.
  5. Mercantile Navy List 1892: Nellie Bywater, schooner, 99 tons, built at Duddon in 1874, official number 69715, signal letters MSFV, registered at Whitehaven, owned by Robert Johnson, of Steel Green, Millom, Cumberland.
  6. Mercantile Navy List 1938: Nellie Bywater, 115 grt, built at Duddon in 1874, official number 69715, signal letters MQJC, registered at Newry in 1928, managing owner William McKibbin, of Annalong.