Gauntlet

Official Number 16680

The Gauntlet was a two-masted schooner built at Matthew Simpson's Glasson Dock shipyard in Lancaster in 1857. Her building cost was just under £2000. She was initially bought by Ulverston owners, and later joined the Barrow fleet of James Fisher. In her early days the Gauntlet was involved in the copper ore trade to Spain. In 1877 her master was Capt. Selby. Alan Lockett in "Northwestern Ships and Seamen" states that the first master of the Gauntlet was Capt. J.Jones, and that later Capt. R.Bannister and finally Capt. John Greet had her command.

In 1881 the Gauntlet was at Falmouth for the Census, and the following details were recorded:
 

George Ball	m	65	Gloucester	Master
James Beck	m	38	Ulverstone, Lancs	Mate
Richard Rimmer	u	35	Barrow-in-Furness, Lancs	AB
Richard Warde	u	19	Bagillt, Flint	OS
George Wolstenholme	u	16	Barrow-in-Furness, Lancs	Cook

The Gauntlet was sold by Fishers in 1894 and was owned by Grounds of Runcorn in 1925 and by Jones of Lancaster in 1927. Photographs taken of her at about this time show her with a mailed fist as a figurehead.

On passage from Charlestown to the Firth of Forth with a cargo of china clay, the Gauntlet sprang a leak and foundered on the 19th November 1927. Her crew were taken off their sinking vessel by the steamer Teesider.
 

Name	Year Built	Gross Tons	Length (feet)	Breadth (feet)	Depth (feet)	Masts	Figurehead	Stern	Lloyd's Classn.
Gauntlet	1857	164	86.5	21.1	11.3	2

Sources :

1. Merchant Sailing Ships 1850-1875 by D.R.McGregor (pub.1984) gives some details of the Glasson Dock shipyard and building costs.
2. Alan Lockett, "Northwestern Ships and Seamen", ISBN 0 946133 0 X (1982).