Black Eyed Susan

Official Number 1399

The Black Eyed Susan was a schooner built at Maryport in 1833. She was registered at Liverpool in her early years, which seem mostly to have been spent in the trade from Liverpool to the Mediterranean and Black Sea ports of Smyrna, Constantinople and Ancona. Then on the 28th June1843 she departed Liverpool under Capt.Henry Mitchelmore, bound for "the Brazils and Valparaiso". The 25-year old master was lost overboard off Cape Horn on the 28th October 1843. The Black Eyed Susan was reported arrived at Liverpool from Valparaiso on the 18th September 1844 (see Source 5).

The vessel was repaired and slightly lengthened in 1846, increasing her tonnage to 163 tons.

The  Black Eyed Susan was owned at Weymouth in 1857, then at Southampton and finally Bideford. She was wrecked in a severe storm at Scarborough in October 1880, one of several vessels wrecked that day. All five crew survived, being taken off in a hazardous lifeboat rescue (see Source 16), much under-stated in the following brief report:

From Lloyds List, Friday 29th October, 1880, column 31 :

" Scarborough, Oct.28.- Black Eyed Susan, schooner, of Bideford, Pickard master, from Runcorn (salt for Newcastle) came ashore 10 o'clock opposite the Spa, sea washing over her. Crew landed by the National lifeboat; master has his leg broken."

Sources :

1. BoT Transcripts of Liverpool Shipping Register No.280 for 1850 (at Merseyside Maritime Museum).
2. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1835-6: schooner, 139 tons, owned by Watson & Co., masters G.Watson and Watkins, voyage Liverpool - Constantinople.
   
3. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1842-3: owner Watkins, masters E.Randel and Mitchelmore, voyage Liverpool-Constantinople, then Liverpool - Smyrna.
4. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1843-4: schooner, yellow-metalled in 1841, master Capt.Mitchelmore, owned Watkins, voyage Liverpool - Smyrna.
5. Report of departure for Valparaiso in the Liverpool Mercury, 30th June 1843. Information on the death of Capt.Mitchelmore from Warren Limbrick, from information on a tombstone in Coombe-in-Teignhead Parish Church, Devon. Return from Valparaiso reported in the Times, Thursday, 19th September, 1844, page 7.
6. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1844-5: same information as previous year.
7. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1845-6: schooner, 139 tons , owned by Watkins, registered at Liverpool, masters Mitchelmore and G.Watkins, voyages Liverpool - Smyrna and Liverpool - Andona (sic).
8. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1846-7: master Capt.G.Watkins, 163 tons ( repairs and yellow-metaled in 1846), voyage Liverpool - Ancona.
9. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1850-1: schooner, 163 tons (lengthened and yellow-metalled in 1846), master and owner Capt.Watkins, voyage Liverpool - Mediterranean.
10. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1857-8:  vessel registered at Weymouth, owner J.Elliott.
11. 1857 Mercantile Navy List gives port of registry as Weymouth, official number and signal letters HJTF, tonnage 148
12. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1860-1: vessel registered at Southampton, owner T.Kemp.
13. Clayton's Register of Shipping 1865-6:  vessel registered at Southampton, owner and master T.Kemp - shows build date incorrectly as 1853.
14. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1877-8: vessel registered at Bideford, owner R.Cocks.
15. Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1880-1:  vessel registered at Bideford, marked as "Lost".
16. See also Scarborough Maritime Heritage for the story of the lifeboat rescue (citing from "The History of the Scarborough Lifeboats" by Jeff Morris, and with illustrations from Scarborough Library).