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Silverdale | Official Number
79127 |
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Silverdale | Official Number
79127 |
The Isle of Man Times and General Advertiser, Saturday, 19th March 1887;
" SHIP LAUNCH - On Thursday morning a very large gathering assembled
about Messrs.Williamson's shipyard, Workington, to witness the launch
of a new vessel. The vessel is built of iron, and is after the same
model as the Lowther Castle, and the Greystoke Castle. About half-past
ten a party, consisting of Miss Williamson, Mr.R.Williamson,
Mr.Jennings, Mr.J.C.Thompson, and several ladies, ascended the
platform for the purpose of christening the vessel, a ceremony which
was prettily performed by Miss Williamson. The daggers were then
knocked away, and the Silverdale glided slowly down the ways into the
water, amidst the hurrahs of the crowd. It was then taken in tow by the
tug Grace, and berthed in the old dock. Her dimensions are as follows:-
Length over all, about 266 feet; Lloyd's length, 254 feet; main
breadth, 39 feet; Lloyd's depth, 26 feet; registered class, A 100 at
Lloyd's; registered tonnage, about 1,850; carrying capacity, 2,850;
depth of hold, 23 ft. 10 in. West Cumberland Times, 12th March 1887.
The ship above referred to will be under the command of a native of
this town, Captain Robert Morton, of the Loch Promenade."
The Silverdale was an iron full-rigged ship built by
R.Williamson
& Son at Workington in March 1887. She was probably built on
speculation and was owned by her builders for her first two years. She
was not a lucky vessel. Leaving Workington harbour under the command of
the harbour master and a pilot, she grounded and was badly damaged, and
on reaching Liverpool was found to have a "broken back". She had to go
into a shipyard to receive a new keel.
The Silverdale made her maiden voyage from Liverpool to
Melbourne, leaving in June 1887. She then took a coal
cargo from Newcastle, NSW, to San Francisco. She loaded a large lumber
cargo at Puget Sound and returned to Melbourne. There was serious
trouble amongst the crew and officers by this time, most of the
officers and crew leaving the ship, one at least being jailed for
assaulting th captain, apparently at the instigation of the mates.
Capt.Morton was accused of
mistreating two apprentices, one of whom, George Shimming, 15 years
old, had subsequently died after a fall, a death considered by the crew
to be due to the master's neglect. Capt.Morton was also pursued for
unpaid debts from Vancouver for towage and from Sydney for chandlery.
The ship returned from Melbourne to Liverpool, arriving on the 4th May
1889. The following month the Local Marine Board met at the Liverpool
Sailors' Home to hear the allegations against Capt.Morton. This was not
the first time Capt.Morton had been accused of tyrrany, as he had been
acquitted of the charge ten years earlier, when in command of the Glaramara.
As usual the captain was legally represented. As usual, the motives of
the crew were questioned. As usual, the master was acquitted.
The Silverdale was subsequently sold to R.Thomas & Co., of Liverpool, and was renamed Criccieth Castle.
Capt.Robert Thomas took command of the Criccieth Castle in 1895, and sailed on her with his wife, in the trade between the UK, South America and Australia. On the 14th July 1912, whilst on passage from Ballistas (Peru) to Antwerp with a cargo of guano, the ship was damaged in a severe gale and began to founder, about 180 nm from the Falkland Islands. The crew abandoned ship in two lifeboats, the smaller one with seven men being lost completely. The other carried the master, his pregnant wife and baby son, and seventeen crew. It took them six days to reach East Falkland, with five men dying on the way. They then had to sail on from this uninhabited island, eventually reaching Port Stanley with another crewman dead, two more subsequently dying in hospital.
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