NELLIE BYWATER

[northeast]

An oddment from research, doubt anyone remembers her but if any other info exists, do let me know!
Presumably registered in 1947 on behalf of William Gray & Co.
I wonder if by then she was used to transfer materials between the main shipyard and Graythorpe.

http://shippingandshipbuilding.uk/view. ... IE+BYWATER

[teesships]

Through internet search it serems to be well documented that the NELLIE BYWATER was the last active British merchant schooner. Her career ended when she capsized off Plymouth on 27 December 1951, at the start of the same storm resulting in the more famous FLYING ENTERPRISE saga.
See: https://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.a ... rID=149299 among other web pages.

There is a degree of confusion about this history as wrecksite.eu records a schooner NELLIE BYWATER, also built 1873, being wrecked in 1921. See: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?63703

Still, very interesting that our NELLIE B seemingly spent her final years in local ownership.

Ron

[northeast]

Thanks for the extra research, Ron, there has been only this one NELLIE BYWATER on the British register (not exactly surprising!) so must assume that her wrecking off Holy Island, Lamlash was not her demise. A bit more digging shows a new owner at Amlwch 1921-1923 so maybe bought and restored in the small shipyard there. All dimensions match, also same builder. I have updated her entry accordingly. We are left to wonder whether Richard England was a private owner who simply used the address at Graythorp, or was he an employee and registered as the vessel's manager on behalf of Wm. Gray ... there does not seem any obvious reason for the shipyard to be in the coastal trade with an elderly schooner, post-war.