Ships built in Middlesborough - JAMES HARRIS

Ships built in Middlesborough - JAMES HARRIS

Postby GFehners » Thu Nov 08, 2018 8:03 pm

Dear All, I am new to this forum and wonder if anyone can help/advise/guide me? My GGGrandfather was a sailor on board the SS James Harris (68300) built by Raylton Dixon & Co in Yard 102 in 1874 and owned by Hogg (James) and Henderson of Middlesborough. The ship sank off the Farne Islands in a collision with the SS Andalusia on 18 April 1881 and all but 4 lives were lost. My GGGrandfather lost his life in the sinking, leaving a widow with three young children. I am the GG Grandson, who has my GGG Ditty Box, that was recovered and I am trying to find a picture of the ship and any information relating to it/crew lists etc to link it with the Ditty Box. Can anyone help please. I am more than happy to pay or make a donation to a charity (?seamans).

Thanks all for viewing

best wishes

G Fehners
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Re: Ships built in Middlesborough

Postby northeast » Fri Nov 09, 2018 7:23 am

Hello, we have a basic entry for the ship here

http://www.teesbuiltships.co.uk/view.ph ... MES+HARRIS

but it seems you have most of that, due to her short life 1874-1881I think any photo would be difficult to find if indeed any exist at all.
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Re: Ships built in Middlesborough - JAMES HARRIS

Postby GFehners » Sat Nov 10, 2018 1:45 pm

Hi George. Thanks for taking the time to respond, it's appreciated.

Yes I have that information. I am trying to find anything that's out there by referencing the former ship building company and the company owners. As you can imagine both are either no longer trading or have long been acquired, so my search is trying to locate any archive material.

thanks again

Ger
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Re: Ships built in Middlesborough - JAMES HARRIS

Postby Whickham » Sat Nov 10, 2018 2:19 pm

This extract from the Shields Daily Gazette, Saturday, 16/04/1881 may help
Click on the image and then click on it again to magnify it to a size that can be read.
A full list of the crew is there, split into those who survived and then those that didn't.

James Harris sunk.jpg
Dave
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Re: Ships built in Middlesborough - JAMES HARRIS

Postby Whickham » Sat Nov 10, 2018 2:30 pm

As George has already said, a photograph is highly unlikely, but you never know what might turn up.
Another option would be a plan or general arrangement for the ship, which would at least let you see what it looked like.
I don't know whether there is an archive of Raylton Dixon documents. A possibility is the Greenwich Maritime Museum, who claim to have a huge collection of plans.
Then there is the fact that shipbuilders and owners for that matter were a fairly conservative set of people. So similarly sized vessels built by Railton Dixon at about the same time would probably give you a general idea of what the JAMES HARRIS would have looked like.
As a final option, launch reports or reports of the final trials often give a description, but I haven't found much.
This is a cutting for the launch from the Northern Echo, Thursday, 05/03/1874

James Harris.jpg
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Re: Ships built in Middlesborough - JAMES HARRIS

Postby GFehners » Sun Nov 18, 2018 3:53 pm

Hi Dave. Thanks for this information, which is greatly appreciated. I will give Greenwich a call to establish if they can help further. Do you know where I may be able to locate the ships crew and sailings please?

The article from the Shields Daily Gazette, gives more of a detailed description of the sinking, first hand, than I previously found in other articles and from the Maritime Tribunal into the sinking so the article is much appreciated.

Interestingly, when I read the article it didn't state my GG Grandfather within the list of the dead men. However, later on it refers to the Steward, who was German and known as George. this is my GG Grandfather whose name was Gerhard (Gerd shortened).

Thanks again Dave,

Gerhard
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