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The Bosun's Watch

S.T. Ella Hewett LO47





 
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Picture courtesy of John Bonner

		




 	  	  

 	  	  	

 	  	  	 

 	  	  	  

 	  	  	  	Ella Hewett
 	  	  	  	
 	  	  	  

 	  	  	 


			 		
 	  	  

 	  	 






		

		

    Technical
	

	




Official Number 185862


Yard Number 871



Launched December 04 1952


Registered March 19 1953


Gross Tonnage595


Length166.9 ft


Breadth29.3 ft



925 ihp engineC D Holmes


Speed13 knots


Built byCook Welton & Gemmell, 
Beverley, 1952


Owner







		


    History
	



		

    1952
To Fleetwood as a new vessel and became one of the port's top earners.



1962
Hit the submerged wreck of HMS DRAKE in Church Bay, Rathlin, and sank. 



1978Wreck blown up to prevent oil pollution.
 


NotesOn the morning of October 2nd 1917, HMS Drake was several miles off the north-west tip of Rathlin Island, carrying out routine escort duties with convoy HH24 inbound from America. 
The area was frequented by German U boats who were engaged in both mine laying and convoy attacks in the Western and Northern Approaches - as part of an overall German strategy to blockade convoy supplies reaching the United Kingdom. 
 U79, a mine laying submarine was on active duty around the north west of Ireland and the western Scottish Isles at the time. The U-Boat located HH24 in the early morning, found the Drake in her sight and fired one of her compliment of four torpedoes, the resulting explosion killed 19 seamen though the cruiser remained afloat.
The crippled Drake under the command of Captain S. H. Radcliffe was escorted into Church Bay by H.M.S. Martin and other auxiliary ships  where she was anchored.  There were suggestions that to save her and an attempt was going to be made to beach her in Church Bay, unfortunately the degree of list became critical and she was abandoned to capsize in eighteen metres of water a few hundred metres from the shore. There were no casualties as a result of the capsizing.

Ella Hewett was making for Rathlin to land an injured crewman when she struck the submerged wreck of HMS Drake. The contact seemed slight as one of the firemen on board reported feeling only a slight bump but it was enough to finish the trawler. The vessel listed and the engine room filled with water and oil so the chief engineer ordered the boiler damped down and cleared the engine room. Crewmen looking over the side could see the wreck of Drake under the surface.
Portrush lifeboat stood by and took off 14 of the crew, leaving 5 aboard to continue pumping. The risk was, however, considered too great and the trawler was abandoned. Soon afterwards she slipped off the wreck and sank. Plans to salvage her were abandoned and the wreck was blown up by the Royal Navy.
The remains of Ella Hewett can still be seen. Trawl bobbins are strewn around and are sometimes taken for mines. Her bow name is still visible.