Doris

Researching Trawler Tales often causes me sadness. As I turn the pages of history and read of the maritime disasters which have cost so many lives, I feel as though I’m witnessing the tragedies.

Sadly, while working on this feature, I found myself in the midst of a massive air-sea search of South West Scotland.

I had chosen to investigate the fate of the Fleetwood trawler Doris (Doris Fishing Co). Gathering what information I could from newspaper cuttings and other sources I found that two crewmen were buried in Stoneykirk Cemetry on the Solway Coast. This brought the event near to home.

For the Doris was lost at Doon Castle Point near Ardwell Bay in November 1914 and I have a caravan on that peninsula. It was the day after a fruitless search of Stoneykirk Cemetery that I was awakened by a naval helicopter a few hundred feet above the caravan.

In the hours that followed the bay was the scene of a massive search. Groups of locals and visitors stood quietly watching as a full-scale search unfolded.

The drama began when two men – a 31 year old and a 19 year old – launched a 14ft dory from Sandhead on Luce Bay. The engine failed and the teenager decided to swim ashore for help. The boat then drifted to the far side of the bay and beached. The older man, suffering from hypothermia, was found and treated at Dumfries Hospital.

During the next 12 hours, two helicopters, lifeboats from Ireland, the Isle of Man, Portpatrick and Stranraer together with inshore lifeboats and coastguards systematically searched the coastline from the Isle of Whithern to the Mull of Galloway.

But shortly after mid-day, on a calm and sunny day, the helicopter crew spotted the missing man’s body just yards from the shore where his body had launched from.

A sad ending – and for me the loss of the men from the Doris, and this young man (events separated by over 80 years) became linked – through the timeless waters of the bay.

But as my research into the loss of the Doris continued some confusion arose.

I found that two vessels – both named Doris – were sailing from Fleetwood in 1914 and both were lost that year as the world was flung headlong into the Great War!

But it was in this quiet corner of Scotland that the 79 ton Doris – a small “liner” registered at Lowestoft – foundered. Three crew drowned but the Skipper, Mr Alex Stevens (or Stevenson), swam ashore and raised the alarm.

The “Little Doris” - as the boat was known in Fleetwood – had left for the fishing grounds and for 3 weeks nothing was heard of her.

Then four of her crew returned to Fleetwood by the Belfast boat and made a report to the owners. As a result of their information a representative was sent over to Belfast on the night boat. But the Doris had sailed for home – with only 3 crew and the Skipper aboard. It was on that Friday night - 13th November – that a gale blew up and increased to hurricane force.

Information gathered for a book on wrecks around the area reveals that a vessel had been seen off Portpatrick flying distress signals. The lifeboat was launched and with difficulty managed to get alongside.

The report goes on: “quite some time elapsed before contact was established between the lifeboat’s coxswain and a trawler crew member.

“This contact was brief and non-committal to say the least, giving the coxswain the decided impression that the lifeboat was not required, so the lifeboat returned to station.

“A few hours later a report came in to the coastguard that a vessel had gone ashore at Ardwell Point, seven miles south of Portpatrick.

“A Skipper, Alex Stevens, had arrived at Ardwell Point soaking wet and stated his vessel, the Doris, had struck rocks on the coast close by, he being the only one to gain the shores out of four men aboard.”

A body – identified as Alexander Mitchell, one of the missing crewmen – was found on 26th November. A second body, that of Henry King was found on 2nd December. Both were interred at Stoneykirk Cemetery.

The third member of the crew was Mr James Morrison whose body – as far as it is known – was never found.

Questioned, Skipper Stevens had denied the vessel approached by the Lifeboat had been the Doris.

The Wheelhouse and funnel of Doris (built at North Shields in 1902) were washed ashore and the wreck is lying in about 17 fathoms of water and was identified by divers in 1975.

There is a local story told about the surviving skipper. He got himself another fishing boat and everytime he passed Ardwell Point he gave a mournful blast on the vessel’s horn in memory of his lost shipmates.

A sad ending to the year of 1914!

But the year had started badly too with the loss of the “other” Doris – a 126ft steam trawler owned by Rossall Steam Fishing Company. In January she foundered off the Scotish coast and her crew of 10 drowned. The Doris (FD141) had been considerably overdue and large crowds lined the Promenade hoping to see her return.

But hope was abandoned after wreckage was washed ashore in the Hebrides. Some of her lifebelts had been picked up by the Eileen Duncan sailing from Liverpool and other wreckage, including part of the wheelhouse, a lifeboat bearing her Port Number and some deck fittings had also been found.

The Doris, Skippered by Mr William Wright of Burns Road, Fleetwood had left for the fishing grounds on 21st January.

Aboard were Mate John Talbot (aged 39), single, of Seymour Street; Bosun Matthew Wood (32), married 2 children, Ash Street; William Bell, single, Wyre Street; Robert Cheffins(?) (17), Poulton Road; Cook George Nicholson, married with 7 children, of Kirkham and Trimmer Levi Leake, (32), single, Dock Street.

The majority of the crew had been transferred at the last moment from the trawler Star of Freedom – another vessel managed by the Rossal Company.

The first indication of tragedy had been the discovery by the trawler Eileen Duncan of a lifebelt marked “Fleetwood 141, St Doris” off the Isle of Skye. Other light wreckage such as pound boards were found. At this time no serious importance was attached to the find.

But later that day a further report from Lloyd’s Agent on the Isle of Skye revealed a portion of a ship’s boat marked FD141 and another wreckage had been found on the shore of Skye.

Agents and Harbour Masters at Ports around Scotland were alerted and requests made to interview Masters of incoming vessels for any information on the sighting of the missing trawler.

Outgoing vessels were asked to keep a lookout with a view to helping if Doris was disabled.

Throughout the weekend the owners continued to seek any information on the Doris.

By Monday morning anxious relatives enquired at the office for news of the trawler – as rumours circulated the town.

As confirmation of the wreckage and date and place of its discovery became certain the owners sent representatives to inform relatives of the crew.

Trawlers in the area were asked to search islands north of Skye, but nothing was found.

Fleetwood was in mourning for the 10 fishermen drowned.

The Doris had been built in 1907 and was named after Miss Doris Dickinson, daughter of a former Port Missionary at Fleetwood who was at that time a Managing Director of the Rossall Company.