San Sebastian

It was a case of every man for himself when a Fleetwood trawler hit rocks and the crew were thrown overboard.

Four men died and the rest of the shipmates spent hours clinging to rocks before being rescued. The Skipper – who had been seen in hanging in the rigging – was stranded on rocks for 10 hours!

The drama unfolded 60 years ago – on 15th January, 1937 when the 122 ton San Sebastian had been at sea less than 48 hours. Built in Canada in 1916 and owned by Boston Deep Sea Fishing and Ice Company, the San Sebastian came to Fleetwood in 1926.

She struck rocks off the coast of the island of Islay, Argyllshire, on her way to the fishing grounds.

Crewmen who survived were the Skipper Richard Pook of Poulton Road; Mate James Maunders of Hatfield Avenue; Bosun Harold Evans of Back Arthur Street; Deckhands James McLellan, Rutland Avenue; Gilbert Pook (Skipper’s brother) Hatfield Avenue, Robert Allen, Lindel Road, James Meagher, Seamen’s Mission; Chief Engineer, William Pye of Flagg Street and Fireman Frank Haugherty of Rochdale.

The men who perished were T W Archer, Second Engineer of Pharos Street; deckhand W Sharp of Gordon Road, Joseph Cox of Blackpool and Joseph Gledhill of Heywood.

A crew member revealed what happened as the San Sebastian foundered.

“We felt the ship strike and could see we were on a reef. We launched the lifeboat but it crashed against the rail of the ship. Eight of us were thrown into the sea. The San Sebastian had a dangerous list and although we were hanging on we were swept overboard.

“The last time I saw the Skipper he was in the rigging.

“I got on the rocks and others came up in the darkness. We counted ourselves and found only 8 present.

“None of us were fully clothed and we were on the rocks for 7 hours.” They were picked up by the Glasgow Steamer, Pibroch, and three bodies were later recovered.

Skipper Pook said he realised that survival was going to be a life and death struggle. He had been flung into the sea as the trawler toppled over.

“I was going round in circles and have been swimming about a mile. Then I reached a fairly big rock and, almost exhausted, pulled myself up. It was bitterly cold. I lay down but had to try and keep warm so I waved my arms and stamped my feet.”

While sitting there marooned, one of the ship’s lifebelts was washed on the rocks.

“Then dawn broke and I saw a boat rescue the crew who had managed to reach the rock the San Sebastian had struck.

“I tried to attract their attention but they were half a mile away and didn’t notice me.

When I had been on the rock 10 hours I saw a boat in the distance. I signalled it and they took me off.”

The San Sebastian was one of the six Fleetwood trawlers which acted as observation craft when the Italian Air force made a crossing of the Atlantic in 1933. The others were Malaga, Wellvale, Daily Chronicle, Sommersby and Authorpe. All were owned by the Boston Firm and the Italian Government made Fred Parkes (head of the company), a commander of the Italian Navy.