Maritime record MWX2168 - John Mitchell

Vessel foundered and lost following collision. An Admiralty drifter hired in 1915. (1) Built: 1913 Propulsion: screw-driven 3 cylinder triple expansion engine Boilers: 1 Date of Loss Qualifier: A Additional sources cited in United Kingdom Shipwreck Index: ADM LL APV 1917 p23

Tonnage gross

Vessel foundered and lost following collision. An Admiralty drifter hired in 1915. (1)

Sunk after a collision off St Alban's Head on 14-NOV-1917. (3)

Hired in February 1915 as a net drifter. The JOHN MITCHELL was in a collision on 14-NOV-1917 with the Norwegian cargo vessel BJERKA and foundered off St Alban's Head with no loss of life. (5)

A ship's bell and bracket. The bell is in poor condition, possibly marked but the markings are illegible; A builder's nameplate marked 'S. Richards, Shipbuilder, Lowestoft, 1913, No. 188'; A two gallon flagon marked 'Lydon & Co. Bonded store merchants, Swansea'. These objects were recovered from the wreck of the John Mitchell, approximately 12 miles SW of the Needles. No coordinates were provided with the Droit. (Droit 372/09) (4)

A Player & Mitchell oil lamp with a broken lens. An anchor light frame in bad condition; A Glass bowl; A Compass bowl in bad condition; A compass ring in bad condition. These objects were recovered from the wreck of the John Mitchell, approximately 12 miles SW of the Needles. No coordinates were provided with the Droit. (Droit 383/09) (4)

A boiler light gauge recovered from the wreck of the John Mitchell, approximately 12 miles SW of the Needles. No coordinates were provided with the Droit. (Droit 454/09) (4)

A deadeye, approximately 140mm in diameter, plus rope binding recovered from the wreck of the John Mitchell, approximately 12 miles SW of the Needles. No coordinates were provided with the Droit. (Droit 479/09) (4)

'While on Admiralty service in November 1917, she came in to collision with a steamer, the SS BJERKA, and sank. All her crew were saved and brought in to harbour.' (6)

Built: 1913 (1)
Where built: Lowestoft (5)
Builder: Richards & Co. (4)
Propulsion: screw-driven 3 cylinder triple expansion engine (1)(6)
Boilers: 1 (1)
NHP: 38 (180 indicated) (6)
Armament: 1 3-pounder gun (5)
Machinery: Crabtree & Co, Great Yarmouth (6)
Master: George Blowers RNR (5)
Owner: Colonial Fishing Company Ltd, Lowestoft. Managed by John Mitchell, Lowestoft. Hired by the Admiralty as a net drifter in 1915. (6)
Port number: LT211 (6)
Admiralty number: 1065 (6)

Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss

Additional sources cited in United Kingdom Shipwreck Index:
ADM LL APV 1917 p23

<1> Larn, R, and Larn, B, 1995, Shipwreck index of the British Isles, volume 1 : Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset Section 6, Dorset (AJ) Vol 1 (Monograph). SWX4541.

<2> Ships of the Royal Navy (Vol 2), p122 (Monograph). SWX4848.

<3> 1988, British Vessels Lost at Sea 1914-18 and 1939-45, 23 (Monograph). SWX4538.

<4> Receiver of Wreck, Receiver of Wreck Droit (Unpublished document). SWX6384.

<5> http://www.naval-history.net, accessed on 18-DEC-2015 (Digital archive). SDO20601.

<6> Wendes, D, 2006, South Coast Shipwrecks off East Dorset & Wight 1870 - 1979, 114 (Monograph). SDO10496.

<7> Le Pard, G, 1995-2003, Dorset Coast Forum Maritime Archaeological Database, Shipwreck 960 (Digital archive). SWX8707.

<8> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1233966 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Mar 26 2024 12:21PM