Ocean

Dixon Taylor Sharper, and his son of the same name, owned a number of small sailing ships, all of which were pre-owned. Very few of these vessels were re-registered at Hartlepool and many came to grief under their ownership. Dixon senior had shares in ships from about 1869 and owned his first ship in about 1879.

The list of the vessels below are those currently known to have been owned at some time by Dixon Taylor Sharper senior and junior.

Family History:

Dixon Taylor Sharper (Senior), was born at South Shields in 1825 to parents John and Mary Ann. He became a sail maker. He married Barbara Ridley Allen on 23 August 1847 at St Hilda’s Church.
The Durham County Advertiser of November 30th, 1849, records the death (on the 24th), in Shadwell Street, South Shields, of Andrew Allen (aged 4 months), infant son of Mr. Dixon Taylor Sharper, mariner.
By 1861 Dixon and Barbara had moved to Hartlepool and were living at Harbour Terrace with their son and three daughters. By 1871 they were living at Tower Street, West Hartlepool with their son and two daughters. Barbara died in 1880 aged 55. Dixon was remarried in 1881 to Susannah Fox and by the time of the 1881 census they were living at 17 Thornton Street. On the 1891 census they were visitors at Doncaster.
Dixon died aged 69 at Doncaster on 18 March 1895 leaving effects of £1,409.

Dixon and Susannah’s son, John Henry Sharper, joined the Royal Garrison Artillery and was killed in France on 22 March 1917 aged 31.

Dixon Taylor Sharper (Junior), was born on 19th April, 1855, at West Hartlepool to parents Dixon and Barbara. Following the trade of his father he became a sail maker.  He married Mary Alice Burgess at Hartlepool in 1874. In 1881 they were living at Brunswick Street, Stranton with their daughter. By 1901 the family were living at ‘Ardrossan’ No. 40. Clifton Avenue.
Dixon died at Hartlepool aged 58 on 16 April 1913 leaving effects of £7349.

Official No. 8582: Code Letters KCSD.

Owners: 1851-60 Cooper & Co, Wisbeach; 1861-76 WA Stevens, Wisbeach; by 1878 Thomas Patrick & Co, Wisbeach; 1883 Dixon Taylor Sharper (West Hartlepool) Wisbeach; by 1885 Dixon Taylor Sharper, West Hartlepool.

Masters: 1852 Cooper; 1853-60 Sterling/Starling; 1861-89 R Curson; 1892-93 E Smith; 1893 G Sandy.

Voyages: from Hartlepool for Nieuwe Dieppe on 21 October 1864 in the North Sea she lost her maintopmast & gear & was making water. She had a smacks’ crew on board to help with the pumps & a steam tug to assist.

Bound from Hartlepool for London with a cargo of firebricks & a crew of four on Friday 14 October 1881 there was one of the strongest gales in living memory to batter the British coast. In the early evening distress signals were seen near the Maplin Light, Essex which were answered by the lifeboat, Albert Edward, at about 8pm.Captain St Vincent Napean RN, the Lifeboat Inspector for the district was staying in Clacton at the time, & joined the crew in the lifeboat. Ocean was stranded on the sands & leaking badly with the crew exhausted having been manning the pumps for some time. The lifeboat crew went aboard & took over the pumps keeping the water down. The Nore Light had signalled Gravesend that there had been a distress signal & a tug was sent out arriving at 2.30am. The vessel was then taken in tow to Poplar with the lifeboat crew still manning the pumps. On Sunday morning the lifeboat was taken in tow by the Dundee steamer Glen Loch & reached Clacton Pier at 4pm. unbelievably one of the saved crew of Ocean then stole a greatcoat belonging to one of the lifeboat crew. He was seen by a police sergeant & was arrested & sentenced to a month’s imprisonment.

Bound from Swansea for Plymouth with a cargo of coal & a crew of eight she lost her fore top-gallant mast in a SE squall about two miles NE by E of Harland Point, Bristol Channel on 28 March 1893. One life lost.

Bound from Portsmouth for West Hartlepool in ballast & with a crew of seven Ocean was wrecked near Thornham Flats, Hunstanton during force 10 NNE winds on 18 November 1893. Crew saved.