Etna

Official No. 67558: Code Letters WSTD.

Owners: 1874 Fritz Herskind, West Hartlepool; 1884 Herskind & Woods, West Hartlepool; 1891 GP Cutting & Co, West Hartlepool; 1910 Etna SS Co, West Hartlepool; 1911 A Fokias, Piraeus–renamed Virginia.

Masters: 1875-81 H Care; 1881 Phippen; 1881-82 Edward R Care; 1883 White; 1885-92 DM Draper; 1893 R Taylor; 1894 R Linklater; 1896 J Wilson; 1899-1903 John Keldie (b. 1852 Kirkwall); 1907 G Cook; 1908-09 Alexander Crombie.

Shields Daily Gazette Saturday 22^nd June, 1889:
THE VALUE OF SHIPPING SHARES. At the Queen's Hotel, Sunderland, yesterday, Mr. A. T. Crow, acting on behalf of the trustees of Mr. Thos. Davidson, offered for sale four sixty-fourth shares in the iron-built barque Foxhound and one sixty-fourth share in the screw steamer Etna. The Foxhound belongs to Swansea, where she is managed by Mr. L. Tulloch. She was built at Hartlepool in 1867, and is of 444 —476 tons register. In November last she paid a dividend of £18. No offer was forthcoming, and the four shares were withdrawn. The Etna is of 1,067 tons gross register, and is managed by Messrs. Herskind, Woods, and Co., of West Hartlepool. She was built at Stockton in 1874. Her last dividend was £30. Bidding opened at £50, and ran up to £120, at which figure the share was sold to Mr. Edward Oliver. Mr Henry Ritson was solicitor for the vendors.

Fritz Herskind owned ships from the early 1870's. Herksind & Woods was formed in 1884 between Fritz and Peter Herskind and James Jabez Woods. The partnership was dissolved by mutual consent on the 20th August 1892. On 31st August 1892 the Company became known as Herskind & Co. with the main shareholders Fritz and his father Peter.

Five of Fritz's early ships were built by Matthew Pearse and two by Ropner. All of his subsequent ships were built in West Hartlepool and all appear to have been purchased new.