Murton - a general history

Completed July 1866; Official No. 54567; Code Letters QKVS.

Owners: West Hartlepool Steam Navigation Co, (Christopher M Webster) West Hartlepool: 1870 Donald Bannerman (Swansea) Liverpool: 1881 Green, Holland & Sons, London.

Masters: 1866-68 S Gordon; 1869 William Porritt (C.N.2673 London 1850); 1869 Samuel Green; 1870-74 Jolly; 1876 Osborne; 1878 Bevan; 1880-83 G Davies; 1888-94 RH Cook; 1895 Rumsey; 1895 T Stothard.

Miscellaneous: She was lying in the South Dock at Sunderland in May 1867 with a cargo of South Hetton coal George Benson, 2nd engineer, went into the hold with a lit candle which caused the gas in the coal to explode. He was severely burnt on his face & hands. The fire was extinguished with water by the floating engine which was lying nearby; on 8 April 1869 the body of William Porritt was found by his crew. He had died when he fell from the Murton into the graving dock at Sunderland. He was aged 53 & had been married for just four days; from Sunderland with a cargo of coal on 21 June 1869, while in charge of a pilot, she struck against Fowler Rock, Dundee & filled with water. She was lightened & came off with the tide; May 1871 Malcolm Graham McCarty, mate, was charged with a violent assault on Thomas Whiffen, seaman. McCarty said Whiffen had refused to obey an order. A witness, John Duffey, stated that the crew were generally drunk. McCarty was found guilty & ordered to pay a fine of 40s or be imprisoned for a month; 19 February 1877, during a violent storm, she went ashore at Clovelly. The crew were taken off using rocket apparatus; January 1881 she was stranded on Middleton Sand, Hartlepool: she had been in Victoria Docks to be lengthened, a new boiler fitted, conversion of engines & other alterations & repairs & left London on 2 November 1881 in ballast for Hartlepool. Taking in 676 tons of coal she left to return to London on 5 November with a crew of 13 all told. When off Whitby a leak was found so they returned to Hartlepool. After repair the vessel set out again on 10 November. On 11 November the engines became disabled & a passing steamer towed them into Grimsby. While they were in tow a fire was discovered near the engine-room bulkhead which they managed to extinguish. From Grimsby Roads the vessel was towed to London for repair. The subsequent inquiry found that there were faults to the work which had been carried out in Victoria Dock: 24 October 1890 she arrived at Hartlepool badly damaged after being in collision off the Yorkshire coast with the Lancaster schooner, Ernest, which sank. The master, mate & a seaman of the Ernest were drowned. Four men picked up by the lifeboat of the Murton were injured.

On 4 December 1895 Murton left Grangemouth, Scotland with a cargo of coal bound for Brake, Germany & disappeared. She was posted as missing by Lloyds on 9 January 1896.

Lives lost 1895:

Helsby, W, chief engineer, Morton St, South Shields

Roach, William, chief officer, Gorse Lane, Swansea

Rumsey, master, Albert Road, Penarth

Shaw, William, Sunderland

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