Fawcitt S.S. Co.

Details about Fawcitt S.s. Co.

Louis Kirk Fawcitt and Ralph Walker were coal, coke, and salt exporters, in addition to being steamship owners, managers and brokers. Their partnership was dissolved on 12th March, 1900.
Louis Fawcitt set up the Fawcitt S.S. Co. with his purchase of the Arab in 1901.

The Arab, official no. 112437, was built by Robert Stephenson & Co. Ltd., Newcastle-on-Tyne and completed in April 1901. She was a steel single screw steamer of 1,808g and her dimensions were 272.5 x 40.2 x 18.1. Her engine was 185nhp T.3.Cy 20½, 33 & 56 -36 160lb 80lb built by Richardsons, Westgarth, Middlesbrough.
In 1905 she was sold to Landskrona and renamed Groveland. In 1914 she was renamed Tordis and in 1916 sold to Norway and renamed Helgoy. On a voyage from Blaye for Barry Roads in ballast Helgoy was torpedoed by German submarine (UB-39 Heinrich Kustner) & sank 10 miles off Chassiron Lighthouse in 45.55N/1.35W on 3 January 1917. One life was lost.

Louis had also purchased the wood brigantine William & Annie in 1896. She had been built by McMillan in 1868 and was 198g with dimensions of 105.0 x 23.9 x 14.0. She had been owned in Swansea and Llanelly, Wales. She was still registered at Llanelly when she stranded in the same year that Louis purchased her. She was on a voyage from Gothenburg for Seaham Harbour with a cargo of pit-props & railway sleepers and a crew of seven when she was stranded at Holy Island, Bamburgh on 10 May, 1896.  She was re-floated and taken to Holy Island by fishermen in June 1896. Her British Register closed in 1896.

Family History:
Louis Kirk Fawcitt was born in 1869 at Bradford, Yorkshire to parents Thomas Joseph and Eliza (nee Kirk) Fawcitt. He was married at Hartlepool on 2^nd November 1899 to Anne Corker Walker (Anne was also known as Nancy). In 1901 the couple were living at Front Street, Seaton Carew and by 1911 the couple had moved to Queen’s Road, Richmond, Surrey.

In September 1896 Louis was appointed by the Queen as vice-consul of Peru at Hartlepool.

Louis died aged 53 on 5^th July, 1923, at a nursing home in Bournemouth leaving effects of £68828. His widow, Anne, died in 1951.