Smack FOX beached at Girvan and burned to the water's edge when her cargo of Lime caught fire

The smack FOX of Irvine (A McMurtrie, Master and owner) with a cargo of Lime from Carnlough (Northern Ireland) to Irvine, was run ashore on the beach in South Bay, Girvan, on Monday, the cargo being on fire.

   The vessel on Tuesday was burned to the water’s edge, and is a complete wreck.   The crew landed in the ship’s boat.

Norwegian brig "Loven" wrecked at Horse Island, five men drowned

From "The Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald" dated 21st January 1972

SALTCOATS FISHERMEN TO THE RESCUE

?LORD HELP the sailors on a night like this? is an old saying still echoed in coastal towns on wild occasions at this time of year, and events often turn our thoughts to stories of shipwrecks and the hardship and braveries connected with them.

Of wrecks in the Ardrossan and Saltcoats area the ones which are recalled most seem to be the ?TRELAWNEY? and the ?CHUSAN.?
One more forgotten, although more recent than either of these, was the ?LOVEN? which struck rock between Horse Island and Ardrossan Harbour breakwater on Saturday morning, December 22, 1894.

The ?LOVEN? was a brig belonging to Christians, Norway. She cannot have been very large - we have no knowledge of her dimensions and tonnage, but she carried a crew of only eight men.
She left Ardrossan for her home port with a cargo of coal on the morning of Thursday, 20 December, and headed down the channel in a fair wind which lasted till the night when a stiff gale sprung up from the south west and the vessel lay to.
On the Friday the crew squared in the braces and made for the shelter of Lamlash, but they did not enter the bay as Captain Nelson was unacquainted with the waters.
Sail was shortened and the ?LOVEN? tried to ride out the storm, but the wind increased and was blowing at 50 miles an hour by Friday midnight.
The brig?s fore rigging fell down and the ship was steadily blown across the firth until she entered the shallow water between Horse Island and the breakwater. There at 7 a.m. on Saturday she grounded and split beneath the mainmast.
In the words of the second mate, Victor C Nelson of Slite, Sweden ?We thought she had grounded on sand and we let go the port anchor. She was settling down. She rolled over to the starboard and the water rushed all over her. She then rolled to port and went down. We saw our mates on the top of the water for a moment and we never saw them again. The mate reached the main rigging and pulled me on to the maintop. An able seaman caught hold of a stay and clung on till daylight. We then hauled him on to the maintop where we clung all day?.

Captain Duncan Murchie, who lived in Hamilton Street, Saltcoats, was a pilot at Ardrossan Harbour and coxswain of the lifeboat ?CHARLES SHIRROW?. About 10 a.m. he became aware of the wreck which although it had been daylight for two hours had not been discovered before on account of the flying spray and spindrift. It seemed quit impossible to launch a rescue boat, but by 11.30 when it was seen that at least one man was clinging to the wreck Captain Murchie determined to make the attempt.
The boat was launched from the Pilot House and the crew managed to get to the north end of the breakwater, but were driven back three times.

VOLUNTEERS

On the last occasion this happened, a volunteer crew on the dock decided to have a go themselves and obtained a rowing boat from a Mr Cook.
There were six of them - William Pllu, fisherman, Neil Robertson, fisherman, Archibald McMillan, sailmaker, George Fabian, diver, Duncan Rodman, mate - all of Saltcoats, and James Boyd, boat hirer, Ardrossan.
William Pllu had earlier been helping to shove the lifeboat out when Catain Murchie slipped and fell in the water.
He was soon helped out, and later was asked, ?I believe you had an accident?? ?No,? he replied, surprised. ?Did you not fall in the water?? Oh that, yes I fell some 20 feet over the sea wall ?.? then hurried away to make another rescue attempt.
It was later discovered that five of the ?LOVEN?S? crew had perished before the wreck was sighted; the remaining three clinging to the wreck were rescued by the Saltcoats volunteer crew. As to how it was accomplished, it cannot be better told than in William Pllu?s own words:

?There was a boat in the old harbour filled with water which we got into and bailed her out, but the water was gushing in so that it would have taken a bucket to keep her going. It was the last resort, but we were willing to take it to save our fellow creatures.?
After they got the good boat from Mr Cook, someone shouted: ?You will want life-jackets, ?but Pllu replied ?No,? and he continues: ?We stripped our jackets, throwing them in the bottom of the boat, and made a start.
?We got to leeward of the breakwater and soon found we would have to change our positions in the boat to get her into trim. There was a strong tide running that made us go a good piece to the leeward, and I shouted, ?Wire in lads, we are making great progress,? although we were making little progress, just to put backbone into the men.
?I saw one of the men on the wreck try to clap his hands, but he was so exhausted that he could not get his hands to meet. I gave him a wave, and he gave me a wave.
?We got the men into the boat and came back to the shore the southward way.?
Pllu?s last sentence is a masterly understatement - how did they get the three exhausted rescued men into the boat? William Pllu and his five companions just smiled, shrugged, would say no more, and went off home to change into dry clothes. The survivors were being cared for, and the Saltcoats men could see no need for any fuss.

Ardrossan lifeboat rescues three men from "Loven," wrecked at Horse Island

From "The Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald" dated 21st January 1972

SALTCOATS FISHERMEN TO THE RESCUE

?LORD HELP the sailors on a night like this? is an old saying still echoed in coastal towns on wild occasions at this time of year, and events often turn our thoughts to stories of shipwrecks and the hardship and braveries connected with them.

Of wrecks in the Ardrossan and Saltcoats area the ones which are recalled most seem to be the ?TRELAWNEY? and the ?CHUSAN.?
One more forgotten, although more recent than either of these, was the ?LOVEN? which struck rock between Horse Island and Ardrossan Harbour breakwater on Saturday morning, December 22, 1894.

The ?LOVEN? was a brig belonging to Christians, Norway. She cannot have been very large - we have no knowledge of her dimensions and tonnage, but she carried a crew of only eight men.
She left Ardrossan for her home port with a cargo of coal on the morning of Thursday, 20 December, and headed down the channel in a fair wind which lasted till the night when a stiff gale sprung up from the south west and the vessel lay to.
On the Friday the crew squared in the braces and made for the shelter of Lamlash, but they did not enter the bay as Captain Nelson was unacquainted with the waters.
Sail was shortened and the ?LOVEN? tried to ride out the storm, but the wind increased and was blowing at 50 miles an hour by Friday midnight.
The brig?s fore rigging fell down and the ship was steadily blown across the firth until she entered the shallow water between Horse Island and the breakwater. There at 7 a.m. on Saturday she grounded and split beneath the mainmast.
In the words of the second mate, Victor C Nelson of Slite, Sweden ?We thought she had grounded on sand and we let go the port anchor. She was settling down. She rolled over to the starboard and the water rushed all over her. She then rolled to port and went down. We saw our mates on the top of the water for a moment and we never saw them again. The mate reached the main rigging and pulled me on to the maintop. An able seaman caught hold of a stay and clung on till daylight. We then hauled him on to the maintop where we clung all day?.

Captain Duncan Murchie, who lived in Hamilton Street, Saltcoats, was a pilot at Ardrossan Harbour and coxswain of the lifeboat ?CHARLES SHIRROW?. About 10 a.m. he became aware of the wreck which although it had been daylight for two hours had not been discovered before on account of the flying spray and spindrift. It seemed quit impossible to launch a rescue boat, but by 11.30 when it was seen that at least one man was clinging to the wreck Captain Murchie determined to make the attempt.
The boat was launched from the Pilot House and the crew managed to get to the north end of the breakwater, but were driven back three times.

VOLUNTEERS

On the last occasion this happened, a volunteer crew on the dock decided to have a go themselves and obtained a rowing boat from a Mr Cook.
There were six of them - William Pllu, fisherman, Neil Robertson, fisherman, Archibald McMillan, sailmaker, George Fabian, diver, Duncan Rodman, mate - all of Saltcoats, and James Boyd, boat hirer, Ardrossan.
William Pllu had earlier been helping to shove the lifeboat out when Catain Murchie slipped and fell in the water.
He was soon helped out, and later was asked, ?I believe you had an accident?? ?No,? he replied, surprised. ?Did you not fall in the water?? Oh that, yes I fell some 20 feet over the sea wall ?.? then hurried away to make another rescue attempt.
It was later discovered that five of the ?LOVEN?S? crew had perished before the wreck was sighted; the remaining three clinging to the wreck were rescued by the Saltcoats volunteer crew. As to how it was accomplished, it cannot be better told than in William Pllu?s own words:

?There was a boat in the old harbour filled with water which we got into and baled her out, but the water was gushing in so that it would have taken a bucket to keep her going. It was the last resort, but we were willing to take it to save our fellow creatures.?
After they got the good boat from Mr Cook, someone shouted: ?You will want life-jackets, ?but Pllu replied ?No,? and he continues: ?We stripped our jackets, throwing them in the bottom of the boat, and made a start.
?We got to leeward of the breakwater and soon found we would have to change our positions in the boat to get her into trim. There was a strong tide running that made us go a good piece to the leeward, and I shouted, ?Wire in lads, we are making great progress,? although we were making little progress, just to put backbone into the men.
?I saw one of the men on the wreck try to clap his hands, but he was so exhausted that he could not get his hands to meet. I gave him a wave, and he gave me a wave.
?We got the men into the boat and came back to the shore the southward way.?
Pllu?s last sentence is a masterly understatement - how did they get the three exhausted rescued men into the boat? William Pllu and his five companions just smiled, shrugged, would say no more, and went off home to change into dry clothes. The survivors were being cared for, and the Saltcoats men could see no need for any fuss.

Ardrossan Pilot Michael Cougan rescues a man from drowning

From "The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald" dated Friday 17th May 1895

A LATE BATH

In going aboard about eleven o'clock on Saturday night, the mate of the smack "Dasher," of Ardrossan, accidentally fell into the water.
When the steamship "Black Rock" was leaving the harbour a few minutes later, the captain reported to the Pilots at the dock gates that he fancied he had heard someone fall into the water at the east end of the old dock.

One of the Pilots, Michael Cougan, with praiseworthy promptitude, secured a boat, and proceeded in the direction indicated.
Guided by the cries, he came upon the mate clinging to a rope close to the "Dasher," and, with assistance, picked him up.

Mr. Cougan has on several occasions been instrumental in saving life.
In August last, when he was mate of the "Clio", he succeeded in rescuing Captain Robinson, Glasgow Street, under circumstances of considerable danger.
As a swimmer he is still remembered in connection with the wreck of the "Annetta."

An 1895 newspaper report of a rescue

From "The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald" dated Friday 17th May 1895

A LATE BATH

In going aboard about eleven o'clock on Saturday night, the mate of the smack "Dasher," of Ardrossan, accidentally fell into the water.
When the steamship "Black Rock" was leaving the harbour a few minutes later, the captain reported to the Pilots at the dock gates that he fancied he had heard someone fall into the water at the east end of the old dock.

One of the Pilots, Michael Cougan, with praiseworthy promptitude, secured a boat, and proceeded in the direction indicated.
Guided by the cries, he came upon the mate clinging to a rope close to the "Dasher," and, with assistance, picked him up.

Mr. Cougan has on several occasions been instrumental in saving life.
In August last, when he was mate of the "Clio", he succeeded in rescuing Captain Robinson, Glasgow Street, under circumstances of considerable danger.
As a swimmer he is still remembered in connection with the wreck of the "Annetta."

A six-year-old boy Donald Macintosh drowns in Eglinton Dock

From "The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald" dated Friday 17th May 1895

CHILD DROWNED
On Monday evening a little boy named Donald Macintosh, aged six years, son of Donald Macintosh, Restaurateur, Princes Street, Ardrossan, fell into the tidal basin of the Eglinton Dock, near the lock gates, and was drowned.
The little fellow was accompanied by a playfellow about his own age, who ran off in a panic when the accident occurred.
The alarm was given by a newsboy, who was passing at the time, and saw the body floating in the water.
John Campbell, carter, put off in a small boat, and picked up the body and brought it ashore.
Dr. Nicol, Locum Tenens to Dr. MacDonald, was called, and artificial means of respiration resorted to, but life was found to be extinct.

An Italian sailor dies on ship "Sant Antonia" in Ardrossan Harbour

From "The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald" dated Friday 17th May 1895

An Italian sailor died on board the Sant Antonia of Genova, in Ardrossan Harbour, on Tuesday afternoon last.

Ships lost: "Falls of Bracklinn", & "Fort William?

1897 Feb 22nd
Two steamers, the ?Falls of Bracklinn? and the ?Fort William? have now been given up as lost. In the former was J Sinclair, carpenter, 65 Princes Street Ardrossan, and the latter
Robert Stirling, Chief Officer, Saltcoats.

(Eric)

The smack "Fairy Dell" launched at Ardrossan for Capt. Kerr, Lochranza.

From ?The Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald? dated 11th July 1947

Fifty Years Ago 9th July 1897

A 40-ton smack ?Fairy Dell,? was launched from the yard of Mr. Archibald Boyd, Ardrossan.
It was built to the order of Captain Kerr, of Lochranza.

.

1898 Steam Tug: GRENVILLE VERNON? launched
(named after AHC Chairman, Grenville Vernon.)

SIAM of East Asiatic Company, Kobenhavn, Denmark

Yacht "Shamrock" leaves Fairlie for racing in America.

From "Irvine & Fullarton Times" dated 5th August 1949

50 Years Ago ..... 4th August 1899

The yacht "Shamrock" left Fairlie yesterday for America to take part in the America Cup races.

Gas Explosion 1900 Ardrossan Harbour office.

1900 Feb 23rd
When Mary Morris charwoman woman, struck a match to light the gas in the room of the manager Mr Craig, at Ardrossan Harbour office.
There was a large explosion.
The woman miraculously escaped with a few burns, but about ?299 damage was done to the property

(E)