The SS Betty Hindley registered to Messrs Stephenson, Clarke & Collingwood, Newcastle Upon Tyne, was a collier constantly feeding the homes and power stations of london with coal. She became the last vessel to be lost due to enemy action from WW2.
We have two logbooks from 1943 and 1946 under the Master Frederick George Coles.
The logbooks show the crew list, voyage times, costs etc
Voyage No 8, 5thMarch 1946: Voyage from Sunderland via Seaham Londonderry harbour to London and return.
Crew:
Master: Frederick G Coles. Weekly Pay £22 6/
Chief Mate: F W Marshall. Weekly Pay£14 1/
2ndMate: F L Mallows. Weekly Pay £12 10/
Steward: J Waugh. Weekly Pay £11 3/
AB & Lamps: R Grey. Weekly Pay £10 9/
AB: G Thomson, W L Allen, F Hanson (Watchman), D L Prow, F Goldsworthy. Weekly Pay £10 5/ each.
Chief Engineer: F Rutledge. Weekly Pay £ £16 13/
2ndEngineer: E Wallace. Weekly Pay £14 10/
Donkeyman: F L Foster. Weekly Pay £12 8/
Fireman: J Hobson, J Mc Guness, P Gartland, H Sedgewick. Weekly Pay £10 5/ each.
Mess Room Steward: J Masowill. Weekly Pay £8 12/.
Money taken aboard was a total of £243 16/
Log:
Commenced loading Friday 8thMarch 1946 at 6.30am, full by 3.55pm (9 hours 25 mins) Sailed at 5.45pm. Gravesend Saturday 9that 10.50pm, High Water London Bridge 6am, arrived West Woolwich Burys Sunday 10th1.15am. Berthed Albert Dock Hoist Thursday 14that 9.45am. Discharging from 10am to 8.30pm (10.5 hrs)
Sailed for Seaham Thursday 14that 9.10pm, arrived Saturday 16that 3pm.
This routine voyage took about 9 or 10 days and was repeated continuously. They took on 52 tons of bunker coals for the boilers with at least 50 already onboard. Average passage time 27 to 29 hours.
Voyage No 17 on 19thMay 1946 they went to Southampton and back.
Voyage No 25 they experienced 'heavy rain and thunder storms'.
Voyage No 27 (1943) 'heavy sea pounding & rolling heavy'.
Voyage 29 the experienced '28 hrs in Erith unable to unmoor owing to 90 mile an hour winds'
At 9.10 a.m. on 7th October 1947, two years after the second World War had ceased, the BETTY HINDLEY became the last vessel to be lost due to enermy action. The vessel foundered and was lost after detonating a contact mine, left over from WWII. The explosion killed one crewman and injured the captain and one other crew member. Local fishing boats went to the scene of the damaged vessel, and attempted to take her in tow, but with her bow already deep in the sea she proved impossible to save, and after grounding in 12m depth the vessel broke in two. Read more at wrecksite: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?65676
