H.M. Hyndman

The Murdering of British Seamen


Letter from Father Hopkins

[Copy]

May 6th, 1913

Dear Mr. Hyndman, – I desire, on behalf of the Sailors and Firemen of the British Mercantile Marine, to thank you for what you are doing to draw public attention to the injustice meted out to the Merchant Seafarers of the United Kingdom through the reduction of the freeboard, obtained by the late Samuel Plimsoll, of British ships and steamers. The action of the Board of Trade in the matter can only be described as wantonly cruel to these men and lads who go down to the sea in ships and occupy their business in great waters.

The enclosed instances of reduction of freeboard and loss of life may be of service to you in your kindly campaign in our behalf.

 

Yours truly,
(Signed) Chas. P. Hopkins
Trustee N.S. and F.U., Chaplain M.M.
 


Altering Plimsoll’s Mark Load Line

by Father Hopkins

Arising out of the alteration of the Load Line in 1906 a Return (1) has been prepared, and is attached, showing the number of vessels, etc., reported lost during certain periods before and after the alteration of the Load Line. For the purposes of effective comparison, the two periods of three years each have been taken – viz., 1902-3 to 1904-5 and 1908-9 to 1910-11, as the interval between these dates seems sufficient to enable a fair comparison to be made of the effect of the alteration of the Load Line. It will be observed that the Return includes vessels lost by foundering, stranding and disappearance only – and does not include vessels lost by fire or collision – so that it may be held to give a clear indication as to whether the alteration of the Load Line has led to the loss of a greater number of ships and life since 1906. A further Return (2) is also attached giving a monthly list of vessels reported lost from the same causes from January 1911 to April 1912 but excluding vessels upon which no lives were lost.

Whilst it is found that the number of vessels lost in the three years since 1906 is less than in the three years before that date, there is an actual increase in the net tonnage of the vessels and the number of lives lost. During 1911 the number of vessels (Return No.2) reported missing was 29, which is the largest number in any one year since 1901-2, excepting 1904-5, when there were also 29 missing vessels. In four months this year (1912) no less than 12 vessels with tonnage 11,473 have been reported missing. Seeing that one of the most material factors in the gradual decrease in the number of ships and lives lost before 1906 was the better construction and equipment of ships, it must be held that the period since that date, which has been especially eventful an the application of science and invention to shipbuilding, should have resulted in the loss of still less tonnage and lives instead of an increase as shown by the Return (No.1).

It may, therefore, be fairly maintained that the alteration of the Load Line by which ships have been permitted to be more deeply submerged is directly responsible for the increased loss of tonnage and lives.

(Signed) Chas. P. Hopkins
 

 

RETURN No.1
PARTICULARS OF VESSELS REPORTED DURING THE UNDERMENTIONED YEARS AS HAVING
BEEN LOST BY FOUNDERING AND STRANDING AND BY DISAPPEARANCE, TOGETHER WITH
THE NUMBER OF CREW AND PASSENGERS LOST.
NOTE – These figures do not include vessels lost by collision or fire

FOUNDERINGS AND STRANDINGS

MISSING VESSELS

Year

No. of
Ships

Tons

Crew
lost

Pass.
lost

Total
lives
lost

No. of
Ships

Tons

Crew
lost

Pass.
lost

Total
lives
lost

1902/3

258

  75778

249

19

268

18

  8503

226

    4

230

1903/4

293

  99639

191

  5

196

16

  9838

208

    1

209

1904/5

229

107300

216

  5

221

29

15600

357

    6

363

Total
3 years

780

282717

656

29

685

63

33941

791

  11

802


1908/9

233

  99566

240

  6

246

13

11562

206

    1

207

1909/10

231

104540

191

72

263

15

11214

305

176

481

1910/11

194

  99622

255

  5

260

24

11458

256

    4

260

Total
3 years

658

303728

686

83

769

52

34234

767

181

948

 

C.P.H.

 

RETURN No.2
PARTICULARS OF VESSELS REPORTED MISSING DURING THE UNDER-MENTIONED MONTHS
AS HAVING BEEN LOST BY FOUNDERING OR STRANDING AND BY DISAPPEARANCE.
TOGETHER WITH THE NUMBER OF CREW AND PASSENGERS LOST.
NOTE – These figures do not include vessels lost by foundering or stranding upon which no lives
were lost, or vessels lost by collision or fire.

FOUNDERINGS AND STRANDINGS

MISSING VESSELS

Month
and
Year

No. of
ships

Tons

Crew
lost

Pass.
lost

Total
lives
lost

No of
Ships

Tons

Crew
lost

Pass.
lost

Total
lives
lost

1911,
January

 

  3

    207

  13

  13

  3

    583

  24

  24

February

  2

      88

    7

    7

  2

    139

    9

    9

March

  1

      68

    2

    2

  5

    371

  26

  26

April

  1

    123

    5

    5

  3

  4250

  67

4

  71

May

June

  2

    315

  27

  27

July

  2

  2293

  33

  33

August

September

  1

    6

    6

October

  5

    710

  35

3

  38

November

  2

  3766

  15

10

  25

  4

    108

  19

  19

December

  3

  1519

  17

  17

  2

    299

  16

  16

Total
1 year

 

12
 

  5771
 

  59
 

10
 

  69
 

29
 

  9068
 

262
 

7
 

269
 


1912,
January

 

  2

  4523

  62

  62

  1

      41

    9

    9

February

  6

  3191

  39

  39

  4

  2667

  53

  53

March

  3

  2356

  61

  61

  5

  8562

124

124

April

  1

  1361

  20

  20

  2

    203

  10

  10

Total
4 months

12

11431

182

182

12

11473

196

196

 

C.P.H.

 


Last updated on 21.1.2006