Hatfield

Official No. 86937: Code Letters WMKT: Code Letters RLPD.

Owners: 1882 TS Hudson, West Hartlepool: 1885 Hudson Shipping Co Ltd, West Hartlepool: 1896 Akties Hatfield (F Ohlsen) Laurvig, Norway: 1898 A Monsen, Norway-renamed St. Hilda; 1899 E Jenkins & Co, Cardiff-renamed Hatfield.

Masters: 1882-83 JW Straughan: 1883-86 A Winter: 1887-89 Bevan: 1890-91 J Surtees: 1892-93 JA Carr: 1893-95 Hunter: 1895-96 E Dyason: 1896 ID Eriksson: 1897 Knudsen: 1898-99 HC Osterem: 1900-08 SJ Morgan: 1909 JL Gillies: 1911 B Cox.

On Saturday, 30 September 1911 the SS Glasgow, 1068 tons under Captain Turnbull, bound from Rotterdam for Dundee with a general cargo, about 15 miles from the Galloper lightship was struck by a heavy sea which smashed her steering gear & left her drifting until the morning of 1 October when she was sighted by the Hatfield which was bound from Huelva to Rotterdam with a cargo of ore & a crew of 19. In response to signals of distress Hatfield endeavoured to get a hawser on board the Glasgow to take her in tow. Because of the weather this was a difficult operation & Hatfield came too close & swung across the Glasgow’s bows. A heavy sea lifted the Glasgow & flung her down upon Hatfield’s side tearing a huge hole which caused her to sink in seven minutes. The only survivor had a dislocated shoulder & other injuries. Later that day the Glasgow was towed by the Clan liner Clan MacDonald to Dover. 18 lives lost; one survivor

Survivor September 1911:

Hagun

Thomas Hudson purchased his first ship, Hudson, in 1878 and went on to found the Hudson Shipping Co. Ltd. which was registered in May 1884. The company was wound up in 1896.

Family History:

Thomas Sharp Hudson was born in 1847 at Sunderland to parents Joseph and Mary (nee Sharp). Between at least 1851 and 1871 he lived with his family at Seaton Carew. In 1871 his occupation was listed as a commercial clerk. By 1889 he was living at Victoria Terrace, Hartlepool.

He was chairman of the Seaton Carew Local Board from 1879 to 1881 and was also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Thomas travelled to the U.S.A. in 1881/82 and returned there in 1889. He died at Runnymede, Harper County, Kansas, U.S.A. on 31 January 1890 leaving a personal estate of £1,146.