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Billow - a general history

Completed September 1881; Official No. 84527; Code Letters WCDS.

Owners: 1881 Robert Morton Middleton & Co. West Hartlepool; 1886 Jackson Bros. & Cory, London.

Masters: 1881-85 C Darnell; 1887-89 Douglas; 1891-92 P Allan; 1893 J Middleton.

Voyages: 29 October 1883 she called at Queenstown for bunker coal & reported the loss of two of her boats. She then sailed for Antwerp arriving on 1 November 1883:

Stockton & Hartlepool Mercury 19 December 1885:

‘Poplar 16 December 1885-At 7.45am, the weather foggy, the steamer Billow of West Hartlepool coming up Deptford collided with the Barque Kiemet of Dram, towing down, much damaging her port bow & driving her into the Sir Walter Raleigh moored at buoy. The Raleigh’s upper works & port quarter were carried away.’

Billow left New Orleans bound for Antwerp & stranded outside Skutakar about 28 September 1892. The salvage steamer Argo was despatched: 9 October 1892 from New Orleans for Antwerp with grain the first mate, John Smith of Moor Terrace, Hartlepool, was washed overboard & drowned during a heavy gale.

Sank after a collision three quarters of a mile from Portugalete on 15 October 1893.

Lives lost October 1893:

Atkinson, ?  chief mate, Newport

Davies, ? steward, Cardiff

Saunders, J, third engineer, South Shields

Roberts, ? seaman

Hoskins, ? fireman

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