Stanegarth

Sharpness Scuppered Ships - intrigue as new information discovered 2023

Stanegarth 1910

Stanegarth 1949

Significance
Believing with the march of time, sitting back, thinking Purton research was all but done. It came an immense pleasure to discover that the site was far from giving up its secrets. Upon receipt,via local maritime guru Mike Nash, of several pages of a well-thumbed deck log of the former steam tug Stanegarth more was to be discovered.
Specification

Stanegarth

Name

P.O.R

Description

Dates

Stanegarth

Liverpool 51/10

Gloucester 1/33

Steel Screw Tug

25.06.1910 - 2000

Official number 131276

Code/Yard No. 420

Builders Lytham Shipbuildering & Engineering Co. Ltd.

Dimensions (1910)

Length 61ft

Breadth 15.6ft

Depth 7.5ft

Tonnage – (1933) Gross 45.28 ton Net B.D

Tonnage – (1947) Gross 47 ton Net 79.84 ton B.D

Engines a) Steam (1910)

b) Diesel (1957)

By N/A

By Ruston & Hornsby

H.P. N/A

H.P. 31

Scuttled date

6th June 2000

Location

Stoney Cove. Leicestershire, England.

First Owners

Rea Ltd, Towing Contractor, Liverpool

Changes

01/1919 Rea Ltd

1933 Sharpness New Dock & Berkeley Navigation Co.

Gloucester.

1948 British Transport Commission - Docks & Inland Waterways Executive

1963 British Waterways Board and used to tow three dredging hoppers, each crewed by two men, on the trip to and from Gloucester to Purton.

Fate

March 1959 MNL Supp Reg altered to Motor Vessel 47 ton

May 1959 - No funnel

06.06.2000 Sunk at diving school Stoney Cove for diver training

Skippers & Crew

1964 - c. 1975

Skipper Ken Tytherleigh

Dick Rugman (1st Engineer)

John Powell (2nd Engineer)

c. 1975 - 1980

Skipper John Powell

John Pennington (Engineer)

Relief Skipper Jimmy Common (1980)

bankmen

Dick Woodward – Russell Smith

George and Charlie Peerce
Historic Images
Stanegarth 1910

Stanegarth in her original livery as delivered to her first owners Rea in Liverpool 1910.

Stanegarth 1949

Stanegarth in steam with the ill-fated Fox Elms passing Sharpness upper bridge. Fox Elms was lost following a collision with the Severn Bridge 18th November 1949.

Stanegarth 1957

Stanegarth post her 1957 conversion to diesel - heading north through Purton lower bridge pre the October 1960 Severn and Wye bridge disaster as it appears intact in the background.

Stanegarth 2000

Stanegarth, Sharpness drydock (2000) being stripped and cleaned for sinking at Stoney Cove.

Stanegarth 1970

Stanegarth in her British Waterways livery 17th May 1970 alongside at Llanthony Wharf Gloucester docks

Stanegarth 2000

On 6 June 2000, she was scuttled at Stoney Cove a large flooded quarry, located between Stoney Stanton and Broughton Astley in Leicestershire, England. Once scuttled in 20 metres (66 ft) of fresh water, Stanegarth is now considered to be the largest inland wreck in the UK, and has effectively formed an artificial reef suitable for wreck diving training.

Stanegarth log entries 1971 – 1977

Detailing her daily voyages and work load upon the Sharpness to Gloucester canal, the log records a snap shot of this little tug’s daily comings and goings 1971 – 1977, whilst at under the command of tug skippers Ken Tytherleigh and John Powell.

 

From this we can glean the following information and recorded entries:

 

Ken Tytherleigh (1964 – c.1975)

4.10.71 Towing Severn Eagle Sharpness – Purton

5.10.71 Towing Severn Falcon Sharpness docks – RIVER – Severn Bridge

5.10.71 Pumping out No 4

6.10.71 Towing Severn Falcon in position in canal

13.5.72 Towing Severn Hawk to graveyard

14.5.72 Towing Severn Eagle to graveyard

23.9.72 Towing 1 lighter (Cranham) Sharpness Dock – graveyard

23.9.72  “    “       “       “     Purton – Sharpness

24.9.72 Towing 1 lighter (Brockworth) Sharpness Dock – graveyard

24.9.72  “    “       “       “     Purton – Sharpness

25.9.72 Towing 1 lighter (Chedworth) Sharpness Dock – graveyard

26.9.72 Towing No 4 Hopper Sharpness Dock – graveyard

19.10.72 Towing steel Tuffley and 1 hopper Purton – Docks

22.10.72 Towing Tuffley Sharpness Dock – graveyard

23.10.72 Towing Uley Sharpness Dock – graveyard

24.10.72 Towing Cam Sharpness Dock – graveyard

25.10.72 Towing Matson Sharpness Dock – graveyard

21.11.72 Birdlip Sharpness – graveyard

21.11.72 No 23 old dock – Purton

21.11.72 Sandhurst Purton – Sharpness

22.11.72 Sandhurst Sharpness – graveyard

22.11.72 No 23 Timber pond – Purton

22.11.72 Barnwood Purton – Sharpness

23.11.72 Barnwood Sharpness – graveyard

23.11.72 No 9 and No 23 Purton – Timberpond

23.11.72 No 20 Purton – Sharpness

24.11.72 No 20 Sharpness – graveyard

14.10.73 Lighter No 23 Docks – graveyard

John Powell (c. 1975 – post 1980)

13.09.77 Gloucester – Purton Towing Cleprod

14.09.77 Purton – Sharpness No 9 Hopper

14.09.77 Sharpness – Purton No 9 Hopper

16.09.77 Purton – Sharpness – to River – Cleprod

16.09.77 No 9 Hopper in pond

27,09.77 No 9 Hopper pond – bank

27.09.77 Purton – Sharpness No 9 Hopper

28.09.77 Purton – Sharpness – to River – No 9 Hopper

Amendments to our understanding of the Sharpness Wall Hulks

I am of course thrilled by Mikes kind fore-thought in providing the above extracts, albeit they do, in part, require me to issue the following corrections to my earlier penned efforts as I attempted to detail the collection of steel lighterage beached adjacent to Telford’s stone wall running north of the Severn and Wye railway bridge to the original canal entrance at Sharpness.

 

Readers of my book Fore and Aft – Lost Ships of the Severn Sea will already be aware that my original 2006 attempt to unravel the 19-steel vessel’s identities and the now known 2023 discovered material resulting in the following understanding:

North - South

Vessel Name (2006)

Vessel Name (2023)

Date beached

1

Severn King

Severn King

23.07.1969

2

Severn Falcon

Severn Falcon

05.10.1971

3

Severn Conveyor

Severn Conveyor

16,09.1977

4

Lighter No 9

Lighter No 9

28.09.1977

5

Severn Hawk

Severn Hawk

13.05.1972

6

Severn Eagle

Severn Eagle

14.05.1972

7

Cranham

Cranham

23.09.1972

8

Chedworth

Brockworth

24.09.1972

9

Brockworth

Chedworth

25.09.1972

10

Hopper No 2

Hopper No 4

26.09.1972

11

Tuffley

Tuffley

22.10.1972

12

Barnwood

Uley

23.10.1972

13

Cam

Cam

24.10.1972

14

Matson

Matson

25.10.1972

15

Birdlip

Birdlip

21.11.1972

16

Sandhurst

Sandhurst

22.11.1972

17

Lighter 20

Barnwood

23.11.1972

18

Lighter 32

Lighter 20

24.11.1972

19

Lighter 23

Lighter No 23

14.10.1973

Conclusion – findings and observations thus far:

  • Beaching were carried out by Stanegarth between October 1971 and were completed September 1977.
  • The Severn Falcon was originally beached in the river and monovered into place to the foot of the round house by Stanegarth, the day after whilst operating from within the canal using hawsers over Telford’s wall.
  • That Chedworth and Brockworth positions are to be reversed with Brockworth’ position now known to be laying north of her sister.
  • Originally identified as Hopper No 2, the vessel is now known to be Hopper No 4.
  • The lighter positioned at 12th in the line, is now known to be the Coxs Ironclad Appledore built vessel G.T. Beards, Uley and not
  • Barnwood is now know to be positioned at 17th in the line and replaces Lighter No 20.
  • Lighter No 20 replaces Lighter No 32 at the 18th vessel within the line.
  • Lighter No 32 current location is now unknown at this time of writing.
  • There was almost a four year gap in the construction of the main river defence, and the positioning of Severn Conveyor (marked Cleprod) and Hopper No 9.
  • Hopper No 9 and Lighter No 23 were both stored for a period prior to beaching at the Marshfield timber pond.
  • All vessels where positioned North to South, the bow of each being positioned wall side of the previous and thus locked in place to form a continuous chain like barrier.

So once again the Purton Hulks continue to release their closely guarded secrets one vessel at a time.  As such, they ensure their story will draw people from afar in order to ponder over the eventual fate and applaud their diligent duty of protecting the adjacent canal. 

 

Albeit we can now, with the discovery of this unique archival material, be a little more confident regarding their true identity and celebrate their passing with reverence, or at least we can until the next archive comes to light.

Happy Hulking!

Paul Barnett

Maritime Historian

January 2023