The steel Castle Class trawler Peter Lovett was ordered by the Admiralty to be built at the Middlesbrough yard of Smith’s Dock Company Ltd (Yard No 670) and was launched on 9th March 1917. She measured 125.5′ x 23.4′ x 12.8′ and her tonnage was 276 gross tons., 107 net tons. She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine built and installed Smith’s Dock Co delivering 87 nominal horse power.
Castle class trawler Peter Lovett – FD398
Completed and handed over to the Navy in May 1917 she was given the Admiralty number 3509 and successfully completed her war duties to the end of World War One. Like many similar vessels, on completion of the war, she became surplus to requirements and was eventually sold to Robson Trawlers of Fleetwood in 1922. Here registered as FD 398 she began her service as a fishing vessel operating out of the Lancashire fishing port. In 1934 she was sold to Shields Engineering and Drydock Company and renamed Lowdock (SN14).
GA drawing of Castle class trawler.
At the outbreak of World War Two she initially continued her service as a fishing vessel for these owners and was lucky to escape an attack by two German Heinkel bombers in February 1940. Later that same month she was requisitioned for war duties by the Admiralty. In March of 1940 Lowdock set out from Hull heading for a new posting at Fleetwood under the command of skipper Frank Burton. On the 19th, while steaming north off Tod Head, she was involved in a collision with the steam trawler Lady Philomena. The subsequent inquiry held that the skipper of the Lowdock was substantially to blame for the collision by crossing the bow of the other vessel when she should have given way. The Lady Philomena crashed into the port side of Lowdock tearing a huge hole in her side. The crew of the Lowdock had little time to escape before she sank reportedly within two minutes of the collision. Two crewmen succeeded in releasing a raft and a third, Thurston Atkinson, tore off a pound board and threw it into the sea before jumping overboard. When he surfaced the Lowdock had gone. He reached the raft floating nearby but unfortunately the two crewmen had disappeared. A searchlight from the Lady Philomena picked him up and her was dragged aboard. All the other eleven crewmen had gone down with the Lowdock.
The wreck of the Lowdock lies in position 56° 49.478’N, 002° 07.660’W in 52 metres of water. The wreck which is oriented 090°/270° and rises 7 metres from the seabed sitting upright and generally intact. Collision damage is visible on her port side abreast of the aft gallows where the Lady Philomena left a v-shaped gash in her hull. The wreck was first located and dived by Rod Macdonald in 2007.
We would like to acknowledge the assistance of Buchan Divers – www.buchandivers.com in the preparation of this article.
