Ida Adams

The steel steam trawler Ruby was launched from the Selby yard of Cochrane and Sons Ltd., (Yard No 397) on 19th December 1906.  She measured 
125.0′ x 22.5′ x 11.9′ and her tonnage was 275 gross tons, 104 net tons.  She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine by Amos & Smith, Hull delivering 83 nominal horse power.  Her official number was 121615. Ordered by Cole, Carter & Galvin, Milford Haven she was first registered in this port M204 on 13th March 1907. In April 1914 she was purchased by John Rushworth & Herbert Lee of Grimsby who renamed her Ida Adams but she was almost immediately requisitioned for war service.  She survived World War One and was returned to her owners.  Further ownership changes followed before she was acquired by her final owners, Fleetwood Fish Selling Co Ltd (FD327).

The Ida Adams had already had one bit of bad luck on her trip to the fishing grounds from her home port of Fleetwood. She had fractured her rudder and sternpost on September 18th, 1930 while nine miles south east of Barra Head and had to put into Oban for temporary repairs. Her twelve crew were beginning to think of home as they headed south some eight weeks later. It was 5:15am on 21st November and they were steaming south along the west coast of Islay. Most of the crew were still in their bunks but the cook was busy in the galley cooking breakfast. The weather was bad with thick fog and drizzly rain. Suddenly there was a horrendous crash as the ship ran aground on the north side of Frenchman’s Rock. In the galley the crash threw some cooking fat onto the fire but thankfully the cook managed to quickly extinguish it before rushing on deck to join his colleagues.

The ship was safe, at least temporarily, and the crew went back below to collect their belongings but were alarmed to find that she was quickly filling with water. For an hour the crew valiantly tried to stem the inflow of water but skipper William Atkinson was forced to give up and he gave the order to abandon ship. His twelve man crew managed, with some difficulty, to launch their boat. As they pulled clear with the ship’s dog Bruce safely aboard, they watched as their ship was lifted again and again by the huge swell. It was obvious she could not stand up to the punishment for long and, as they pulled away to the shore, they watched her stern sink beneath the waves, her bow rise into the air and then the Ida Adams disappeared beneath the surface with a loud sucking sound. The crew made it safely to Portnahaven where they were given every hospitality by the locals before they were transported to Port Askaig and back to the mainland.

Although we have no record of the wreck itself or any possible salvage it seems likely that some wreckage will remain at the site somewhere on the north side of Frenchman’s Rock. Multiple vessels have come to grief around these treacherous rocks which are continually pounded by Atlantic swells and strong tides so any remains are likely to be completely smashed among a rocky seabed making any positive identification extremely unlikely.