Coastguard Watch Vessels
Bradwell Waterside in 1857 showing customs/coastguard gunboat
In 1830 the Coastguard was
formed by a merger of the Water Guard with the Customs.
The new body was to be
controlled by the Royal Navy with the remit of preventing smuggling
and dealing with shipwrecks by lifesaving and then protection from
looters.
This continued until 1923
when the duties were once again separated and the Coastguard was
solely responsible for life saving at sea, salvage of wrecks and the
administration of the rules of the sea.
On its formation the
Coastguard found the need for men in the many places that smugglers
operated and in the coast of Essex, Kent, Sussex and Hampshire the
many inlets proved especially difficult.
This was solved by the use of
watch vessels as stationary observation points and bases at key
locations and the use of cutters and patrol ships to back up their
use. The Watch Vessels were normally ex Naval vessels that were in
poor condition and not considered safe to sail although suitable for
dismasting and locating in a mud berth in estuaries.
An example of the disposal of
Watch Vessels was the London Gazette of 2 January 1866.
The
Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High Admiral of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland do hereby give notice
that on Tuesday the 9th January next at two o'clock they will be
ready to receive sealed tenders for the purchase of Her Majesty's
Coast Guard Watch Vessel " RICHMOND" ( Brigantine), 240 tons ; lying
at Stansgate Detachment (Blackwater Division); as she now lies with
the stores mentioned in the inventory annexed to this catalogue
available from the Inspecting Commander of the Coast Guard at
Bradwell.
Eastern Essex was especially
crucial as it was one of the favourite landing places to provide
goods for the London market. These were landed in the many secluded
quays and taken by horseback to urban Essex and London.
The list below shows the
Watch Vessel Number, Location and names of ships used as Watch
Vessels.
|
WV
No |
Name of
ships at station |
Location |
|
1 |
Victorine |
Orford Haven |
|
2 |
- |
- |
|
3 |
Blossom/Dolphin |
Walton Gap |
|
4 |
Frolic/Richmond |
Stansgate (also referred to as WV 21) |
|
5 |
Chanticleer |
River Crouch |
|
6 |
Ruswarp |
River Crouch |
|
7 |
Beagle |
Paglesham, River Roach |
| 8 | Dove | Wakering Haven |
| 9 | Harpy | Egypt Bay, Gravesend |
|
10 |
Swallow |
Cliff Creek |
|
11 |
Star |
Gravesend |
|
12 |
Clinker |
Yantlett
Creek |
| 13 | Haven Hole, Canvey | |
|
14 |
- |
- |
|
15 |
- |
Mucking
Creek |
|
16 |
- |
- |
|
17 |
Royal George |
Barking
Creek |
|
18 |
Arab/Shamrock |
Queensborough/Sheppey |
|
19 |
- |
- |
|
20 |
Kangaroo |
Burnham on
Crouch |
|
21 |
Eclipse/
Whitworth |
West Mersea |
|
22 |
- |
Kent -Isle
of Grain Colemouth Creek |
|
23 |
Philomel |
Colemouth
Creek |
|
24 |
Cadmus |
East Swale/
Faversham |
|
25 |
Britomart |
Beresford |
|
26 |
Dart |
Beresford |
|
27 |
Havock |
Castle Coote |
|
28 |
Elk |
Greenhithe |
|
29 |
Pelican/Drake |
Rye |
|
30 |
Cygnet/Frolic |
Chichester
Harbour |
|
31 |
Penguin |
Cowes, IOW |
|
32 |
Partridge |
Hamble River |
|
33 |
- |
- |
|
34 |
- |
- |
|
35 |
- |
- |
|
36 |
Linnet |
- |
|
37 |
Mastiff |
Tilbury |
|
38 |
- |
Branksea |
|
39 |
- |
Moville |
|
40 |
- |
East Cowes |
|
41 |
Frolic/Lucifer |
River Roach |
HMS
Beagle destined to become Watch Vessel 7
This list has been drawn from
several sources that have revealed some confusion in the records of
the time given that the methods of recording locations in civil
records differ from Naval that in turn differ from electoral records
This is further complicated
by the use of the same ship in several locations and the process of
renaming some of the ships when they have been transferred in from
the Navy or in one case the Post Office.
In view of these facts
historians would be advised to use the table as a guide and research
individual records in the Coastguard's records to be found at the
National Archive at Kew.
