Letter from Father Hopkins

[Copy]

May 6th, 1913

Dear Mr. Hyndman, – I desire, on behalf of the Sailors and Firemen of the British Mercantile Marine, to thank you for what you are doing to draw public attention to the injustice meted out to the Merchant Seafarers of the United Kingdom through the reduction of the freeboard, obtained by the late Samuel Plimsoll, of British ships and steamers. The action of the Board of Trade in the matter can only be described as wantonly cruel to these men and lads who go down to the sea in ships and occupy their business in great waters.

The enclosed instances of reduction of freeboard and loss of life may be of service to you in your kindly campaign in our behalf.

Yours truly,
(Signed) Chas. P. Hopkins
Trustee N.S. and F.U., Chaplain M.M.

Altering Plimsoll’s Mark Load Line

by Father Hopkins

Arising out of the alteration of the Load Line in 1906 a Return (1) has been prepared, and is attached, showing the number of vessels, etc., reported lost during certain periods before and after the alteration of the Load Line. For the purposes of effective comparison, the two periods of three years each have been taken – viz., 1902-3 to 1904-5 and 1908-9 to 1910-11, as the interval between these dates seems sufficient to enable a fair comparison to be made of the effect of the alteration of the Load Line. It will be observed that the Return includes vessels lost by foundering, stranding and disappearance only – and does not include vessels lost by fire or collision – so that it may be held to give a clear indication as to whether the alteration of the Load Line has led to the loss of a greater number of ships and life since 1906. A further Return (2) is also attached giving a monthly list of vessels reported lost from the same causes from January 1911 to April 1912 but excluding vessels upon which no lives were lost.

Whilst it is found that the number of vessels lost in the three years since 1906 is less than in the three years before that date, there is an actual increase in the net tonnage of the vessels and the number of lives lost. During 1911 the number of vessels (Return No.2) reported missing was 29, which is the largest number in any one year since 1901-2, excepting 1904-5, when there were also 29 missing vessels. In four months this year (1912) no less than 12 vessels with tonnage 11,473 have been reported missing. Seeing that one of the most material factors in the gradual decrease in the number of ships and lives lost before 1906 was the better construction and equipment of ships, it must be held that the period since that date, which has been especially eventful an the application of science and invention to shipbuilding, should have resulted in the loss of still less tonnage and lives instead of an increase as shown by the Return (No.1).

It may, therefore, be fairly maintained that the alteration of the Load Line by which ships have been permitted to be more deeply submerged is directly responsible for the increased loss of tonnage and lives.

(Signed) Chas. P. Hopkins

FOUNDERINGS AND STRANDINGS						MISSING VESSELS
RETURN No.1 PARTICULARS OF VESSELS REPORTED DURING THE UNDERMENTIONED YEARS AS HAVING BEEN LOST BY FOUNDERING AND STRANDING AND BY DISAPPEARANCE, TOGETHER WITH THE NUMBER OF CREW AND PASSENGERS LOST. NOTE – These figures do *not* include vessels lost by collision or fire
Year	No. of Ships	Tons	Crew lost	Pass. lost	Total lives lost	No. of Ships	Tons	Crew lost	Pass. lost	Total lives lost
1902/3	258	75778	249	19	268	18	8503	226	4	230
1903/4	293	99639	191	5	196	16	9838	208	1	209
1904/5	229	107300	216	5	221	29	15600	357	6	363
Total 3 years	780	282717	656	29	685	63	33941	791	11	802

1908/9	233	99566	240	6	246	13	11562	206	1	207
1909/10	231	104540	191	72	263	15	11214	305	176	481
1910/11	194	99622	255	5	260	24	11458	256	4	260
Total 3 years	658	303728	686	83	769	52	34234	767	181	948
										C.P.H.

FOUNDERINGS AND STRANDINGS						MISSING VESSELS
RETURN No.2 PARTICULARS OF VESSELS REPORTED MISSING DURING THE UNDER-MENTIONED MONTHS AS HAVING BEEN LOST BY FOUNDERING OR STRANDING AND BY DISAPPEARANCE. TOGETHER WITH THE NUMBER OF CREW AND PASSENGERS LOST. NOTE – These figures do not include vessels lost by foundering or stranding upon which no lives were lost, or vessels lost by collision or fire.
Month and Year	No. of ships	Tons	Crew lost	Pass. lost	Total lives lost	No of Ships	Tons	Crew lost	Pass. lost	Total lives lost
1911, January
1911, January	3	207	13	—	13	3	583	24	—	24
February	2	88	7	—	7	2	139	9	—	9
March	1	68	2	—	2	5	371	26	—	26
April	1	123	5	—	5	3	4250	67	4	71
May	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
June	—	—	—	—	—	2	315	27	—	27
July	—	—	—	—	—	2	2293	33	—	33
August	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
September	—	—	—	—	—	1	—	6	—	6
October	—	—	—	—	—	5	710	35	3	38
November	2	3766	15	10	25	4	108	19	—	19
December	3	1519	17	—	17	2	299	16	—	16
Total 1 year	12	5771	59	10	69	29	9068	262	7	269

1912, January
1912, January	2	4523	62	—	62	1	41	9	—	9
February	6	3191	39	—	39	4	2667	53	—	53
March	3	2356	61	—	61	5	8562	124	—	124
April	1	1361	20	—	20	2	203	10	—	10
Total 4 months	12	11431	182	—	182	12	11473	196	—	196
										C.P.H.

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