Research

17/05/2002
Application to Adopt a Wreck scheme
The Louise Sheid - Thurleston Devon
By Two Thirds Blue SAC

Email sent 20/5/2002
Steve Jakeway – Nautical Archaeology Society

Last week I faxed through an application for Two Thirds Blue SAC to adopt the wreck of the Louis Sheid in Devon. This mail is to enquire if you received the application OK and any progress with our application.

If we were lucky enough to have our application approved we would like to contact the owners of the wreck and inform them of our intentions. I have searched the internet for information on the owners of this site but have made little progress. Can you advise me as where to search for the name of the owners?

Reply 20/5/2002
Delighted to hear of your intentions for the Louis Sheid and will shortly upload basic information to our website which we will then be happy to link to your site.

With regard to contacting the owners, I would suggest that you contact in the first instance, the Receiver of Wreck. The Receiver and Deputy are both maritime archaeologists and have been involved with the Adopt a Wreck scheme since its origins and so will be familiar with what you are up to. If they can't help themselves, they may be able to point you in the right direction. If you don't have any joy, please get back to us and we will try another tack.

Receiver of Wreck: Sophia Exelby, Deputy: Alison Kentuck

Amanda

Questioned as to whether the department can assist in locating the owner of the wreck 'The Louis Shied" off Thurlstone. Sophia offered to ring back with the info. If it was available on their new wreck database.

Reply - Phone: 21/5/2002
Sophia Exelby, Receiver of Wreck – Steve Jakeway

Wreck owned by the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions. This department issued insurance claim payments during the war for vessels lost due to hostilities during the Second World War. Contact at this department were given as:
John Neary or Robert Cousins.

Contact – Phone: 22/5/2002
Steve Jakeway – John Neary, Dept. of Transport, Local Government and the Regions.

Contacted John as regards ownership of and desire to formally ask permission to Adopt the wreck and survey it. Requested to email John with details, who should then be able to answer by end of the week.

Forward – email to John Neary: 22/5/2002

Reply 23/05/2002
Lohn Neary – Steve Jakeway

I have checked our records and can confirm that the LOUIS SHEID (ex KENDAL CASTLE) sunk 8/12/39 was a Belgian vessel and was a marine loss due to collision (as opposed to loss by enemy action). As such there was no War Risks Insurance interest in the vessel by this Department and we are not the present owners.

It may be helpful to contact Lloyds Marine Insurance to see if they have any record of the current owners. I can confirm that the owners at the time of her loss were Cie Nationale Belge de Transport Maritime. It may be a red herring but I do have a brief note on file of a telephone conversation in 1968 with this Departments forerunner by a Mr. Stevens who alleges that he bought the wreck having previously worked on it. I am unable to substantiate this claim. I am sorry that I cannot help you further.

Email sent 23/05/2002
Steve Jakeway – Lloyds

I am trying to contact Lloyds Marine Insurance but am unable to get any contact information from the Lloyds website. Please can someone assist me in letting me know who I should contact regards trying to find the owner of a wreck that was lost in December 1939. I have been told by John Neary at the Department of Transport, Local
Government and the Regions that the owners at the time of her loss were Cie Nationale Belge de Transport Maritime.

Reply 06/14/02
I am afraid that Lloyd's Register is unable to help you as we do not keep relevant information. May I suggest that you try contacting the Receiver of Wreck, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Southampton, as they hold information on wreck ownership and legal requirements.

Emma Taaffe, MA
Information Officer
Corporate Communications
Lloyd's Register

Richard provided the names of some publications where we could source technical, historical and photographic material:

‘Shipwreck Index of the British Isles’ Vol. 1.
By Richard and Bridget Larn
Published by ‘Lloyds Register of Shipping’.

‘West Country Shipwrecks’
By John Behenna

Devon Shipwrecks
By Richard Larn
Published by David and Charles

These books were obtained through Hucclecote Library, Gloucester.

Result
Steve Jakeway contacted the association and was given a contact name of Micheal Laurie. He was unable to assist any further than confirm information already known.

Asked if he could give advice on researching the wreck and possibly supply Photographs of her before she sank. He was happy to help and kindly supplied us with a copy of his book 'Shipwrecks of The South Hams' . He gave us permission to use any material from this publication including his grandfathers photographs.

Shipwrecks of The South Hams
Kendal McDonald
ISBN 0952863707