HISTORY & HERITAGE
The Flower O' May, BF376
G. Melvyn Wood - using notes of Findlay Pirie
Flower O' May was owned by Henry Findlay
and skippered by George Pirie.
Flower O' May, lying in Macduff Harbour.
The Flower O’ May was built of wood by Gardiners of Cullen in 1911, registered BF376. She was fitted with a triple expansion engine made by Lewis, Aberdeen. First fished by Cullen owners, she was requisitioned and used as a hospital ship during WW1. The 1932 Olsen’s Almanack shows her owned by “H. Findlay, Banff”. The Banff connection as stated is misleading, as a Press & Journal article from Nov. 1933 reports her as being caught up in a storm, and her Portsoy connections are made clear in the report. The owner therefore would have been Henry Findlay of Portsoy, although Henry had sadly died on 5 Sept 1933. She was skippered on the night of the storm by George Pirie, 54 Church Street. George was Henry's brother-in-law, the husband of Ann Pirie, née Findlay, Henry's sister. George and Ann’s youngest son, incidentally, was Findlay Pirie, whose research figures greatly in this website.
It is unlikely the Flower O' May ever fished again after the storm, having suffered significant damage. She may simply have been tied up in the Old Harbour to await the settlement of owner Henry Findlay's estate. It is recorded that her register closed in 1935 and she was taken away to be broken up.
George Pirie, second left, Skipper of the Flower O' May in 1933, pictured earlier with his brothers Robert, William and John in WW1 uniforms.
A painting by W. Grant Murray showing the drifters
“Flower O’ May” (left) and “Support” (right).
The “Flower O’ May” had been involved in a perilous voyage home when she lost her lifeboat whilst attempting to enter Fraserburgh harbour. She was escorted to Macduff harbour later by the Fraserburgh lifeboat.
The “Flower o’ May” is the painted with the white lifeboat, which was obtained at Macduff after the old boat was destroyed in the storm.
The Press & Journal, Tuesday, 21st. November 1933: -
PORTSOY DRIFTER'S CREW IN PERILOUS VOYAGE. Her coal supply almost gone, after having been tossed about for hours in a terrific gale, the Portsoy drifter "Flower o' May," while on her way home from Lowestoft, was almost dashed to pieces while attempting to enter Fraserburgh harbour on Sunday night. Before the Flower o' May made its effort to enter Fraserburgh the crew had endeavoured to attract attention to their plight by burning their bedding and clothing. This having proved ineffective, Skipper George Pirie, 54, Church Street, Portsoy, decided to try and enter Fraserburgh harbour. It was a howling gale at the time and pitch black.
When about to cross the bar a terrific sea struck her and filled her with water. It knocked the small boat to matchwood, smashed the side lamps, bent the engine room and cabin platings and left her fast on a sandbank. After remaining there for some considerable time, during which the crew of ten thought all was lost, the backwash from the pier struck the helpless drifter and refloated her. In complete darkness, Skipper Pirie succeeded in getting back into Fraserburgh Bay, where anchor was dropped. With decks awash and full of water, and steam gone the Flower o' May was in a serious plight. It was not known whether she had been holed and might sink at any moment, and in order to attract attention to their plight the crew hauled more bedding and clothing on deck, saturated them with paraffin, and set a light to them while the pumps were kept going.
The flares were seen from the shore, and in a short time the Fraserburgh lifeboat was on the scene. With remarkable skill she was manoeuvred alongside, and four of the crew, W. Raffan, Whitehills; George Wood, Portsoy; William Smith, Sandend; and J. Smith, Sandend, jumped on board the lifeboat which continued to stand by. The remainder of the crew continued to keep the pumps going.
The flares had also been observed by the Peterhead trawler Ugiebrae which, in spite of the mountainous seas which were running, succeeded in getting a rope aboard the Flower o' May. As it was considered unsafe to attempt to enter Fraserburgh it was decided to make for Macduff, and a start was made about nine o'clock. The lifeboat continued to stand by and accompanied the trawler and crippled drifter to Macduff, which was reached about five o'clock yesterday morning.
"It is a miracle we are here,” said Skipper Pirie, “I have never seen such a sea strike a boat as that which struck us when we were about to enter Fraserburgh harbour. That was between six and seven o'clock. I was in the wheelhouse, and the crew, with the exception of the engineer and the fireman, were on deck. When that sea struck us I thought it was the last of us. There was nothing but a noise of smashing and crashing all around me and then a bump. I knew we were aground then, and as everything was in darkness I did not know where we were. The engines were put full speed astern, but, for what seemed like an eternity, they seemed to have no effect."
"As a matter of fact, I do not think the engine would have got us off again had it not been for the backwash from the pier which re-floated us. How we are here today I do not know. We found ourselves back in the bay again, where we dropped anchor. There is no doubt, it is a miracle we are here, and our warmest thanks are due to the Fraserburgh lifeboat crew and that of the Ugiebrae for the magnificent way they responded to our signals of distress and stood by us in face of tremendous difficulties."
The names of the crew of the Flower o' May were: - George Pirie, Skipper, Portsoy; George Mair, Portsoy, Mate; Alexander Smith, Engineer, Sandend; W. Raffan, Whitehills; George Wood, Portsoy; A. Wood, Portsoy; W. Pirie, Portsoy; F. Petrie, Portsoy; W. Smith, Sandend; J. Smith, Sandend.