History of Seaham - Stories and remarkable and memorable events in the history of Seaham People and Groups of Seaham Captain Henry T Shilling DSC.
The SS Seaham Harbour and Captain Henry Thomas Owen Shilling
It is almost a century since one of Seaham’s most popular ships ended her career. After 47 years trading the Londonderry collier “Seaham Harbour” was broken up in 1927.
(Sunderland Echo April 1965)
The ship was built for the Londonderry Collier Fleet by Edward Withy & Co Shipyard at Hartlepool. At 1,907 gross registered tonnage she was launched on 4th October 1880. The details of her launch were published in the Shipping and Mercantile Gazette on 5th October 1880.
She was one of several British ships unfortunate enough to be interned in Germany during World War 1. Under the command of Captain HT Shilling the collier was outward-bound from Seaham to Hamburg when war was declared. Had the ship been equipped with wireless she could have been recalled but colliers were the last vessels to be so fitted. Off the German coast she was stopped and escorted in by a German naval unit.
Captain Shilling became ill during internment, was repatriated and after a full recovery returned to sea to take command of an armed merchant ship - one of the Gas Light and Coke Company’s colliers - which sank a German submarine by gunfire. Captain Shilling was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his services.
Nearby when the U-boat was sunk, was another Londonderry collier, the “Vane Tempest” skippered by Captain JR Page. He and his crew witnessed the sinking.
Captain HT Shilling DSC
Photograph reproduced with the kind permission of his descendants Stuart and Maureen McPherson
News of the capture and internment of the crew was first received from a neutral ship docking in Seaham in September 1914.
(Sunderland Echo 14th September 1914)
The crew of the SS Seaham Harbour were: -
A photograph of the crew of the SS Seaham Harbour taken in a German internment camp in 1916.
Captain Henry Shilling was presented with the Distinguished Service Cross from King George V1 in September 1918 at Buckingham Palace
Western Times News 23rd September 1918
Captain Henry Shilling died in 1925. His obituary was recorded in his homw town in the Whitstable Times.
Whitstable Times 7th February 1925
Captain Shilling and his wife Matilda
Photograph reproduced with the kind permission of his descendants Stuart and Maureen McPherson
Captain Shilling lived at 23 Maureen Terrace, Seaham. The house was built new in 1910 and still retains most of the origional Edwardian features commissioned by Captain Shilling such as fireplaces, magnificent stairs and banister, ornamental plaster light roses, decorative tiled hall and a stained glass inner hall door.
The stained glass window of a sailing ship commissioned for the inner hall door of 23 Maureen Terrace by Captain Shilling in 1910.
Photograph by Fred Cooper
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