SS Maurita lost 1941

SS Maurita was built in 1920 by Yarwood of Northwich for the John Summers iron business based at Shotton on the River Dee. They had a fleet of small steam and motor vessels to take steel from their wharf at Shotton to Liverpool.

Maurita under construction at Yarwood's:
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  Maurita was sold in 1935 to Robert Gardner of Lancaster.
  She left Point of Ayr Colliery, (Ffynnongroew), with a cargo of coal for Lancaster. The preferred route out of the Dee Estuary for vessels heading North is via Hilbre Swash. Around HW (which was near 3am and 4pm), as she negotiated Hilbre Swash on 12 November 1941, she set off a mine and sank, with the loss of all 5 crew aboard.
  At that date, vessels were transitting Hilbre Swash to salvage the large Greek cargo vessel SS Nestos which had run aground nearby on 2 April 1941. As a result of this mine explosion and loss of life, salvage was halted. Later, the remains of the Nestos were used by the RAF for bombing practice.

The master, Robert Hutton, aged 37, was buried at Connah's Quay after his body was recovered. A record of the crew lost is here.
  Because of war-time censorship, no newspaper reports were published.

The wreck is no longer charted.

Prior History of mis-haps:
Maurita had survived a few earlier mis-haps:
(i) In Dec 1937, on passage Lancaster to Liverpool, she had steering gear problems and drifted on to a sandbank at Harrowside [South of South Pier]. Blackpool lifeboat rescued her crew of 5. She was refloated.
(ii) In March 1938, while at anchor off the Lune, she was struck by the MV River Loyne and suffered damage.
(iii) In 1939, on passage Point of Ayr to Peel, she went aground at Penmaenmawr and was taken to Port Dinorwic for extensive repairs.

Another war-time damage to one of Robert Gardner's coasters

MV Calyx (built Groningen 1929; 109x21x8ft; 212gt) was taking coal from Point of Ayr Colliery to Lancaster on 3 February 1941 when she was damaged by a mine (described as German IX Air Corps aerial mine) 8 miles NE of the Bar LV. Calyx suffered engine damage and was leaking - she was taken to Cubbin's Slip in Birkenhead Docks for repair.