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The trawler Encourage was sunk by a mine off Plymouth in 1940.

Type

Brixham Trawler

History

The 40-ton big sloop ketch Encourage was built by the famous boatbuilder R. Jackman & Sons in 1926.  Encourage was the last trawler to be built at Jackman’s Yard, but Jackmans carried on repairing both sail and steam ships until the mid-1930’s when the business closed.  Encourage was registered on 3rd June 1926 in Brixham as BM63, her first owner was Harry Leonard Lang of 53 North View Road in Brixham. Encourage was sold to Robert Leach of Brighton on 2nd November 1937 then to an unknown buyer in Shoreham on 22nd March 1938.  Between 26th May and 4th June 1940, she was at Dunkirk as one of the Little Ships used to rescue British troops escaping from the German invasion of France in WWII.

On 25th October 1940, Encourage was blown up while headed for the fishing grounds, it was thought that she struck a floating mine.  Ministry of War Transport records indicate Encourage had not been requisitioned so she was not under Admiralty contract when she was lost. The last crew of the Encourage were skipper Hector Wellington, 54, husband of Florence Emma Wellington of Lowestoft Suffolk.  Deck hands Arthur Clarke, 55, from Lowestoft in Suffolk and George Pettitt, 58 as well as engineer Peter James Moxey, 22 from Ramsgate in Kent.  The bodies of the four crew were never found. 

On the same day the armed trawler Lord Inchcape, was damaged by mine off Plymouth, she was taken in tow to Plymouth Sound but later sank in Jennycliff Bay.  The Lord Inchcape was salvaged in January 1942 and acquired by the Ministry of War and put back to work as a minesweeper.  Encourage was sunk a month after theFS Poulmic and a month before the Kingston Alalite , both sunk by mines.

• The Encourage was not an Admiralty MFV as often reported.
• The Brixham trawler Pilgrim is similar in design to Encourage, see link .

Diving the Encourage

What little remains of Encourage lies in 12 metres of water on the top of the Knap Reef, approximately 170m south of the Knap buoy. The vessel is totally broken up and the engine block and guardrails are all that remain, as well as plenty of broken pottery. 

Location and Access

Plymouth Sound, Knap Reef

Nearby wrecks include the Kingston Alalite , the FS Poulmic , and HMT Elk ,

Last updated 11 July 2025

Position GPS: 50° 19.451N  004° 10.018W
Depth: 12m

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