On the night of the 5^th November 1962, the Ella Hewett, one of the largest trawlers operating out of Fleetwood, ran aground on the wreck of the Drake while entering Church Bay. An island fishing boat, the St. Francis, was asked by the Coast Guard to stand by until the Portrush lifeboat Lady Scott arrived. The lifeboat took off 14 of the crew including the cook, Russell Harvey, who sustained leg and chest injuries when the trawler hit the wreck. He was taken to hospital in Ballycastle. Five of the crew stayed on board to carry out pumping operations but the owners decided that the operation was too risky, and they were told to come off. Shortly afterwards the Ella Hewett slipped off the wreck and sank. At the time of her loss the Ella Hewett was outward bound to the Icelandic fishing grounds. It was common practice at that time for outward bound trawlers to pay a visit to the island pub before heading on for the fishing grounds. The next morning the Liverpool salvage ship Dispenser arrived to assess possibilities but decided against it as the cost would have been too great. Some years later the wreck was blown up by Royal Navy divers as the fuel oil leaking from her tanks was causing pollution to property and wildlife. Further acrimony was caused between the islanders and the Department of Trade, who were responsible for organizing and overseeing the operation when they allowed the oil which came to the surface after the explosion to be contained in a boom and towed into the island’s only harbour, causing further pollution to the boats and homes around the area of the harbour.

Diving information – The marks for diving the Ella Hewett are the same as those of the Drake. The wreck is lying to the inside of the Drake (the harbour side) and is badly broken up but there are parts which are still intact. Although it is very easy to confuse the two wrecks as they lie so close together, the name can still be read quite clearly on the bow of the Ella Hewett. The large trawl bobbins which lie on the seabed around the bow are sometimes mistaken for mines.