Drunken Sailor – October 1903
What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
As noted in the 13 October 1903 issue of The Honolulu Advertiser:
Transcript:
DRUNKEN SAILOR TOOK A PLUNGE.
There was a lively time in the vicinity of the British steamer Isleworth on Saturday night, when several of the crew participated in aquatic sports not down on a regular program.
One of the men returned to the vessel from a shore visit about midnight, considerable the worse for a convivial bout with John Barleycorn. He went on deck and then plunged overboard. Those on deck were startled, but without waiting to determine the motive, a man jumped over after his comrade. He rescued the intoxicated one and managed to pull him up into a punt lying near the stern where the propeller is being attended to.
Once on the punt the rescued sailor refused to be taken aboard, insisting upon his right to remain where he was all night and with that he curled himself up in his wet clothing and went to sleep, remaining thus until morning.
Unfortunately, she was sunk by a U Boat on 30 April 1918 with 29 casualties.
I believe the ship you are referring to is a later/different ISLEWORTH.
According to my brief research (inspired by an exhibit I was involved with), the ISLEWORTH that called at Hawai‘i was built in 1889 by W. Gray & Co. of West Hartlepool. At the time of the “Drunken Sailor” clipping, the ship was chartered by the Pacific Islands Company and carried phosphates. She was eventually sold to a Japanese buyer in 1907 and was renamed OTARU MARU NO. 3. She ran aground on the Somali Coast in 1919.