S.T. Warbler LO251

Additional material courtesy of Mike Thompson, Barry Banham and Robert Durrant

Technical

Official Number: 133409
Yard Number: 153
Completed: 1912
Gross Tonnage: 192
Net Tonnage: 72
Length: 110 ft
Breadth: 21.6 ft
Depth: 12 ft
Built: Goole Shipbuilding & Repairing Co Ltd, Goole
Engine: T.3-cyl Earle’s Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Hull

History

17.8.1912: Launched by Goole Shipbuilding & Repairing Co Ltd, Goole (Yd.No.153) for Kelsall Brothers & Beeching Ltd (64/64), Hull as WARBLER.
1.10.1912: Registered at Hull (H507). John E. A. Kelsall, London & George Beeching, Hull appointed managers.
10.1912: Completed.
11.1914: Requisitioned for war service as a minesweeper (1-3pdr) (Ad.No.412). Based Devonport.
By 12.3.1919: Returned to owner at Hull.
7.6.1919: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to The London County Westminster & Parr’s Bank Ltd, London (A). John Slater appointed manager.
6.3.1923: Mortgagee re-styled as Westminster Bank Ltd, London.
14.10.1927: Mortgage (A) transferred to William Augustus Hayward, Eastbourne.
14.10.1927: Mortgage (A) transferred to Mercantile Marine Finance Corporation Ltd, London.
22.10.1928: Robert Burton appointed manager.
16.9.1932: Charles Hugh Emerson appointed manager.
10.1932: Mercantile Marine Finance Corporation Ltd in liquidation.
1.11.1932: Mortgage (A) transferred to Harold Frank Hayward, London; Maud Florence Katherine Rogers, Chelsea and Ernest Norton, London (joint mortgagees).
3.1936: Combined boxing and trawling fleet of Kelsall Bros. & Beeching Ltd and the Hull Steam Fishing & Ice Co Ltd consisting of 59 vessels laid up at Hull (declining catches, coal bill and increased maintenance costs had made the venture uneconomical).
6.3.1936: At Extraordinary General Meeting at Hull, Kelsall Brothers & Beeching Ltd placed in Creditors’ Voluntary Winding-up (Richard Field Helm of Messrs Hodgson Harris & Co, London appointed liquidators).
16.12.1936: Sold by order of the mortgagees under mortgage (A) to Plymouth Mutual Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Plymouth.
21.12.1936: Arrived Plymouth in company with TANAGER (H134).
22.12.1936: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Harold Frank Hayward, London; Maud Florence Katherine Rogers, Corfe Castle and Ernest Norton, London (joint mortgagees) for £500 with interest at 5% (B).
5.1.1937: John Chant, Plymstock appointed manager.
10.12.1937: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to William John Waldron Modley and Richard Edward Stephen Morris, Plymouth (joint mortgagees)(C).
24.12.1937: Mortgage (B) discharged.
31.12.1937: Mortgage (C) discharged.
7.1.1938: Sold to Arthur Dexter, Brixham and Thomas Perrett, Newton Abbot (64/64 joint owners).
17.1.1938: Arthur Dexter appointed manager.
4.2.1938: Sold to Torbay Trawlers Ltd, Brixham.
15.2.1938: Arthur Dexter appointed manager.
28.2.1938: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Midland Bank Ltd, London (D).
4.3.1940: Mortgage (D) discharged. to Plymouth Mutual Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Plymouth.
9.3.1940: Sold to Heward Trawlers Ltd, London (Robert Scott Hewett & Harold Frank Hayward) (Sale sanctioned under Ref. 6165/40 dated 4th March 1940).
1.4.1940: Sold to Brandon Fishing Co Ltd, London. Robert S. Hewett, London appointed manager.
16.4.1940: Hull registry closed.
17.4.1940: Registered at London (LO251). Fishing out of Fleetwood.
28.4.1943: Typical wartime landing, Home Waters. 157 kits – hake-18, cod/coley-28, haddock-6, whiting-46, flats-8, ling/coley-39, roker-7, gurnard-5.
2.1952: Fishing from Lowestoft.
25.2.1954: At Lowestoft landed 4,120 stone grossed £1,644.
22.4.1957: At Lowestoft (Sk Arthur Larner) landed 2,350 stone grossed £2,157.
7.1958: London registry closed.
21.7.1958: Registered at Lowestoft (LT63).
25.7 1958: Sold along with the company to Alick King. Lowestoft (Robert Butcher, manager).
1958: Converted to motor by LBS Engineering Ltd, Lowestoft, fitted with 600bhp 2 SA 6-cyl oil engine by A. K. Diesels Ltd, Lowestoft, reversible trawl winch and adjustable blade propeller.
11.3.1959: Ran successful machinery trials. Transferred to Aberdeen to fish for George Robb & Sons Ltd, Aberdeen. Under Sk. Marshall Ryles fished the Faroe grounds.
1959: On completion of conversion, re measured 195.63grt 72.65n.
1.6.1960: In North Sea, in position 55.80N 04.00E in collision with motor trawler CUTTLEFISH (LT65), resulting in stem damage.
16.8.1960: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Midland Bank Ltd, London (E).
15.1.1962: Jean King, appointed manager.
19.10.1964: Mortgage (E) discharged.
20.10.1964: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Midland Bank Ltd, London (F).
16.3.1965: Disabled in North Sea, motor trawler ROSEVEAR (LT457) connected and delivered Lowestoft.
8.1965: At Lowestoft (Sk.George Quantock) top landing 211 kits grossed £2,140.
1967: Fitted out for standby safety role for offshore platforms, gallows removed, etc.
1.2.1968: Sold to Frederick Ernest Catchpole, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft.
2.1968: Offshore platform standby/safety duties.
6.2.1968: Mortgage (F) discharged.
21.12.1968: Sold to Peter Catchpole (22/64) & George Catchpole (21/64), Oulton Broad, Lowestoft and John Randolph Hashim (21/64), Beccles. Laid up.
8.1970: Re-activated for offshore platform standby/safety duties.
1975: Sold to T. G. Darling Ltd, Oulton Broad for breaking up at Nelson’s Wharf, Oulton Broad by East Anglian Reclaimation Ltd.
10.2.1975: Lowestoft registry closed.
14.6.1976: Breaking up completed.

Click to enlarge images

S.T. Warbler LO251

S.T. Warbler LO251
Picture courtesy The Barry Banham Maritime Photo collection

S.T. Warbler LO251

M.T. Warbler LT63
Picture from the Internet

M.T. Warbler LT63

M.T. Warbler LT63
Picture from the Internet

Changelog
17/01/2009: Page published. 7 updates since then.
25/11/2017: Removed FMHT watermarks from images.
14/08/2021: Updated history.