Yearly Archives: 2009

S.T. Somersby (2) GY390

Additional information courtesy of David Slinger
Technical

Official Number: 146900
Yard Number: 55 or 58
Completed: 1918
Gross Tonnage: 271
Net Tonnage: 124
Length: 125.7 ft
Breadth: 23.5 ft
Depth: 12.7 ft
Built: Collingwood Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Collingwood, Ontario
Engine: 480ihp T.3-cyl by Collingwood Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Collingwood, Ontario

History

1.1917: Ordered.
1918: Completed by Collingwood Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Collingwood, Ontario (Yd.No. 58 or 55) (Canadian “Castle” – T.R.” class) for The Admiralty (paid for and built under direction of RCN) as TR.12 or TR.9?.
25.8.1918 or 16.5.1918: Completed and commissioned in the Royal Canadian Navy (1-12pdr).
2.1919: Paid off and laid up.
1920: Accepted offer of Rose Street Foundry & Engineering Co Ltd, Inverness (Captain D. J. Munro as agent) to bring drifters with trawlers as escorts to UK for lay-up in Muirtown Basin, Caledonian Canal, Inverness prior to sale and possible refit for classification as steam trawlers (The Rose Street Foundry & Engineering Co Ltd letter dated 12 April 1920).
1921: Brought over at The Admiralty’s expense.
1.1926: Still laid up.
2.1926: Rejected offer for all remaining trawlers at £2,000 each (B. Allenby, Aberdeen letter dated 10 Feb 1926).
9.1926: Sold “as is” to Boston Deep Sea Fishing & Ice Co Ltd, Grimsby (Fred Parkes, Blackpool, manager).
22.9.1926: Registered at Grimsby as SOMERSBY (GY390); fishing out of Fleetwood.
10.9.1930: Inbound in the Wyre Channel took the ground, heeling over and did not refloat until the following tide.
04.1932: On three month charter to Sea Fisheries Association of Ireland, to fish out of Dublin, Galway and other ports. Charter to be exended if needed.
5.6.7.1933: Chartered for by Italian Government to provide support for a trans Atlantic flight involving 20 to 30 aeroplanes.
5.1937: Sold to F. G. P. Maritime Enterprises Ltd, London (Philip S. Bayley (Culliford & Clark Ltd), manager).
9.1938: Hired to Spanish Government, Madrid for use as a supply ship in the Spanish Civil War.
10.9.1938: Grimsby Part IV fishing registry closed.
8.12.1938: Arrived Marseilles with damaged cargo vessel (ex trawler) MARGARET ROSE (348grt/1912) in tow for repair to damage sustained in air raid at Almeria.
2.1940: Requisitioned for war service and employed on port duties. Mediterranian Command.
4.1940: Reclassed as a steam trawler.
6.1940: Returned to owner.
28.5.1942: Compulsorily acquired by M.O.W.T. Employed on port duties. Mediterranian Command.
1944: Sold to Hijos de J. Barreras S. A., Vigo. Registered at Vigo as Herbar.
1950: Sold to Industrial Maritima S.L., Ceuta.
Post 1960 Pre 1963: FATE??

Changelog
07/01/2009: Page published. 5 updates since then.
27/04/2014: Information updated.
09/06/2016: Information updated.
10/09/2024: Information updated.

S.T. Sola FD369

Technical

Official Number: 141954
Yard Number: 454
Completed: 1920
Gross Tonnage: 226.84
Net Tonnage: 92
Length: 123.3 ft
Breadth: 22.1 ft
Depth: 11.6 ft
Engine: T.3-cyl by W. Beardmore & Co Ltd, Coatbridge
Built: J. Duthie Torry Shipbuilding Co, Aberdeen

History

4.2.1920: Launched by J. Duthie Torry Shipbuilding Co, Aberdeen (Yd.No.454) for New Docks Steam Trawling Co (Fleetwood) Ltd, Fleetwood as SOLA.
20.4.1920: Registered at Fleetwood (Part I & Part IV) O.N.141954 (FD369).
4.1920: Completed. Joseph A. Taylor designated manager.
1924: William W. Brierley appointed manager.
12.1924: Arrived Torshavn, Faroe from Fleetwood (Sk. Benjamin D. Holt) with replacement propeller for GLADYS (FD423) which has lost her propeller on 13.12.1924 when fouled by trawl warp. Picked up by Norwegian steamer NOREFJORD (3082grt/1920), delivered Torshavn and beached. With only a small tidal difference at low water it was not possible to fit propeller. Decided to tow back to Fleetwood. In bad weather and with very limited food supplies the tow took five and a half days with the hawser parting twice.
13.7.1926: Sold to Harley & Miller Ltd, Liverpool.
23.7.1926: Fleetwood registry closed.
28.7.1926: Registered at Liverpool (LL45). Richard H. Jones, Wallasey designated manager.
1935: Sold to William Carnie Jnr, Glasgow.
31.12.1935: Liverpool registry closed. Registered at Granton as ZELOS (GN45). William Carnie Jnr, Glasgow designated managing owner.
1936: About 29 miles SW x W from Cape Wrath picked up boat with crew of steam trawler CHANCELLOR (A206) which had foundered. Survivors landed at Granton as Aberdeen closed due to severe weather.
18.12.1939: Foundered 112 miles E by N of May Island, Firth of Forth after being bombed and damaged by German air attack. Granton registry closed.

Changelog
07/01/2009: Page published. 4 updates since then.
04/08/2021: Updated history and technical details.

S.T. Socrates FD163

Technical

Official Number: 123356
Yard Number: 331
Completed: 1906
Gross Tonnage: 296
Net Tonnage: 110
Length: 138.6 ft
Breadth: 23 ft
Depth: 11.8 ft
Built: Mackie & Thompson, Govan
Engine: T.3-cyl by W. V. V. Lidgerwood, Coatbridge

History

12.5.1906: Launched by Mackie & Thomson, Govan (Yd.No.331) for Anglo-Norwegian Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Hull as SOCRATES.
12.6.1906: Registered at Hull (H885).
6.1906: Completed (William R. Leyman, manager).
10.10.1912: Sold to James H. Marr, Fleetwood for £5250.
15.11.1912: Hull registry closed.
16.11.1912: Registered at Fleetwood (FD163).
7.12.1912: Sold to J. Marr & Son Ltd, Fleetwood (James H. Marr, manager).
7.1.1913: Homeward from fishing grounds (Sk.Philip Burman). In thick fog and drizzle, stranded on rocks in Clanyard Bay, Wigtownshire. Crew of eleven scaled cliffs and made their way to Drummore. At high water slipped from rocks and submerged.
1.1913: Survey by Liverpool and Glasgow Salvage Association’s steam derrick barge LADY KATE (135grt/1881) indicated little damage but offer to refloat was declined by Hull Steam Trawlers Mutual Insurance Co.
21.1.1913: Fleetwood registry closed “Total loss”. Wreck stripped.

Click to enlarge images

S.T. Socrates H885

S.T. Socrates H885
Picture courtesy of Billy Worrall

S.T. Socrates FD163

S.T. Socrates FD163
Picture courtesy of The James Cullen Collection

S.T. Socrates FD163

S.T. Socrates FD163
Picture courtesy of Fred Baker

Changelog
07/01/2009: Page published.
19/05/2014: Picture added.
01/06/2017: Removed FMHT watermark from images.

S.T. Soar FD155

Additional information courtesy of Ross Littlewood

Technical

Official Number: 136902
Yard Number: 609
Completed: 1915
Gross Tonnage: 219
Net Tonnage: 85
Length: 117 ft
Breadth: 22 ft
Depth: 11.9 ft
Engine: T.3-cyl by Smith’s Dock Co Ltd, Middlesbrough
Built: Smith’s Dock Co Ltd, South Bank on Tees, Middlesbrough

History

16.3.1915: Launched by Smith’s Dock Co Ltd, South Bank on Tees, Middlesbrough (Yd.No.609) for The “Wyre” Steam Trawling Co Ltd, Fleetwood as SOAR.
22.4.1915: Registered at Fleetwood (FD155) (Magnus B. J. Wedum, manager).
4.1915: Completed. Requisitioned for war service as a minesweeper (1-12pdr) (Ad.No.1620). Based Swansea.
By 12.3.1919: Returned to owner at Fleetwood.
9.1919: In collision in dock channel with CITY OF LONDON (FD201) and both vessel took the ground. Refloated on next tide.
9.1923: Attended smack LOUIE RIGBY (FD127) dismasted and in distress in heavy seas. Connected and towed (18 hours) to Milford Haven.
1935: Sold to Andrew Robertson & James S. Kelman, Aberdeen (Andrew Robertson managing owner).
29.4.1935: Fleetwood registry closed.
1.5.1935: Registered at Aberdeen (A284).
18.3.1940: Returning from coaling in Methil in darkness (coastal lights extinguished) and heavy weather, ran on reef to east of Black Waugh rocks 1 mile south of Gourdon, Kincardineshire; six crew lost*. Declared a total loss.
26.11.1940: Aberdeen registry closed “Total loss”.

Note On a stormy night, the trawler SOAR of Aberdeen foundered on the outlying reefs to the East of the rocks known as the “Black Waughs”, half a mile south of Gourdon. Her crew of six all perished.
SOAR had been south for bunker coal and was on her way back to Aberdeen when disaster struck. It being wartime there were no coastal lights to help the skipper navigate and the strong South-Easterly wind must have forced his vessel too far in.

The first sign of the wreck was discovered by a villager “raking the beach”. Daylight was just breaking when he stumbled on a body. He quickly ran back to Gourdon and alerted the Coastguards and villagers. Just as the coastguards and fisherman reached the scene they saw the trawler’s small boat drifting shorewards. Coastguard John Penny & skipper John Stewart dashed into the water and with some difficulty managed to reach the boat – sadly – it was empty.

At the time there was no sign of the vessel itself, but at low water the ship’s boiler could be seen to the east of the “Black Waughs”. Most of the bodies were recovered during the day.
“The Wild & Rocky Coast” by Roy Soutar (Roy is a Gourdon resident, ex-fisherman & whose father was Cox of the Gourdon lifeboat).

Click to enlarge image

S.T. Soar FD155

S.T. Soar FD155
Picture courtesy of The Fred Baker Collection

Changelog
07/01/2009: Page published. 4 revisions since then.
30/09/2014: Added information.
29/05/2017: Removed FMHT watermark from image.

News Snippets

Snippets, from unknown news sources, provided by Les Howard

Fleetwood Trawler for Canada

Due to leave this week on a 2,500 mile trip across the North Atlantic to Nova Scotia is the 328 ton trawler Boston Neptune. She has been sold by the Boston Deep Sea Fisheries Ltd, to their subsidiary firm Arcadia Fisheries Ltd – the fourth Boston ship to sail to the Canadian port of Mulgrave in recent years. Previous departures were the Princess Royal, Boston Firefly and the Fleetwood Lady.

In command of the trawler will be Skipper Jim Port, aged 33 of Fleetwood who was in command of Fleetwood Lady when she made the trip a year ago. The mate will be Mr. Samuel Nolan and some of the crew will be Canadians who have flown over to join the vessel.

Homewater trip makes £7,545

Despite the bad weather – she had only five days fishing in a 17 day voyage – the 383 ton Fleetwood trawler, Wyre Conqueror, made £7,545, one of the best grossings for years for a homewater trip, when she landed at Fleetwood on Monday.

She had about 5000 stone of fish including 4750 stone of hake which fetched between £26.10.0 and £28.10.0 per 10 stone box.
When she found the hake after her bad weather hold up she averaged more than 54 boxes a day.

Commanded by Skipper Henry Reader, of Fleetwood, the ship is owned by Wyre Trawlers Ltd.

Trawler goes to the breakers

The trawler Wyre Gleaner left port last Wednesday for Troon, Scotland, where she will be broken up. She is the third of four trawlers owned by Wyre Trawlers Ltd, Fleetwood, to be scrapped in recent weeks. The fourth, Royal Marine, will leave for Troon in about a week.

The firm have announced that two replacement vessels from Hull will join their fleet. The first, Imperialist, left Hull on Thursday for the Icelandic fishing grounds and is expected to land her first catch in Fleetwood in about a fortnight.

Trawler hits ice floe

The damage to the 296 ton Fleetwood trawler Irvana, which hit an ice floe off Iceland last week and had to be towed to Hull, is more extensive than first thought and the ship is likely to be out of commission for about a month.

A member of the crew in Fleetwood on Thursday said that there was a blizzard raging when the collision occurred. At the time the rigging was thick with ice and the decks were frozen. The crash was severe but none of the crew was hurt.

The Hull trawler Thornella answered the Irvana’s distress call and made the five day, 1099 mile tow to get her safely to Hull. During the voyage the tow line parted twice.

600 men at sea this weekend

Between 30 and 35 Fleetwood trawlers with about 600 men aboard will be spending Christmas at sea, some as far away as Iceland and others at the various home water grounds.

Many trawler firms have had the usual seasonal difficulties in getting ships to sea during the last few days. One firm’s spokesman said that they had been unable to sail a ship since Friday. They had seven in port and it was hoped to get five of them to sea on Boxing Day.

He did not think that the crew position was any worse than previous Christmases although things might have been made a little more difficult by the fact that Christmas Day was on a Friday.

Icelandic court cancels fine on skipper

A fine of £1916 imposed in October 1962 by an Icelandic police court on Mr. Roy Belcher, Fleetwood skipper of the 522 to Fleetwood trawler Dragoon, has been overturned by the Icelandic Supreme Court.

The fine was imposed for alleged fishing inside the Icelandic coastal limits. A spokesman for the owners of the Dragoon, Wyre Trawlers Ltd on Saturday confirmed the news but declined to comment further. The Dragoon is at present undergoing overhaul and Skipper Belcher is still in charge of her.

Aground

Leaving Fleetwood on an Iceland voyage early Saturday, the 337 ton trawler Wyre Majestic ran aground on a sandbank on the Knott End side of the River Wyre. With a 17 man crew, the ship is owned by Wyre Trawlers Ltd. and commanded by Skipper M. Mecklenburgh of Fleetwood. The vessel refloated on Saturday evening’s tide.

Skipper died in cabin

The Coroner (Mr. W. Blackhurst) decided that Skipper Charles Thomas Robinson’s death in his cabin aboard the 310 ton Winmarleigh on Saturday night was the result of natural causes and that an inquest was unnecessary.

Mr. Robinson collapsed and died while the vessel was waiting for the tide in Morecambe Bay to come into Fleetwood with 330 boxes of fish after a 14 day homewater fishing trip. The mate, Mr Owen Lewis, brought the Winmarleigh (Boston Deep Sea Fisheries Ltd) into port.

Skipper Robinson had been born in Hull but lived most of his life in fleetwood. He had been ill for some time and it was his first trip in three months. The funeral is at Carleton Crematorium and will be conducted by Mr Duncan Brown, superintendent of the Fleetwood branch of the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen.

Achroite is total loss

The 313 ton Fleetwood trawler Achroite, which broke free from her moorings in Rosslare Harbour, Southern Ireland, in a gale last Wednesday, has now been given up as a total loss.

The vessel, which had sailed from Fleetwood for 15 years, had left the port for the last time two days previously en route for Cork to be broken up for scrap. She had been sold by the Cevic Steam Fishing Co. to a firm of shipbreakers.

After breaking free from her moorings she was driven ashore and unsuccessful attempts have been made to refloat her with a tug.

Best catch of winter

The 576 ton Fleetwood trawler Robert Hewett landed one of the best Iceland catches of the winter at Fleetwood yesterday when her reward for 9,630 stone of fish was £8,103. The vessel, owned by the Hewett Fishing Co. is commanded by Skipper R. Hutcheon of Fleetwood and had been at sea about three weeks.

Other ships also did well on the after Christmas market and among them was the 60 ton Border Prince, managed by the Boris Net Co. Ltd. which set up two new records for herself.. Her catch of 2,800 stone of fish from a 17 day voyage, was the best she had had since she began sailing out of Fleetwood 18 months ago, and her £1,413 grossing was also her best ever.
The pocket trawler is commanded by Skipper E. Edwards of Fleetwood.