The Bosun's Watch

Wartime Visitor
© Mike Thompson for FMHT with additional material by Maurice Voss

Technical

Official Number: 160047
Yard Number: 485
Completed: 1927
Gross Tonnage: 352
Net Tonnage: 146
Length: 140.3 ft
Breadth: 24.0 ft
Draught: 12.9 ft
Engine: 96 NHP T.3-cyl and boiler by C. D. Holmes & Co Ltd, Hull
Speed: 10.9 knots
Built: Cook, Welton & Gemmell Ltd, Beverley

History

26.10.1926: The board of Kingston Steam Trawling Co Ltd decided to build four more distant water trawlers to the same design as ANDALUSITE by Cook, Welton & Gemmell (Yd.No.461). Contracts were signed with the shipyard to build the ships at a cost of £9,125 each and with C. D. Holmes & Co Ltd to make the engines and boilers at £6,300 each unit. Total cost £15,425 per vessel. The names chosen for the new vessels were KINGSTON GARNET, KINGSTON EMERALD, KINGSTON TOPAZ and KINGSTON ONYX.
Total cost fitted out with fishing gear and other equipment £17,097.16.10d (winch £465)

30.4.1927: Launched by Cook, Welton & Gemmell Ltd, Beverley (Yd.No.485) for Kingston Steam Trawling Co Ltd, Hull as KINGSTON GARNET.
2.6.1927: Registered at Hull (H342) (O.N.160047).
22.6.1927: Completed trials and accepted (John W. Lown, manager).
25.6.1927: Sailed on first Icelandic trip.
13.7.1927: Landed 1113 kits grossing £377 (big landings, depressed market).
1938: Laid up with Special Survey due and offered for sale.
11.3.1939: Sold to N.V. Motorvisscherij, Ostend for £3,800 with Special Survey due.
16.3.1939: Hull registry closed.
1939: Re measured 42,76 x 7,32 x 3,93 metres – 336.45Brt 128.96n
4.1939: Registered at Ostend as VAN ORLEY (O299).
5.1940: Escaped to England.
18.5.1940: Arrived Fleetwood. Transferred to Belgian Economic Mission, London. Fishing from Fleetwood.
8.2.1941: At Fleetwood. Requisitioned for war service as an anti submarine trawler.
5.1941: Fitting out at Liverpool in Huskisson Dock Branch No.2.
1/4.5.1941: ‘The May Blitz’ on Merseyside.
3/4.5.1941: Part destroyed as a result of the explosion of ammunition ship MALAKAND (7649g/1919) also in Huskisson Dock.
11.1941: Salved declared a CTL and broken up.

Click to enlarge image

Huskisson Dock
After the explosion

Wartime Visitor
© Mike Thompson for FMHT with additional material by Maurice Voss

Technical

Official Number: 149080
Yard Number: 483
Completed: 1926
Gross Tonnage: 352
Net Tonnage: 147
Length: 140.3 ft
Breadth: 24.0 ft
Draught: 12.9 ft
Engine: 96 NHP T.3-cyl and boiler by C. D. Holmes & Co Ltd, Hull
Speed: 11 knots
Built: Cook, Welton & Gemmell Ltd, Beverley

History

12.01.1926 The board of Kingston Steam Trawling Co Ltd decided to build two more distant water trawlers to the same design as the ANDALUSITE built by Cook, Welton & Gemmell Ltd (Yd.No.461). Contracts were signed with the shipyard to build the ships at a cost of £8,450 each and with C. D. Holmes & Co Ltd to make the engines and boilers at £6,130 each unit. Total cost £14,625 per vessel. A decision was made to add the Kingston prefix to the existing nomenclature. The names chosen were, KINGSTON DIAMOND and KINGSTON PEARL. The short lived General Strike of May 1926 and continuing Miner’s Strike led to delays in the completion of both vessels.
Total cost fitted out with fishing gear and other equipment £16,286.4.2d (winch by James Robertson & Sons Ltd, Fleetwood £465)

17.4.1926: Launched by Cook, Welton & Gemmell Ltd, Beverley (Yd.No.483) for Kingston Steam Trawling Co Ltd, Hull as KINGSTON PEARL.
3.6.1926: Registered at Hull (H296) (O.N.149083).
12.8.1926: Completed trials and accepted.
17.8.1926: Sailed on first trip to Iceland.
9.9.1926 landed 849 kits grossed £1,108.
14.5.1927: Grounded whilst entering Trongisvagsfjordur, Suderoy, Færoe Islands. Refloated and leaking badly but with pumps coping sailed for Hull.
17.5.1927: Landed and slipped. On survey bottom plating found to be extensively damaged and internals set up.
31.5.1927: Unslipped, repairs completed.
1938: Laid up with Special Survey due and offered for sale.
20.3.1939: Sold to Soc. Anon Armement Ostendais, Ostend, Belgium for £3,635 without fishing gear and fishroom boards.
20.3.1939 Hull registry closed.
4.1939: Re measured 42,76 x 7,31 x 3,93 metres – 336.45Brt 129.48n
12.4.1939: Registered at Ostend as NAUTILUS (O160).
5.1940: Escaped to England.
18.5.1940 Arrived at Fleetwood. Transferred to Belgian Economic Mission, London. Fishing from Fleetwood.
17.2.1941: Requisitioned for war service on miscellaneuos Naval duties. Renamed JAY. Operated as a controlled minelayer (P.No.M.02).
11.2.1942: Renamed SANDMARTIN.
12.2.1946: Returned to owner. Reverted to NAUTILUS (O160).
10.1946: With surveys outstanding carried out Special Survey at Antwerp. Re classed as a Steam Trawler.
12.12.1946: Returned to service.
21.12.1946: Homeward from Iceland, cook Arthur-Henri Dehhondy died.
29.10.1949: Chartered by “Weser” Hochseefischerei-und Fischhandels GmbH, Bremerhaven.
28.10.1949: Sailed for Bremerhaven with a Belgian skipper.
8.1950: Returned to owner.
9.1950: Sold to Government of Poland, Warsaw (Ministry of Industry & Commerce) (“Dalmor” Przedsiobiorstwo Polowow DalekomorskichSp.z.ogr.odp, Gdynia, managers).
16.9.1950: Ostend registry closed.
9.1950: Ostend registry closed.
6.10.1950: Registered at Gdynia as PERSEUSZ (GDY111).
2/3.6.1952: During night stranded off Swinemünde in position 54.01,30N 14.20E. Wreck subsequently broken up in situ. Gdynia registry closed.

Wartime Visitor

Technical

Admiralty Number: 4417
Official Number: 144316
Yard Number: 644
Completed: 1918
Gross Tonnage: 203
Net Tonnage: 88
Length: 115.4 ft
Breadth: 22.1 ft
Draught: 12.1 ft
Engine: T.3-cyl by Hall, Russell & Co Ltd, Aberdeen
Built: Hall, Russell & Co Ltd, Aberdeen

History

9.10.1918: Launched by Hall, Russell & Co Ltd, Aberdeen (Yd.No.644) (“Strath” Class) for The Admiralty as THOMAS BARCLAY.
31.10.1918: Completed.
8.1920: Slipped at Wivenhoe. Special Survey. Classed as a Steam Trawler.
24.8.1920: Registered at London (LO444). Laid up.
11.1921: Sold to A. M. Morrice, Aberdeen (H. A. Holmes, manager).
7.11.1921: London registry closed.
30.12.1921: Registered at Aberdeen as JOHN MORRICE (A786).
1933: Sold to G. D. Taylor, Aberdeen & Others.
1939: Sold to North Star Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Aberdeen (J. A. Harrow, manager).
1940: Fishing from Fleetwood.
9.3.1940: Fishing 12 miles NW of Tory Island, Co. Donegal in company with ALVIS (H52); FLYING ADMIRAL (H66); PELAGOS (GN55) and SEDOCK (GY123) and reported with the Irish trawler LEUKOS (D86) also in the vicinity. Group approached by U-boat (U.38) which fired a single round at a trawler, hitting her in the engine room and she subsequently sank. Although no conclusive evidence confirms, the trawler probably was the LEUKOS; all eleven crew lost*.
6.1940: Slipped at Fleetwood.
1942: Returned to Aberdeen.
1947: Sold to River Ness Fishing Co Ltd, Aberdeen (George Craig, manager).
1955: Company re-styled River Ness Fishing Co (1955) Ltd.
8.1959: Sold to John Lewis & Sons Ltd, Aberdeen for breaking up at Montrose.
9.1956: Sold to Atlantic Reederi F. & W. Joch, Hamburg for breaking up.
4.10.1959: Delivered Hamburg. Aberdeen registry closed.

(Lost* – Sk. James P. Thomason (28), Fleetwood & Dublin; William Donnelly, Blackpool, Mate; P. J. Scanlon, Cleethorpes, Bosun; Alexander McLeod, Stornoway, Ch Eng; Bernard Smith (23), Dublin, 2nd Eng; Thomas Mulligan, Fleetwood & Dublin & Anthony Pill, Fleetwood & Dublin, deckhands; Michael Cullen (17), Dublin, fireman; Patricio McCarthy (42) Dublin, cook; James Hawkins (17) Fleetwood & Dublin & Robert Sumler (16), Fleetwood & Dublin, apprentices)

Wartime visitor

Technical

Official Number: 148383
Yard Number: 935
Completed: 1924
Gross Tonnage: 338
Net Tonnage: 137
Length: 138.8 ft
Breadth: 23.8 ft
Draught: 13.3 ft
Engine: T.3-cyl and boiler by C. D. Holmes & Co Ltd, Hull
Built: Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby

History

20.5.1924: Launched by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby (Yd.No.935) for Pickering & Haldane’s Steam Trawling Co Ltd, Hull as LORD BALFOUR of BURLEIGH.
31.7.1924: Registered at Hull (H36) (O.N.148383).
8.1924: Completed.
7.1937: Sold to Pêcheries à Vapeur S.A., Ostend (John Bauwens,manager).
9.7.1937: Hull registry closed.
9.7.1937: Registered at Ostend as DUCHESSE de BRABANT (O80).
1939: Landing at Fleetwood.
1940: Transferred to Belgian Economic Mission, London.
7.7.1940: Requisitioned for war service on miscellaneous Naval duties (P.No.FY.341).
1.1941: Based Tobermoray (Sk. C. R. Radford RNR) as Local defence trawler.
7.1941: Based Reykjavik as Local defence trawler.
1.1942: Remains at Reykjavik (Sk. B. Truefitt RNR).
24.11.1945: Returned to owner.
1946: Lengthened by 2,70 metres to 45,00 metres with bow and stern rebuilt – 324,40Brt 112,64n
4.1946: Completed Special Survey at Antwerp. Re classed as a Steam Trawler.
1947: New engine fitted – 480hp
27.10.1952: Ostend registry closed.
29.12.1952: Sold to Soc. Générale Hellénique de Pêch, S.A., Athens (c/o John Livanos & Sons Ltd, London).
12.1952: Registered at Piraeus as ARGONAFTIS.
1955: Laid up at Piraeus. Surveys overdue.
1956: Sold to N. Lampiris, Piraeus. Registered as as a cargo vessel at Piraeus as GEORGIS L.
9.5.1956: Sailed Suda Bay, Crete for Venice, Italy. Missing presumed foundered. Piraeus registry closed.

Technical

Official Number: 123260
Yard Number: 319
Completed: 1906
Gross Tonnage: 172
Net Tonnage: 66
Length: 108.8 ft
Breadth: 21.5 ft
Draught: 11.2 ft
Engine: T.3-cyl by W. V. V. Lidgerwood, Coatbridge
Built: Mackie & Thomson, Govan

History

1906: Launched by Mackie & Thomson, Govan (Yd.No.319) for Hellyer’s Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Hull as ALONSO.
25.6.1906: Registered at Hull (H887).
6.1906: Completed (Charles Hellyer, manager).
1.1.1914: Tonnage altered to 66 net under provision of Merchant Shipping Act 1907
29.5.1917: Requisitioned for Fishery Reserve.
1919: Released.
21.5.1924: Sold to Mons Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Hull (E. Headspith, manager).
15.10.1934: Sold to Ocean Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Hull (W. C. Farrow, manager).
1935: Sold to Colin H. Bran, Milford Haven.
4.1938: With GOZO (H545) converted for Spanish pareja trawling method.
15.9.1938: Offered for sale by auction at Milford (along with Cairo (H550)) & GOZO (H545)). Sold to Fred Parkes, Blackpool.
31.3.1939: Sold to Fred Parkes, Blackpool & C. L. Wilbraham, Hull (C. L. Wilbraham, manager).
15.8.1940: Sold to Wellvale Trawlers Ltd, Fleetwood (C. L. Wilbraham, manager).
1942: Sold to Hull Merchants Amalgamated Trawlers Ltd, Hull (A. Bailey & J. Balderson, managers).
13.1.1944: On a North Sea trip, missing cause unknown. Hull registry closed.

(Crew: Skipper George Underhill (68); William Abbott (39), Mate; Joseph Marr (52), Third Hand; John H. Chapman (54), Bosun; Harold Coultas (34), Ch Eng; Eric Smith (30), 2nd Eng; Robert H. Easter (29), Charles E. Osborne (44) and Arthur E. Smith (36), Spare Hands; Charles W. Gibson, Fireman/trimmer; George E. Croft (43), Trimmer and James F. Coull (71), Cook)

Click to enlarge image

S.T. Alonso H887
Picture courtesy of Alan Hirst