Additional information courtesy of Bill Blow & Birgir Þórisson

Technical
Official Number: 122937
Yard Number: 84
Completed: 1906
Gross Tonnage: 234.80
Net Tonnage: 73.86
Length: 125.0 ft
Breadth: 22.6 ft
Depth: 11.5 ft
Built: Goole Shipbuilding & Repairing Co Ltd, Goole
Engine: 380ihp T.3-cyl by G. T. Grey, South Shields
Boiler: Jos. T. Eltringham, South Shields

History

13 2.1906: Launched by Goole Shipbuilding & Repairing Co Ltd, Goole (Yd.No.84) for J. Marr & Son Ltd (64/64), Fleetwood as EVELYN.
27.3.1906: Registered at Fleetwood (FD59).
27.3.1906: James Herbert Marr appointed manager.
3.1906: Completed at a cost of £5700.
14.5.1906: Five shares sold to George Clarkson (5/64), Fleetwood (Trawling master).
18.5.1906: Sailed Fleetwood for grounds off the SW coast of Ireland (Sk. George Clarkson); nine hands all told.
19.5.1906: At 2.00am. when some three miles SE of Tuskar Lighthouse, set a course WSW westerly to make a magnetic course of WSW and streamed the log. This course was continued for 26 hours and a distance of 220 miles run. The ship was stopped and the lead cast but no bottom found at 180 fathoms so the ship was turned about and steamed back ENE for about an hour and soundings showed 140 fathoms.
20.5.1906: At about 6.00am. the gear was shot away and fishing commenced.
21.5.1906: At about 9.30am. the skipper decided to change grounds and the gear was hauled and a course set NE1/2N for about one hour and at noon they began to fish again.
26.5.1906: At 6.00pm. with a good catch onboard, the gear was hauled and stowed ready to steam home. The lead had been cast at about 3.00pm. and showed 133 fathoms and the skipper assumed that the vessel was in much the same depth at 6.00pm. No effort had been made to determine the vessel’s true position since she left the Tuskar on the 19th. Looking back at the course set from the Tuskar, to make WSW magnetic to the fishing grounds it could be seen from the deviation card that he could not have made that course good, and the vessel must have been a great deal further north when he started to fish. No allowance was made for wind, tide or current during the five days fishing and the tendency being to fish northward, the vessel was probably about 43 miles northward of where the skipper supposed her to be when, at 6.30pm. she left to grounds to return home. Assuming that everything was correct and failing to cast the lead again before daylight, the engine was put at full speed making 10 knots and the course set EbyN. At about 10.00pm the skipper left the deck with orders to keep a good look out and to call him if they saw the Fastnet.
27.5.1906: The weather was fine, but very dark and later became thick and hazy and finally at 1.00am. as they drew in towards the land it became foggy with drizzle, the wind light and WSW with a moderate sea. At 1.15am. the second hand took charge of the watch the weather now thick and foggy but the engine was running at full speed. Suddenly white water was seen close to the port bow but before anything could be done the vessel struck and remained fast. The skipper came on deck and working the engine astern the vessel did not move but on the second attempt the stern swung towards the shore the propeller struck the rocks and the engine stopped. As the tide rose the ship was carried over the reef and floated into deeper water.
30.5.1906: With the aid of the coastguards, using her sails and assisted by two small fishing boats brought into Schull Harbour, Co. Cork. The trawler had struck the Barrels, a ledge of rock that covers at half tide and lie at the entrance to Long Island Bay, Co. Cork. Subsequently towed to Fleetwood and then to Garston and docked for repair by Garston Graving Dock & Shipbuilding Co Ltd. Sixteen plates were damaged, keel bent and propeller stripped, cost to repair between £500-600.
6.7.1906: At the formal investigation (No.S.229) held at Liverpool, the Court found that the stranding and damage to the EVELYN were due to to the careless navigation by her master George Clarkson. Clarkson’s certificate was suspended for three months and the second hand Robert Washington was severely censured (see note below).
22.12.1908: George Clarkson shares (5/64) sold to Robert Wright (5/64), Fleetwood (Trawling master). 22.12.1908: Robert Wright shares (5/64) mortgaged to James H. Marr for £468.15.0d at 5% interest (A).
5.5.1909: Mortgage (A) discharged.
7.5.1909: Robert Wright shares (5/64) sold to J. Marr & Son Ltd (64/64), Fleetwood.
11.4.1911: Five shares sold to William Clarkson (5/64), Fleetwood (Trawling master).
11.4.1911: William Clarkson shares (5/64) mortgaged to Joseph H. Marr for £275.0.0d at 5% interest (B).
1913: Mortgage (B) discharged.
8.1914: Requisitioned for war service (Ad.No.121).
1.1.1914: Tonnage altered to 92.38net under provision of Merchant Shipping Act 1907.
8.8.1914: Arrived Devonport for Special Trawler Reserve fitted with 1-3pdr, mine-sweep and as Half leader; when stored to sail for Lowestoft.
8.1914: At Devonport. Fitted with Russian 3pdr gun (No.688) and fitted out for minesweeping duties (Ad.No.121).
30.31915: Allocated Unit 121 – Section C “Trawler Sweepers” based Devonport (Sk. W. Roysworth RNR).
1.1916: Remains with Unit No.121 – Section C ‘Trawler Sweepers’ based Devonport (Sk. W. Roysworth RNR)
10.1916: Remains with Unit No.121 ‘Trawler Sweepers’ based Devonport (Sk. W. Roysworth RNR). Based Devonport then Palestine.
11.11.1916: James A. Robertson appointed manager.
22.10.1918: Sailed Devonport for Palestine.
1919: Returned to owner.
28.2.1923: Sold to William John Allen (32/64) Grimsby & William Lambert (32/64) (Harold A. Jeffries, manager) for £3000.
1.3.1923: Fleetwood registry closed.
8.3.1923: Registered at Grimsby (GY252).
8.3.1923: Harold Arthur Jeffries appointed manager. 18.6.1924: Vessel mortgaged (2×32/64) to National Provincial Bank Ltd, London (C) & (D).
10.1.1927: Mortgage (C) discharged.
11.1.1927: William John Allen shares (32/64) sold to William Lambert (64/64), Cleethorpes (managing owner).
11.1.1927: William Lambert shares (32/64) mortgaged to National Provincial Bank Ltd, London (E). 15.1.1957: William Lambert appointed manager.
25.4.1931: Sold by order of the mortgagee under mortgages (D) & (E) to Albert Clarence Duggleby (64/64), Hull.
30.4.1931: Grimsby registry closed.
30.4.1931: Albert Clarence Duggleby appointed manager.
1.5.1931: Registered at Hull (H369).
1931: Sold to Spurn Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Hull.
4.1935: Sold to Alexander Robb, Aberdeen (managing owner).
23.4.1935: Hull registry closed.
25.4.1935: Registered at Aberdeen (A266).
3.9.1936: On an Icelandic trip (Sk. Robert Robb); eleven crew. In bright visibility and light wind stranded on reef ‘Skallarif’, at Huna Floi, Iceland.
3.9.1936: Crew left vessel in boat and landed on beach. Later reboarded but found flooding and damage and decided refloating was not possible.
4.9.1936: Took to boat and with no sign of habitation they rowed further down the coast and arrived at Kálfshamarsvik. Subsequently in strong winds and heavy weather vessel broke up.
24.9.1936: Aberdeen registry closed. “Total loss”.

Note: The Court made the following statement. “ … it is clear that the stranding of this vessel was due not only to the careless navigation of those in charge of her, but also to the fact that the skipper, being unacquainted with the methods of correcting compass errors or of taking observations, was unable to ascertain his position with any approach of accuracy.
In view of these facts, the Court feel it incumbent on them to point out that the present system of granting certificates to skippers of steel and iron trawlers without requiring them to show that they know how to take observations and to correct the errors of the compass, is bound to lead, as it has done in this and many other instances, to the loss of vessels and risk of life.
Without either a sextant or quadrant on board, and, were it on board, without the knowledge how to use it, the skippers of these trawlers are practically without any means of verifying their point of departure from these and similar fishing grounds where no land can be seen.”

Click to enlarge images

S.T. Evelyn FD59
Picture courtesy of The Fred Baker Collection

S.T. Evelyn H369
Picture courtesy of The Greenday Collection

Changelog
19/12/2008: Page published 5 updates since then.
10/05/2017: Removed FMHT watermarks from images.
06/08/2020: Updated history.