Additional information courtesy of Bill Blow & Andy Hall

Technical

Official Number: 139947
Yard Number: 527
Completed: 1917
Gross Tonnage: 212
Net Tonnage: 82
Length: 115.5 ft
Breadth: 22.1 ft
Depth: 11.9 ft
Engine: 450ihp T.3-cyl and boiler by A. Hall & Co Ltd, Aberdeen
Built: A. Hall & Co Ltd, Aberdeen

History

4.1917: Launched by A. Hall & Co Ltd, Aberdeen (Yd.No.527) for The Earl Steam Fishing Co Ltd (64/64), Grimsby as RILETTE.
5.5.1917: Alick Black designated manager.
7.5.1917: Registered at Grimsby (GY1046).
5.1917: Completed. Requisitioned from the builders for war service as a minesweeper (1-12pdr, 1-7.5” A/S Howitzer and Hydrophone) (Ad.No.3340). Based Portland – Southern Patrol.
31.5.1917: Sold to William James Barrett (64/64), Grimsby.
1.6.1917: William James Barrett designated managing owner.
1.6.1917: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Barclays Bank Ltd, London (A).
By 12.3.1919: Returned to owner at Grimsby.
25.6.1919: Mortgage (A) discharged.
3.7.1919: Sold to Edward Ernest Cox (64/64), Grimsby.
5.7.1919: Edward Ernest Cox designated managing owner.
5.7.1919: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to London City & Midland Bank Ltd, London (B).
22.7.1919: Shares (32/64) sold to Carr Wray Brown (32/64), Cleethorpes.
27.8.1927: Carr Wray Brown (32/64) shares sold to Ralph Cox (32/64), Grimsby.
29.8.1927; Edward Ernest Cox & Ralph Cox designated managing owners.
30.1.1928: Discharge of mortgage (B).
30.1.1928: Ralph Cox (32/64) shares mortgaged to Midland Bank Ltd, London (C).
30.1.1928: Edward Ernest Cox (32/64) shares mortgaged to Midland Bank Ltd, London (D).
26.11.1928: Returned to Grimsby from North Sea grounds, Sk. F. W. Christian reported that deckhand Duncan Ayres was washed overboard in heavy weather and drowned. In the evening at the Board of Trade office an inquiry was held. Skipper F. W. Christian, said the mizzen top lift broke and he ordered Ayres and George William Cunninhham, third hand to go aft to make things secure. The vessel was overwhelmed by a heavy sea, which put out all lights except one. Cunningham said he braced his arm round the gallows bars when the sea swept the vessel and was carried over the side and came to the surface about six feet at the stern of the ship. Luckily there was a line floating over the stern, and catching hold of this he hauled himself on board. As he was walking along the deck to the galley he heard the cry “Man Overboard”, at the same time he saw a pair of hands clutching at the rail. He could not see who it was, but it transpired that it was Ayres. Cunningham made a gallant effort to drag the man up over the side by the wrists and was able to get a hold of the man’s oil frock, but apparently exhausted, Ayres fell back into the sea leaving part of his oil frock in Cunningham’s hands.
21.4.1931: Arrived Blyth from Grimsby for bunkers before proceeding to the Icelandic fishing grounds.
28.1.1932: Homeward in thick fog when some five miles NE of Spurn Light Vessel, collided with Icelandic trawler HAFSTEIN (IS449).
Sustained heavy damage to starboard shell plating in way of fish room and bunkers, but managed to continue and arrived safely at Grimsby. HAFSTEIN apparently only suffered light damage and proceeded on passage.
13.6.1932: Mortgages (C) and (D) discharged.
13.6.1932: Sold to Thomas Harrison Scales Snr and Thomas Harrison Scales Jnr, (joint owners 64/64), Newhaven, Edinburgh.
17.6.1932: Thomas Harrison Scales Snr designated managing owner.
18.6.1932: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Royal Bank of Scotland Ltd, Edinburgh (E).
18.12.1933: At Aberdeen landed 240 boxes and 8 score long fish.
23.11.1934: Grimsby registry closed.
24.11.1934: Registered at Leith (LH35).
11.1934: Sold to Thomas H. Scales & Sons Ltd, Newhaven, Edinburgh. Thomas Harrison Scales, Jnr designated manager.
31.9.1942: Sold to J. Marr & Son Ltd (64/64), Fleetwood for £10,250. Geoffrey Edwards Marr designated manager.
29.6.1943: Typical wartime landing. 325 kits – hake-270, flats-5, ling/coley-50.
15.11.1944: At Fleetwood landed 122 boxes from Home waters.
23.4.1945: At Fleetwood landed 750 boxes (700 hake).
25.04.1945: At a Fleetwood Juvenile Panel a 16 years old Fleetwood boy pleaded guilty to stealing 34 stone of hake from the trawler. The fish was valued at £1-3s and belonged to J. Marr and Son, Ltd. The boy had been before the court twice previously, once for stealing timber, and second time for stealing wooden posts.He was fined 40s, ordered to pay an advocate’s fee of £1 1s. and 7s. 6d. costs. He was allowed a month to pay.
2.1946: Sold to Rilette Trawling Co Ltd (64/64), Grimsby for £13,000. George Cedric Wilson designated manager.
2.1946: Leith registry closed.
18.2.1946: Registered at Grimsby (GY173).
11.3.1946: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Midland Bank Ltd, London (F).
30.1.1947: Mortgage (F) discharged.
31.1.1947: Sold to David Wood, Alexander Bruce & William Simpson, Aberdeen (64/64 joint owners).
10.2.1947: David Wood designated managing owner.
10.2.1947: Grimsby registry closed.
22.2.1947: Registered at Aberdeen (A278).
4.8.1947: Arrived Aberdeen with the body of Andrew McKay who died in hospital in Thorshavn, Faroe Islands after taking ill while being cook on the steam trawler SILVERDYKE (A.459).
25.7.1949: Sold to Clova Fishing Co Ltd (64/64), Aberdeen. David Wood designated manager.
10.1.1952: At Aberdeen Sheriff Court it was stated that Robert Strachan Mundie (20), trawl fisherman, Aberdeen, returned to trawler lying in Aberdeen harbour, he broke into the Skipper’s berth, opened the bonded store and stole a bottle of whisky, three quart bottles of rum,100 cigarettes and two oz. tobacco. He was later traced by the police and most of the goods recovered. Mundie was fined £5 when he admitted the offence but he also had to pay a further £3 when charged by the Customs with bringing goods ashore goods without duty paid.
13.11.1958: Sold to John Lewis & Sons Ltd (64/64), Aberdeen and sold for breaking up at Hemixem near Antwerp.
27.11.1958: Aberdeen registry closed “ Sold to foreigners (Belgian subjects). Advice received from owners.”

Click to enlarge image

S.T. Rilette LH35
Picture from the Internet

Changelog
04/01/2009: Page published. 8 updates since then.
09/04/2018: Removed FMHT watermark from image.
07/11/2022: Updated information.

Technical

Additional information courtesy of Erling Baldorf and Helensburg Heritage Trust

Official Number: 139599
Yard Number: 668
Completed: 1916
Gross Tonnage: 270
Net Tonnage: 113
Length: 125.2 ft
Breadth: 23.5 ft
Depth: 12.6 ft
Built: Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby
Engine: T.3-cyl and boiler by C. D. Holmes & Co Ltd, Hull

History

15.8.1916: Launched by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby (Yd.No. 668) for Neale & West Ltd, Cardiff as KUNISHI.
5.2.1917: Completed. Wilfred Neale, Morley H. Neale & Joshua S. Neale designated joint managers.
24.4.1917: Registered at Cardiff (CF46).
7.1917: Requisitioned for war service as a minesweeper (1-12pdr, Hydrophone) (Ad.No.3343). Based Taranto.
By 12.3.1919: Returned to owner at Cardiff.
1920: Sold to Victor Basquet, La Rochelle. Cardiff registry closed. Registered at La Rochelle as PELICAN.
1927: Sold to J. Marr & Son Ltd, Fleetwood for £5500. Joseph Arthur Marr designated manager.
15.6.1927: Registered at Fleetwood as N0RINA (FD150).
1920: Remeasured 268g 111n.
1927: Remeasured 270g 113n 12.6 ft depth of hold.
4.1927: Geoffrey Edwards Marr designated manager.
3.9.1927: Sailed Fleetwood for West of Scotland grounds.
4.9.1927: At about 4.25am in dense fog when making for Lismore Light off the south tip of Mull, stranded. Holed aft but managed to refloat at 7.30 am and proceeded to Oban for repairs.
8.9.1927: Repairs completed to satisfaction of Fleetwood Mutual Insurance Association representative. Sailed for fishing grounds.
12.9.1927: Trawl fouled propeller. Cleared and steamed for fresh grounds.
18.9.1927: Completed fishing and set course for home. In fog and drizzle stranded on the Isle of Jura, about one hours steaming from the Rubha a Mhail (Rhuvaal) light whilst making for Islay Sound.
19.9.1927: Steam trawler SARBA (FD177) intercepted a wireless message sent to steam trawler VELIA (FD49).
20.9.1927: At about 3.15am. SARBA arrived on the scene and at daybreak she was joined by VELIA. Both trawlers connected but were unsuccessful in refloating.
21.9.1927: In the morning the Glasgow tug FLYING SPRAY (217grt/1917 – 823ihp) (Mr Roger Owen) arrived, connected and after three quarters of an hour succeeded in refloating. After check for leaks sailed for Fleetwood in tow.
22.9.1927: Delivered Fleetwood on morning tide and landed 400 boxes. Slipped, repaired and returned to service.
1.4.1929: Joseph A. Marr retired to manage Dinas Steam Trawling Co Ltd.
4.1929: Geoffrey Edwards Marr designated manager.
2.1931: Stranded in Sound of Islay. Refloated, repaired and returned to service.
11.8.1933: Arrested by fishery cruiser MINNA while fishing Butt of Lewis ground.
23.11.1933: At Stornoway Sheriff Court, Sk. William Rendall Drever was charged with trawling within prohibited waters off Point Ness, Lewis; failing to exhibit regulation lights; obscuring or altering the registration numbers and failing to stop when ordered and obstructing the boarding party. He pleaded Not Guilty.
26.1.1934: Sk. William Rendall Drever was found guilty on all four counts and fined £100, £20, £15 and £50 respectively with alternative imprisonment. 1.1940: Requisitioned for war service as a boom defence vessel (P.No.Z.145) (Hire rate £78.15.0d/month). Cost of conversion £12,491. Based Loch Ewe (Glenelg).
2.10.1942: Sold to Thomas Ross Ltd, Grimsby for £9850.
23.11.1943: Compulsorily acquired by M.O.W.T. Based at Fort William (D. MacBrayne Ltd, Glasgow, agents).
6.3.1945: Operating from Fort Bannatyne. In Loch Striven laying a buoy. At approximately 11.15am. completed task and underway. At 11.20am. miniature submarine XE11 -”Lucifer” (Lieut. Aubrey “Eustace” Staples SANF); five crew all told, submerged on trials came up to 10ft and was in collision. Submarine ran along under keel until struck by propeller and pressure hull breached. Submarine sank until resting on the bottom on even keel in about 210-215 feet, First Lieutenant, Sub Lieut. Bill Morrison RNVR and Engine Room Artificer Leslie Swatton, escaped but CO and two others drowned*. Submarine subsequently raised by NORINA, bodies recovered and buried in Rothesay Cemetery.
12.1.1946: Fleetwood registry closed. Laid up. Estimated cost of re-conditioning £8,750.
5.1947: Sold to BISCO for breaking up.
1949: Still in LR. No owners listed.

XE11 crew lost – Lieutenant Aubrey “Eustace” Staples SANF, Seaman Torpedoman J. J. Carroll and Stoker E. Higgins.

Note. The escape by S/Lt Morrison and ERA Carroll from 210-215ft remains the deepest unaided ascent from a submarine and features in the Guinness Book of Records.

Click to enlarge image

S.T. Norina FD150
Picture from the Internet

S.T. Norina FD150
Picture courtesy of The Frank Pook Collection

Changelog
01/01/2009: Page published. 3 updates since then.
12/03/2016: Picture added.
09/10/2016: Information added.
27/02/2020: Updated information.