Additional information courtesy of Christine Simm and Birgir Þórisson
Technical
Official Number: 129350.
Yard Number: 463
Completed: 1911
Gross Tonnage: 211.39
Net Tonnage: 78.80
Length: 115.4 ft
Breadth: 22.5 ft
Depth: 12.4 ft
Built: Alexander Hall & Co Ltd, Aberdeen
Engine: 450ihp T.3-cyl by Alexander Hall & Co Ltd, Aberdeen
History
4.1.1911: Launched by Miss Kennard, daughter of the Skipper, George T. W. Kennard, at Alexander Hall & Co Ltd, Aberdeen (Yd.No.463) for Wetherly’s Steam Fishing Co Ltd (64/64), Aberdeen as MARGARET WETHERLY.
17.1.1911: Registered at Aberdeen (A344). William R. Wetherly designated manager.
1.1911: Completed. Sk. George T. W. Kennard (17.1.1911 – 30.11.1911).
30.1.1911: Landed 130 boxes/6 score.
8.4.1911: Landed 400 boxes/600 score.
6.1911: Fishing out of Fleetwood (Sk. George T. W. Kennard) (Messrs Smith, Jameson & Holmes, managing agents).
10.6.1911: Landed 171 boxes.
21.6.1911: Landed 230 boxes.
3.7.1911: Landed 219 boxes.
7.1911: Returned to Aberdeen.
17.8.1911: Landed 200 boxes/5 score.
20.8.1911: Landed 115 boxes.
10.10.1911: At Fleetwood landed 170 boxes.
28.10.1911: Landed a light shot and 100 crans of herring.
5.4.1912: Landed 70 boxes/55 score.
16.4.1912: Landed 120 boxes/10 score.
w/e 20.4.1912: Sailed Aberdeen along with trawlers MARY WETHERLY (A344) and LOCH LEE (A325) to conduct operations in Iceland.
16.5.1912: Landed from an Iceland trip 700 boxes/300 score.
20.8.1912: At Fleetwood Landed 115 boxes.
27.9.1912: At Fleetwood landed 274 boxes.
22.10.1912: At Aberdeen landed 120 boxes/17 score.
1913: Fishing out of Aberdeen (Messrs Smith, Jameson & Holmes agents).
8.1.1913: Landed 25 boxes/11 score.
1.9.1913: Landed 400 boxes, £200 gross.
18.12.1913: Landed 120 boxes/12 tons.
10.2.1914: Landed 160 boxes/15 tons side fish.
30.3.1914: Landed 210 boxes/60 score.
13.3.1915: Sold to William Alexander Leith, Aberdeen.
6.1915: Requisitioned for war service and converted for boom working, based Scapa.
1917: At Scapa, used as an accommodation ship.
1920: Returned to owner.
10.2.1920: Typical day. With eighteen trawlers and two steam liners landed an aggregate catch of 270 tons.
25.9.1920: Landed a good shot of 97 crans. Prices ranged from 52s 6d to 94s 6d per cran.
1921-2.1923 Landing mainly at Aberdeen.
5.1.1921: With seventeen trawlers landed an aggregate catch of 303 tons.
3.1923: Fishing out of Fleetwood.
6.3.1923: Landed 80 boxes.
23.3.1923: Landed 190 boxes.
9.5.1923: Landed 160 boxes.
19.7.1923: Landed 310 boxes.
8.1923: Returned to Aberdeen.
7.3.1924: With twenty-eight trawlers and two steam liners landed an aggregate catch of 405 tons.
31.7.1924: Landed at North Shields.
10.1.1925: Arrived Burntisland from Aberdeen to load bunker coal, on completion sailed for fishing grounds.
22.7.1925: Typical day. With thirty-one trawlers and seven steam liners landed an aggregate catch of 435 tons.
23.4.1926: At Aberdeen Sheriff Court, James Johnstone Fraser, 2nd Eng, was charged with neglecting, or refusing, without reasonable cause, to proceed to sea in the trawler. Fraser did not appear in court and his wife pleaded guilty on his behalf. Fraser had arrived at the trawler drunk and delayed the sailing for about an hour. When the ship was in mid channel he requested the skipper to return to harbour, but he refused. The accused then jumped onboard a passing inbound trawler. The Sheriff ordered a fine of 24s – two days’ wages – and £1 8s 4d expenses. The alternative was seven days imprisonment.
21.8.1926: Typical day With thirty-one trawlers and three steam liners landed an aggregate catch of 375 tons.
19.9.1927: Landed at North Shields.
28.5.1928: Typical day. With twenty-eight trawlers and two steam liners landed an aggregate catch of 405 tons.
6.6.1929: Typical day. With thirty-one trawlers and sixteen steam liners landed an aggregate catch of 245 tons, including 47 tons of Iceland fish.
18.2.1930: With twenty-four trawlers and three steam liners landed an aggregate catch of 235 tons, including 60 tons from Iceland by two German trawlers.
3.6.1930: Sold to Thomas Thomson Brown, Leith. Thomas T. Brown designated managing owner.
25.8.1931: Sold to James Johnston, Leith. James Johnston designated managing owner.
25.8.1931: Aberdeen registry closed.
8.1931: Registered at Granton (GN32).
11.1.1934: Sailed Aberdeen for the fishing grounds (Sk. Philip Stevenson, Edinburgh).
12.1.1934: When fishing some 105 miles NE of Buchan Ness, Second fisherman, Joseph Mulligan was engaged in shooting the trawl. When blocking up, the messenger hook broke and the preventer chain struck Mulligan knocking him overboard. A lifebelt was thrown to him and he managed to catch it but was unable to retain his hold, apparently due to injury. George Galbraith (33)*, deckhand, jumped in the sea and managed to get hold of Mulligan but a heavy sea separated them and Mulligan disappeared. Cruised the vicinity for two hours but Mulligan was not seen again. He left a widow and one daughter.
24.1.1938: At Aberdeen reported that in the fiercest storm in memory, had boat swept overboard.
23.3.1939: Sailed Granton for the fishing grounds. When only a few miles out, the lower door of the boiler blew out. Fortunately no one was injured and returned to Granton assisted into harbour by the steam trawler INVERCAULD (GN47).
5.2.1943: On a West Coast trip. In severe weather foundered 5 miles S of Loch Spelve, Isle of Mull. All eleven crew saved.
7.2.1943: Survivors arrived back in Granton. Granton registry closed.
Note *. 17.4.1934: At a Ceremony in Edinburgh, George Galbraith, 236 Marionville Road, Edinburgh, received £5 and the Honorary Testimonial on vellum of the Royal Humane Society for his efforts to save Joseph Mulligan.
Changelog
30/08/2021: Page published.