Technical
Official Number: 143469
Yard Number: 357
Completed: 1917
Gross Tonnage: 286
Net Tonnage: 112
Length: 130 ft
Breadth: 23 ft
Depth: 12.2 ft
Built: Cook, Welton & Gemmell Ltd, Beverley
Engine: 600ihp T.3-cyl and boiler by Amos & Smith, Hull
History
Ordered by Great Grimsby & East Coast Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Grimsby as the CORINTHIA purchased by The Admiralty on the stocks.
30.1.1917: Launched by Cook, Welton & Gemmell Ltd, Beverley (Yd.No.357) (non standard “Mersey” class) for The Admiralty as JOHN APPLEBY (Ad.No.3612).
25.5.1917: Completed as an A/S trawler (1-12pdr, Hydrophone and W/T).
1919: Registered by The Admiralty at London (Part I) as JOHN APPLEBY O.N.143469.
03.02.1920: Registered at London (Part IV) (LO286).
13. 08.1920: Minesweepers’ Cooperative Trawling Society Ltd, London registered.
By 18.09.1920: Allocated to Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries, London and engaged in commercial trawling.
1920: Allocated to the Minesweepers’ Cooperative Trawling Society Ltd, London.
11.1920: At John I. Thornycroft & Co Ltd, Woolston completed fitting out for fishing under Special Survey of Lloyd’s Register and classed 100 A1 Stm Trawler at Southampton.
01.1922: Scheme abandoned, the necessary working capital of £100,000 having not been subscribed. Laid up.
01.1923: Sold to Fleetwood Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Fleetwood.
18.01.1923: London registry closed.
19.01.1923: Registered at Fleetwood (FD424). George E. J. Moody, Grimsby designated manager).
22.02.1923: Registered at Fleetwood as LOIS (FD424).
12.12.1923: Responded to distress from steam trawler PETER KILLEN (FD406) stranded on small island off Isle of Lismore, Loch Linnhe.
13.12.1923: With steam trawler IDA ADAMS (FD327), connected and successfully refloated. After carrying out checks, PETER KILLEN proceeded to Fleetwood.
1926: Sir George E. J. Moody, Grimsby designated manager.
1938: Will B. Moody, Grimsby designated manager. William Moody Kelly, Fleetwood managing agent.
20.11.1939: Off Tory Island, Co. Donegal picked up crew of SEA SWEEPER (FD171) stopped by U-boat (U.33) and sunk by gunfire.
27.2.1940: Requisitioned for war service as a minesweeper (P.No. FY.781) (Hire rate £83.8.4d/month).
31.11.1944: Returned to owner.
30.12.1946: Sailed Fleetwood for Icelandic grounds (Sk. George Smith); sixteen crew all told.
5.1.1947: Arriving at Iceland at night in a heavy blizzard and mountainous seas, stranded at Grindavik, south west coast of Iceland. Within minutes of firing the distress rockets the Lifesaving team arrived and the first line shot straddled across the deck. Breeches buoy rigged and fifteen crew taken off*. The skipper was last man to leave, but holding on to rigging before getting into buoy, a huge wave hit him and he disappeared.
12.1.1947: Flight from Iceland delayed by bad weather. Survivors boarded plane for Prestwick.
13.1.1947: Survivors arrived in Fleetwood. Later body of Sk. George Smith (42) was recovered and brought back to Fleetwood in an Icelandic cargo vessel. Six of his crew acted as pall bearers at his funeral. Persistent gales and high seas completely destroyed the trawler.
21.1.1947: Fleetwood registry closed “Total Loss”.
(John Appleby, OS (volunteer), age 24, b. Yorkshire – VICTORY (SB426))
* Rescued (all Fleetwood unless stated) – Harold Christian Kaiser, Blackpool, Mate; Mark Trott, Bosun; Michael J.Hearty, Ch. Eng; Christopher E. Bond, 2nd Eng; Colin s. Hunter; John Barratt; George Harrison; R. G. Reeve; Joseph Brunt; Phillip T. Wuhr; William C. Greaves, Preesall & Max I. Wilson, Blackpool, deckhands; James O’Dea, Blackpool & J. Connolly, firemen; H. C. Scott, cook.
** Lost George Smith, Skipper.
Click to enlarge image
S.T. Lois FD424
Picture from the Internet
S.T. Lois FD424
Picture from the Internet
Changelog
22/01/2009: Page published. 3 updates since then.
03/02/2017: Removed disputed image.
01/09/2020: Updated history and added an image.
16/11/2020: Updated information.
23/11/2020: Updated history.