Wartime Visitor
Additional information courtesy of Mike Thompson and 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
Depth: 12.9 ft
Built: Cook, Welton & Gemmell Ltd, Beverley
Engine: 96nhp T.3-cyl and boiler by C. D. Holmes & Co Ltd, Hull
Speed: 11 knots

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 Charles 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 £465)

17.4.1926: Launched by Cook, Welton & Gemmell Ltd, Beverley (Yd.No.484) 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 (John W. Lown, manager).
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 336.45Brt 129.48n 42,76 x 7,31 x 3,93 metres.
12.4.1939: Registered at Ostend as NAUTILUS (O160).
16.09.1939: With Belgian trawler EDUOARD van VLAANDEREN (O262) (324Bgt/1926) picked up twenty crew of British steamer TRURO (974grt/1922) (Capt John C Egner) stopped by U-boat (U.36) 150 miles E of Kinnaird Head, crew ordered into lifeboats and sunk with torpedo.
17.09.1939: Survivors landed at Aberdeen.
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 miscellaneous Naval duties. Renamed JAY.
11.1941: To deploy to East Indian Station.
1.1942: At Freetown, Sierra Leone.
8.2.1942: Arrived Walvis Bay, South Africa onward for Cape Town.
11.2.1942: At Cape Town. To operate as a controlled minelayer (P.No.M02(?).
16.4.1942: Sailed Cape Town for Mauritius.
25.4.1942: Arrived Mauritius. Base ship HMS MANCHESTER CITY (P.No.M17).
27.5.1942: In company with Manchester City sailed for Diego Suarez.
30.5.1942: Arrived Diego Suarez.
5.1943: Controlled minefield laid and in operation.
8.1943: At Colombo, Ceylon.
17.9.1943: Sailed Colombo for Trincomalee, but returned with machinery problem.
25.9.1943: Sailed Colombo for Trincomalee.
21.10.1943: Sailed Trincomalee for Colombo.
23.10.1943: Arrived Colombo.
4.12.1943: Sailed Colombo for Trincomalee.
7.12.1943: Arrived Trincomalee.
12.1944: 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.
12.11.1946: Returned to service (Sk Theodore Asseloos).
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.

Click to enlarge image

S.T. Nautilus O160
Picture courtesy of The Jan Harteveld Collection

Changelog

14/08/2010: Page published. 4 updates since then.
10/09/2015: Picture added.
14/09/2018: Removed FMHT watermark from image.
19/06/2021: Updated history.