Additional information courtesy of Mike Thompson and Andy Hall

Technical

Official Number: 116170
Yard Number: 30
Completed: 1903
Gross Tonnage: 181.46
Net Tonnage: 62.57
Length: 109.1 ft
Breadth: 21.5 ft
Depth: 11.0 ft
Built: Cook, Welton & Gemmell, Beverley
Engine: 300ihp T.3-cyl and boiler by Amos & Smith Ltd, Hull

History

14.5.1903: Launched by Cook, Welton & Gemmell, Beverley (Yd.No.30) for The Great Northern Steamship Fishing Co Ltd (64/64), Hull as EMPEROR.
23.6.1903: Registered at Hull (H741).
23.6.1903: William R. Nowell designated manager.
6.1903: Completed.
10.3.1907: Fred Smith designated manager
27.12.1912: Arrived Hull and landed Ch Eng. William Henry Hodgson (53) who sustained a fractured left thigh when thrown against winch whilst carrying out repairs. Taken to Hull Royal Infirmary.
1.1.1914: Tonnage altered to 70.97 net under provision of Merchant Shipping Act 1907.
9.1914: Requisitioned for war service and designated for minesweeping duties (Ad.No.552).
2.1915: Returned to owner.
29.5.1917: Requisitioned for Fishery Reserve.
10.12.1918: Sold to Richard Ferguson Scotter & Richard Cammish (joint owners 64/64), Filey.
14.12.1918: Richard Ferguson Scotter designated managing owner.
30.1.1919: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to The London Joint City & Midland Bank Ltd, London (A).
1919: Released.
21.6.1920: Mortgage (A) discharged.
23.6.1920: Sold to The Emperor Steam Trawling Co Ltd, Scarborough.
27.7.1920: Returning to Scarborough signalled that they had brought a mine up in the trawl and warned other vessels to keep clear. Laid off and mine rendered safe by RN team before entering harbour.
28.7.1920: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to The London Joint City & Midland Bank Ltd, London (B).
26.8.1920: Richard Ferguson Scotter, Filey designated managing owner.
27.11.1923: Mortgagee restyled Midland Bank Ltd, London.
14.12.1923: Responded to distress signal and connected to German schooner ELLA of Lubeck, ten weeks out, Sundsvall for Thurso with timber and waterlogged. Delivered Hartlepool and berthed alongside Old Fish Quay awaiting repair.
10.03.1924: At the Admiralty Court London: Sir Henry Duke made an order for the appraisement and sale of the German schooner ELLA. The order for sale was made at the insistence of the salvors, who also asked for the sale of the cargo which had been landed at West Hartlepool, where it was lying under arrest.
29.10.1924: Trawling 30 miles east of Scarborough, at 3.00am in thick fog, in collision with steam drifter RESEARCH (YH421) on passage. Considerable damage to shell plating above and below waterline but no leakage evident. RESEARCH badly damaged at stem and proceeded North Shields.
9.2.1925: At the Admiralty Court London: Lord Merrivale, in default of appearance by the defendant ship owner, awarded £150 to the owners, master and crew of the EMPEROR in respect of salvage services rendered to the German schooner ELLA in December 1923. The schooner carried a cargo of timber, and it was stated that the salvors had already accepted a tender of £150 made by the cargo owner in respect of services to their property. The ELLA had been sold and the net proceeds in court amounted to £160 odd. Against this fund counsel stated there was a claim by the German crew pending for wages amounting to £174. It would be a question to be considered hereafter; whether the whole of that sum ranked before the claim of the salvors.
8.9.1925: Mortgage (B) discharged.
8.9.1925: Sold to Frank Thornley (64/64), Bolton.
24.9.1925: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to The Union Bank of Manchester Ltd, Manchester (C).
6.10.1925: At Hull Admiralty Court: his Honour Judge Head. The owners of the steam drifter RESEARCH of Yarmouth, claimed £300 damages against the owners of the trawler EMPEROR, of Scarborough. There was a counter claim for £352. 16s. His Honour found that the RESEARCH was going at an excessive speed in the circumstances, and that her signals were given at irregular intervals, while the EMPEROR had no proper lookout. The two ships were to blame and there would be an equal division loss, with no allowance as to costs.
11.10.1925: Frank Thornley designated managing owner.
03.12.1926: While fishing near the Bahama Bank in a strong NE gale (Sk. Frank Iddon), engine became disabled and began to drift. Flares were lit and burned for about one hour. With no response the only rocket was discharged and seen by the steam trawler HIBERNIA (FD354) which was fishing some distance away. Owing to the darkness and the sea state it was not possible to approach to communicate and HIBERNIA stood by until daylight when, with a moderation in the weather, closed and connected.
4.12.1926: Delivered Fleetwood.
5.12.1926: Taken into the Fish Dock and landed 35 boxes.
19.6.1928: Typical landing 67 boxes.
22.10.1928: Mortgage (C) discharged.
29.10.1928: Sold to Thomas Thomson Brown, Leith, Edinburgh.
2.11.1928: Thomas T. Brown designated managing owner.
12.11.1929: Sold to Mark Mansfield Robson, Milford Haven, Archibald Robert Locke, Hakin; Robert Alexander John Taylor, Hakin and Thomas David Davies, Milford Haven (joint owners 64/64).
5.12.1929: Mark M. Robson designated managing owner.
10.4.1931: Sailed for fishing grounds (Sk. Josiah Rowlands). When passing through the heads, Sk Rowland collapsed and died from a heart attack. Returned to Milford.
11.1936: Sold to Thos W. Ward Ltd, Sheffield for breaking up at Castle Pill.
30.3.1937: Hull registry closed. “Ship broken up. Advice received from owners”.

Click to enlarge image

S.T. Emperor H741
Picture courtesy of The Mike Thompson Collection

Changelog
19/12/2008: Page published. 2 updates since then.
12/09/2014: Picture added.
27/05/2017: Major information update. Removed FMHT watermark from image.
29/05/2017: Further information added.
30/06/2020: Updated information.