Additional information courtesy of Bill Blow, Andy Hall and Douglas Paterson

Technical

Official Number: 109031
Yard Number: 221
Completed: 1898
Gross Tonnage: 191.01
Net Tonnage: 70.29
Length: 112.7 ft
Breadth: 21 ft
Depth: 11.6 ft
Built: Cochrane & Cooper Ltd, Beverley
Engine: 350ihp T.3-cyl and boiler by Bailey & Leetham, Hull

History

6.4.1898: Launched by Cochrane & Cooper Ltd, Beverley (Yd.No.221) for The East Coast Steam Trawling Co Ltd (64/64), Hull as GENERAL.
26.5.1898: Registered at Hull (H397). Robert Blades designated manager.
1.6.1898: Completed.
12.1898: Sold to The Palatine Steam Fishing Co Ltd (64/64), Grimsby.
27.12.1898: Registered at Grimsby (GY1014).
30.12.1898: Hull registry closed. Arthur Jeffs designated manager.
9.1.1899: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to The York City & County Banking Co Ltd, York (A).
15.11.1901: Arrived Grimsby. Sk. George Linnet reported that James Goodgroves, deck hand was washed overboard on Wednesday 13 Nov. Stated that deceased left the bridge to attend the fires. He was away a long time and the second hand and the skipper went in search, but could find no trace. The BoT inquiry, held by Mr Bach, found that no blame could be attached to any one.
04.11.1904: In collision with the steam trawler XANTHOSIA (GY368) near Lower Burcom buoy, Humber estuary striking her on the port side, the damage to the shell plating being so severe that with the ingress of water she started to settle. Crew transferred and vessel foundered within five minutes. Survivors landed at Grimsby.
22.11.1906: Mortgage (A) discharged.
30.11.1906: Sold to Harry Birch Jeffs (64/64), Grimsby.
30.11.1906: Sold to Harry Birch Jeffs & George William Jeffs, Grimsby (64/64 joint owners).
31.11.1906: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to The York City & County Banking Co Ltd, York (B).
1.12.1906: George William Jeffs designated managing owner.
05.09.1907: A BoT inquiry was held at Grimsby into the mysterious disappearance of a young trimmer, named Johnson, on the last trip when the trawler was some ten miles from Codling Head, Faeroe. Sk. Bantock had ordered Johnson to shoot the fish livers into a cask at the trawler’s stern. Later, he heard a cry of “Man overboard.” The engines were immediately rung full speed astern and Johnson was seen struggling in the water. The crew gathered life lines and lifebuoys, but before the vessel reached the struggling man, he disappeared beneath the waves, and was not again seen; Johnson was heavily clad and could not swim. A verdict of accidental death by drowning was recorded and no blame attached to Sk. Bantock.
12.5.1908: Arrested by German gunboat ZEEDER while off German coast inward to IJmuiden to land (Sk. Grimmer). Taken to Cuxhaven but released 24 hours later with no charge. Owners protested.
8.1912: New boiler.
11.6.1913: At Grimsby Coroner’s Court held at the Grimsby Hospital an inquest was held into the death of Thomas Patrick Magee (37), a foreman in the fish empties yard of the Great Central Railway Co. Magee had sailed in the trawler as the guest of Sk. Michael Coghan. Shortly after sailing for the fishing grounds, Magee complained of a headache and the skipper administered smelling salts. Later Magee became worse, suffering from delusions and tried to jump overboard seeking to rescue people he believed were in the water. Despite every possible attention by the skipper Magee died the following day and the vessel returned to Grimsby where the body was conveyed to the mortuary. The post mortem revealed death was due to congestion of the brain caused by the excessive use of alcohol and a verdict was recorded by the Coroner (Mr Thomas Mountain) in accordance with the medical testimony.
1.1.1914: Tonnage altered to 75.99 net under provision of Merchant Shipping Act 1907.
29.10.1914: Mortgage (B) discharged.
31.10.1914: Sold to John Gervase Campbell, James Thomson, Michael Thomson, Charles Bruce Miller & Charles Clark Fraser, Aberdeen (64/64 joint owners).
5.11.1914: John Gervase Campbell designated managing owner.
6.11.1914: Grimsby registry closed.
10.11.1914: Registered at Aberdeen (A173).
1915: Sold to The Aberdeen General Steam Fishing Co Ltd (64/64), Aberdeen. John G. Campbell designated manager.
1.5.1915: Sold to Martinus Augustus Olesen & Edith Kendall, Cleethorpes.
15.6.1915: While on the Icelandic fishing grounds, at about 6.30am., deckhand George Durrant (36), Aberdeen was discovered to be missing.
16.6.1915: George Durrant’s body was picked up in the net of a Hull trawler and returned to the vessel, landing him at Seyðisfjörður where he was interred.
29.6.1915: Landed a catch of 40 tons at Aberdeen.
29.7.1915: Sold to The Hesketh Steam Trawlers Ltd, Fleetwood. Ernest Taylor, Thornton-le-Fylde designated managers.
29.5.1917: Requisitioned for Fishery Reserve.
1919: Released.
7.3.1919: Aberdeen registry closed.
8.3.1919: Registered at Fleetwood (FD76).
1922: Joseph A. & Harold Taylor appointed managers.
1924: Sold to William Gray, Dunbar.
1925: Sold to J. Flockhart, Newhaven, Edinburgh. Alex Flockhart, Leith designated manager.
2.2.1927: On the fishing grounds 210 miles NE of the Isle of May, Firth of Forth, trawled up a large skull measuring about 4 feet 10 inches long by 3 to 4 feet across. On return to Leith the skull was landed and identified by the Natural History Department of the Royal Scottish Museum as a bottle nosed whale, probably about 24 ft long.
1927: Sold to N.V. Visscherij Maats Poolzee (Jac. Frater Smid & G. Prins), IJmuiden.
29.11.1927: Fleetwood registry closed.
12.1927: Remeasured 182g 44n.
12.1927: Registered at IJmuiden as POOLZEE (IJM77).
1940s: Fishing out of Fleetwood. Bloomfield’s Ltd, Fleetwood managing agents.
5.6.1943: Typical landing. 279 kits – hake-235, cod/codling-15, haddock-3, flats-4, ling/coley-16, roker-3, gurnard-2, dogs-1.
1948: Whaleback fitted.
4.1951: Sold for breaking up. IJmuiden registry closed.
Click to enlarge image

S.T. Poolzee IJM77
Picture courtesy of Jan Harteveld

Changelog
21/12/2008: Page published. 6 updates since then.
27/10/2017: Removed FMHT watermark.
25/12/2017: Significant information update.
30/10/2020: Updated history.