S.T. Evelyn Rose GY9 | The Bosun's Watch

Additional material courtesy of Bill Blow

Technical

Admiralty Number: 3831
Official Number: 143857
Yard Number: 838
Completed: 1918
Gross Tonnage: 325
Net Tonnage: 130
Length: 138.3 ft
Breadth: 23.7 ft
Depth: 12.8 ft
Built: Cochrane & Son Ltd, Selby
Engine: 600ihp T.3-cyl and boiler by Charles D. Holmes & Co Ltd, Hull

History

1918: Launched by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby (Yd.No.838) (“Mersey” Class) for The Admiralty as WILLIAM JACKSON (Ad.No.3831).
27.4.1918: Completed as an A/S trawler (1-12pdr, hydrophone and W/T).
29.3.1918: Accepted.
20.11.1919: Registered by The Admiralty at London (Part I) as WILLIAM JACKSON O.N.143857. Engaged in commercial trawling.
20.01.1920: Landed at Milford.
03.02.1920: Registered by The Admiralty at London (Part IV) (LO293).
By 18.06.1920: Allocated to Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries, London.
1920: Allocated to the Minesweepers’ Cooperative Trawling Society Ltd, London.
13.08.1920: Minesweepers’ Cooperative Trawling Society Ltd, London registered.
By 18.09.1920: Returned to The Admiralty. Laid up.
6.1921: Sold to Pickering & Haldane’s Steam Trawling Co Ltd, Hull. John McCann & Edward Cartwright designated managers.
11.6.1921: London registry closed. Cochrane & Sons Ltd contracted to refurbish as a fishing trawler, allocated yard No.754.
7.1921: Converted to a fishing vessel by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby (Yd.No.754) – 327g.
5.7.1921: Registered at Hull (H288).
18.8.1921: Registered at Hull as LORD BYNG (H288).
24.1.1929: Sold to The Bunch Steam Fishing Co Ltd (64/64), Grimsby.
29.1.1929: Walter Crampin designated manager.
28.1.1929: Hull registry closed.
29.1.1929: Registered at Grimsby (GY9). Fitted for lining to pursue the Greenland halibut fishery.
16.10.1930: Herbert G. Crampin designated manager.
18.9.1935: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to National Provincial Bank Ltd, London (A).
18.5.1936: Mortgage (A) discharged.
19.5.1936: Sold to Boston Deep Sea Fishing & Ice Co Ltd, Fleetwood.
26.5.1936: Basil Arthur Parkes, Cleveleys designated manager.
13.6.1936: First landing at Fleetwood 337 boxes £546 gross. First box of fish sold to J. Noble for £3.2.0d.
28.7.1936: Registered at Grimsby as EVELYN ROSE (GY9) (BoT Minute RG No.1305/1936 dated 29.7.1936). Operating out of East Coast ports.
1939: Transferred to Fleetwood.
27.11.1939: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Midland Bank Ltd, London (B). Pre 4.1940: Employed on Fishery Protection (WAS/Fort William/Fleetwood) (1-12pdr HA, 4 Lewis guns).
26.5.1940: Landed at Fleetwood from an Icelandic trip (Sk. Arthur Lewis). At 6.57pm. ‘Operation Dynamo’ (Dunkirk evacuation) put into effect. Coaled and provisioned.
27.5.1940: Requisitioned for war service (Hire rate £98.2.0d/month) (Ty/Sk. Arthur John Lewis RNR). Fleetwood Flotilla sailed North End, Fleetwood for English Channel with GAVA as Leader (Ty/Sk. F. Day RNR. Senior Officer Fleetwood Flotilla, P/Ty/Lieut. Francis Joseph Jordan RNR), in company with DHOON (FD438), EDWINA (FD205)(Ty/Sk. Percy Bedford RNR), JACINTA (FD235) (Ty/Sk. Jim Bettess RNR – mate) and VELIA (FD49) (Ty/Sk. John Clarkson RNR).
30.5.1940: Arrived Dover.
31.5.1940: At 0730 sailed for Ramsgate, entering harbour at 0910. At 2030 moved to anchor outside.
1.6.1940: At 0725 sailed Ramsgate for Dunkirk. Attacked by enemy aircraft all the way; returned fire. Arrived Dunkirk at 1125, embarked 130 troops. With Fleetwood Flotilla, cleared harbour at 1230 bound Ramsgate. Struck a wreck and lost one propeller blade. At 1400 concentrated enemy air attack. Aircraft returned at 1430, badly damaged by air attack. On arrival at Ramsgate 1900, beached. Troops landed. Temporary repair, refloated and ordered to Tilbury for repairs and fitted out for auxiliary patrol duties (P.No.4.136). Crew signed a three month contract under T.124 articles as civilians employed to serve alongside the Royal Navy in Naval uniform as members of Naval Auxiliary Personnel subject to Naval discipline.
7.6.1940: Ty/Sk. J. Nicholson RNR appointed CO. On completion of repairs commenced 3 day patrols in the English Channel as part of ‘invasion’ defence.
5.1941: Fitted out as a minesweeper. Ty/Sk. Charles Victor Spall RNR appointed CO.
4.7.1942: Ty/Sk. Alfred Louis Blowers RNR appointed CO.
15.11.1942: Mortgage (B) discharged.
7.1945: Returned to owner at Fleetwood.
7.8.1945: Sold to The Cevic Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Fleetwood.
13.8.1945: Richard Neave designated manager.
23.12.1948: Returned to Fleetwood (Sk. J. Chard) and reported that on the Iceland grounds making water in the coal bunker. Temporary repairs were carried out and left for home, experiencing gale force winds and heavy seas on passage. Repaired and returned to service.
22.11.1949: Homeward from an Icelandic trip (Sk. James Pegler); twenty crew all told*. Stranded in darkness, heavy seas and rain while on passage through the Sound of Islay.
23.11.1949: Twelve crew members taken off by Port Askaig lifeboat which returned to standby. Insurance Surveyor H. T. Chapman attended. Concrete poured into vessel in early forenoon but could not seal the hull.
24.11.1949: Part catch discharged to CEVIC (FD7) for shipment to Fleetwood along with eight crew men**.
26.11.1949: Part catch landed (£780 gross).
1.12.1949: Refloated by Liverpool & Glasgow Salvage Association vessel Ranger (408grt/1880) and berthed at Port Askaig Pier.
3.12.1949: Returned to Fleetwood.
4.12.1949: In Wyre Dock found to be making water but high winds prevented tug putting her on slip; pumps activated.
5.12.1949: Placed on slipway and hole discovered in shell plating port side forward.
6.12.1949: Placed on grid for repair.
2.1950: Repairs completed and returned to fishing.
30.12.1954: Early morning sailed Fleetwood for Faroe fishing grounds (Sk. William Dawson); fourteen crew all told.
31.12.1954: At 12.30 am. with the Bosun on watch, Skipper and a lookout in the wheelhouse, stranded about 15 yds from Ardtornish Light, Morven while in transit through the Sound of Mull in southerly wind, fresh breeze, good visibility. Observed by the Mate that she had rode up forward which lowered the stern and she was taking in water aft. While attempting to launch the boat and the Skipper trying to contact Oban Radio Station, the trawler slipped off the rocks and foundered quickly. The two survivors*** were thrown into the water, the mate using two fish baskets swam to the shore and met the deckhand. Seeing no other survivors on the shore, the pair set off to summon help and walked barefoot five miles round the head of Lochaline to Ardtornish estate office. Mr S. Henry, the factor, informed the police and organised a search party but in the darkness there was no sign of the ship or any survivors. In daylight the body of the fireman was discovered and that of the deckhand a little later. Both survivors and the two bodies taken by motor boat to Oban. (Position of wreck is uncertain possibly located in 130m, 400m from shore. (Original loss in approx position 56.31N 5.45W in 60-80m)). Grimsby registry closed.
23.7.1955: At MoT formal inquiry (S.433) at Fleetwood the court found Sk. Dawson had made an error in navigation by misinterpreting the image on the radar screen, resulting in the vessel stranding.

(William Jackson, OS (volunteer), age 28, b. Edinburgh – VICTORY (SB94))

* 22.11.1949: Crew all Fleetwood unless otherwise stated – Sk. J. Pegler; A. Hay, Mate; G. Stables, Bosun; R. Pender, Ch Eng; J. Kershaw, 2nd Eng; J. Coles, Lymm, Cheshire, wireless operator; J. Unsworth, H. R. Wright, W. J. Cutt, J. Jacobson, W. Wade, F. Bennett, V. Swain, S. Latkowski & J. King, Preston, deckhands; S. Turner, W. Macatter, Preston, firemen; A. H. Watters, app. fireman; J. S. Smith, Blackpool, cook; K. Morris, Radcliffe, assist. cook.

** 25.11.1949: Crew that returned to Fleetwood – Deckhands – V. Swain, J. Unsworth, W. J. Cutt & J. Jacobson; Firemen – W. Macatteer, Preston; S. Turner; App. Fireman – A. H. Watters; Assist Cook – K. Morris

*** 31.12.1954: Survivors – William Crawford (40), Mate, Fleetwood and Ernest Meyer (33), deckhand, Great Harwood.

Bodies recovered – Leonard Evans, fireman and Frederick Thornton, deckhand.

Lost – Sk. W. Dawson, Fleetwood; C. Holder, Bosun, Fleetwood; R. Barton Ch Eng, Fleetwood: R. Leadbetter, 2nd Eng, Fleetwood; K. Atkins, Wythenshaw, J. Salthouse, Blackpool, C. Chard, Fleetwood, A. McDermott, Fleetwood, C. R. Holden and R. W. E. Barlow, Deckhands; L. F. Evans, Blackpool and D. J. Rees, Fleetwood, Firemen; H. Saunders, Bradford, Cook.

Click to enlarge images

S.T. Evelyn Rose GY9
Picture from the Internet

S.T. Evelyn Rose GY9
Picture courtesy of The Mark Stopper Collection

Changelog
27/01/2009: Page published. 9 updates since then.
11/12/2015: Information updated.
03/06/2016: Minor information update.
15/09/2019: Information updated.
15/06/2020: Information updated.