Trawler/Liner

Additional information courtesy of David Lewis, Birgir Þórisson and Bill Blow

Technical

Official Number: 110879
Yard Number: 233
Completed: 1899
Gross Tonnage: 227
Net Tonnage: 90
Length: 114 ft
Breadth: 21.6 ft
Depth: 12 ft
Engine: 420ihp T.3-cyl and boiler by Charles D. Holmes & Co, Hull
Built: Cochrane & Cooper Ltd, Selby

History

29.3.1899: Launched by Cochrane & Cooper Ltd, Selby (Yd.No.233) as a liner for Viking Steam Fishing Co Ltd (64/64), Grimsby as KING ERIK.
28.4.1899: Registered at Grimsby (GY10). John E. Rushworth designated manager.
28.4.1899: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Arthur Henry Leslie Melville & Eustace Abel Smith, Lincoln (joint mortgagees) (A).
29.4.1899: Completed.
9.1899: Converted to side fishing.
30.9.1899: Mortgage (A) discharged.
30.9.1899: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to The York City & County Banking Co Ltd (B).
29/30.1.1901: In North Sea with steam trawler DERBY (GY153), came upon German steamer MARTHA SAUBER (1463grt/1888), running short of coals whilst towing German steamer ETHEL (1036grt/), disabled with broken tailshaft on a voyage from Hamburg to Tyne. Cast off tow and both trawlers connected to ETHEL in position 54.5N 1.37E; towage to the Tyne was resumed at about 11.00am.
31.1.1901: Delivered Tyne at 11.30am.
19.4.1901: The Admiralty Division Court awarded each trawler £250 (Owners-£175; skipper-£25; mate-£15; engineer-£12 and crew £1 each).
6.11.1902: Sold by order of the mortgagee under mortgage (B) to Frank Barrett (64/64), Grimsby.
8.11.1902: Frank Barrett designated manager.
6.11.1902: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to The Stamford, Spalding and Boston Banking Co Ltd, Gt. Grimsby (C).
3.8.1904: Mortgage (C) discharged.
16.9.1904: Sold to Ole Gogstad, Sandefjord, Norway registered owner Aktieselsk “KING ERIK”.
29.9.1904: Grimsby registry closed.
10.1904: Registered at Sandefjord (SD33).
31.1.1907: At the Sheriff Court at Elgin, Sk. Hans Christian Andersen was found guilty of trawling within forbidden limits in the Moray Firth and fined £100 or sixty days imprisonment. Fine not paid and imprisoned at Inverness. Released following representation by the Norwegian Government.
1911: Sold to Gustav Emil Forum, Esbjerg. Sandefjord registry closed. Registered at Esbjerg (E169).
10.1911: New boiler by Palmer’s Shipbuilding & Iron Co, Hebburn-on-Tyne.
25.5.1914: Out of Grimsby for Moray Firth fishing grounds, blowing strong SW near gale. At 8.00 am when off Spurn Light, condenser burst. Set course for Grimsby but when off the Bull had to anchor to attend to ingress of water from condenser sea cock and pipework. Ingress not arrested and proceeded Clee Ness, beached and sea cock temporarily sealed, engine room pumped out. At about 2.00 pm summoned tugs, refloated and brought into Grimsby for repair.
1915: Sold to Frank Barrett (64/64), Grimsby.
3.1915: Sandefjord registry closed.
1915: Re measured 228g 90n.
31.3.1915: Registered at Grimsby (GY474).
31.3.1915: Frank Barrett designated manager.
11.4.1915: Requisitioned for war service as a minesweeper (1-3pdr) (Ad.No.1368). Based Egypt.
By 12.3.1919: Returned to owner at Grimsby.
1.1.1920: Sold to William Frank Gower (64/64), Grimsby.
12.4.1920: William Frank Gower designated managing owner.
1.4.1920: Sold to Direct Fish Supplies Ltd (64/64) London.
19.4.1920: George William Payne Margarson, Grimsby designated manager.
23.3.1922: Company in voluntary liquidation.
10.8.1922: Placed in compulsory liquidation.
9.10.1922: Sold by the liquidator George Digby Pepys, to Thomas William Baskcomb (64/64), Grimsby.
8.12.1922: Thomas William Baskcomb designated manager.
27.7.1923: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to The Grimsby Trawler Owners Direct Supply Co Ltd, Grimsby (D).
20.6.1924: Mortgage (A) transferred to Harry Allen Baskcomb, Grimsby.
31.3.1925: Mortgage (D) discharged.
1.4.1925: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Harry Allen Baskcomb, Grimsby (E).
1.4.1925: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to The Grimsby Trawler Owners Direct Supply Co Ltd, Grimsby (F).
1929: New boiler.
13.11.1937: Mortgage (F) discharged.
24.4.1940: Mortgage (E) discharged.
2.5.1940: Sold to Boston Deep Sea Fishing & Ice Co Ltd, Fleetwood.
9.5.1940: Basil A. Parkes, Thornton-le-Fylde designated manager.
3.9.1941: Sailed Fleetwood for Icelandic grounds (Sk. Francis H. Davidson); fifteen crew all told.
5.9.1941: Sailed Tobermory for Iceland after repair.
6.9.1941: When some 120 miles WSW of Faroe Islands, at 2330 torpedoed by U-boat (U.141) without warning, ship hit and exploded; all crew lost*.
27.10.1941: Loss reported to families.
7.5.1942: Grimsby registry closed “Ship missing since 5/9/41, presumed lost”.

*Lost – Sk. Francis Henry Davidson (40), Cleethorpes; John Bradford Brewer (32), 2nd Hand; Frederick Durbin (38), 3rd Hand, Hull; George Aisthorpe (56). Ch Eng; William Arthur Watson (37) 2nd Eng, Fleetwood; Eddie Christopher Bowles (54), John James Grundy (20), Fleetwood, Walter Austin Helme (18), Fleetwood, Arthur Leach (44), Hull, Thomas Wall (28), George Wilkins (50), Hessle and Joseph Wroe (37), Hull, Deckhands; George Cyril Bond (25) and William Matthew Lewis (38), Grimsby, Firemen/Trimmers; James Garton (52), Cook..
Note: U 141 (Schuler) hit two trawlers with torpedoes on consecutive days. One was JARLINN and the other KING ERIK. Both vessels exploded

Click to enlarge images

S.T. King Erik GY474 at Grimsby
Picture from the Internet

S.T. King Erik GY474
Picture courtesy of The Steve Farrow Collection

Changelog
16/01/2009: Page published. 5 revisions since then.
02/12/2014: Information updated.
29/12/2018: Removed FMHT watermark and updated information.
04/12/2020: Updated history.