Additional information courtesy of of Bill Blow

Technical

Official Number: 138983
Yard Number: 670
Completed: 1916
Gross Tonnage: 209
Net Tonnage: 91
Length: 115.8 ft
Breadth: 21.5 ft
Depth: 11.6 ft
Built: Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby
Engine: 400ihp T.3-cyl by Crabtree & Co Ltd, Great Yarmouth
Boiler: Riley Bros (Boilermakers) Ltd, Stockton-on-Tees

History

22.1.1916: Launched by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby (Yd.No.670) for John Denton Marsden (64/64), Grimsby as CASTOR.
18.8.1916: Registered at Grimsby (GY963).
1.9.1916: Completed.
6.9.1916: Sold to The Grimsby & North Sea Steam Trawling Co Ltd (64/64), Grimsby.
7.9.1916: John Richardson Mackrill designated manager.
9.1916: Requisitioned for war service (Ad.No.2960).
9.1916: Fitted with WT, Hotchkiss 12pdr gun and mine-sweep. Fitted as Half Leader. Allocated to Unit No.150 “Trawler Sweepers” based Devonport (Lieut. W. Leitch RNR).
10.1916: Remains with Unit No.150 “Trawler Sweepers” now based Falmouth to replace Unit No.87 transferred to Havre. (Lieut. W. Leitch RNR).
3.1917: Renamed CASTOR II. Based Falmouth.
1.10.1918: At Penzance for General Patrol and Escort work (Lieut. RNR).
7.10.1918: At 10.45pm in collision and sank HM Drifter OCEAN FOAM (Ad.No.1954) (YH970) in Penzance Bay. All crew saved.
By 12.3.1919: Returned to owner at Grimsby and reverted to CASTOR (GY963).
19.12.1919: Alfred Bannister appointed manager.
5.8.1921: Sold to Lindsey Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Grimsby.
15.8.1921: Edwin Bacon Snr appointed manager.
15.4.1931: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Edwin Bacon Snr, Grimsby.
29.11.1939: Requisitioned for war service designated for minesweeping conversion.
2.12.1939: Returned to owner.
21.5.1940: Mortgage (A) discharged.
22.10.1943: Sold to Bay Fisheries Ltd (64/64), Fleetwood.
27.10.1943: Basil Arthur Parkes appointed manager.
02.05.1946: Grimsby registry closed.
04.05.1946: Sold to Government of Poland, Warsaw under the UNRRA scheme; operated by Przedsiebiorstwo Polowow Dalekomorskich i Uslug Rybackich “Dalmor”, Gdynia. Registered at Gdynia as KASTOR (GDY100).
18.05.1946: Arrived at Gdynia and employed in the Baltic Sea training fishermen.
27.07.1949: Taken out of service and temporarily used to supply steam to the training hulk BENIOWSKI (1912grt/1905). Later broken up and Gdynia registry closed.

ANNEX A

9.1916: Fitted with WT and Hotchkiss 12pdr gun and fitted out for minesweeping duties (Ad.No.2960). Allocated to Unit 150 “Trawler Sweepers” based Devonport (Lieut. W. Leitch RNR).

Click to enlarge images

S.T. Kastor GDY100
Picture courtesy of The Roger Griffiths Collection

S.T. Castor GY963
Picture courtesy of The Bill Blow Collection

S.T. Castor GY963
Picture courtesy of The David Slinger Collection

05/03/2009: Page published. 6 updates since then.
30/06/2016: Picture added.
09/11/2016: Picture added.
07/11/2019: Information updated.