Additional information courtesy of Birgir Þórisson

Technical

Official Number: 134776
Yard Number: 146
Completed: 1913
Gross Tonnage: 296.35
Net Tonnage: 120.64
Length: 130.2 ft
Breadth: 23.0 ft
Depth: 12.2 ft
Built: Cook, Welton & Gemmell Ltd, Beverley
Engine: 520ihp T.3-cyl and boiler by Amos & Smith Ltd, Hull

History

8.4.1913: Launched by Cook, Welton & Gemmell Ltd, Beverley (Yd.No.146) for The Standard Steam Fishing Co Ltd (64/64), Grimsby as SARGON.
4.6.1913: Registered at Grimsby (GY858).
4.6.1913 : Walter William Butt designated manager.
6.1913: Completed.
2.1914: Requisitioned for war service as a minesweeper (1-6pdr HA) (Ad.No.702).
1919: Returned to owner.
21.03.1921. At Reykjavik, along with steam trawlers CARABINEER II (GY1048), KASTORIA (GY1017) and SERIEMA (GY504) fined 10,000 krónur (£400) for illegal fishing with gear and catch confiscated. PAVLOVA (GY716) was fined 11,500 krónur because of the skipper’s long criminal record.
5.1.1923: Sailed Grimsby for White Sea grounds (Sk. J. McCarthy); twelve crew.
6.1.1923: In North Sea sighted Granton steam trawler ETHEL NUTTEN (GN59) in distress making water. With difficulty in poor weather conditions connected and commenced tow to Granton.
7.1.1923: After towing for 90 miles and when off May Island tow started to settle and foundered. Crew recovered.
8.1.1923: Crew landed at Leith and with them deckhand H. Beavers who was injured when casting off tow; he was replaced by John Bell, Granton.
3.2.1923: Homeward having left Lofoten Islands.
4.2.1923: Encountered storm force weather.
6.2.1923: Storm intensified blown off course and lost position.
8.2.1923: Bunkers and provisions low. Hoisted distress.
20.2.1923: Posted missing.
27.2.1923: After drifting for sixteen days in North Atlantic sighted by German trawler SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN (PG324).
28.2.1923: Launched boat and went over to the German twice for provisions but on final return boat dashed against side while connecting for lift out and smashed. SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN connected and commenced tow to Iceland.
1.3.1923: Delivered Reykjavik.
2.3.1923: Owners and families informed. Bunkered (70 tons), provisioned and boat supplied.
5.3.1923: Sailed for Grimsby via Aberdeen to top up bunkers.
9.3.1923: Called Aberdeen.
11.3.1923: Arrived Grimsby.
26.8.1926: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Midland Bank Ltd, London (A).
8.4.1938: Bill Butt designated manager.
28.6.1938: Albert Wright Butt designated manager.
8.1939: Requisitioned for war service as a minesweeper (1-3pdr, 2-MGs)(P.No.FY.572) (Hire rate £76.14.6d/month).
1.12.1941: Mortgage (A) discharged.
14.1.1942: Sold to Saint Andrew’s Steam Fishing Co Ltd (64/64), Hull.
22.1.1942: Basil Arthur Parkes, Cleveleys designated manager.
3.7.1945: Returned to owner at Fleetwood.
25.7.1945: At Hull landed from Iceland – 19 days 1290 kits £3,936 gross.
30.11.1945: Insured value £17,000; for 1946 proposed same.
6.12.1945: Sold to Adam Steam Fishing Co Ltd (64/64), Fleetwood.
6.12.1945: Vessel mortgaged to Saint Andrew’s Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Hull for the sum of £16,000 with interest at 4% (B).
14.12.1945: Paul Stockhammer, London designated manager.
6.10.1947: Mortgage (B) discharged.
24.11.1948: Sailed Hull for Icelandic grounds (Sk. Alfred Jenner); seventeen crew all told.
30.11.1948: Left Reykjavik having had echometer repaired.
1.12.1948: Fishing off Staalbjerg Huk to the southward of Rödsands Bay. At about 10.00 am. in deteriorating weather conditions decided to seek shelter in Patreksfjörður. At 5.30 pm. in gale force winds and rough seas off Sraumness. By 6.00pm conditions had deteriorated further with ENE gale force 10 and visibility reduced to zero owing to snow storm. At 7.00 pm. dropped anchor paid out 41/2 shackles, but failed to hold. Dodging at the entrance and inside the fjord. At 10.00 pm. stranded inside Patreksfjörður, at the foot of the cliffs right opposite the village of Patreksfjörður and close to the sandy beach of Orlygshofn.
2.12.1948: Locals responded to rockets and by breeches buoy managed to rescue six men, four of these men had been sheltering in the forecastle over night and had been joined by the Second hand and another man from the bridge at about 5.30am. Eleven men sheltering on the bridge, all bar one, died from cold and exposure, the eleventh was in such a condition that it was not possible to detach his hands from the post he was clinging to and he must have been at the point of death*. Grimsby registry closed “Total loss”.
10.5.1949: At the Formal Investigation (S.411) held at Grimsby the Court found that the loss was due to very bad weather conditions in which visibility became nil. Tribute was paid by the survivors to the skipper for his attitude and bearing both before and after the stranding. The Court expressed its admiration for the untiring work done by the shore rescue party who had to come a long a long way over difficult country at night, in bitter weather, carrying the rescue apparatus. The Court was informed that this was not the only case in which such rescue work had been carried out by Icelandic people.
12.8.1949: Grimsby registry closed “Ship reported stranded and a total loss 1.12.1948”.

Lost * – Sk. Arthur Jenner (38); George Foreman (49), Bosun; Everett Silvester (35), Ch Eng; Harold Cowen (60), 2nd Eng; Francis Portz (21), John Collinson (36), Edward Richardson (17), Sparehands; Frank Moore (24), Alex Thomson (45), Trimmers; David Telfer (32), Deckie learner, Henry Huntsman (13), Apprentice.

Video of rescue operation
This is a long film and the soundtrack is in German, but it’s worth watching to see the conditions that the rescuers had to work in. The video can be found Here

S.T. Sargon GY858
Picture courtesy of The Mark Wahwerit Collection

S.T. Sargon GY858
Artwork © Steve Farrow

S.T. Sargon GY858
Picture by Steve Pulfrey courtesy of The Mark Stopper Collection

S.T. Sargon GY858
Artwork © Steve Farrow

S.T. Sargon GY858
Picture from the Internet

S.T. Sargon GY858
Picture from the Internet

S.T. Sargon GY858
Picture courtesy of Birgir Þórisson

Changelog
29/03/2010: Page published. 5 revisions since then.
02/07/2014: Picture 1 added.
12/11/2017: Removed FMHT watermarks.
14/03/2021: Updated history and technical details.
23/07/2021: Added link to the rescue of the crew.
24/07/2021: Updated history and added images.
25/07/2021: Further history update.