Category Archives: Lost Vessels

Vessels that have been lost

S.T. Somersby (1) GY208

Additional information courtesy of Bill Blow

Technical

Admiralty Number: 4214
Official Number: 144363
Yard Number: 437
Completed: 1919
As built: 360disp 125.6 x 23.5 x 12.8 feet
Gross Tonnage: 274.39
Net Tonnage: 108.61
Length: 125.0 ft
Breadth: 23.5 ft
Depth: 12.6 ft
Built: John Chambers Ltd, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft
Engine: 480ihp T.3-cyl by Fraser & Chalmers Ltd, Erith
Boiler: Palmers Shipbuilding & Iron Co Ltd, Hebburn-on-Tyne

History

1919: Launched by John Chambers Ltd, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft (Yd.No.437) (“Castle” class) for The Admiralty as THOMAS LAWRIE (Ad.No.4214).
04.04.1919: Advertised for sale.
10.4.1919: Tenders to be received by 12 o’clock noon.
01.10.1919: Completed as a fishing vessel ex fishing gear.
1920: Allocated to the National Fishery Scheme for the setting up of the Minesweepers’ Cooperative Trawling Society Ltd, London.
3.2.1920: Registered by The Admiralty at London (Part I & IV) as THOMAS LAWRIE O.N.144363 (LO318).
13.8.1920: Minesweepers’ Cooperative Trawling Society Ltd, London registered.
3.1921: At HM Dockyard, Devonport completed fitting out for fishing under Special Survey of Lloyd’s Register and classed 100A1 Stm Trawler at Plymouth.
1.1922: Scheme abandoned, the necessary working capital of £100,000 having not been subscribed. Laid up.
17.10.1922: Advertised for sale.
12.1924: Sold to Boston Deep Sea Fishing & Ice Co Ltd (64/64), Grimsby. Fred Parkes, Wyberton, Boston designated manager.
9.12.1924: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Midland Bank Ltd, London (A).
6.2.1925: London registry closed.
13.2.1925: Registered at Grimsby (GY208).
5.3.1925: Registered at Grimsby as SOMERSBY (GY208) (BoT Minute No.1008 dated 24.1.1925).
1926: Fred Parkes, Blackpool designated manager.
14.7.1926: Mortgage (A) discharged.
15.7.1926: Sold to Oscar Dahl, La Rochelle.
3.8.1926: Grimsby registry closed.
8.1926: Remeasured 296g. 90n.
8.1926: Registered at La Rochelle as LES BARGES II.
21.11.1939: At 12.50 pm in Bay of Biscay in company with several Spanish fishing vessels, stopped by U-boat (U41), fifteen crew abandoned in boat before vessel was sunk by gunfire in position 45.35N 3.22W. Survivors picked up by Spanish fishing vessel PAZ y TRABAJO and landed at Pasaia (Pasajes). A further seventeen trawlers were stopped that day, but all being neutral Spanish, they were not detained.
12.1939: La Rochelle registry closed.

Changelog
03/05/2014: Information updated.
26/01/2017: Information updated.
20/07/2020: Updated information.

S.T. Skirbeck BN81

Additional information courtesy of Christine Simm, and Gary Hicks Plymouth Merchant Ships

Technical

Official Number: 108561
Yard Number: 597
Completed: 1898
Gross Tonnage: 171.35
Net Tonnage: 66.08
Length: 110.0 ft
Breadth: 21.0 ft
Depth: 11.2 ft
Built: Edwards Bros, North Shields
Engine: 350ihp T.3-cyl and boiler by MacColl & Pollock Ltd, Sunderland

History

27.9.1898: Launched by Edwards Bros, North Shields (Yd.No.597) for Wilfred Jackson (64/64), Plymouth as FLUCIE FLOSS.
5.12.1898: Registered at Plymouth (PH404). 5.12.1898: Wilfred Jackson c/o J. K. Mackrill & Sons, Grimsby designated managing owner.
12.1898: Completed with electric light and special arrangements in the cabin accommodation for conversion to a yacht.
29.12.1898: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to James Harry Edwards & George Straker Falck Edwards, North Shields (joint mortgagees) (A).
5.5.1899: Mortgage (A) transferred to Arthur Leslie Melville & Eustace Abel Smith, Lincoln (joint mortgagees).
9.9.1899: As a yacht, arrived Boulogne-sur-Mer from Brighton.
15.9.1899: Sailed Boulogne-sur-Mer for Dieppe.
28.3.1900: Sold to Smiths Dock Co Ltd, North Shields. Refurbished as a trawler.
28.3.1900: Sold to The Boston Deep Sea Fishing & Ice Co Ltd (64/64), Boston.
31.3.1900: Eustace Smith, Grimsby designated manager.
4.4.1900: Mortgage (A) discharged.
9.4.1900: James Bloomfield designated manager.
27.6.1900: Registered at Plymouth as SKIRBECK (PH404) (BoT Minute M10492 dated 25.6.1900).
27.6.1900: Plymouth registry closed.
27.6.1900: Registered at Boston (BN81).
28.6.1900: Sailed Boston (Capt A. Cutting) with invited guests for BDSF&I Co Ltd annual trip to sea. Landing at Cromer and returning to Boston.
29.6.1900: Sailed Boston (Capt A. Cutting) with invited fish merchants. Beyond the Inner Dowsing the trawl was got down and a fine bag of fish taken.
By 1906: Fred Dennison designated manager.
By 1909: Thomas D. Donaldson designated manager. Fishing out of Fleetwood (Fred Dennison, Fleetwood managing agent).
8.8.1910: Observed fishing and hauling inside the limits in Cardigan Bay.
12.8.1910: Landed at Fleetwood (Sk. William Powley), 80 boxes plus 4 boxes of soles.
23.9.1910: At Aberaeron Magistrates Court, Sk. William Powley was charged with fishing inside the limits off Llandow, Cardigan Bay. Pleaded guilty and fined £15 and 3gns advocate’s fee.
1913: Daniel Walker designated manager.
22.8.1914: On a North Sea trip 120 miles from Heligoland (Sk. J. Baker), stopped by German minelaying cruiser SMS ALBATROSS, crew taken prisoner and trawler sunk by gunfire. Crew interned in Germany.
09.1914: Boston registry closed.
7.1915: Sk. Baker died in hospital due in no small part to the conditions in which he was detained at Sennelager. Another member of the crew Henry Marsden (52) had died at Sennelager on 7th June from bronchial pneumonia and pleurisy.

Click to enlarge images

S.T. Skirbeck BN81

S.T. Skirbeck BN81
Picture from the Internet

S.T. Skirbeck BN81

S.T. Skirbeck BN81
Picture courtesy of The David Slinger Collection

S.T. Skirbeck BN81

S.T. Skirbeck BN81
Picture courtesy of The David Slinger Collection

Changelog

03/01/2014: Page published. 11 revisions since then.
30/11/2014: Information updated.
30/01/2019: Removed FMHT watermarks from images.
11/03/2019: Added an image.
30/05/2021: Updated information.

S.T. Gelsina (1) GY869

Additional material courtesy of Bill Blow

Technical

Official Number: 138946
Yard Number: 327
Completed: 1916
Gross Tonnage: 226.27
Net Tonnage: 108.88
Length: 117.0 ft
Breadth: 22.0 ft
Depth: 12.7 ft
Built: Cook, Welton & Gemmell Ltd, Beverley
Engine: 450ihp T.3-cyl and boiler by Amos & Smith Ltd, Hull

History

12.10.1915: Launched by Cook, Welton & Gemmell Ltd, Beverley (Yd.No.327) for Walter Olney (64/64), Fleetwood.
7.2.1916: Registered at Grimsby (GY869).
7.2.1916: Alick Black, Grimsby designated manager.
18.2.1916: Completed.
2.1916: Requisitioned for war service as a minesweeper (1-3pdr HA) (Ad.No.3258).
25.6.1917: Mined off Girdle Ness and foundered in position 57.07N 01.58W . Mine laid by U.boat (UC40). Four men lost*.
16.4.1919: Grimsby registry closed “Ship lost on Admiralty service 25.6.17”.
Lost * Peter Brown, 2nd Hand, John D. Meldrum & Henry Neslen, Deckhands, George S. Buchan & Alexander H. Clark, Trimmers all RNR

Changelog
04/12/2013: Page published. 2 updates since then.
28/10/2020: Updated technical details.

S.T. Uranus H1293

In Parkes (Fleetwood) ownership. Did not fish from the port.

Technical

Yard Number: 740
Completed: 1920
Gross Tonnage: 429
Net Tonnage: 157
Length: 150 ft
Breadth: 25 ft
Engine: T.3-cyl and boiler by Charles D. Holmes & Co Ltd, Hull

History

6.3.1920: Launched by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby (Yd.No.740) for Louis Dero, Le Havre as URANUS.
7.9.1920: Completed. Registered at Le Havre (H1293).
6.1921: Sold to Sociètè Havraise de Pèche, Le Havre.
1925: Transferred to Fécamp.
1929: Sold to Basil Parkes, Fleetwood.
1.1930: Sold to Victor Fournay, Boulogne. Le Havre registry closed. Registered at Boulogne as MARC ACHILLE (B1400).
04.02.1939: Off the south west Norway coast, at about 1.00am stranded 2 miles SW of Utsire, pumps unable to cope with ingress of water. Norwegian fishing vessel NIBDDJUPEVAG responded to distress and all crew taken off. At about 5.30am vessel rolled over and foundered. Boulogne registry closed.

Changelog

31/01/2013: Page published. 2 updates since then.

S.D/T. Harvest Gleaner FR73 (Seasonal)

Technical

Official Number: 146492
Yard Number: 91
Completed: 1918
Gross Tonnage: 96
Net Tonnage: 35
Length: 86.2 ft
Breadth: 18.5 ft
Depth: 9.3 ft
Engine: T.3-cyl by North British Engine Works Ltd, Whiteinch, Glasgow
Boiler: Edwind Danks & Co (Oldbury) Ltd, Oldbury
Built: Colby Brothers Ltd, Oulton Broad

History

1918: Launched by Colby Brothers Ltd, Oulton Broad (Yd.No.91) (“Admiralty drifter”) for The Admiralty as BLIZZARD (Ad.No.3971).
30.7.1918: Completed with 1-6pdr) and mine-sweep.
1.10.1918: At Penzance with ‘Drifter Sweepers’.
1921: Sold to Kingston Steam Trawling Co Ltd, Hull (Walter Scott, manager).
11.7.1922: Registered at Hull as SATINSTONE O.N.146492 (H585).
1.1925: Sold to Alexander C. Bruce & Peter Bruce, St. Combs, W. B. Ritchie & Peter Buchan, Fraserburgh, Charles L. Minty, Fraserburgh and R. Irvin & Sons Ltd, North Shields .
29.1.1925: Hull registry closed.
30.1.1925: Registered at Fraserburgh as HARVEST GLEANER (FR73). Alexander C. Bruce designated managing owner.
1938: Seasonal fishing from Fleetwood (Alex Keay agent).
5.1938: Shares sold to Charles L. Minty, Gardenstown & others and R. Irvin & Sons Ltd, North Shields.
17.5.1938: Registered at Banff (BF484).
25.11.1939: Requisitioned for war service as a minesweeping drifter (Hire rate £26.0.0d/month).
28.10.1940: Off Suffolk coast attacked by German aircraft and subsequently foundered. Four crew lost*.
20.4.1943: Banff registry closed “Lost n Naval Service”.

*Lost – Seymour Stephenson, Stoker PO; Maurice G. Langridge and Arthur Swaby, OS – killed. Charles A. L. Edwards, Stoker, died of wounds

Changelog

31/12/2012: Page published. 3 updates since then.
25/12/2020: Information updated.