Additional information courtesy of David Slinger
The last Fleetwood coal fired steam trawler to go for demolition.
Technical
Official Number: 163155
Yard Number: 1115
Completed: 1933
Gross Tonnage: 397
Net Tonnage: 151
Length: 150.5 ft
Breadth: 25.6 ft
Depth: 13.6 ft
Built: Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby
Engine: T.3-cyl and boiler by Amos & Smith Ltd, Hull
History
10.7.1933: Launched by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby (Yd.No.1115) for Pickering & Haldane’s Steam Trawling Co Ltd, Hull as LORD LLOYD.
6.9.1933: Registered at Hull (H508).
12.9.1933: Completed Albert Turgoose & James Clark designated joint managers.
19.7.1939: Sailed Hull for Bear Island (Sk. P. M. Petersen).
25.7.1939: Insured value £19,100.
4.8.1939: At Hull landed from Bear Island – 16 days 1203 kits £685 gross.
1939: To sale to The Admiralty, at Hull landed from Iceland/Bear Island/White Sea (Sks. P. M. Petersen, E. Fawcett) 190 days 13,254 kits £10,611 gross.
8.1939: Sailed Hull for Sunderland (Sk. William Oliver).
7.9.1939: Sold to The Admiralty (£20,763). Fitted out as an anti-submarine trawler (P.No. FY.157).
13.9.1939: Hull registry closed. Based Harwich with 19th A/S Group. Later at Scapa Flow as patrol and escort.
1943: Involved in dumping at sea the 425lbs Torpex explosive charges ex Welman submarines from S/M depot ship HMS TITANIA (P.No.F.32) in Loch Cairnbawn.
8.1945: On Tyne “To return to Fishing”.
20.10.1945: A Control Committee was formed to manage Hull and Grimsby trawlers which had been bought by the Admiralty in pre war and were being offered for sale back to their original owners. The owners who bought back these vessels and wanted to take part in the scheme agreed to register the trawlers under the Hull Ice Co. Ltd and profits were shared. Management of the trawlers was given to the companies which had bought them.
6.5.1946: Sold to Hull Ice Co Ltd, Hull for £14,235. Thomas W. Boyd designated manager.
16.5.1946: Registered at Hull (H263).
16.11.1946: Sold to Lord Line Ltd, Hull for £14,235 + £1. Thomas W. Boyd designated manager.
17.04.1950: Sold to Associated Fisheries Trawling Co Ltd, Hull for £9,500 (Lord Line in liquidation)
22.07.1953: Company restyled Lord Line Ltd, Hull.
7.1.1956: Sailed Hull for White Sea last trip before transfer (Sk. R. Briggs).
2.2.1956: At Hull landed 533 kits £1,902 gross
7.10.1956: Sold to Wyre Trawlers Ltd, Fleetwood for £5,022.
7.10.1956: Hull registry closed.
8.10.1956: Registered at Fleetwood (FD52). Leslie Wheildon designated manager.
31.5.1959: On Iceland grounds fishing under protection, accused of illegal fishing by Icelandic coastguard vessel MARÍA JÚLÍA (151) (161grt/1950). Blank round fired and order to heave to. Fishery Protection warship HMS DUNCAN (F80) intervened. Escorted clear by Fishery Protection warship HMS MALCOLM (F88) and left fishing grounds for home with MARÍA JÚLÍA, still following.
3.6.1959: Unable to keep up and with no chance of detaining the trawler, MARÍA JÚLÍA abandoned the chase.
9.1960: On an Icelandic trip (Sk. William Spearpoint); eighteen crew all told.
14.9.1960: On east coast Icelandic grounds approx 30 miles from shore, in heavy weather and 45mph gale, started to take water. Crew secured two liferafts together, abandoned and taken onboard Ostend motor trawler BELGIAN SKIPPER (O316).
15.9.1960: Vessel still afloat, boarded, secured line from WYRE MARINER (FD34) (Sk. Percy Bedford) and towed to Seydisfjordur. (Leak caused by hull fitting of echo sounder breaking away). Sk. Percy A. Bedford arrested for illegal fishing said to have been carried out on 7.7.1960 off the island of Hvalbakur.
17.9.1960: Court in Reykjavik fined Sk. Bedford £2,000 or seven months imprisonment.)
19.9.1963: Sold to West of Scotland Shipbreaking Co Ltd, Troon for breaking up.
3.10.1963: Sailed Fleetwood for Troon under own power.
4.10.1963: Arrived Troon Harbour (draughts 6’6”/16’6”).
9.3.1964: Breaking commenced.
13.3.1964: Reberthed.
7.4.1964: Second reberthing.
15.4.1964: Beached (draughts 4’6”/7’6”).
28.4.1964: Rebeached.
26.5.1964: Breaking completed.
1964: Fleetwood registry closed.
Notes
It was September 14th 1960 when the drama involving the 397-ton LORD LLOYD began to unfold. Water began to enter the engine room when the coal-burning trawler reached the fishing grounds and the vessel began to sink in a 45mph gale, some 30 miles from shore, due to an echo sounder fitting breaking away.
The crew took to two rubber liferafts – lashed together. First over the side was the youngest member of the crew, 16 year old Cliff Martin of Blakiston Street. His first trip in LORD LLOYD was a galley boy but on this – his second voyage – he was sailing as a “brassie”. As the liferafts tossed and turned a Belgian trawler moved in to the rescue and took the men aboard.
The crew was led by Skipper Bill Spearpoint whose son was mate. As daylight broke the crew saw the LORD LLOYD still afloat. One said “It seemed that the old lady just wouldn’t die.” Soon on the scene was the WYRE MARINER Commanded by Skipper Percy Bedford. The rescued seamen were transferred to the MARINER – and the fight to save their ship continued.
She was taken in tow and Skipper Spearpoint and 3 others went back aboard for the trip to Seydisfjordur. Fireman James Leader later described the state of the trawler.
“You could feel the water rushing under your feet when you stood in the galley. We counted the rungs on the engine room ladder to check the rise in the level.The engines were covered in water – 30 tons of coal had been washed into the stokehold and the fish room was flooded. But it was probably the fact that she was so well ballasted that kept her afloat. Luckily the gale died down during the night” said Mr Leader.
The tow lasted 11 hours but the drama had not ended…for the British and Icelandic governments were still negotiating on fishing limits. As the WYRE MARINER reached Seydisfjordur Skipper Percy Bedford towing the crippled LORD LLOYD was arrested.
Charged with illegal fishing inside Iceland’s self-imposed 12 mile limit some 2 months earlier he was fined £1,90. Skipper Bedford pleaded not guilty and the Reuter News Agency reported Skipper Bedford as saying; “If I had imagined anything like this I would have let that trawler sink to the bottom rather than tow it into Seydisfjordur.”
He told the court that he had no indications he was suspected of illegal fishing. He had obeyed orders to stay outside the limits since May. It was alleged that on the day in question in July an aircraft had flown over the mariner for three and a half hours signalling it with rockets and flashing Morse.
The coastguard plane took eight fixes showing the trawler was inside the limits. The vessel did not heed the signals.
Skipper Bedford said he hadn’t seen any aircraft. Wyre trawlers Ltd – owners of both the LORD LLOYD and WYRE MARINER – declined to comment about Iceland’s action.
A spokesman said, “The heroic service by Skipper Bedford and the crew of the WYRE MARINER to another trawler in distress – in the best tradition of the fellowship of the sea – still remains the main aspect of this matter.” But there was little trouble over fishing limits when the rescued crew landed at the Icelandic port.
There was some booing from a crowd on shore as the trawlers were escorted in by the Icelandic gunboat THOR. “They probably thought we’d been nabbed for illegal fishing” said one deckhand, But on the whole the crew got a friendly reception.
Skipper Bedford’s only comment on the court action when he reached Fleetwood was “It was a shabby trick. I’d never have shown my face in Iceland if my conscience has not been clear.”
He said the LORD LLOYD had been on the verge of sinking when WYRE MARINER reached her. Three weeks later the ship that refused to sink returned to Fleetwood.
Click to enlarge images
S.T. Lord Lloyd FD52
Picture courtesy of The Frank Pook Collection
S.T. Lord Lloyd FD52
Picture courtesy of The Peter Hearn Collection
S.T. Lord Lloyd FD52
Picture from the Internet
Lord Lloyd Crew after the rescue
Picture courtesy of The Phil Smith Collection
Changelog
12/01/2009: Page published. 6 updates since then.
25/05/2014: Picture of crew added.
10/12/2015: Information updated.
01/05/2017: Removed FMHT watermark from images.
06/11/2020: Updated history.
