In Marr (Fleetwood) ownership. Did not fish from the port
Technical
Official Number: 160093
Yard Number: 490
Completed: 1928
Gross Tonnage: 359
Net Tonnage: 156
Length: 140.4 ft
Breadth: 24.0 ft
Depth: 13.2 ft
Engine: T.3-cyl and boiler by C. D. Holmes & Co Ltd, Hull
Built: Cook, Welton & Gemmell Ltd, Beverley
History
6.1927: The Board of Thomas Hamling & Co Ltd, Hull decided to build three distant water trawlers. Contracts were signed with Cook, Welton & Gemmell Ltd to build the ships at £9,440 each and C. D. Holmes & Co Ltd to make the engines and boilers at a price of £6,300 per unit. Total cost £15,740 per vessel. The names chosen were St. MELANTE, St. ALEXANDRA and St. DELPHINE.
10.12.1927: Launched by Cook, Welton & Gemmell Ltd, Beverley (Yd.No.490) for Thomas Hamling & Co Ltd, Hull as St. ALEXANDRA.
9.1.1928: Registered at Hull (H373).
12.1.1928: Completed trials and accepted (Thomas Boyd, manager).
14.1.1928: Sailed Hull on first trip (Sk. Alfred Fletcher).
29.6.1936: Thomas Boyd resigned from board to form Boyd Line Ltd, Hull.
29.6.1936: Harold Watson Hall appointed manager.
2.1939: Selected for procurement by The Admiralty.
28.2.1939: Sailed Hull for Liverpool following successful Admiralty trials (Skipper and nine crew – insured for £8,000). Delivered to Harland & Wolff Ltd, Bramleymoor Dock, Liverpoool for fitting out as a “Berberis” class minesweeping trawler (Batch 2).
11.3.1939: Sale to The Admiralty concluded (£7,000).
4.1939: On completion of conversion renamed HMS LARCH (P.No.T.96).
6.5.1939: Hull registry closed (On advice from The Admiraly ref. MF5342/1939 dated 3.5.1939).
8.1939: At Sheerness Dockyard armament fitted (1-12pdr AA, 2- MGs (2 x 1)).
6.1940: Based Sheerness with M/S Group 2 (Sk.J. T. White RNR).
1.1941: Remains based Sheerness (Act Sk. A. H. V. Winfield RNR).
6.1941: Based Scapa Flow with M/S Group 18 (Act Sk. A. H. V. Winfield RNR).
1.1942: Remains based Scapa Flow (Act Sk. A. H. V. Winfield RNR).
5.1946: Sold to Westholme Fishing Co Ltd, Milford Haven (Reginald Llewellyn Hancock, Hakin, manager).
31.5.1946: Registered at Milford as WESTHILL (M138).
6.1946: Special Survey at Milford.
10.1947: Sold to J. C. Llewellin (Trawlers) Ltd, Milford Haven John Charles Llewellin, manager).
5.11.1947: Milford registry closed.
11.1947: Registered at Hull (H470). Fishing from Hull (Saint Andrew’s Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Hull, managing agents).
27.6.1949: Sold to North Eastern Trawlers Ltd, London (William Stanley Shepherd MP) (Saint Andrew’s Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Hull, managing agents). Mortgaged to British Mutual Bank Ltd, London.
15.9.1950: Sold by mortgagee to J. Marr & Son Ltd, Fleetwood (Geoffrey Edwards Marr, Hull, manager) for £18,714.
2.1951: Slipped for Special Survey (drilled) at Fleetwood.
1952: Used for WFA lay up scheme and fishing quota.
6.10.1952: Sold to BISCO and allocated to Thomas Young & Sons Ltd, Sunderland for breaking up. 10.10.1952: Delivered at Sunderland.
6.3.1953: Hull registry closed.
Click to enlarge image
HMS Larch
Picture reproduced under IWM Non-Commercial Licence
S.T. Westhill H470
Picture © Grimsby Reference Library
S.T. Westhill H470
Picture courtesy of The Mike Thompson Collection
Changelog
23/06/2010: Page published. 3 updates since then.
28/01/2018: Removed FMHT watermark from image.
