Additional information courtesy of Gary Hicks Plymouth Merchant Ships and David Slinger

Technical

Admiralty Number: 3661
Official Number: 143853
Yard Number: 341
Completed: 1917
Gross Tonnage: 276.29
Net Tonnage: 124.66
Length: 125.0 ft
Breadth: 23.3 ft
Depth: 13.5 ft
Built: Bow, McLachlan & Co Ltd, Paisley
Engine: 480ihp T.3-cyl by Fawcett, Preston & Co Ltd, Liverpool
Boiler: Dunsmuir & Jackson Ltd, Govan

History

18.6.1917: Launched by Bow, McLachlan & Co Ltd, Paisley (Yd.No.341) (“Castle” class) for The Admiralty as THOMAS CROFTON (Ad.No.3661).
12.7.1917: Completed (1 – 12pdr, hydrophone).
20.11.1919: Registered by The Admiralty at London (Part I) as THOMAS CROFTON O.N.143853.
4.5.1920: Sold by auction at Milford to Herbert Ford (64/64), Birmingham for £8,500.
7.1920: London registry closed.
15.7.1920: Registered at Plymouth (Part IV) (PH174).
23.7.1920: John Maxwell Jones, Plymouth designated manager.
20.1.1921: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Barclays Bank Ltd, London (A).
16.10.1921: Mortgage (A) discharged.
24.10.1921: Sold to Crofton Steam Fishing Co Ltd (64/64), Fleetwood.
16.12.1921: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Barclays Bank Ltd, London (B).
17.12.1921: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Herbert Ford, Birmingham for the sum of £5,000 with interest at 6% (C).
17.12.1921: Mortgage (C) transferred to Barclays Bank Ltd, London.
24.12.1921: Jules Henri Nierinck, Blackpool designated manager.
20.2.1922: Plymouth registry closed.
21.2.1922: Registered at Fleetwood (FD400).
1924: Sold to Boston Deep Sea Fishing & Ice Co Ltd, Grimsby.
9.3.1925: Registered at Fleetwood as REVESBY (FD400). Fred Parkes, Boston designated manager. Fishing out of Fleetwood.
24.6.1928: Crewed by a Faroese skipper and pilot and a mixed Fleetwood/Faroese crew. Arrived Fleetwood from a thirty-two day Greenland halibut lining trip and landed forty head of mixed halibut and about a ton of salted cod caught on the Iceland grounds. First trip by a Fleetwood vessel to these grounds and suffered a financial loss.
26.6.1928: Despite a loss on the previous Greenland trip, coaled (230 tons) & iced in preparation for a another trip. Sailed on the evening tide on the 2,000 mile voyage. Included in the crew of sixteen are four Fleetwood men, Sk. George Carrol, flag skipper; Leo Malley, Ch Eng; Ernest Rogerson, 2nd Eng; and J. McSweeney, cook, the rest are Faroese.
25.7.1928: Arrived Fleetwood from Greenland and landed 1,800 head of halibut, 700 stone of cod and 3 tons of salt cod caught in only four days fishing.
1929: Sold to John McR Knight, Hakin; James C. Ward; George Knight & Morgan W. Howells, Milford Haven.
17.7.1929: Fleetwood registry closed.
18.7.1929: Registered at Milford (M28). John McR Knight, Hakin designated manager.
1931: Sold to Harry E. Rees, Milford Haven. Harry E. Rees designated managing owner.
20.10.1933: Sold to Morgan W. Howells, Milford Haven.
9.11.1933: Registered at Milford as GWMAHO (M28).
3.2.1936: Morgan W. Howells died.
23.10.1936: Sold to Gwenllian Howells & Charles E. Morris, Milford Haven.
4.11.1936: James Gwyther designated manager.
26.11.1939: Requisitioned for war service as a boom defence vessel (P.No.Z.135)(Hire rate £80.10.0d/month).
23.11.1943: Compulsorily acquired by M.O.W.T.
2.2.1946: Milford registry closed.
1951: Sold to BISCO and allocated to Thos. W. Ward Ltd, Sheffield for breaking up.
4.8.1951: Arrived at Briton Ferry.

(Thomas Crofton, Private, Marine, age 29, b. Dublin – VICTORY (ML19))

Changelog
08/01/2009: Page published. 5 updates since then.
11/01/2014: Information updated.
30/03/2019: Information updated.