Technical

Admiralty Number: 4461
Official Number: 141950
Yard Number: 352
Completed: 1919
Gross Tonnage: 276
Net Tonnage: 122
Length: 125 ft
Breadth: 23.5 ft
Depth: 12.8 ft
Built: Ailsa Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Ayr
Engine: 481ihp T.3-cyl Ailsa Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Troon.
Boiler: Bow, McLachlan, Paisley

History

13.6.1919: Launched by Ailsa Shipbuilding Co Ltd, Ayr (Yd.No.352) (“Castle” class) for The Admiralty as GEORGE COUSINS (Ad.No.4461).
1919: Sold to Henry Blackburn, Fleetwood.
18.8.1919: Completed as a fishing vessel.
27.8.1919: Registered at Fleetwood (FD343).
10.9.1919: Sold to Henry Blackburn & Henry Robertson, Fleetwood.
1.10.1919: Sold to Blackburn Trawlers Ltd, Fleetwood (Henry Blackburn, manager.
9.04.1926: Outward for the fishing grounds (Sk. Percival Ashcroft), when off the Fleetwood – Knott End ferry dock collided with the ferry BOURNE-MAY (25grt/1901)(William Greenwood, master), which was seriously damaged. Despite making water the ferry managed to return to the dock and land the passengers before settling alongside. Returned to North Corner.
7.7.1928: At Campbeltown Sheriff Court, Sk. Thomas William Kirkby admitted a charge of illegal fishing in the Firth of Clyde and was fined £100 with forfeiture of net and £5 for not showing the fishing signal.
8.10.1928: Put in to Oban to clear fouled propeller.
9.10.1928: sailed for fishing grounds.
1935: Sold to Iago Steam Trawler Co Ltd, London & Fleetwood (Edward D. W. Lawford, manager).
8.10.1935: Fleetwood registry closed.
9.10.1935: Registered at London (LO66).
12.2.1937: Sank the Fleetwood trawler OCTAVIA (H274) in collision off Maughold Head, Isle of Man; crew rescued. Returned to Fleetwood with damage to fore end.
31.1.1939: Inwards from the fishing grounds in Wyre Channel collided with steam trawler ADMIRAL SIR JOHN LAWFORD (LO42).
31.8.1939: Requisitioned for war service as a minesweeper (P.No.FY.627) (Hire rate £86.5.0d/month).
6.1940: Based Invergordon with M/S Group 43 (Ch Sk. E. J. Marshall RNR).
4.8.1940: Off Cromarty tasked to sweep approach channel to Firth. At 0650 off Sutor Buoy, Cromarty Forth, passed sweep wire for ‘M’ sweep to MARSONA (FD21) (P.No. FY.714) (Ch Sk. E. J. Marshall RNR) and steaming ahead veered sweep wire while MARSONA deployed her magnets. At 0724 1/2 mile SSE of Whistle Buoy Marsona detonated a mine underneath and a second in the sweep and blew up. HM Drifter INDUSTRY (PD378) (P.No.FY.938 (Sub Lieut E. A. F. Weller RNR) proceeded to scene but found no survivors.
26.1.1943: A/Capt Edward Douglas Wyndham Lawford RN awarded DSO for service in HMS POZARICA (P.No.4.261) A/A ship on Russian convoys.
7.1945: Reclassed at Port Glasgow and returned to owner.
2.1946: Sold to Haven Trawlers Ltd, Milford Haven (R. Lewis, manager).
13.8.1948: Sold to J. Marr & Son Ltd, Fleetwood for £12500. Registered at Fleetwood (FD281).
5.4.1951: Sold to Harrow Baxter Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Aberdeen for £7700. Fleetwood registry closed.
13.4.1951: Registered at Aberdeen (A681).
24.3.1955: On a trip to Faroe fishing grounds. Put into Klaksvig, Faroe to carry out repairs on starboard gallows and burst steam heater pipe.
26.3.1955: Sailed Klaksvig for fishing grounds but could not maintain vacuum in condenser due to holes in the air pump. Returned to Klaksvig. 29.3.1955: After patching, sailed for Aberdeen as permanent repair could not be undertaken.
31.3.1955: Experienced problems with boiler and feed pumps being stopped for several hours.
1.4.1955: At 3.00 a.m. stopped engine to adjust patch to prevent condensate loss. At 9.45 a.m when 25 miles NW by N of Ronaldsay suffered boiler explosion. Subsequently taken in tow by VIKING MONARCH (A25) for Aberdeen.
2.4.1955: Delivered Aberdeen at about 10.00 p.m.
1955: No repairs effected. Sold to BISCO and allocated to Malcolm Brechin, Granton for breaking up.
7.8.1955: Arrived Granton from Aberdeen under tow.
26.10.1955: Aberdeen registry closed “Vessel broken up.”
21.1.1956: At the Preliminary Inquiry (No.3385) held in Aberdeen by the Ministry of Transport & Civil Aviation, the assessors found that heavy build up of salt deposits within the boiler due to failure to follow port routine and no serious attempt to test boiler water density had resulted in the explosion. No one was injured.

(George Cousins, Landsman, age 20, b. Mort, North Devon – ROYAL SOVEREIGN (SB653?))

Click to enlarge image

S.T. George Cousins FD343
Picture from the Internet

Changelog
27/01/2009: Page published. 2 updates since then.
04/11/2020: Updated history.
24/11/2022: Updated history.