Technical

Official Number: 96221
Yard Number: 338
Completed: 1890
Gross Tonnage: 159
Net Tonnage: 64
length: 100.9 ft
Breadth: 20.5 ft
Depth: 10.7 ft
Built: Earle’s Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Hull
C.2-cyl and boiler by Earle’s Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Hull

History

1890: Launched by Earle’s Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Hull (Yd.No.338) for The Grimsby Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Grimsby as HELLENIC.
6.1890: Completed.
10.6.1890: Registered at Grimsby (GY252). Henry Kelly, Cleethorpes appointed manager. Fishing from Fleetwood.
16.10.1903: Richard “Dick” Bettess appointed skipper.
1912: George Edward James Moody, Cleethorpes appointed manager.
8.5.1915: Hauled mine in trawl which exploded, foundered 98 miles EbyS of Spurn Point in position 53.38N 03.01E. Swarte Bank minefield laid by German light cruisers of II Scouting Group, STRALSUND and STRASSBURG on 17.4.1915. Three lives lost.
17.5.1915: Grimsby registry closed. “ Sunk by a mine “.

Changelog
29/01/2016: Page published.

Additional information courtesy of Geoff Davidson, Mike Thompson, Barry Banham and Hull Trawlers

Technical

Official Number: 91398
Completed: 1885
Gross Tonnage: 91.46
Net Tonnage: 62.19
Length: 86.7 ft
Breadth: 20.2 ft
Depth 9.8 ft
Built: Beeching Brothers Ltd, Gt. Yarmouth
Engine: C.2-cyl x 2 and boiler by Baird, St. Petersburg (built 1883)

History

1.1885: Launched by Beeching Brothers Ltd, Gt. Yarmouth (Yd.No.not recorded) for George Beeching (32/64), Hull & Thomas Kelsall (32/64), Prestwich as TALIFOO.
2.1885: Completed.
3.2.1885: Registered at Hull (H1425).
3.2.1885: George Beeching designated managing owner.
20.2.1885: Ran trials from Yarmouth prior to delivery at Hull.
2.4.1887: Arrived Hull with barque CARDENAS (259tons) of Rostock (Capt Karff) in tow, picked up off Flamborough Head dismasted in a squall, whilst on passage Wilmington, Delaware for ‘Shields with cargo of resin and turpentine. Tow was difficult in gale force winds and heavy sees and cable parted several times.
28.2.1888: Sailed Hull for North Sea grounds (Sk. William Clements): eight crew all told.
8.3.1888: Returning to Hull in a good breeze and light rain with the third hand on watch, shortly after 4.30am. and in total darkness some 120 miles from Spurn Head, observed a small vessel immediately ahead on the starboard tack, no lights visible. Put engines astern and ported helm but before way was off her, struck the schooner amidships port side cutting into her about four feet. The schooner was the Norwegian HAABET of Brovig, out of Newcastle for Nariaga, cargo coals. The master of the schooner jumped onboard the trawler, the crewman who had been at the helm shouted to the mate and AB below deck and started to launch the boat, but the schooner foundered in eight to ten minutes, and all three men were left in the water. Hearing shouts, the boat was launched and the helmsman was picked up from the water and a search was made in the area for two and a half hours for the other two men but to no avail.
9.3.1888: Arrived Hull and landed survivors.
23.3.1888: At the BoT formal Investigation (No.3498) held at Hull the Court found the third hand of the TALIFOO, in default but the master in no respect to blame.
21.4.1889: At Hull landed captain and crew of the Danish schooner CARL EMIL. The schooner had left a Swedish port for West Hartlepool on 13.4 with a cargo of pit props and experienced a strong N breeze initially but on 19.4 a gale sprang up from the SW and labouring she started to take in water and later was dismasted. Signals of distress were hoisted and the Talifoo responded taking off the crew.
20.4.1892: Reported the death of a crewman Joseph Ketley (25) of Hull. On a North Sea trip, whilst assisting to heave the gear and guiding the warp with a tackle on the drum of the winch, Ketley’s foot caught between the tackle block and the winch and he was dragged with the warp under the winch. The winch was stopped but Ketley, with the lower part of his body badly mutilated was already dead.
1893?: Fishing from Fleetwood, catches sent by rail to Manchester and Liverpool Wholesale Fish Markets.
31.10.1894: Sailed Fleetwood for North Shields (Sk. John Dier); nine hands all told.
2.11.1894: At about 2.00am. in very hazy weather and thick rain, Ardnamurchan Point Light was made and vessel steamed towards it until the light was ESE. The course was then altered to NNE and continued until the light bore SE. No attempt was made to take a bearing and plot the position. At about 3.33am. vessel was heaved to until daylight with engines stopped and under plain sail with a heading SW to WSW. Wind was blowing strong from the south. The light was astern at a distance judged to be five to seven miles. It was expected the vessel would drift to the NW. At 3.40am. the skipper left the deck leaving orders to be called when when the light bore S or SbyE. At 5.00am the skipper was called and found the light S and the vessel had drifted NE and not NW. Engines were started half ahead and vessel kept on a WNW course but by 6.00am. the light was lost and the vessel was again hove to heading to the SW. At 6.30am. land was sighted astern just off the quarter at a distance of 1 to 11/2 miles. The skipper assumed that the island was Rum and putting the helm hard up steamed for what he thought was Canna Sound. The island was Muck and the vessel was attempting to steam between the island and the Horse Rocks which are connected by a ridge of rocks covered at high water. At 8 – 81/2 knots the vessel struck the ridge and came fast. At low water examination showed that the keel was broken and three blades of the propeller was missing.
3.11.1894: At 3.00pm. the weather started to deteriorate and the crew was taken off by a local boat.
5.11.1894: Following high winds and breaking seas the vessel had become a total wreck.
21.11.1894: Hull registry closed “Wrecked”.
29.11.1894: Reported that the Salvage Association had purchased the wreck.
30.11.1894: At the BoT formal Investigation (S93) held at Liverpool the court found that “The stranding of the vessel was due to the neglect of the master to verify his position off Ardnamurchan Point, and to use the lead; the Court is also of opinion that the master was not warranted in assuming that he had made the distance from Ardnamurchan Point to the island of Rum by 7.00am. considering the way in which the vessel had been navigated during the night. The subsequent loss of the vessel was due to heavy weather.” The skipper, John Dier was in default, and the Court suspended his certificate for six months.

Note: With the advent of the steam trawlers, the Talifoo built for Mr George Beeching, about 1885, was the first of the present kind – it is easier to battle against storms and loss of life has been reduced to as nearly the minimum as possible, and what is vital importance, inhumanity was buried with the birth of the steam trawler.

Changelog
23/11/2015: Page published.
26/11/2015: Information added.
13/12/2015: Updated information.
07/08/2021: Updated history.

Additional information courtesy of Andy Hall

Technical

Official Number: 121092
Yard Number: 417
Completed: 1905
Gross Tonnage: 267
Net Tonnage: 98
Length: 130.6 ft
Breadth: 22.1 ft
Depth: 12.0 ft
Built: A, Hall & Co Ltd, Aberdeen
Engine: 450ihp T.3-cyl and boiler by A. Hall & Co Ltd, Aberdeen

History

26.10.1905: Launched by A. Hall & Co Ltd, Aberdeen (Yd.No.417) for Pickering & Haldane’s Steam Trawling Co Ltd (64/64), Hull as GENERAL GORDON.
24.11.1905: Registered at Hull (H844).
24.11.1905: Christopher Pickering designated manager.
11.1905: Completed.
28.2.1913: Sold to Frank Buckworth (64/64), Cork, Co. Cork.
12.11.1906: On passage to the Icelandic grounds, called Aberdeen to land Gunaor Abrahamson, a native of Hull, who suffered severe internal injuries after falling over a deck fitting. Examined by Dr. Philip and removed to the Royal Infirmary.
15.11.1910: At Hull Police Court, Sk. John Dahlgreen was fined £4 including costs for contravening the Humber Conservancy Board rules on 14 September by wilfully failing to navigate his vessel with special care and caution, and to ease the engines when approaching and passing vessels employed in removing the sunken dredger HARBINGER opposite the new Joint Dock.
15.4.1913: Sold to Buckworth & Mumby Ltd (64/64), Cork, Co. Cork.
1.1.1914: Tonnage altered to 105.66net under provision of Merchant Shipping Act 1907.
15.4.1913: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Metropolitan Bank (of England & Wales) Ltd, London (A).
4.1913: Arrived at Videy, Iceland for six months, salting. Erlendur Hjartarson fishing master.
11.7.1913: John Mumby, Milford Haven designated manager.
9.1914: Vigfús Jósefsson became fishing master.
until 1915: Remained fishing from Iceland with mostly Icelandic crew.
20.2.1915: Sailed Reykjavík for Canada with a mostly Icelandic crew in order to fish from there, because British trawlers with foreign crew members were banned from entering British ports.
5.3.1915: A few miles off St.Pierre, trapped in ice with coal and provisions running out.
7.3.1915: Managed to free the ship and proceeded burning wood.
10.03.1915: Arrived Halifax, NS.
14.5.1915: Company re-styled to Frank Buckworth & Co Ltd, Cork, Co. Cork.
1.1916: Returned to Fleetwood, landed catch from Gulf of St. Lawrence. Crew paid off.
4.3.1916: Mortgage (A) discharged.
4.3.1916: Sold to John Stewart Boyle (64/64), Glasgow.
8.3.1916: John Stewart Boyle designated managing owner.
24.08.1916: At Aberdeen, from an 18 day Icelandic trip, landed 63 tons, including 730 boxes and 200 score of fish, about £2,000 gross.
3.1917: Requisitioned for war service as a minesweeper (1-6pdr) (Ad.No.3331). Based Kirkwall.
Post 12.3.1919: Returned to owner at Aberdeen.
28.9.1920: Sold to Alexander Leitch (64/64), Chanak, Dardanelles, Turkey (Consent of Shipping Controller S3/21710/1 dated 20 Sept 1920).
29.9.1920: Alexander Leitch designated managing owner.
28.9.1920: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Vincent Grech, London (B).
8.5.1922: Hull registry closed “… (except as relates to mortgage (B))”. Registered at Piraeus.
By 1927: Alexander Leitch registered office transferred to Athens.
1929: Sold to E. Ioannides & Alexander Leitch, Athens.
1929: Converted to dry cargo “For services in the Dardanelles”. 260grt 160net.
1929: Registered at Piraeus as STRATIGOS GORDON.
1931: Sold to Cie Egyptionne de Nav. Le Dedecanese, Alexandria.
1931: Reverted to fishing. Re-measured to 265grt 106net.
1931: Piraeus registry closed. Registered at Alexandria as ELLEROS.
24.7.1933: Returning to Alexandria, started to take in water, abandoned by crew and foundered some 40 n miles from the port. All crew picked up.

Changelog
07/03/2014: Page published. 6 updates since then.
24/12/2017: Significant information update.
31/10/2020: Updated history.