Tag Archives: Mersey Class

S.T. Chiltern H660

Additional material courtesy of Mike Thompson and Andy Hall

Technical

Admiralty Number: 3562
Official Number: 143867
Yard Number: 822
Completed: 1917
Gross Tonnage: 324.43
Net Tonnage: 130.34
Length: 138.5 ft
Breadth: 23.7 ft
Depth: 12.8 ft
Built: Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby
Engine: 540ihp T.3-cyl and boiler by Charles D. Holmes & Co Ltd, Hull
Armament: 1 x 12 pdr AA

History

4.9.1917: Launched by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby (Yd.No.822) (“Mersey” class) for The Admiralty as JOHN CORMACK.
30.11.1917: Completed as an armed trawler (1-12pdr HA and W/T).
5.12.1917: Accepted.
22.11.1919: Registered by The Admiralty at London (Part I) as JOHN CORMACK O.N.143867.
16.1.1920: Sailed Gt. Yarmouth for Danzig with 1,500 barrels of herring loaded from the Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd fishing station for distribution among co-operative societies in Warsaw and district. This was the first sailing in connection with organisations in England and the Continent and it may be the beginning of similar trade on international lines.
28.1.1920: Registered by The Admiralty at London (Part IV) (LO263).
By 18.6.1920: Allocated to Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries, London and engaged in commercial trawling.
13.8.1920: Minesweepers’ Cooperative Trawling Society Ltd, London registered.
1920: Allocated the Minesweepers’ Cooperative Trawling Society Ltd, London.
12.1920: At HM Dockyard, Chatham completed fitting out for fishing under Special Survey of Lloyd’s Register and classed 100A1 Stm Trawler at London
4.1921: Paid off at The Nore. Laid up at Chatham.
1.1922: Scheme abandoned, the necessary working capital of £100,000 having not been subscribed.
1922: Sold to Pickering & Haldane’s Steam Trawling Co Ltd (64/64), Hull.
28.7.1922: London registry closed.
4.8.1922: Registered at Hull (H660).
4.8.1922: John McCann & Edward Cartwright designated managers.
21.8.1922: Registered at Hull as LORD PIRRIE (H660) (MoT Minute RG1390/1922 dated 19.8.1922).
8.1922: Fishing out of Hull. First skipper C. Edlington.
24.12.1928: On an Icelandic trip, Kemp Gill (28), Bosun, washed overboard and drowned.
14.3.1929: Homeward from Icelandic grounds (Sk. P. W. Gray), at 4.00am. when off the N. Yorkshire coast stranded at Baud Hole, Filey Brig. Came afloat without assistance at 6.00am. and proceeded to Hull.
6.4.1929: Sold to W. B. Willey & Sons Ltd (64/64), Hull.
6.4.1929: William B. Willey Jnr designated manager.
17.4.1929: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Midland Bank Ltd, London (A).
28.6.1929: Registered at Hull as CHILTERN (H660) (BOT Minute RG1304/29 dated 24.6.1929).
18.3.1935: William B. Willey Jnr & James Willey designated managers.
14.5.1936: Mortgage (A) discharged.
15.5.1936: Sold to H. Elliott & Sons Trawlers Ltd (64/64), Fleetwood.
18.5.1936: Henry Elliott designated manager.
27.5.1936: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to National Provincial Bank Ltd, London (B).
6.1936: Fishing out of Fleetwood. First skipper Charles Pennington.
7.1936: On Rockall grounds, George Cook (45) of Blackburn, deckhand, fell overboard and was drowned.
12.7.1937: At Fleetwood Magistrates Court, deckhand James Henry Bryant (32) was fined 10/- for failing to join on sailing and ordered to refund 10/- he had received in advance from the firm.
16.8.1939: Mortgage (B) discharged.
16.8.1939: Sold to Boston Deep Sea Fishing & Ice Co Ltd (64/64), Fleetwood.
22.8.1939: To correct address of H. Elliott & Sons Trawlers Ltd.
28.8.1939: Basil Arthur Parkes, Thornton-le-Fylde designated manager.
30.8.1939: Sold to Fred Parkes, Blackpool and Basil Arthur Parkes, Thornton-le-Fylde (joint owners 64/64).
29.9.1939: Basil Arthur Parkes, Thornton-le-Fylde designated managing owner.
Pre 4.1940: Employed on Fishery Protection (WA/Fort William/Fleetwood).
4.6.1940: Requisitioned for war service as an auxiliary patrol vessel (1-12pdr) (P.No. 4.125) (Hire rate £94.10.0d/month).
15-25.6.1940: Operation Ariel.*
18.6.1940: At St. Nazaire, rescued women and children (116) from advancing German forces. The last British ship to leave the port.
20.6.1940: Arrived Plymouth.
30.5.1941: Shot down twin engined German bomber off West Country (Ty/Sk. A. J. Drake RNR).
9.1941: Fitted out as a minesweeper. Based Plymouth.
1.1942: At Falmouth for arcticisation.
3.1942 – 5.1942: At Reykjavik as escort (part) of Russian convoys PQ.12, PQ.14 and PQ.15.
26.8.1944: Sold to Eton Fishing Co Ltd (64/64), Hull.
29.8.1944: George Gillard, designated manager.
6.3.1945: 2nd Hand William Reaich, Buckie died of unknown causes in N. Russia.
1945: Returned to owner.
7.3.1945: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to Barclays Bank Ltd, London (C).
11.3.1946: Mortgage (C) discharged.
1.6.1946: Sold to Ross & Fullerton Ltd (64/64), Glasgow.
19.8.1946: Alexander Fullerton Jnr, Greenock designated manager.
12.9.1946: Sold to David Gloag Watson, Edinburgh; Hugh Micklejohn Martin, Edinburgh and William Livingston, Peterhead (joint owners 64/64)
25.10.1946: David Gloag Watson designated managing owner.
25.10.1946: Hull registry closed.
10.1946: Registered at Granton (GN25).
28.10.1946: Laid up at Granton. Flooded engine room due to leak.
1947: Sold to Planet Fishing Co Ltd, Edinburgh. Edwin Walker & Sons designated managers.
26.1.1950: Fishing about 110 miles NE of Buchan Ness (Sk. John Paterson) in company with trawler KUVERA (GN39) which started to take in water. Before vessel settled and foundered, all thirteen crew taken onboard and subsequently landed at Granton.
1.9.1950: In North Sea off S.E. Scotland, responded to radio call for assistance from MFV IMMANUEL (WK149), at anchor disabled with engine breakdown; connected and commenced tow for Aberdeen.
4.9.1950: Delivered Aberdeen.
1952: Sold to Medway Yacht Basin Ltd, Borstal, Rochester (R. W. Pearson, manager).
1952: Sold to George A. Ferguson, Borstal, Rochester.
1954: Sold to BISCO and allocated to James A. White & Co Ltd, St. David’s for breaking up.

*Operation Ariel – withdrawal of remaining troops of the British Expeditionary Force from France.

(John Cormack (aka Cormick), Bosun’s Mate (prest), age 26, b. Co.Wexford (also recorded as age 29, b. Edinburgh) – VICTORY (SB573))

Click to enlarge images

HMT Chiltern

HMT John Cormack
Picture courtesy of The Andy Hall Collection

S.T. Chiltern H660

S.T. Chiltern H660
Picture courtesy of The Mike Thompson Collection

S.T. Chiltern H660

S.T. Chiltern H660
Picture courtesy of The George Westwood Collection

S.T. Chiltern H660

S.T. Chiltern H660
Picture courtesy of The George Westwood Collection

Changelog
18/01/2009: Page published. 5 updates since then.
02/09/2017: Removed FMHT watermark and added an image.
25/11/2019: Updated information.

ST Lord Gainford FD74

Technical

Admiralty Number: 3563
Official Number: 146537
Yard Number: 823
Completed: 1917
Gross Tonnage: 324
Net Tonnage: 131
Length: 138.5 ft
Breadth: 23.7 ft
Depth: 12.8 ft
Built: Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby
Engine: 600ihp T.3-cyl by Crossley Bros. Ltd, Manchester

History

4.9.1917: Launched by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby (Yd.No.823) (“Mersey” class) for The Admiralty as CHRISTOPHER DIXON (Ad.No.3563).
4.1.1918: Completed as an armed trawler(1-12pdr and W/T).
1920: Fishery Protection trawler (Snr Mate Griffith T Cadwallader RNR) tender to HMS HAREBELL.
21.05.1920: Paid off at Brightlingsea Naval Base and laid up.
1920: Allocated to the National Fishery Scheme for the setting up of the Minesweepers’ Cooperative Trawling Society Ltd, London.
1920: Fitted out for fishing under Special Survey of Lloyd’s Register and classed 100 A1 Stm Trawler.
13.08.1920: Minesweepers’ Cooperative Trawling Society Ltd, London registered.
01.1922: Scheme abandoned, the necessary working capital of £100,000 having not been subscribed.
07.03.1922: Registered by The Admiralty at London (Part I & IV) as CHRISTOPHER DIXON O.N.146537 (LO544).
2.1923: Transferred to Irish Free State Government, Dublin.
28.2.1923: London registry closed.
2.1923: Registered at Dublin.
4.5.1923: Commissioned in the Irish Free State Coastal & Marine Service, Dublin.
31.3.1924: Decommissioned. Transferred to Commissioners of Public Works in the Saorstat Eireann, Dublin (James J. Heely, manager). For sale.
1924: Sold to Pickering & Haldane’s Steam Trawling Co Ltd, Hull.
10.1924: Dublin registry closed.
10.1924: Converted to a fishing vessel by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby (Yd.No.941).
15.10.1924: Registered at Hull as LORD GAINFORD (H73). John McCann & Edward Cartwright appointed joint managers.
24.3.1930: Sold to Robson Trawlers Ltd, Fleetwood.
24.3.1930: Hull registry closed.
26.3.1930: Registered at Fleetwood (FD74). Robson Preston appointed manager.
1.3.1934: Sold to J. Marr & Son Ltd, Fleetwood (Geoffrey Edwards Marr, Cleveleys, manager) for £3900.
9.12.1939: Requisitioned for war service as a boom defence vessel (P.No. Z.111) (Hire rate £97.4.0d/month). Cost of conversion £17,749. South Atlantic Command.
28.7.1942: On loan to Free French Forces.
23.11.1943: Compulsorily acquired by M.O.W.T. Remained on loan to Free French Forces.
1946: Estimated cost of re-conditioning £8,750.
8.8.1946: Sold to J. P. Holmen, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
1955: Sold for breaking up.

(Christopher Dixon, Quartermaster (prest), age 29, b. South Shields, Co. Durham – VICTORY (SB398))

Click to enlarge images

S.T. Lord Gainford FD74

S.T. Lord Gainford FD74
Picture courtesy of Mark Stopper

ST Lord Gainford FD74

ST Lord Gainford FD74

Changelog
18/01/2009: Page published. 4 updates since then.
11/04/2014: Picture added.
16/09/2016: Information updated.

S.T. Cloughton Wyke FD46

Technical

Admiralty Number: 3832
Official Number: 143856
Yard Number: 839
Completed: 1918
Gross Tonnage: 338
Net Tonnage: 134
Length: 138.5 ft
Breadth: 23.5 ft
Depth: 13.0 ft
Built: Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby
Engine: 600ihp T.3-cyl and boiler by Charles D. Holmes & Co Ltd, Hull

History

17.1.1918: Launched by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby (Yd.No.839) (“Mersey” class) for The Admiralty as JOHN JOHNSON (Ad.No.3832).
4.4.1918: Completed (1-12pdr, hydrophone and W/T).
19.4.1918: Accepted.
20.11.1919: Registered by The Admiralty at London (Part I) as JOHN JOHNSON O.N.143856. Engaged in commercial trawling.
03.02.1920: Registered at London (Part IV) (LO291).
1920: Allocated to the National Fishery Scheme for the setting up of the Minesweepers’ Cooperative Trawling Society Ltd, London.
13.08.1920: Minesweepers’ Cooperative Trawling Society Ltd, London registered.
07.1921: At HM Dockyard, Pembroke fitted out for fishing under Special Survey of Lloyd’s Register and classed 100 A1 Stm Trawler at Milford.
01.1922: Scheme abandoned, the necessary working capital of £100,000 having not been subscribed. Laid up.
1922: Sold to Ernest Wilfred Robins & William John Robbins, Hull. Ernest Wilfred Robins & William John Robbins designated joint managing owners.
5.10.1922: London registry closed.
18.10.1922: Registered at Hull as CLOUGHTON WYKE (H705).
25.1.1923: Sold to West Dock Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Hull. Ernest W. Robins appointed manager.
25.1.1923: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to The National Provincial & Union Bank of England, London (A).
6.2.1924: Mortgagee re-styled National Provincial Bank Ltd.
29.5.1929: Mortgage (A) discharged.
31.5.1929: Sold to Dinas Steam Trawling Co Ltd, Fleetwood
3.6.1929: Hull registry closed.
4.6.1929: Registered at Fleetwood (FD46). Joseph Arthur Marr appointed manager.
1.1931: Stranded on Grey Island, Sound of Mull. Refloated and returned to service.
13.6.1932: Vessel mortgaged (64/64) to William Deacons Bank Ltd, London (B).
21.10.1935: Delivered disabled Norwegian steamer STAR (1332grt/1922) to tug off Cumbrae Heads, Firth of Clyde.
Pre 4.1940: Employed on Fishery Protection (WA/Fort William/Fleetwood).
26.5.1940: At 6.57pm. ‘Operation Dynamo’ (Dunkirk evacuation) put into effect.
1-4.6.1940: At Dunkirk evacuation.
4.6.1940: Requisitioned for war service as an auxiliary patrol vessel (Hire rate £97.4.0d/month).
15-25.6.1940: Operation Ariel *.
15.6.1940: Left French coast.
20.6.1940: At Plymouth.
9.1941: Fitted out as a minesweeper.
2.2.1942: Sunk by German aircraft in Humber estuary in position 52.59N 01.18.30E (Ty/Sk. C.S. Larter OBE DSC RNR) (four crew MPK, Sk. Larter wounded) along with CAPE SPARTEL (H23) (Lt. J.R. Grundy RNR).
22.10.1942: Fleetwood registry closed.

*Operation Ariel – withdrawal of remaining troops of the British Expeditionary Force from France plus other nationals, civil and military.

(MPK – Alexander G. Sutherland, A/Ldg Seaman; Arthur J. Baker, AB; Ernest Pellow, seaman; John H. Jackson, O/signalm

Notes 1 CLOUGHTON WYKE has a great interest for me. It was the vessel that brought my father off the beaches north of Dunkirk. The only time he would ever mentioned the war was to relate how himself and Lawrence Horsley “commandeered” a motorcycle and ran north to La Panne. When they got there the place was in flames but there was a Fleetwood trawler tied up alongside a burning jetty. On the foc’sle head was a group of deckies, oblivious to the shot and shell whistling all around them, betting cigarettes as to who could hit the church bell with the .303 Lee Enfield the trawler was armed with. As they pulled up, the wheelhouse window dropped and the skipper (I wish I knew who it was) leaned out and shouted “Hello Jim, need a lift home?” It was an acquaintance of his and he came straight back to Fleetwood from the Hell that was Dunkirk.

Notes 2 CLOUGHTON WYKE was converted into a minesweeper and was sunk in the Humber estuary after being attacked by German aircraft. The following quote indicates the severity of attacks at that time.
“That February was indeed the Luftwaffe’s swan song over the shipping routes, for it carried out more attacks in Nore Command waters that month (fifty) than since the previous May. All but one were in the Humber and Yarmouth Sub-Commands. The 2nd and the 5th were the worst days. On the former the Grimsby and Yarmouth M/S and patrol trawlers were attacked on station by at least twenty planes, and Grimsby’s CAPE SPARTEL and Yarmouth’s CLOUGHTON WYKE were sunk. On the latter a convoy as well as scattered warships were targets. The Harwich A/S trawler KINGSTON OLIVINE was strafed near 54G Buoy, without damage or casualties.

S.T. Cloughton Wyke FD46

S.T. Cloughton Wyke FD46
Picture courtesy of The David Slinger Collection

S.T. Cloughton Wyke FD46

S.T. Cloughton Wyke FD46
Picture courtesy of The David Slinger Collection

S.T. Cloughton Wyke FD46

S.T. Cloughton Wyke FD46
Picture from the Internet

Changelog
14/01/2009: Page published. 3 updates since then.
06/12/2016: Information added.
22/12/2019: Information updated.
02/12/2020: Images added.

S.T. Willoughby GY161

Additional information courtesy of Birgir Þórisson

Technical

Admiralty Number: 3740
Official Number: 143918
Yard Number: 232
Completed: 1918
Gross Tonnage: 329.04
Net Tonnage: 126.67
Length: 138.9 ft
Breadth: 23.7 ft
Depth: 12.8 ft
Built; Ferguson Bros (Port Glasgow) Ltd, Port Glasgow
Engine: 650ihp T.3-cyl by Ferguson Bros (Port Glasgow) Ltd, Port Glasgow
Boiler: The Clyde Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Port Glasgow

History

11.3.1918: Launched by Ferguson Bros (Port Glasgow) Ltd, Port Glasgow (Yd.No.232) (“Mersey” class) for The Admiralty as NICHOLAS DEAN (Ad.No.3740).
27.4.1918: Completed as an A/S trawler (1-12pdr, hydrophone and W/T); sailed for Fleetwood.
4.12.1919: Registered by The Admiralty at London (Part I) as NICHOLAS DEAN O.N.143918.
01.1920: Engaged in commercial trawling.
1920: Fitted out for fishing under Special Survey of Lloyd’s Register and classed 100 A1 Stm Trawler.
03.02.1920: Registered by The Admiralty at London (Part IV) (LO297).
By 18.6.1920: Allocated to Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries, London.
13.08.1920: Minesweepers’ Cooperative Trawling Society Ltd, London registered.
1920: Allocated to the Minesweepers’ Cooperative Trawling Society Ltd, London.
1.1922: Scheme abandoned, the necessary working capital of £100,000 having not been subscribed. Laid up.
16.2.1922: Advertised for sale, along with JOHN YULE (LO305), laid up in St. Andrew’s Dock, Hull.
3.1922: Sold en bloc to Gourney-Delpierre & Co, Boulogne.
9.1922: Sold to Gournay-Delpierre & Cie, Boulogne sur Mer.
28.9.1922: London registry closed.
9.1922: Registered at Boulogne as NOTRE DAME de FRANCE (B939).
12.1924: Sold to Boston Deep Sea Fishing & Ice Co Ltd (64/64), Grimsby.
2.1925: Boulogne registry closed.
6.2.1925: Registered at Grimsby as WILLOUGHBY (GY161) (BoT Minute M/RS.1040/1925).
6.2.1925: Fred Parkes, Wyberton, Boston designated manager. Fishing from Grimsby.
6.1926: Company registered office transferred to Fleetwood.
25.11.1926: Arrived Halifax, NS and to fish out of the port.
3.1927: Returned to Fleetwood and fishing out of that port.
2.1928: Sold to Fiskveidahlutafelagid Svidi (The “Svidi” Fishing Co Ltd), Hafnarfjördur, Iceland.
24.2.1928: Grimsby registry closed.
2.1928: Registered at Hafnarfjördur as SVIDI (GK7). Thorarinn Egilsson & Sf Akurgerdi designated managers.
Pre 1930: Thorarinn Egilssoni appointed manager.
6.2.1932: In Grimsby for dry-docking, sank alongside whilst coaling.
11.2.1932: Salved and bunkers discharged prior to slipping.
2.12.1941: Disappeared off Snaefellsnes, SW of Iceland probably because of weather and overloading, but some speculation that she was mined. Crew of twenty-five lost.

(Nicholas Dean, Private, Marine, age 26 b. Bucker, Honiton, Devon – VICTORY (ML86)

Changelog
08/01/2009: Page published. 5 revisions since then.
23/08/2014: Information added.
08/04/2015: Information updated.
16/08/2021: Updated history and technical details.

S.T. St. Minver GY458

Technical

Admiralty Number: 4464
Official Number: 144030
Yard Number: 245
Completed: 1919
Gross Tonnage: 323
Net Tonnage: 131
Length: 138.5 ft
Breadth: 23.7 ft
Depth: 12.8 ft
Engine: 87 hp T.3-cyl by Crossley Bros. Ltd, Manchester
Built: Goole Shipbuilding & Repairing Co Ltd, Goole

History

1919: Launched by Goole Shipbuilding & Repairing Co Ltd, Goole (Yd.No.245) (“Mersey” class) for The Admiralty as JONATHAN COLLINS.
1919: Sold to Thomas Hamling & Co Ltd, Hull.
26.11.1919: Completed (Harold Hall, manager).
14.1.1920: Registered at Hull as St. MINVER (H136).
5.1928: Sold to Bunch Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Grimsby (W. Crampin, manager).
30.4.1928: Hull registry closed.
1.5.1928: Registered at Grimsby (GY458). Fitted for lining to pursue the Greenland halibut fishery.
1930: H. G. Crampin appointed managers.
5.1936: Sold to Boston Deep Sea Fishing & Ice Co Ltd, Fleetwood (F. Parkes, manager).
8.1939: Sold to The Admiralty (£6,000) and fitted out as a minesweeper (P.No. FY.725).
8.1939: Grimsby registry closed.
1944: Fitted out as a fuel carrier (‘Esso’ ).
5.1946: Sold to Easton Trawling Co Ltd, Swansea. Renamed MINESSE (SA??).
15.7.1947: Approval by MoT to transfer registration from Swansea to Cape Town.
1.8.1947: Sold to James Dalgliesh, Rondesbosch, Cape Town.
2.8.1947: Sale concluded for £10,000.
3.10.1947: Arrived Cape Town. Registered at Cape Town (CTA412).
1948: Sold to East Fisheries Ltd, Cape Town. pre 1959: Managers became Irving & Johnson Ltd, Cape Town.
1963: Sold for breaking up at Cape Town.

(John (aka Jonathan) Collins, Carpenter’s crew, age 53, b. Axminster, Devon – VICTORY (SB857))

Click to enlarge image

S.T. St Minver GY458

S.T. St Minver GY458
Picture courtesy of The JJ Collection

Changelog
07/01/2009: Page published. 5 updates since then.
28/01/2018: Removed FMHT watermark from image.