The Fleetwood Motor Trawler Site

Fishing Memories by Warren Coles Kolher

It all started in 1956, I was at a school in Hull known as Trinity House, I made friends with a lad called Fred Grey and his father was a skipper on a Steam Trawler called Loch Oskaig.

So come the summer holidays Fred and me off we went on a 3 week fishing trip up to the White sea then up to and around Iceland, My mate Fred worked on the bridge with his dad me I helped in the Galley which I loved, but hated the spud bashing. That’s what got me hooked.

I left school in 1957 at 16 and worked for Ellerman & Wilson Lines as an Apprentice engineer. By the time I was 18 I was called up for national service in the army did my 2 years came out, and tried to sign on the trawlers in Hull.
But because I had missed 2 years no birth! A mate of mine took me over to GY I took my Army papers with me stating that I was a qualified cook.

I registered and got a birth that day and sailed the next day on ROSS Leopard. Now my experience as a Trawler Cook went back to 1956 where it was Steamed Duffs with every meal, and when we started it was fish for breakfast every morning. Excepting the first meal at sea was a Pan of Sachles i.e. Meat stew or a tin of Corned Beef.

Now I must admit then I was not a trawler Cook But an Army Cook who Cooked for the Officers Mess. it took the crew or should I say my muckers to complain that after the trip that they had put weight on instead of losing it.

But I must say that every trawler that I sailed on the or a skipper would offer me a good back hand to sail with them, and most of the lads would follow me on to the ship. I wonder why!

OUT OF GY I SAILED ON MFV LEOPARD 3 trips, Tiger 3, Conqueror 2 trips, Revenge 1 trip, Lepanto 7 trips, and Hotspur 1 trip.

Left the sea and returned back to the MN college down George St, Hull, After 3 years I got my Chiefs ticket.

Now what I’m going to write I don’t know whether it should be printed, As this is personal Whilst at College the Firm that sponsored me asked me to sail on the Gaul! I said No! Whilst at college coming up to the Xmas Holidays for 3 weeks I had a night mare where I sailed on a Stern Dragger and it was lost at sea, I later found out that that ship that I should have been on was lost off the North Cape of Norway.

The college said if I sailed I would not get my Chiefs Certs and told that company so, Any how I finished my 3 year course And I signed on a Stern Dragger Called Orsino, The crew kept on coming on then walking off In the end We sailed when the Hydraulics packed up we got it fixed and sailed into a force 8 all the way to the fishing grounds when the Hydraulics failed again this time some one had damaged it, so we went into Hammerfest for repairs, we sailed again and again had to go into Honningsvag This time a deck hand set the crews quarters a light causing the death of the 3rd mate and nearly killed the deck hand, By this time I started to look back at that dream that I had and left the ship, I was posted missing for 3 weeks, when I had been home about 3 days no one knew where I was let alone got too. When the Fisher mans Mission came to see my then Ex wife to report that I was missing at sea.

I left Hull and went down to Lowestoft and worked for clone fishing on Juno what got me I went up onto the bridge and I had to help the skipper to spell the name of his trawler Juno and some other words for his log.
Any how we sailed into a storm 8 it took about 20 hours steaming to the grounds. We had no longer shot the nets when the trawler took a broad side which put us on to our port side.

I managed to climb out a long with the rest of the crew all we could hear was the sound of the wind and the whining of the trawl wires whistling in a high pitch tone. I think back had we not shot the nets? the trawl wirers were acting like sheet anchors again it was luck, 2 of us managed to make our way to the bridge where the skipper was knocked out, we looked at him and left him and fighting the wheel to bring it to starboard we managed to get the wheel to starboard and some how she answered the helm and as quick as she went on to her port side she was up right, The cook was thrown over the starboard side and again as quick as he went over he was back on the fore deck that was from the stern to the foredeck what 40 foot.

That day we sailed into Perrywell licking our wounds went ashore had a good drink and sailed the next day.

But looking back the sea had or was knocking the **it out of us bouncing and jumping all over the place funny we had a good catch and left for home, it seemed like the sea or fate was saying you have to fight me before I’ll give the fish up. After about 10 trips we went as a share boat where I ended up cooking, looking after the engines and but not lest on the wheel whilst the skipper and crew got some sleep.

Then in 1976 or 77 Lowestoft got a newish trawler bought from the French It was the biggest Trawler that Lowestoft had it took 2 births when in dock. The Engine room was a pride to the last Chief engineer, if it was brass it was polished in fact the engine room was cleaner that the mess deck and galley put together.

Now we were fishing some where near Dogger Banks when a storm hit us If I can remember it was some thing like the storms that hit the Uk in 1952 our engines packed up and for 18 hours we were pushed from the west cost up as far as Peterhead. On that trawler the spare parts were on the after deck to get to it in a storm you had to wait until the ship was rising on a wave open the storm doors close and run like hell to the stores open those storm doors get in and close that door jump up onto the fist shelf and hang on for hell until the ship stated to rise, get what parts you needed the wait then go through in reverse order. I lift that company to work for Boston Deep Sea all of them were stern draggers. after 3 years of HELL BUT I would not change it for all the money in the world.

I went on to rigs I liked it but I missed the sea any how whilst I was working on the Riggs I applied to do diver training which I had to pay I think it was then £300 I PASSED and this time I was in the money like £50 a dive Tax Free We did then about 3 dives a day. I must tell you this I was diving off the Rough just off Easington when 3 of us went down I was on one leg when this Bloody great big thing put the wind up me I later found out that it was a Granddad Cod I’m 5.9 foot in height the head was bigger than my head the girth well it was big.

And there ended my life working in UK waters I worked on Supply , support ships as Engineer Diver until I retired.

Now before I close I was on ross Leopard when a decky who was working the winch when the cable parted I think it killed him but with quick thinking of the skipper he got him back to life 3 times. Whilst he was doing this the ship sailed into Hammerfest with out a Pilot on board and as soon as the ship docked the doctor was there it was found out that the decky lost his cobblers and the top part of his old man. a few injection the lad walked off the ship and into hospital the skipper was arrested along with the ship and crew, after 4 days we left to carry on fishing. What a price to pay for your fish and chips.

What gets me Yes we all like our fish But do people on shore realise what the fisherman does at sea not only fighting the sea but also to keep alive just to get a good settlings when they came home and to put a good bit of fish on their plates.

Warren Coles-Kolher