Category Archives: Lost

M.T. Navena (2) – FD172

Technical

Official Number: 187869
Yard Number: 1438
Completed: 1959
Gross Tonnage: 353
Net Tonnage: 125
Length : 39.9 ft
Breadth: 27.1 ft
Depth: 12.2
Built: Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby
Engine: 736bhp 7-cyl 4SA diesel by Mirlees, Bickerton & Day of Stockport
Speed: 12.5 knots

History

1958: Launched by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby as NAVENA for J Marr & Son Ltd, Fleetwood. First Marr trawler fitted with a variable pitch propeller, and first Fleetwood trawler with a transom stern.
21.05.1959: Registered at Fleetwood (FD172).
28.01.1969: Transferred to P & J Johnson, Aberdeen (FD172).
02.01.1977: Sold to J Marr (Aberdeen) Ltd (FD172).
05.12.1973: Sailed from Aberdeen at 09:30 hours for the fishing grounds of the Faroes under the command of skipper James Clark.
06.12.1973: At 06:12 in the morning a mayday call was reported by Wick radio. NAVENA had been driven ashore in severe weather and was hard aground on the Orkneys, at Copinsay. Three other vessels, GLEN AFFRIC, BOUNTIFUL and COASTAL EXPRESS tried to reach her but they were some way off. Kirkwall lifeboat reported that the trawler was in a critical position with only the wheelhouse above water.

20 men from the Deerness Coastguard Rescue team were in sight of the vessel but the wind prevented them from getting a rocket line aboard. Because of this, and despite the severe conditions, a Sikorsky BA.S61 was scrambled from Dyce.

Battling through atrocious conditions the helicopter succeeded in reaching the stricken vessel and found her in a desperate condition. She had been driven beam on against jagged rocks and was in danger of breaking up. The crew of 12 men were huddled inside the wheelhouse waiting for rescue. In a consummate display of flying skills the pilot of the helicopter winched all the crew off in spite of the winds that were gusting in excess of 100mph, a feat that earned the pilot the Board of Trade Rescue Shield for the best rescue involving the saving of life during 1973.
All the crew were landed at Kirkwall.

Click to enlarge images

M.T. Navena FD172
Picture courtesy of The Phil Rogers Collection

M.T. Navena FD172
Picture courtesy of The Phile Rogers Collection

M.T. Navena FD172
Picture courtesy of The Peter Hearn Collection

M.T. Navena FD172
Picture courtesy of The JJ Collection

M.T. Navena FD172
Picture courtesy of The David Slinger Collection

Changelog

24/09/2016: Page re-published due to site problems.
06/02/2017: Added image.
30/08/2020: Added an image.
10/10/2020: Added an image.

mfv Niels John – FD278

Technical

Official Number: 167497
Gross tonnage: 27
Callsign: OYIW
Net Tonnage: 9
Length: 30 ft
Engine: 88hp diesel
Construction: Oak/beech/fir
Built: Frederiksund 1934

History

Wooden built fishing vessel built at Frederiksund in Denmark
24.09.1948: Arrived at Fleetwood carrying the body of Hans George Petersen, the Danish mate and part owner of the vessel who had been dragged over the side by the trawl and drowned. Sk. Peter Kristensen stopped engine and hauled immediately and found the mate tangled in the warp. He immediately attempted artificial respiration but to no avail.
1970s: in ownership of Edmund P. Kristensen, Fleetwood
05.05.1977: Sank 15 miles east of Ramsey

Click to enlarge images

mfv Niels John FD278
Picture courtesy of Stephen Myerscough

Changelog
24/09/2016: Page re-published due to site problems.

mfv Pygmalion – FD132

Technical

Gross tonnage: 35

History

The motor fishing vessel PYGMALION was trawling to the east of the Point of Ayre on the 26th of may 1964. Her skipper was Richard Billington Sumner Around 8:30 am the Calor gas stove exploded as the three man crew was having breakfast, knocking one man unconscious and injuring two others as fire quickly engulfed the vessel.
The crew launched the self-inflating liferaft but it didn’t inflate properly.The badly injured crewman was lowered into it by the other two as the Pygmalion sank, some 9 miles east of the Point of Ayre. It was a sunny day and distress rockets would have been of no use so a decision was made to wait until darkness before using them. To make matters worse a coal strike had reduced traffic to and from Whitehaven so no other vessel passed them.

They drifted for fourteen hours all the time within sight of the Isle of Man, but with no sign of rescue. The injured man, John Cowell, was in considerable pain and only an emergency injection of morphine eased his pain,
By 22:30 it had grown dark enough to use the flares and these were fired. The Whitehaven trawler LORRAINE
was outbound for the fishing grounds and she spotted the distress rockets and changed course towards the liferaft. Meanwhile the Ramsey lifeboat, ANNIE ROWLAND ISABELLA FORREST, was launched.
LORRAINE, under the command of Peter Haroldson, reached the liferaft, took the three crewmen aboard and set his course for Ramsey where an ambulance was waiting.

The crew of PYGMALION were:
Richard Billington Sumner, skipper
Les Patterson, deckhand
John Cowell, deckhand
All were from Fleetwood

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mfv Pygmalion BM27
Picture courtesy of Keith South

Changelog
24/09/2016: Page re-published due to site problems.

M.T. Cevic – FD241

Technical

Official Number: 187866
Yard Number: SYC266
Completed: 1958
Gross Tonnage: 249
Net Tonnage: 81
Length: 116.25 ft
Breadth: 25.3 ft
Depth: 11.25 ft

History

Note M.T. Cevic is the trawler featured on the packet of Fisherman’s Friend lozenges.

1958: Completed by Brooke Marine, Lowestoft (Yd. No. SYC266) for the Cevic Steam Fishing Co.Ltd, Fleetwood as CEVIC. Registered at Fleetwood (FD241).
1970: Cevic Steam Fishing Co. Ltd taken over by J Marr & Son.
Undated: Converted to a standby safety vessel.
1978: Sold to George Craig, Aberdeen and renamed GRAMPIAN RANGER.
08.1986 sold to D Deck for scrapping at Plymouth but sold on to Spanish owners and restored for fishing. Renamed VIKINGO (Panama).
14.02.1991 Sank in the Bay Of Biscay after springing a leak in the North Atlantic.

Click to enlarge images

M.T. Cevic FD241
Picture courtesy of The Phil Rogers Collection

M.T. Cevic FD241
Picture courtesy of The Les Howard Collection

M.T. Cevic FD241
Picture from the Internet

M.T. Cevic FD241
Picture courtesy of The David Slinger Collection

M.T. Cevic FD241 August 1971
Picture courtesy of The David Mallinson Collection

August 1971
Picture (taken from M.T. Navena) courtesy of The David Mallinson Collection

Changelog
21/09/2016: Page re-published due to site problems.
11/08/2020: Added an image.
18/05/2021: Added an image.
11/03/2022: Added images.

M.T. Boston Stirling – FD247

Technical

Official Number : 365774
Completed: 1975
Gross Tonnage: 389
Length: 39.14m
Breadth: 9.44m
Depth : 3.78m
Engine: 1700hp 16 cylinder Mirlees Blackstone oil engine

History

1975: Registered at Fleetwood as a new vessel
Undated: Re-registered as LO 336
31.10.1985 Sank after springing a leak at the mouth of Loch Broom at Tanera on the west coast of the Summer Isles.

Click to enlarge images

M.T. Boston Stirling FD247
Picture courtesy of The JJ Collection

M.T. Boston Stirling FD247

Changelog
19/09/2016: Page re-published due to site problems.

M.T. Boston Seafoam – FD42

Technical

Official Number: 187843
Yard Number: 726
Completed: 1956
Gross Tonnage: 398
Length: 138 ft
Breadth: 28′ 5”
Depth: 14 ft
Built: Hessle, 1956 by H. Scarr Ltd
Owner: Boston Deep Sea Fisheries Ltd

History

1956: Completed by H Scarr Ltd, Hessle.
1956: To Fleetwood as a new vessel, registered as BOSTON SEAFOAM (FD42).
1970 – 1973: Based at Lowestoft.
1974: Sold to Putford Enterprises Ltd as FD42 WESTLEIGH.
1978: Became standby vessel ARKINHOLM (Salveson Offshore Services Ltd) and later GRAMPIAN CASTLE.
March 1987: Stranded and lost after running aground at Newborough Beach, Menai Straits, Wales.

Click to enlarge images

M.T. Boston Seafoam FD42
Picture courtesy of The Phil Rogers Collection

M.T. Boston Seafoam FD42
Picture courtesy of The Allan McKernan Collection

M.T. Westleigh FD42
Picture courtesy of The JJ Collection

S.S.V. Arkinholm
Picture courtesy of The JJ Collection

S.S.V. Grampian Castle
Picture courtesy of The Frank Pook Collection

S.S.V. Grampian Castle
Picture courtesy of The Stephen Worthington Collection

S.S.V. Grampian Castle
Picture courtesy of The David Slinger Collection

S.S.V. Grampian Castle
Picture courtesy of David Slinger

S.S.V. Grampian Castle
Picture courtesy of The David Slinger Collection

Changelog
18/09/2106: Page re-published due to site problems.
16/04/2017: Removed disputed image and added another picture.
05/02/2019: Added an image.
25/08/2020: Added an image.
26/05/2021: Added an image.

M.T. Boston Pionair – FD96

Technical

Official Number: 187846
Yard Number: 429
Completed: 1956
Gross Tonnage: 166
Length: 103 ft
Breadth: 22′ 4″
Depth: 10′ 9″
Built: Richards Ironworks Ltd, Lowestoft, 1956
Owner: Boston Deep Sea Fisheries

History

1956: To Fleetwood as a new vessel.
Undated: Transferred to Pegasus Trawling, Lowestoft as LT432
06.02.1965: Sailed from Lowestoft for the Horn Reef area under the command of skipper Brian Moyse with a crew of nine hands all told. She commenced fishing at Horn Reef the next day in the company of two other trawlers the BOSTON WIDGEON and the ROY STEVENS.
12.02.1965: With the weather freshening and winds forecast up to force 10 all three skippers decided to move westward to be closer to the land. At about 19:30 hours the BOSTON PIONAIR was seen hauling her gear and heading off in a WSW direction. That was the last time she was seen. For the next two days the weather was very bad with very high seas.
13.02.1965: Weather estimated to be force 10 +. BOSTON WIDGEON reported that she had been forced to heave to. At 0630 contacted BOSTON PIONAIR. Skipper Moyse advised that they had been laying to but thought he would soon have to start dodging again.
16.02.1965: After failure to contact BOSTON PIONAIR over the past two days a full scale search was started, including two naval vessels, a shackleton aircraft and over sixty trawlers. Articles belonging to BOSTON PIONAIR was found over 130 miles WSW of the position she was last seen.
02.12.1965: Formal BOT investigation at Lowestoft concluded “….that the BOSTON PIONAIR was overwhelmed in severe weather conditions by a wave or succession of waves which caused her to roll with such severity that her righting lever was extinguished and that she had thereby lost her ability to right herself. The possibility of damage to the hull or superstructure cannot be excluded.
All the crew were lost.
Crew Lost
B Moyse (JNR) – Skipper
G Beamish – Mate
M Lark – Bosun
A Thurston – Chief Engineer
W Thurston – 2nd Engineer
J Genery – Deckhand
W Stebbings – Deckhand
M Lee – Deckhand
B Moyse – Deckhand

Click to download the Loss Report in PDF format

Click to enlarge images

M.T. Boston Pionair FD96
Picture courtesy of The JJ Collection

Changelog
17/09/2016: Page re-published due to site problems.
15/02/2018: Removed FMHT watermark and added BOT loss report.

M.T. Boston Lightning – FD14

Technical

Official Number: 303204
Yard Number: 897
Completed: 1961
Gross Tonnage: 391
Length 138′
Breadth 28′ 1″
Depth 14′
Built: Hall Russell Ltd Aberdeen
Oil Engine: 4SA 7cy 15″X20″, Mirlees Bickerton & Day

History

1961: Launched by Hall, Russell Ltd, Aberdeen (Yd. No.897) for Parbel-Smith Ltd, Aberdeen as ADMIRAL BURNETT (A574).
1963: Owned by Mannofield Fishing Co. Ltd, Aberdeen (A574)
1966: Owned by St Andrews Steam Fishing Co. Ltd, Hull.
1968: Renamed BOSTON LIGHTNING and registered at Fleetwood (FD14).
1977: To Lowestoft for Dagon Fishing Co. Ltd, Lowestoft as ST. LUKE LT132
18.05.1978: Hauling when tide swept the trawl under the ship and there was an explosion, presumed to be a mine. Vessel sank 160 miles east of the Tyne.

Note: Skipper Basil Bowler “We were fishing Dogger Bank when the watch called me out at 3am and said the chief engineer wanted me to haul as both auxiliary engines had broken down and would could not pump the air bottles up. We also had no lights.
Started to haul in the dark with main engine stopped. There was a light wind but conditions were a bit foggy .
The mate, Brian Salter, called out that we had a lot weight and was hooking the big jilson. I went out on bridge veranda to try and see what was happening. On taking the strain there was an explosion amidships with water shooting up in the air.
I ran into wheelhouse to find a right mess, radars, sounders all hanging from there mountings. Going down to engine room I met the second engineer, Ernie Wright, who told me he was hit with the blast and water was pouring in engine room. I got a Mayday call out and launched life rafts ready in case we had to abandon ship.
Water filled the engine room and started to fill crews accommodation. With no power and no pumps there was nothing we could do as she was settling stern first with her bow lifting out of water.
The crew got in life raft, all OK apart from two who had leg injuries, they were at winch when she went up. Then we sadly watched as she disappeared.
We were first spotted by a German yacht who came along side out of the fog. Then transferred to Gulf Fleet 11 rig boat and then to the Sunderland lifeboat who had a couple of cases Newcastle Brown Ales for the lads, bless there hearts.”

Note: Chief Engineer on deck watching the haul when the explosion occurred. When he got down the engine room every engine room plate had been lifted off its stringers and scattered around like confetti and there was water roaring in. He was of the opinion that if he hadn’t have gone on deck to watch the lads hauling he would probably have been killed by flying debris, if the blast hadn’t got him. He reckoned that there must have been a mine or some other ordnance in the trawl which detonated when it hit the bottom of the ship.

Click to enlarge images

M.T. Boston Lightning FD14
Picture courtesy of The Phil Rogers Collection

M.T. Admiral Burnett A574
Picture courtesy of The JJ Collection

M.T. Boston Lightning FD14
Picture courtesy of The Len Charnley Collection

M.T. Boston Lightning FD14
Picture courtesy of The Osta Collection

M.T. Boston Lightning FD14
Picture courtesy of The Phil Rogers Collection

M.T. Boston Lightning FD14
Picture from the Internet

M.T. Boston Lightning FD14
Picture courtesy of The Stephen Myerscough Collection

Changelog
16/09/2016: Page re-published due to site problems.
27/06/2019: Added an image.
01/04/2020: Added an image.
10/08/2020. Added an image.
11/05/2021: Added an image.

M.T. Boston Islander – FD263

Technical

Official Number: 362625
Launched: 1966
Completed: 1967
Gross Tonnage: 102.14
Length: 26.15 m (85.79 ft)
Breadth: 6.12 m (20.08 ft)
Depth: 2.75 m (9.02 ft)
Oil engine: 6-cyl 530bhp Kromhout by De Kromhout Motoren Fabriek, Amsterdam

History

Note: First beam trawler owned by BDSF

1966: Launched.
1967: Completed by Gebr W. Visser & Zoon, Den Helder for J. Bakker & Zonen, Den Helder as HOOP OP ZEGEN. Registered at Den Helder (HD26).
1973: Sold to Boston Deep Sea Fisheries Ltd, Fleetwood. Den Helder Registry closed. Registered at Fleetwood as BOSTON ISLANDER(FD263).
1973: Remeasured 99grt.
12.1975: Transferred to fish out of Lowestoft.
1976: Sold to Anthony R. Paul & Kevin E. Gibbs, Lowestoft. Fleetwood registry closed. Registered at Lowestoft as P.G. ISLANDER (LT377). 1977: Sold to Warbler Fishing Co Ltd, Lowestoft. Rigged for side/stern trawling. Registered at Lowestoft as DAWN WATERS (LT377).
1979: Sold to A M Seafoods Ltd, Fleetwood and G. Burns, Kircudbright. Rigged for beam scalloping. Lowestoft registry closed. Registered at Ayr (AR72).
1981: Sold to A M Seafoods Ltd, Fleetwood. Ayr registry closed. Registered at Jersey as (J472). Fishing out of Newlyn.
20.3.1986: Sailed Fleetwood for Douglas, IoM (Sk. Louis Ozard); five crew all told. Weather worsened with NW gale gusting Force 11. At 0918, the bows of the submerged Dawn Waters was sighted by the diving/submersible support vessel BRITISH ENTERPRISE FIVE (981grt/1971) (Capt Hector Thomson). No distress signal had been made. Closing the part submerged vessel, saw a crewman, later identified as Gordon Anthony Coram, in the water. Unable to get close to the man because of the prevailing weather conditions, over about fifteen minutes, four attempts were made to pass a rope, but when finally he got hold of the rope he was too weak to hold on and was seen to slump over and drown. Four merchant vessels, two helicopters and two lifeboats searched the area but Coram’s body was the only one recovered and was landed at Douglas by the Douglas lifeboat.
1986: Jersey registry closed.

Crew lost – Skipper Louis Ozard, Newlyn; Gordon Anthony Coram, Penzance; Chris Dodd, Mousehole; Jason Ward, Plymouth and David Young, Paignton.

Click to enlarge images

M.T. Boston Islander FD263
Picture courtesy of John Stevenson

M.T. PG Islander FD263
Picture courtesy of David Slinger

Changelog

16/09/2016: Page re-published due to site problems.

M.T. Fleetwood Lady – FD1

Additional information courtesy of David Slinger

Technical

Official Number: 185296
Yard Number: 1394
Completed: 1954
Gross Tonnage: 370
Net Tonnage: 126
Length: 128.5 ft
Breadth: 26.7 ft
Depth: 12.3 ft
Engine: 2 stroke 5-cyl oil engine 700bhp by British Polar Engines Ltd, Govan, Glasgow

History

06.03.1954: Launched by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby (Yd.No.1394) for Boston Deep Sea Fishing & Ice Co Ltd, Fleetwood as FLEETWOOD LADY.
09.09.1954: Completed.
07.09.1954 Registered at Fleetwood.
30.11.1955: Company re-styled Boston Deep Sea Fisheries Ltd, Fleetwood.
07.03.1956: Sailed Fleetwood on morning tide for Muckle Flugga fishing grounds (Sk. Reginald Wright); fifteen crew. During afternoon anchored in Ramsey Bay to allow three Manx crewmen, the Lyall brothers and Allan Bradford, to visit families. At 4.00 pm. seven crew members left in the ship’s boat for Ramsey. At 7.00 pm four crew returned in ship’s boat leaving Sk. Reginald Wright, Allan Bradford and Eric Lyall ashore. At about 1030 pm. a small 13ft boat with six occupants left Ramsey to return onboard. At some time later the boat capsized and all occupants were thrown into the water. Alarm was raised after a body was seen floating just offshore and Ramsey lifeboat THOMAS CORBETT (Cox Cottier) was launched to search the area. Only bottom boards, identified as from the boat, were found. All bodies were recovered from the shoreline except that of Sk. Wright which was not found until two weeks later.
8.3.1956: Sailed Ramsey Bay for Fleetwood (Mate Ronald Slapp).
22.04.1961: At Fleetwood, having left lock for fishing grounds (Sk. Ken Beavers), in collision with trawler IRVANA (FD152) (Sk. E. Harris) which was ahead and had grounded on Tiger’s Tail and was backing off. Sustained damage to gallows, etc and returned to dock.
25.04.1961: Following repairs sailed for fishing grounds.
21.02.1962: Fleetwood registry closed.
01.03.1962: Sold to Acadia Fisheries Ltd, Mulgrave, Nova Scotia, Canada.
03.1962: Registered at St John’s, Newfoundland as ACADIA KINGFISHER.
21.10.1968: In heavy weather in Gulf of St. Lawrence started to take in water and abandoned by crew to other company trawler.
22.10.1968: Company trawler connected and commenced tow but started to settle and foundered in approx position 48.50N 62.35W.
1968: St John’s registry closed.

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