Additional information courtesy of David Slinger, David Buckley and Mike Thompson

Technical

Official Number: 185142
Yard Number: 1381
Completed: 1953
Gross Tonnage: 514
Net Tonnage: 184
Length: 161.1 ft
Breadth: 29.2 ft
Depth: 13.7 ft
Built: Built: Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby
Engine: 960bhp Oil engine 8-cyl by Crossley Bros Ltd, Manchester
Speed: 13.2 knots

History

Contract price £154,800 final £161,000
9.7.1952: Launched by Cochrane & Sons Ltd, Selby (Yd.No.1381) for Saint Andrew’s Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Hull as PRINCE CHARLES.
6.1.1953: Completed.
28.1.1953: Registered at Hull (H249). Basil Arthur Parkes, North Ferriby appointed manager.
29.1.1953: Sailed Hull on first trip to Norway coast (Sk. Robert Alan Cook).
23.2.1953: At Hull landed 1585 kits, £4,928 gross.
9.12.1954: Sailed Hull on last trip from port for White Sea (Sk.Sidney Ness).
31.12.1954: Landed at Hull 1824 kits, £4,396 gross. Transferred to fish out of Grimsby.
1.1.1955: Henry Norman Rogers appointed skipper.
3.12.1955: Sailed Grimsby for Barents Sea grounds (Sk. Thomas H. Baskcomb); twenty-one crew.
22.12.1955: Set course for home.
23.12.1955: Picked up a pilot at Honningsvag for passage through Norwegian fjords.
23.12.1955: In darkness when some 60 miles west of Hammerfest in a snowstorm stranded on Karken Island. Norwegian motor vessel INGÖY (433grt/1950) rescued twelve crew from shore but nine men including the skipper and a Norwegian pilot were lost. HNoMS NORDKYN (P.No.F309) and Hull trawler KINGSTON TOPAZ (H145) stood by overnight in the hope of finding more survivors.
24.12.1955: At 0700 search abandoned and shortly after vessel capsized.
1956: During summer Norwegian salvors succeeded in refloating and towed to Tromso for survey.
6.1956: Sold to underwriters.
13.6.1956: Sold to The British Trawlers Reinsurance Association Ltd, Hull. Insurance value £148,000.
15.9.1956 : Sold to Loch Fishing Co Ltd, Hull (Thomas Hudson manager).
3.10.1956: Arrived at Hull in tow of Norwegian salvage tug ULLER (319grt/1943). Survey on slip revealed extensive damage to shell plating port side and broken propeller blades. Humber St. Andrew’s Engineering Co Ltd, Hull entrusted with repairs.
03.1.1957: Registered at Hull as LOCH MELFORT.
6.1957: Re-engined with 8-cyl 1185bhp oil engine by Mirrlees, Bickerton & Day Ltd, Stockport. 12.5knts.
15.06.1957: New Certificate of Registration issued on alteration of tonnage and other particulars following new engine installation. 490grt 170net.
10.3.1960: Outward for Norwegian Coast grounds (Sk. William Moon, Scarborough); twenty crew. In thick fog, in collision 65 miles off the mouth of the Humber with Indian motor vessel JALADHIR (6527grt/1957) sustaining heavy damage to fore end; no injuries to crew in either vessel. Returned to Hull stern first at 3 knots escorted by JALADHIR until met by Hull tug FOREMAN (227grt/1959) which connected and assisted to dock.
11.3.1960: Berthed in fish dock on afternoon tide. Repaired and returned to service.
26.5.1960 Company bought outright by Hellyer Bros Ltd.
10.12.1962 Hellyer Bros amalgamated with Associated Fisheries Ltd.
22.7.1964: Sailed Hull on last trip from port for Iceland (Sk. Henry Joseph Morgan).
11.8.1964: At Hull landed 1117 kits, 601 shelf, £4,621 gross.. Transferred within the Associated Fisheries Group to Wyre Trawlers Ltd, Fleetwood.
14.8.1964: Kenneth Owers appointed skipper.
18.8.1964: Sold to Wyre Trawlers Ltd, Fleetwood (Leslie Wheldon manager).
10.9.1964: Roy Belcher appointed skipper.
14.9.1966: Hull registry closed.
15.9.1966 Registered at Fleetwood (FD228).
03.04.1868: Outbound for fishing grounds (Sk. Ken Owers) in collision with Black Scar Perch, which was not lit, and demolished it. Grounded on Black Scar.
24.7.1968: Registered at Fleetwood as WYRE CAPTAIN (FD228).
1.7.1969: Became part of the B.U.T. fleet when Ross Group amalgamated with Associated Fisheries to form British United Trawlers Ltd. Book value £45,806.
1975: Laid up.
6.6.1976: Sold to Mayer Newman & Co Ltd, London and allocated to Porthleven Shipyard for breaking up.
10.6.1976: Arrived Porthleven in tow of tug OCEAN PULLER (145grt/1943).
1.1.1977: Fleetwood registry closed.

Click to enlarge images

M.T. Prince Charles H249
Picture courtesy of The JJ Collection

M.T. Loch Melfort H249
Picture courtesy of David Slinger

M.T. Loch Melfort H249
Picture courtesy of David Slinger

M.T. Loch Melfort FD228

M.T. Loch Melfort FD228
Picture courtesy of The JJ Collection

M.T. Loch Melfort FD228
Picture courtesy of The David Buckley Collection

M.T. Wyre Captain FD228
Picture courtesy of The Ted Hammill Collection

M.T. Wyre Captain FD228

M.T. Wyre Captain FD228
Picture courtesy of Len Charnley

M.T. Wyre Captain FD228
Picture courtesy of The David Slinger Collection

Changelog
10/10/2016: Page re-published due to site problems.
24/03/2017: Image added. FMHT logo removed from other images.
30/07/2017: Added an image.
04/01/2018: Added an image.