Hartlepool's steam and motor trawlers.
Trawler Barton Queen. Built at Lowestoft in 1957 for West Hartlepool Steam Navigation Company.
More detail »The steam trawler Beatrice, HL 16.
More detail »The steam trawler Ben Tarbert HL 21. The label on the picture is incorrect, it is the Ben Tarbert.
Built 1912 by Hall Russel. Ketch Rig Steam Trawler.
More detail »Photograph of the crew of the Ben Tarbert Trawler c1930s. Alexander Stewart is on the far right.
More detail »This photograph is of the Ben Tarbert Crew. Alexander Stewart is on the far right. His son William aged fourteen is also on the photograph.
More detail »Trawler Bentley Queen. Built at Lowestoft in 1971 for West Hartlepool Steam Navigation Company.
More detail »The steam trawler Calypso HL 53.
More detail »Trawler Carlton Queen. Built at Lowestoft in 1961for West Hartlepool Steam Navigation Company.
More detail »Craigmore.
More detail »The steam trawler Eileen Wray HL 61.
More detail »The steam trawler Eleazar HL 51. Built by Hall Russell, Aberdeen in 1895. Captured by a German submarine in 1917 and sunk by gunfire.
More detail »The steam trawler Elsie and four others alongside Irvine's Quay - probably to have new boilers fitted. The Elsie was bought by James Pattison of West Hartlepool, in 1928 and then sold in 1934 to the Stanley Steam Fishing Co Ltd, Fleetwood. More information on this vessel can be found at http://www.fleetwood-trawlers.info
HHT&N 787
More detail »The Scarborough-registered steam trawler Elsie SH 280.
More detail »Steam Trawler Elsie - SH 280 by the Swan Neck Crane. Undergoing repairs.
More detail »Fairy Cove - HL 10 entering port.
More detail »The following extract is taken from an article which appeared in the local magazine 'Herterpol' featuring well-known local fisherman Tommy Moorhead :
"Tommy recalls the Gertrude Cappelman as an unlucky boat. Fishermen had plenty of superstitions. There was one occasion when the boat was in dock between trips. The job of the Engineer after every trip was to freshen up the boilers and make the boat ready for the next trip. This meant the fresh water was drained from the boilers and refilled and the tanks topped off. At this time it was often common for boats to haul mines up in their nets and on one trip the skipper took out the detonator from the mine to make it safe. At the next boiler freshening it was thought that either the Engineer or his mate had dropped the detonator and the explosion killed both men. The Gertrude Cappelman was later lost with all hands, sunk by a mine off the Tyne."
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The steam trawler Gertrude Cappleman HL 74.
More detail »HL 71 Maruel heading back into port.
More detail »Photographs of the owner, his daughter and the crew of his trawler, taken sometime in the 1930s.
More detail »Herring boats being unloaded.
With record catches of herring being caught recently, Hartlepool has had a taste of it's former glory as a major herring port. During the past week, a handful of drifters have been mooring at the Dockhead and unloading catches destined for Scotland and many parts of the North of England. NDM July 1976
More detail »An article in the local magazine 'Herterpol' featuring well-known local fisherman Tommy Moorhead, recalls that Tommy once sailed on the Isabella Fowlie, presumably sometime in the 1930s. Jocky Reynolds was skipper at the time, with other crew members Danny Coull senior (Cook), Panky Ryder (Engineer), George Leighton and Joe Green.
More detail »The Steam Trawler Kathleen Burton', trawling in the North Sea between 1922 and 1926.
More detail »This is either the crew of the steam trawler Kathleen Burton', or the W.S. Burton, which were trawling together in the North Sea between 1922 and 1926.
More detail »Northern Daily Mail: 1st April, 1919
Salvage in a Gale - Hartlepool Trawler’s lucky “catch” - A Mysterious Craft
The Hartlepool trawler Kathleen Burton has just made a lucky catch, picking up and towing into port a large German ship, the Gernot, of Hamburg, which had apparently been abandoned in a gale.
It was on Sunday morning when about 170 miles off Hartlepool that the trawler came upon the Gernot. A gale was blowing at the time and the vessel was drifting about helplessly in the seas. Her boats were gone and there was no-one at all on board. Steps were at once taken to get a tow rope aboard her. This proved a difficult and dangerous business and in the course of it the trawler’s small boat was capsized, whilst further trouble was caused by the tow rope parting. However, the prize was finally secured and she was towed into Hartlepool this afternoon.
The Gernot, which is built of iron, is a sailing ship about 250 feet in length. Only her foremast is standing and her boom has also been cut away. Houses have been built on deck and these and her holds are fitted with beds, everything indicating that she had been used as a hospital ship attached to some German depot. It is believed that originally she was a Sunderland vessel.
Northern Daily Mail: 5th April, 1919
Hartlepool Trawler’s Prize - History of the Derelict - Story of a Brilliant Rescue
New facts have come to light, writes a London “Daily Chronicle” representative, concerning the German mystery ship found derelict in the North Sea. These go to show that the vessel, formerly used by the Germans to “house” strike-breakers at Hamburg, was utilised during the war to accommodate British civilian prisoners prior to their being sent to Ruhleben.
While being towed in the North Sea the vessel – the Gernot of Hamburg – encountered such heavy weather that the cable parted. By a brilliant piece of seamanship an Admiralty vessel succeeded in rescuing all but five of the German crew on board, and the survivors were so impressed by the handling of the Government vessel that they conveyed to the commander their high appreciation of his fine feat.
The Gernot was subsequently picked up by the trawler Kathleen Burton and brought to Hartlepool.
More detail »The steam trawler Kudos.
More detail »Lowestoft Trawler aground off Hartlepool.
More detail »Quite a crowd has gathered round a stranded Lowestoft steam trawler at Hartlepool.
This vessel was Mascot, LT1038, built in 1907 by John Chambers of Lowestoft for Arthur Gouldby(1869-1951) of Kessingland, Suffolf.
In 1918 the vessel was bought by Jack Breach(1887-1944) with a partner, and operated by Jack Breach Ltd in the herring fishery until 5th August 1927 when she ran aground.
Salvors were called in for a refloat, no charge fee of £200, but could not get her off. In the end efforts were called off and the salvors went away with £52 10s expences. Jack Breach had to sell her for breaking as she lay and received just £7 10s for this fine old wooden vessel which had braved many a storm.
The vessel weighed 62 tons gross and 74' 6' long.
More detail »A steam drifter making her way out to sea, the smoke from her funnel partly obscuring a Hartlepool Pilot Boat behind her. Former Hartlepool Pilot Bert Spaldin suggests the Pilot vessel might be the Premier, hired from January 1924 until January 1925, when the T.H. Tilly arrived from her builders in Aberdeen, the previous boat, Seaflower, having been condemned.
More detail »Photograph showing engine room prior to overhaul by Richardsons, Westgarth personnel under the supervision of Jim Wilson.
More detail »Machinery layout sketched by Jim Wilson prior to overhaul by "Richies" personnel.
More detail »Machinery details written up by Jim Wilson during engine overhaul by personnel from RW.
More detail »As well as their core business of marine steam-turbines and land-based turbo-alternators, RW also overhauled the machinery of local vessels. Jim Wilson supervised repairs to this boat. The St. Hilda was built by H. Scurr of Hessle in 1959 for the Friarage S.F. Co. of Hartlepool.
More detail »Trawler Norton Queen. Built at Lowestoft in 1958 for West Hartlepool Steam Navigation Company.
More detail »Our Tracy Jane. Built in 1947 at Peterhead. Origionally from Seahouses and was called 'Good Fellowship'.
More detail »Painting of John T Graham HL 69 by A Harwood 1913.
More detail »Painting of trawler 'John T Graham' HL 69 by A Harwood 1913
More detail »Painting of trawler 'Stenholt' H 156 by A Harwood 1936.
More detail »Trawler Sheriffmuir. Built at Hessle in 1952 for West Hartlepool Steam Navigation Company.
More detail »Paddle trawler Star o' Tay. She was built by J.P. Rennoldson & Son in 1870, and based at Scarborough.
Dimensions 96.2 feet long and 19 feet beam she had a tonnage of 101 ton gross, built of wood and steam powered paddle wheels of 50 nhp.
The following appeared in the Western Mail newspaper, on October 31st, 1889:
LOSS OF A STEAM-TRAWLER NEAR MILFORD. About four o'clock on Wednesday morning the steam-trawler Star o' Tay (owner Woodger), Captain J. Chambers, went on the rocks at Lynn's Way [Lindsay Rocks, St. Ishmaels], and will become a total wreck. The captain reports that on Tuesday night, when outside the harbour mouth, about three miles off St. Anne's Head, the Star o' Tay sprang a leak. They immediately headed her for Milford Haven, but the fires being eventually put out by the water, which rapidly gained on them, the captain and crew, consisting of seven men, had to abandon her and take to the boats. A strong gale from the south-west was blowing on Wednesday and the vessel was rapidly going to pieces.
The following article appeared in the Northern Daily Mail on Friday, November 6th, 1914:
"The gallant services rendered by the Hartlepool steam trawler Mayfly (Captain R.H. Whittleton), on the occasion of the wreck of the Government Hospital Ship Rohilla, last weekend, have been gratefully acknowledged by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
This morning Councillor J.T. Graham, JP, head of the firm of Messrs. J. Graham & Sons, the owners of the Mayfly, received the following letter from Mr. George F. Shee, the secretary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution;
'Dear Sir, - I have heard from the honorary secretary of the Hartlepools branch of the prompt and energetic action which you took in order to assist the efforts of our lifeboats in saving life on the occasion of the wreck of the Rohilla on the 30th and 31st ult.
Although the terrible conditions of the sea made it imposslible for the Mayfly to assist the shipwrecked men on the ocassion of her first trip to Whitby, and not withstanding the fact that on the occasion of her second visit, on Sunday, she found that all those remaining on board the Rohilla had been saved by the Tynemouth lifeboat, the action of your firm, taken upon your own initiative, was a signal proof of your anxiety to be of service to the Institution in its great task of lifesaving; and your thoughtfulness in sending the trawler the second time with several barrels of oil on board for the purpose of throwing oil on the water was an instance of forethought and care in detail which is greatly appreciated by the Committee of Management.
The fact that on both ocassions Coxswain Hastings went to the trawler to assist the skipper was calculated to add still further to the value of the action taken.
I beg to express to you, on behalf of the Committee of Management of the Institution, their most cordial thanks for the generosity and public spirit with which you, your sons, and other members of the firm acted in circumstances so critical for all concerned, and on an occasion which has exemplified afresh the heroic qualities of the gallant men who man the lifeboats on our storm beaten coasts.
The Committee of Management feel sure that you and your firm will always gladly remember an occasion on which you were brought into such close and beneficial relationship with the great national service administered by the Lifeboat Institution.
In placing beofre the Committee of management the service rendered to the Institution by the Mayfly, I would, if you think well, have the question of some recognition to the skipper and crew considered.'
Three crew members of the Ben Tarbert.
More detail »Crew of an unknown trawler. Alexander Stewart is in the centre front of the photograph.
More detail »Trawler heading in to port.
More detail »A Grimsby trawler being reboilerd using the swan neck crane at Irvine's Quay.
HHT&N 790
More detail »The trawler Elsie being reboilerd using the swan neck crane at Irvine's Quay. Other trawler visible is the Dragon from Middlesbrough.
More detail »The paddle trawler Triumph.
More detail »View of the Pilot Pier and Fish Sands through Sandwell Gate. The trawler Castle Eden, HL 115 is berthed alongside the Pier.
More detail »This is probably the crew of the steam trawler W.S. Burton - the letter "S" can just be made out on the wheelhouse - or possibly the Kathleen Burton, which were trawling together in the North Sea between 1922 and 1926.
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