Milford trawlers

[BarryJ]

I've been developing my website http://www.milfordtrawlers.org.uk/ for nearly two years, and am now in the process of adding photographs of individual trawlers.

Thanks to records bequeathed to Milford Library and loaned to me, I've been able to include fairly definitive lists not only of all Milford registrations, but also of trawlers registered in other ports which sailed regularly out of the port for at least a year, and in the majority of cases I've also been able to add information transcribed from log book entries, letters, and newspaper articles (local and national) related to individual trawlers.

I'd be very grateful for any help forum members may be able to offer by way of trawler photographs. I've been fortunate in having permission from the Fleetwood Maritime Heritage Trust and "The Bosun's Watch" website to copy images of ships which spent part of their lives manned by Milford crews, as well as from other individuals who've sent me their own digital photos.

If anyone has a photograph of a trawler, but is uncertain whether she fished out of Milford, they could send me the Official Number, and I could check whether she "qualifies".

All contributions will be gratefully received!

Barry Johnson

[Gavin Gait]

Hello Barry. Do you have a photo of the David John A169 ( worked on long term lease out of Milford Haven from 1989 till 1996 altho owned by M&S Developments of Lowestoft at the time ). She was built originally for my Family.

Name DAVID JOHN A169 , scrapped in 1996
Type TRAWLER
Date 1969
Yard Number: 358
Official Number : 303233 then A10061
Callsign : GOOQ
Engine number 428, Mirlees Blackstone type ERS6MGR Average speed on trial 10.6 knots : 369kw/495hp
Owner J W Johnstone Aberdeen & David Jack Fraserburgh & W M G Tait, Fraserburgh & George Jack MacDuff (1968-1988) , M & S Development Engineering Services Ltd Lowestoft (1988-1996)
Builder : John Lewis shipyard Torry Aberdeen
Dimensions 26.51m(87ft) overall 24.31m(79ft9) registered length X 6.55m(21ft6) X 3.65m(12ft)
Tonnage: 110.25 gross tons 38.03 net tons

Built for Davie Jack, skipper, and when he retired passed to his son George in 1973 in partnership with John Johnstone and W M G Tait, Fraserburgh.
Operated out of Aberdeen until 1988 when sold to M & S Development Engineering Services Ltd in
Lowestoft. Worked on long term lease to the Milford Haven Docks Company until 1996 when she returned to Lowestoft to be scrapped at Richards Ironworks.

http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/data/522/1937davidjohnA1691.jpg
thats her about a year old steaming out of Aberdeen. I do have photos of her in Milford Haven but they're not my copyright ( David Linke from the Fishing News and a few from the Milford Museum that you should have ).

Davie Tait (Thumb)

[BarryJ]

Sorry, Davie - the period I cover in detail is 1888 - 1988 (although 1991 marks the effective end of Milford as a fishing port, when the Dock became a marina), so I don't have a photo of her, I'm afraid.

Regards,
Barry

[Peter4447]

Hi Barry

Not sure whether you are aware of this already but E Bay has thousands of postcards up for sale and if you go into the Topigraphical rather than the Shipping section, Milford Haven is often listed and I have seen some very good ones of the harbour and many of these contain some very good shots of fishing vessels. It is well worth the occasional search!

Peter4447(Thumb)

[scooby do]

Hi Barry
your work on the history of Milford trawlers looks great.
I would like to ask if your photo collection of Milford trawlers includes any crew members.
The reason i ask is my grandfather, a danish chap by the name of Kofotd sailed out of Milford on steam trawlers around the 1920s.

Ian

[Gavin Gait]

Hi Barry , I see you list my Grandfathers steam trawler ( Avondee A826 ) in your site so i've uploaded a photo of her from her time at Milford Haven taken by a Coastal Command patrol aircraft in 1943

http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/67308/cat/522

Davie(Thumb)

[BarryJ]

Thanks, Peter - I have bought several postcards of Milford trawlers from Ebay, but with several hundred trawlers on the site, that could get a bit expensive! However, I do keep a lookout for photos of trawlers in which i have a special interest.

[BarryJ]

Could you check on the spelling of that name, Ian? "Kofotd" doesn't look right to me, and there's certainly no one of that name mentioned in the newspaper articles I've transcribed.

[BarryJ]

Fantastic, Davie - a beautiful photo, from an unusual angle (the only aerial view of a trawler I've seen). I'll certainly make use of it, and will acknowledge you as the source. As I don't have any newspaper articles relating to her, the photo is especially appreciated.
Many thanks,
Barry

[Gavin Gait]

Barry I have the info on when and which company she was working with ( and as her time as an ESSO boat in RN ) on my Fathers computer i'll put it up tomorrow when I get a chance. I'll include her building details , names , history too(Thumb)

[Gavin Gait]

Ok Barry here's all the info on the Avondee A826

Built in 1918 at Paisley ( Clydeside) by the Fullerton Shipyard to the Royal Navy Strath Class design as an anti-submarine vessel fitted with a hydrophone. Name as built was Thomas Evinson

Remained in the RN until 1921 when she was sold to Harrow Robertson Sea Fishing Company ( Aberdeen ) and renamed Jeannie M Robertson A826. Aquired pre-WW2 by North Star Sea Fishing company ( Aberdeen ) and renamed Avondee A826. Sent to Milford Haven in late 1942 ( from what I can find out ) as an armed trawler with a high angle 12lb'er gun ( NOT the 6lb'er I said earlier ). She was requisitioned in March of 1944 and converted into an ESSO boat ( small fuel tender ) and returned to fishing in October 1944. Her Admirality Number was 3743.

When she left Milford Haven I haven't found out but she was back in Aberdeen by May 1945. My Grandfather ( Davie Jack ) went skipper of her from 1946 or 1947 ( can't pin down the exact date ) until 1959 when the Forward Pride A367 was built to replace her. My Grndfather used to fish down at Iceland all summer and around the Faroes / Shetlands in the Spring and out to the West coast around St Kilda etc in the Autumn and fished in the North sea all winter.

She was scrapped at Inverkeithing in 1960.

Davie (Thumb)

[BarryJ]

Thanks very much for those details, Davie. I'll be able to make use of the information when I begin adding further details to the individual trawler pages.

Much appreciated!
Barry

[BarryJ]

Davie -

I've just been through my collection of newspaper cuttings, and came across this photograph, which I hope is of good enough quality.

Best wishes,
Barry

[Gavin Gait]

I have a print of that one Barry ( its the David Linke from the Fishing News I mentioned ) and she was looking pretty "tired" by that time. Thanks for looking it out tho (Thumb)

[BarryJ]

Sorry about that, Davie - the photo was in a cutting, probably from the "Fishing News" of 3rd April 1992, accompanied by an article naming her as the DAVID JOHN, which had just been leased by Lowestoft owner Neville Scuphan, and backed by Milford Haven Port Authority. The photo caption says "DAVID JOHN on her first shakedown trip with her Milford skipper and crew", and the background certainly appears to be Milford, with the stern of the BRISCA M16 just visible. However, the fishing number could be A168, on closer examination. How on earth could the wrong trawler have been named here?

Barry

[gil mayes]

Davie, AVONDEE was broken up by Shipbreaking Industries Ltd at their Rosyth yard. She arrived from Aberdeen off Charlestown on 9 May 1960 in company with the STRATHDEE. Both had to wait for a berth and she was not delivered until 13 May, however because of the Charlestown workload she was transferred to Rosyth and demolition commenced 16.May 1960. She was bought by BISCO for £2300 (this is in doubt as the STRATHDEE made £2350). Her Contract Number was 71E.
Gil.

[Gavin Gait]

Thanks for the correction Gil (Thumb)


Barry the David John was definately A169 and it is her in your photo you uploaded(Thumb)

[BarryJ]

Glad to have been of some use, Davie.

She does seem to be in a hell of a mess, poor old girl. Her stem seems to have had a bit of smack!

Barry

[Gavin Gait]

That was us Barry. Early 1980's the rules on how much you got to catch changed to how many men you had onboard and how long the boat was. We carried 9 men and cut 14" off the bow and ended up with a lot more quota as a result. Not nice to look at i'll admit but worth it at the time (Jester)

Trawler with a "boxers nose" lol

Davie (Thumb)

[E.Martin]

Any known Photo of Milford Trawler Robert Bowen.

[BarryJ]

I was hoping you'd get a positive reply, too!

BarryJ

[billblow]

Barry
Perhaps an odd question but how come with the exception of your posting and the previous one above that you commented on the next posting is by Davie Tait in June 2007?
At the very least I remember you coming on with updates to your Milford site or am I missing something.
Bill

[BarryJ]

Bill - I saw the request for a photo of ROBERT BOWEN on that old thread, and just answered it! I think I'll probably carry on doing so, and not starting a new thread when I update the website.

I haven't updated it today, because there are only a couple of minor corrections/additions at the moment, but I'll probably update in April.

Regards,
Barry

[davetodd]

Bill - I saw the request for a photo of ROBERT BOWEN on that old thread, and just answered it! I think I'll probably carry on doing so, and not starting a new thread when I update the website.

I haven't updated it today, because there are only a couple of minor corrections/additions at the moment, but I'll probably update in April.

Regards,
Barry
Understood Barry, please keep up with your excellent work.
Best Regards
Dave

[Alan Duggan]

Hello Barry, i visit your site on a regular basis. Great site, keep up the good work Barry.

Alan

[BarryJ]

Dave and Alan -

Thanks very much for the kind words. I only wish I could fill all the gaps in the lists of owners, add all the missing photographs, and record the circumstances of those losses for which I don't have any details.

If it wasn't for the help so many people have given me, there would be many more gaps and errors!

All the best,
Barry

[BarryJ]

I've just updated the Milford Trawlers website, with some corrections and additions, including a photo of MANOR M238 (ex FD174).

BarryJ

[BarryJ]

I've uploaded new information as well as corrections to the website, mainly focused on news items related to trawlers fishing out of Milford, but registered in other ports, with names beginning A to H.

I'm grateful for the photographs of PROVIDER R19 and TRIUMPH YH568 supplied by Barry Banham, and for the wealth of corrections and new information provided by Gil Mayes and his collaborators Maurice Voss, David Slinger and George Westwood.

BarryJ

[BarryJ]

The latest update of the website gives additions and corrections, mainly to trawlers registered in ports other than Milford, but who fished out of the port on a regular basis, mostly for a year or longer.

Please notify me of any errors or omissions, to be made good at the next update.

BarryJ

[bill dial]

The latest update of the website gives additions and corrections, mainly to trawlers registered in ports other than Milford, but who fished out of the port on a regular basis, mostly for a year or longer.

Please notify me of any errors or omissions, to be made good at the next update.

BarryJ

Keep up the good work Barry

[BarryJ]

Thanks, Bill - it's a labour of love!

Barry

[BarryJ]

The latest update to the Milford Trawlers website is now on-line, including news items relating to trawlers registered in ports other than Milford.

BarryJ

[BarryJ]

The latest update includes several interesting newspaper articles, including another "Message in a bottle" story relating to SYBIL LT77 (the first vessel to enter the newly opened Milford Docks in 1888). This message seems to be hoax to me, though the story was printed in many newspapers. (See the page for HIROSE M47, and the very relevant warning about "messages in bottles", especially harrowing tales, published by "The Times".)

BarryJ

[dickjburton]

Re "8 Nov 1910: After a collision with the dynamite-laden ketch MYSTERY, the crew abandoned PROVIDER, and were landed in Yarmouth, while the damaged drifter was towed to Lowestoft by a trawler. The PROVIDER's nets, holding 8,000 mackerel, were found and taken aboard by a herring boat. [The Times, Thursday 10th November ]"
Dear Barry
I was interested in this incident recorded in your Milford Trawlers website was this the Times of London ?. When I looked at the Times
archive for this date I couldnt find the report.
AS a matter of interest I have The Yarmouth Independent 18-10-1913 report with picture of the Providers stranding on the North Beach and could let you have a copy.

Kind Regards
Richard Burton

[BarryJ]

Thanks very much, Dick - yes it was "The Times" of London, which I got from "Gales News Vault", which I access via my local library on-line. I'll check it again later this morning, and let you know more details.

I'd very much appreciate a copy of the photo via email, if possible.
( milfordtrawlers@googlemail.com )

I'll get back later.

Barry

[BarryJ]

Today's update of the Milford Trawler website contains new photographs and newspaper reports, as well as corrections and additions provided by helpful correspondents, for which I'm very grateful.

BarryJ

[BarryJ]

I've updated the website with a number of better trawler photographs, and documents issued to Skipper A.J. Beckett, who was drowned in 1942 when trying to dump the code books as his boom defence vessel CHORLEY (ex CERESIO H447) was sinking.

BarryJ

[BarryJ]

I've updated the website, including several new photos, new pages, and additional or corrected information for various ships' pages.

BarryJ

[BarryJ]

In the latest update I've added several new pages for vessels registered in other ports, but which landed at Milford regularly, particularly Brixham smacks, and additions / corrections to other pages.

I'm hoping to have access later this year to digitised Pembrokeshire newspapers from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which should yield substantial information on Milford fishing vessels, thanks to the National Library of Wales.

Fingers crossed!
BarryJ

[davetodd]

In the latest update I've added several new pages for vessels registered in other ports, but which landed at Milford regularly, particularly Brixham smacks, and additions / corrections to other pages.

I'm hoping to have access later this year to digitised Pembrokeshire newspapers from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which should yield substantial information on Milford fishing vessels, thanks to the National Library of Wales.

Fingers crossed!
BarryJ
Barry
I wish you well with the access to the National Library of Wales.(Scribe)
That would be a great help to many people interested in the early reports and information which can be found in newspapers.
A similar exercise is being undertaken into Grimsby newsclippings from local papers by a dedicated volunteer.

Best wishes
Dave

[BarryJ]

Thanks, Dave - I'll post a message to the Forum when I get access to the newspaper archive. I don't know yet when it will become available, but I'd be very happy to get stuck into it this summer.

All the best,
Barry

[BarryJ]

As usual, additions and corrections raise yet more questions, and the ? key is getting shinier.

All contributions with further suggestions, errors and omissions will be gratefully received.

BarryJ

http://www.milfordtrawlers.org.uk/

[frogman]

keep up good work barry m8

[BarryJ]

Thanks, Frogman!

TTFN
BarryJ

[BarryJ]

I'm still waiting for the National Library of Wales to complete their digitisation of historical Welsh newspapers, which should be a very useful source for stories relating to the early Milford fishing industry.

In the meantime I've continued to make minor corrections and additions to the website, thanks to information mainly from Gil Mayes and Douglas Paterson.

BarryJ

[BarryJ]

This is a more extensive update than usual.

As the first vessel to enter the newly completed Milford Docks was the trawler SYBIL LO37 in 1888, I've tried to cover the following 100 years. However, as the year of 1988 loomed up, more and more of the ships fishing out of the port were foreign owned and crewed, and they didn't have the same interest for me.

However, I felt that I should make the effort to cover these vessels, for the sake of completeness, so this update includes 13 new pages of vessels beginning with A to L, as well as minor additions or changes to 12 other vessels. The index of all Milford vessels is also more neatly presented (thanks to my son, who knows more about these things).

The next update is intended to do the same for names beginning M to Z, after which I hope the National Library of Wales will have digitised nineteenth and early twentieth century local newspapers, enabling me to add more news items relating to Milford fishing vessels.

It's keeping me off the streets, anyway.

BarryJ

[BarryJ]

The latest update contains new pages for thirteen vessels, and additional information on six existing ships. I'm indebted to the Trawler Photos website, which I've always acknowledged.

There are are many omissions in the data, as most of the new pages were not Milford vessels in the traditional meaning of the word; most were crewed by Spaniards and many landed their catches in Spain. These alien ships were evidence of the decline of Milford as a fishing port, but I felt they had to be included, sad though they were. Still, I'd be very happy to receive any information to include on their pages, especially relating to their former UK owners, and their ultimate fate.

There are only about five new ships to add to the website now, but next year I hope to be able to include more historical information relating to "real" Milford ships in the earlier years when the port was growing, not declining.

BarryJ

[gil mayes]

Well done Barry.
Gil.

[Linnea LL590]

Great job Barry!!!

[BarryJ]

Thanks very much, Gil and "Linnea LL590"!

I'm currently compiling Milford landings by alphabetical ships' names for 1923, the only year organised by dates by Les Jones. There may be some errors in Les' summary of the landing periods he listed. I'm into April now!

Regards,
Barry

[BarryJ]

The latest update includes the last four of the 1988 entries of fishing vessels with Milford owners (according to Olsens), and corrections to the dates of consecutive landings for vessels during at least a year, mainly in the 1920s. Quite a few were regular but seasonal (March to October) in the 1920s, especially Brixham, Fleetwood, Lowestoft and Ramsgate vessels, but many of them later became based in Milford all the year round in the 1930s.

In 1923, 235 individual fishing vessels landed at Milford, not including small craft (under 15 grt). Les Jones, who compiled the names of all vessels for every year from 1888 to 1969, who entered Milford Dock (including warships and freighters), alphabetically by names, except for one year - 1923 - when he listed them by dates. I've now put 1923 landings in the same format as all the other years (but only for fishing vessels). If anyone is interested in that list, please email me via the Milford Trawlers website, and I'll send it as an attachment (6 sides of A4).

BarryJ

[BarryJ]

The latest update of the Milford Trawler website has additions and corrections to 26 pages, mostly of Milford registrations from the later years of the 1800s and early years of the 1900s.

If any member can spot errors or omissions (and there are many!), I'd be grateful for details and sources if possible.

BarryJ

[BarryJ]

There are 37 updated trawler pages on the website, including 8 new photographs. The basis of the information is the Milford register entries from 1902 to 1906.

I've been greatly helped by Jan Harteveld with information and photographs on those trawlers which transferred to IJmuiden, and by Per Gisle Galåen and Ole Hajem Fisk, of the Norwegian Maritime Museum, on the less known histories of ships not only bought by Norwegian but also other foreign owners.

I intend to complete the update of the remaining ships on the 1902-26 register, but unfortunately the next register (1926-45) was not transferred to the Pembrokeshire Record Office.

I'm sure there are many errors and omissions remaining on these pages, and I'd be very grateful for any corrections.

BarryJ

[BarryJ]

I should have also acknowledged the help of Göran Olsson, Gothenburg, Sweden.

BarryJ

[BarryJ]

I've been updating and correcting pages of Milford fishing vessels registered in the port, mainly during the first two decades of the last century, and I'll be continuing with further similar updates this month.

At the same time, I've started transcribing newspaper articles concerning Milford vessels and their crews, from "The Pembrokeshire Herald and General Advertiser", from 1844 to 1910. This is one of a small group of 23 nineteenth century local newspapers digitised by the National Library of Wales, as a trial for a more extensive coverage of other Welsh newspapers, up to 1910. These newspaper articles are fascinating, usually tragic but sometimes humorous, and invaluable for family historians. The period covered by the "Herald" is longer than that of most of the other papers (the "Swansea Gazette", for example, runs for only 1909-10), and of course the readers of most of these local newspapers were more interested in farming, mining, ironworks and chapels than fishing vessels!

The website for accessing the current newspapers is at:
http://welshnewspapers.llgc.org.uk/en/home

BarryJ

[BarryJ]

The latest update on the Milford Trawlers website has added more details and/or corrections of technical details, owners and other information, covering years from the 1800s up to the early 1950s.

It also includes further local newspaper articles up until 1910, covering disasters, tragedies, fearsome accidents and occasionally farcical seamanship (such as three vessels trying to enter the docks at the same time). There are still more to come.

I'd appreciate any corrections and additions, via http://www.milfordtrawlers.org.uk/

BarryJ

[frogman]

Keep up the good work Barry m8

[BarryJ]

Thanks, Frogman!

BarryJ

[BarryJ]

The latest update has 33 additional information / corrections for those Milford trawlers originally registered in other ports, and 45 additional pages of news items from*"The Pembrokeshire Herald", mainly dated 1900-10. (Some of these are tragic, others entertaining.)

BarryJ

[edi1939]

The latest update has 33 additional information / corrections for those Milford trawlers originally registered in other ports, and 45 additional pages of news items from*"The Pembrokeshire Herald", mainly dated 1900-10. (Some of these are tragic, others entertaining.)

BarryJ

hi barry do you know the fate of milford trawler welsh monarch she was sailing out of grimsby when i was her on sorry cant remember the exact date in 1960s

[BarryJ]

edi1939 -

I always include all the info I have relating to any Milford trawler straight away - I don't keep any info for myself!

This is what the WELSH MONARCH's page (under her final name) has on her fate:

"In 1980, CEDARLEA left Aberdeen, where she was lying derelict, and headed south, as a replacement for the offshore "pirate" station Radio Caroline. She was, however, abandoned in Ipswich until sold for £5,000 to Greenpeace, who renamed her GREEN PEACE. In 1982, together with another Greenpeace vessel, SIRIUS, she tracked down a fleet of Dutch ships, attempting the largest sea dump ever undertaken in the heart of the rich fishing grounds off the Northwest coast of Spain."

I don't know what happened after that.

All the best,
BarryJ