'allo, 'allo, Pierre,
I remember 'Boston Commanche' in Grimsby in the late '60s.
The following information found on the Grimsby trawler website "Sidewinder" (
http://embark.to/sidewinder):
Trawler 'St Louis' built by Cook,Welton & Gemmell, Beverley, Yorkshire, 1959, 616 GRT, Length 179.8 feet, breadth 32.4 feet, engines Kloeckner Humboldt Deutz 1600 BHp, speed 1375 knots.
She was sold on 6/11/68 to Boston Deepsea Fisheries, renamed 'Boston Commanche' (GY144), Official No. 333954, and sailed from Grimsby, Lincolnshire. She would have fished at Iceland, Norwegian Coast and White Sea fishing grounds.
According to 'Sidewinder', there were two deaths on board including one man overboard.
On 17/3/79 (St Patrick's Day and, coincidentally, my birthday) she arrived at Medway Secondary Metals Ltd, Bloors Wharf, Rainham, Kent, to be broken up.
For interest, another 'Pecheries' trawler, 'St Luc', was sold to Boston Deepsea in 1970 and became 'Boston Boeing' (GY183). She was built in Poland in 1962 and scrapped in 1980.
Boston Deepsea Fisheries, founded by Sir Fred Parkes, operated from Grimsby, Hull, Fleetwood and Lowestoft. It is interesting to hear that the company had a French subsidiary - previously considered part of the competition! Which areas would the French ships have fished?
In Grimsby, Boston's were a highly regarded company. I did a trip on 'Broadwater' (later to become 'Boston Crusader') and got bacon and stuff for breakfast! In other firms, the bacon ran out after the first day. I recall reading something by a famous French wit stating that the English were peculiar because they eat fish for breakfast, well, in that respect we were well looked after. Mind you, there's nothing like starting off with a brace of kippers, the all day breakfast!
A couple of other sites you may be interested in: The Bosuns Watch (Fleetwood) and Arctic Corsair (Hull).
John T.