ALMANDINE H415

Courtesy of Mick Evans

[See also foot of page.]

Official No:  163097   Port and Year:   Hull, 1932 (H415)

Description: Steel side trawler; single screw, coal burning.  Ketch rigged.

Crew:

Built: 1932, by Cook, Welton & Gemmell, Beverley.  (Yard no. 572)

Tonnage:  294grt  135 net.

Length / breadth / depth (feet): 129.0 / 24 / 12.9

Engine: T 3-Cyl. 89 bhp.  Charles D. Holmes & Co., Hull Oct 1959:  Converted for burning oil fuel, F.P. above 150° F.

Owners:   30 Apr 1932: Kingston Steam Trawling Co., St. Andrew's Dock, Hull Manager: John William Lown.   30 Sep 1948: Milford Fisheries, Docks, Milford Manager: Owen Willie Limbrick, 'Windy Ridge', The Rath, Milford 16 Feb 1960: Manager: Reginald James Parry.   17 Feb 1962: Hammond Lane Metal Co., Pearse St., Dublin. Manager: Donald James Flavin.   2 Mar 1962: Mrs Daisy Pretoria Carter, Milford. Manager: Alastair Adams.   10 Jun 1963: Boston Deep Sea Fishing & Ice Co., Fleetwood Manager: Basil A. Parkes.

Landed at Milford:  26 Oct 1948 - 7 Feb 1962 [Laid up and bought by Irish company, which sold her after a month - see above.]

Skippers: Arthur Harvey; Albert Riby; Sid Hearne: Albert Seeling.

Notes:  Almandine is a mineral belonging to the garnet group. 19 Oct 1933:  In strong SSE wind took in tow trawler De la Pole (H395) disabled with fouled propeller.  30 Aug 1939: Requisitioned by the Admiralty as a minesweeper (P.No. FY 645). 1940: 40th M/S Group, Grimsby. 5 Jan 1943: Returning in company to the Humber in a storm with snow squalls, stranded on a sand bank. Spurn lifeboat attended and at great risk to herself took off nineteen crew and landed them on the beach. Refloated on flood and tug connected and after taking off three remaining crew.  Proceeded to Grimsby. 10 Jul1945: Off Lizard Point, Cornwall, picked up eleven survivors from HM Trawler KURD (H344 / P.No.FY639) which had been mined. 22 May 1946: Returned to owners. Oct 1963: Sold to breakers at Troon.  [Information courtesy of Gil Mayes.]

Accidents and Incidents

From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 4th January 1946:

 

    "We are watching closely the Icelandic fishing experiment," intimated T.O.A. President Mr. O. W. Limbrick, referring to the purchase by his firm, Milford Fisheries, of the 140 foot trawler Almandine.

    The boat, bought from Hull, is now fishing Iceland and will land at Milford in a fortnight.  She is equipped with the most modern devices.  Skipper Arthur Harvey will command her out of Milford.

 

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Barry Banham photo collection

 

From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 10th October 1948:

 

    In the fishing doldrums at the moment, Milford is seething with rumours about trawler sales, but owners who have seen these vicissitudes before are not unduly alarmed about the situation.  Even so, several of them are looking further afield, and Iceland and Spanish fishing are likely to figure prominently in the port's activities during the next 12 months.

        ................

    Another addition will be the Almandine (Milford Fisheries), due back next week from an Iceland trip, which is expected to prove a guide for her new owners.

 

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 18th January 1952:

 

FISHING "LEAGUE"

"DUKE" AT THE TOP AGAIN

    After two years as "runners-up", Skipper Albert Saunders and the "Milford Duke" are once again in top place in the Milford fishing "league".  In 1951 Skipper Saunders caught a greater value of fish than any other individual trawler captain in the port.

    Second in the league on last year's results is Skipper W. Burgoyne, who has moved up a place, closely followed by Skipper Steve Pembroke, who was sixth in the list of 1949 catches.  "Crack" Skipper for 1948 and 1949, Skipper Tom Donovan, D.S.C., is a close fifth in results while consistent Skipper James Jobson again occupies fourth position.

    Here are the leading positions, the ships being classed according to size.

.............

SUPER CASTLE

    In this class Skipper Sid Hearne is well out in front with Skippers Harvey and Seeling neck and neck behind him.

1.  Nighthawk (Sid Hearn), Milford Fisheries.

2.  Almandine (Arthur Harvey), Milford Fisheries.

3.  Hatano (Albert Seeling), Messrs. Jenkerson.

4.  Homeleigh (Clarence Riby), Goodleigh Fisheries.

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L to R, back row: Deckhand David Kersey, 3rd Hand Tom Ferris, Deckhands Ken Britton and David Kerr

Front row: 2nd Eng. Joseph Trybalski, Ch. Eng. W.J. Bailey, Mate George Moore, Skipper Arthur Harvey, Bosun Oliver Smith-Howell, Firemen Hugh Martin and Jan Greenhalgh, Cook Frank Szydlowski (an Ex Polish Army Captain).

From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 14th January 1955

John Stevenson Collection

 

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 6th January 1956:

 

TRIBUTE TO FISHING ABILITY

SKIPPER HARVEY 'TOPS' AGAIN

(He Has A New Challenger)

    OUTSTANDING FEATURE OF THE 1955 MILFORD FISHING LEAGUE WHICH WE PRESENT THIS WEEK IS THE ALL ROUND INCREASE IN TOTALS FOR THE CRABBER AND DRIFTER TRAWLER CLASSES.

    TRUE, THE FLEET IS SMALLER, BUT CATCHES AND PRICES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR HAVE BEEN GENERALLY GOOD AND THE RESULTS ARE A TRIBUTE TO THE FISHING ABILITY OF THE MEN WHO MAN THE SHIPS.

    Milford Fisheries SKIPPER ARTHUR HARVEY, new chairman of the Skippers' and Mates' Sections of the Transport and General Workers' Union, and Captain of the super-Castle Almandine, has retained his 1954 position as the top-earning individual Skipper in the port in 1955, but he has been closely challenged by the excellent results produced by SKIPPER ALFRED BECKETT in the Milford Steam Trawling Company's vessel, Milford King.  Skipper Harvey's total of 23 trips fell £524 short of his 1954 total and was £1,755 ahead of Skipper Beckett's figure.  But the Milford King did not land her first trip in 1955 until February 21st, and made only 20 trips during the year.  So that Skipper Beckett's total based on that number of trips is in fact easily the highest individual record for the year and is without doubt the most outstanding feature of the "League" for 1955.

    Skipper Beckett, the younger brother of Skipper Grenville Beckett, Captain of the Steam Trawling Company's Milford Consort, reached fourth position in the Castle class in 1954, and will undoubtedly continue to challenge the port's present "Don", Skipper Arthur Harvey, who landed no fewer than £2000 and plus trips during the year.

 

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 12th January 1962:

 

    We understand that the trawler Haven Star is likely to be scrapped at the end of her present trip, and replaced by the trawler Almandine, which has been purchased by Westward Trawlers from Milford Fisheries Ltd.  The principal of Westward Trawlers was Mr. E. E. Carter, M.M., whose sudden death we reported last week.

    It is understood that the company's other vessel, the Milford Star, will continue to operate.

 

 

John Stevenson Collection

 

 

 

   

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