CRAIG-AN-ERAN A64 / M257
Official No: 123354 Port Number and Year: 9th in Aberdeen 1906 (A64)
3rd in Milford 1943
Description: Steel side trawler; steam screw, coal burner. Mizzen sail.
Crew: 9 men (1906); 12 men (1943).
Registered at Milford: 15 May 1943
Built: by Alexander Hall & Co., Aberdeen, in 1906. (Yard no. 421)
Tonnage: 201.59 gross 45 net (1914: 73.5 net.)
Length / breadth / depth (feet): 115.4 / 21.6 / 11.85
Engine: T 3-cyl.. 68 nhp. 10 kts. Engine and boiler by builders.
Owners:
As LOCH EARN A64
15 May 1906: Red Star Steam Fishing Co. Ltd., 164 Market St., Aberdeen.
Manager: Harry A. Holmes, Albert Quay, Aberdeen.
1913: Horace E. Stroud, 18 Caledonian Place, Aberdeen.
Managing owner.
As GEORGE STROUD A64
1917: Stroud's Steam Fishing, Co. Ltd., 164 Market St., Aberdeen.
Manager: Horace E. Stroud.
As CRAIG-AN-ERAN A64
11 Jul 1928: George Craig, 108 Victoria Rd., Torry, Aberdeen.
Managing owner.
1939: Herman Westenborg, 'Westhaven', The Rath, Milford.
Managing owner.
As M257
15 May 1943: Westenborg Trawlers Ltd., Docks, Milford.
Managing owner: H. Westenborg, Westhaven, The Rath, Milford.
27 Jul 1944: Milford Fisheries, Docks, Milford.
Manager: Owen Willie Limbrick, Pill Lane, Milford
Landed at Milford: (A64) 15 Dec 1939 - 17 Mar 1943.
(M257) 6 Jun 1943 - 29 Oct 1945; 9 Jan - 29 Sep 1946; 14 Dec 1949 - 24 Apr 1951.
Skippers: Robert Robson
Notes:
Loch Earn is in the districts of Perth and Kinross and Stirling, the central highlands of Scotland.
Craig an Eran was the name of a horse which won the 2000 guineas in 1921, owned by the 2nd Viscount Waldorf Astor.
Aug 1914: Requisitioned and converted to a minesweeper. (Admy. no.359)
18 Mar 1938: Stranded in Broadhaven, north of Wick, Caithness. Towed into Wick Harbour with the assistance of a motor boat and the ship's hawser, and repaired by Messrs. John Lewis and Sons, Ltd., Aberdeen, at a cost of £420.
8 Jan 1942: Attacked with bomb and gunfire off the Old Head of Kinsale. [See story below.]
1952: Broken up.
Cert. Cancelled & Milford Registry Closed: 25 Jul 1952.
Accidents and Incidents:
From an unknown local newspaper of c.16th November 1939:
It is good news for Milford that the trawler fleet, which has been so depleted since the outbreak of war, is to be augmented by three vessels which have been purchased from Aberdeen.
Two, the River Ythan and the Sureaxe, are being added to the growing fleet of that enterprising firm of Yolland and Llewellin. These vessels can be adapted for Spanish fishing, of course, but for the meanwhile will probably be put on mixed fishing. They are 112 ft. and 115 ft. in length.
The other purchase is by Mr. Herman Westenborg, another go-ahead owner. The vessel is the Craiganeran, and has been bought from Mr. George Craig of Aberdeen.
The trawlers are expected to arrive shortly, and will be a welcome addition to the local fleet.
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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 19th June 1942:
A commendation for brave conduct at sea has been awarded to Mr Charles Stanley Roch, 23, Warwick Rd, bosun on the "Craig-an-Eran". Mr Roch had received a diploma bearing the following inscription "By the King's order the name of C. S. Roch, boatswain of the S/T "Craig-an-Eran", was published in the London Gazette, on 26th May 1942, as commended for brave conduct in the fishing fleet. I am charged to record His Majesty's high appreciation of the services rendered. Winston Churchill. Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury".
The Commendation comes in recognition of Mr Roch's bravery when the "Craig-an-Eran" was bombed off Ireland some months ago. He was gunner on the boat and his conduct helped considerably in saving the ship.
Like the others who have received awards, Mr Roch has sailed from Milford for many years. He formerly resided at Pill.
The skipper of the steam trawler "Craig-an-Eran", Skipper Robert Robson, has received a commendation for bravery. Skipper Robson, who lives with his brother, ex-skipper Richard Robson, 17, Greville Rd, handled his ship with such skill and bravery that it was brought to port after a
perilous experience. He holds a silver medal and Carnegie certificate for life saving at sea in 1912 and received the medal from the hands of King George V. He is a native of Scarborough.
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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 24th June 1949:
The Milford trawler William Brady (Milford Fisheries) will leave the port next week to fish out of Aberdeen, where another boat of the Fisheries fleet, the Craig An Eran, is already based. It is understood that other vessels may follow suit, and although no confirmation can be obtained locally, we gather that the reason for the move centres around the fact that running expenses at Milford are heavier than in other ports on the West Coast.
The local trawler Ijuin (Pair Fishing Company) is now out of Aberdeen, while the steam trawler St. Lucia (Mr. R. P. Lewis) is landing at Fleetwood. Seen on Thursday Mr. Owen Willie Limbrick would neither confirm or deny the rumours.
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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 5th May 1950:
MORE TRAWLERS TIED UP
Four trawlers, half the Milford Fisheries fleet, has been laid up this week because of prevailing uneconomic conditions. They are the Thomas Booth, Craig an Eran, Cloughstone, and Peter Carey.
The total number of trawlers now laid up at Milford is 24, or a third of the port's fleet. Some are undergoing repairs, but most have been tied up because it has been found uneconomical to run them.
In this connection, here is an extract from a letter received at Milford this week from a London firm of merchants: "Our market at the moment is loaded with Danish plaice at the prices quoted above, and it is selling very slowly." The prices given were well below control prices.
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