From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 1st October 1954:

 

    Mr. W. H. Kerr's new diesel trawler, the Diadem, will be launched at the Lowestoft yard of Messrs. Richards (Ironworks) Ltd., on Thursday October 14th.  The vessel will be a big ship in miniature, with all the essentials of a deep water vessel.

    Powered by a 440 h.p. Crossley engine, she will have a bunker capacity of 36 tons, enough fuel to keep the ship at sea continuously for between 5 and 6 weeks if ever required.  The fish room of the 100 foot Diadem will be completely insulated, and have a capacity of more than 1,000 kits of fish.  It will be possible to shelve every single fish of a catch, and individual closed ponds are provided.

    The 9 man crew will have accommodation aft in a spacious sleeping cabin, and each bunk will be lined with polished wood and have a roomy locker.  As the mess room is amidships, the floor space in the cabin will be clear and there is no table.  The mate and chief engineer have their own cabins, while food from the galley will be passed straight into the mess room.  Bathroom, showers and a drying room are aft, and nets may be prepared under the whaleback sheltered from the weather.  The men can go from their quarters through the engine room to the bridge under cover.  The steel wheelhouse will have a skipper-operated radio cabin, and the vessel has the high flared bow of a deep water trawler, and is closed astern with boat deck abaft the funnel.

    She will be a real beauty.       

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 24th February 1956:  

 

    Skipper Noel Bray and his Willing Boys crew left Milford by train on Tuesday for Lowestoft, where they will take over Mr. W. H. Kerr's new diesel trawler Diadem, which has been fishing off the east Coast for about six months.  They will fish a trip on the way back to Milford.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

L to R, back row: Mate Martin Davies, Ch.Eng. Cecil Davies, Skipper 'Bush' Setterfield, Bosun Roy Francis

Front row: Cook 'Louie', 2nd Eng. 'Curly' Beckett, 3rd Hand Billy Taylor, Deckhands Trevor Gibbs and Freddy Brown

Les Jones Archive (including crew names)

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 2nd August 1963:  

 

    A trawler deckhand, whose refusal to join his ship delayed the vessel sailing for 48 hours, was fined £5 and ordered to pay £5 towards the costs at Milford Court on Wednesday.  He was Robert Bevans, 23 Albion Street, Milford Haven. 

    Due to sail on the motor trawler Diadem, Messrs. W. H. Kerr stated he was ordered to report at 9 a.m., and when he failed to arrive at 9.30 a.m., a car was sent to his home.  At 9.50, defendant walked down to the docks and stated he was refusing to join the ship.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 20th September 1963:  

 

    Mr. W. H. Kerr, Managing Director of Kerr's Ltd., confirmed on Thursday that the firm's motor class trawler Diadem leaves today (Friday) to fish out of Lowestoft.  Her departure will bring the number of ships in Milford's fleet down to 28.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to Other Registrations A - H