EAST COAST A935

[Down by the stern.  See newspaper article below.]

John Stevenson Collection

Official No:  123378   Port and Year: 4th in Aberdeen, 1907 (A122)                                                                    -   -  Hartlepool, 1918 (HL94)                                                                    -   -  Aberdeen, 1922 (A935)

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

Crew:  9 men (1922).

Built: 1907, by Alexander Hall & Co., Aberdeen. (Yard no. 427)

Tonnage:  202 grt  52 net. (1922: 192 grt 74 net.)

Length / breadth / depth (feet): 115.5  / 21.7 / 11.9

Engine: T 3-Cyl. 66 rhp; by builders

Owners:   As HORACE STROUD A122 22 Feb 1907: The East Coast Steam Fishing Co. (Aberdeen), 164 Market St., Aberdeen. Managers: William Anderson & James B. Taylor. [Same address.] 7 Apr 1910: As EAST COAST By 1912: [Owners as above.] Manager: James Scott (jnr.), 205 George St., Aberdeen.   As EAST COAST HL94 29 Apr 1918: Friarage Steam Fishing Co., Hartlepool.  (64/64) [John Thomas Graham, 6 South Crescent, Hartlepool; James Bruce Graham, John Thomas Graham Jnr., Hartlepool.]               1920: J. de Coninche, Ostend.   As A935 16 Nov 1922: David Dow Noble, 355 Victoria Rd., Torry,  Aberdeen. [Managing owner.] John Duthie, Aberdeen.  (64/64.)   21 Nov 1923: David Dow Noble, 355 Victoria Rd., Torry,  Aberdeen. (64/64.)   3 Jan 1931: David Dow Noble & Mrs. Jane Noble, 162 Victoria Rd., Torry,  Aberdeen. (64/64.) By 1935: 70 Balnagask Rd. Aberdeen.   3 Feb 1941: Don Trawling Co., (Milford Haven), Docks, Milford. (The landings below point to the fact that in some of the Milford 'gaps' she was landing at Fleetwood.)

Landed at Milford:  [Thanks to Nikki Bosworth, Pembrokeshire Archives and Local Studies.]      23 Feb - 12 Dec 1941 (20 landings); 3 Mar - 20 Dec 1942 (21 landings); 31 Jan - 17 Dec 1943 (24 landings); 10 Jan - 22 Mar 1944 (4 landings). (In these 'gaps' were probably landings at Fleetwood.)       20 Feb - 10 Dec 1945; 16 Mar 1946 - 23 Nov 1947; 12 Feb 1948 - 30 Dec 1949; 10 Mar 1950 - 30 Nov 1952; 14 Oct 1953 - 26 Apr 1955.

Skippers: Sam Larner (1947)

Notes:  Nov 1913: Sold by Horace Stroud to Portuguese buyers for £500 in excess of the original cost when new. [Source from "Aberdeen Built Ships" website.  Owners unknown, and Lloyd's List does not record a different name; Aberdeen owners until Feb 1915, sold to Hartlepool owners in 1918, and Belgian owners in 1919.] Feb 1915: Purchased by the Admiralty and converted for minesweeping duties (Admy. No.1172).  1x12 pdr. Based in Stornaway. 29 Apr 1918:  Aberdeen registry closed. Apr 1918:  Registered at Hartlepool (HL94).  1919: Sold to mercantile. 16 Jan 1939:  At about 6.30pm. steam trawler CHRISABELLE STEPHEN (A374) outward from Aberdeen for fishing grounds (Sk. F. Fraser); nine crew, ran onto rocks at Scaurs of Cruden, south of Peterhead.  Stood by and at about 8.00pm. when vessel came afloat under own power, EAST COAST connected and commenced 14 mile tow to Aberdeen. After an hour and a half, Sk. Fraser she started to settle and foundered in under three minutes.  Men were seen in the water and Wemys, a fireman from the EAST COAST, jumped in to try and save the men but had to be hauled back, one man picked up but died onboard.  All nine crew members were lost. 14 Jun 1943: Directed to Fleetwood to land but re-assigned. Mar 1944:  Requisitioned for war service for miscellaneous naval duties.  Jun 1944: Assigned to Operation Neptune - Normandy landings. Converted to an Esso (P.No. 4.441) and fitted with portable tanks for employment as a smoke making trawler.  12 Oct 1944:  Returned to owner.  Nov 1947: Beached at Ballycotton after springing a leak. [See newspaper article below.] 16 Jul 1958:  Aberdeen registry closed, as “Vessel broken up”. [Thanks to Gil Mayes and Fleetwood Maritime Heritage Trust.]

 Accidents and Incidents

From an unknown local newspaper dated 7th November 1947:

The crew of ten hands of the Milford steam trawler "East Coast" were saved when their vessel foundered off the Irish Coast on Thursday evening. The trawler is owned by the Don Trawling Company and her S.O.S. for assistance twenty to thirty miles off Ballycotton was answered by several local boats in the vicinity - the "Milford Viscount", "Slebech" and the "Arthur Cavanagh".

Milford householders, listening in on the trawler wave-band, heard something of the drama, but on Friday morning (today) the owners were still without official information. It is known, however, that the Ballycotton lifeboat was launched and proceeded to the spot, and that all the crew are safe.

A wireless message intercepted at Milford at 11.30 on Thursday stated that the "East Coast" had been abandoned and the crew were safe in a lifeboat. The trawler was stated then to be "settling".

The "East Coast" left Milford on October 25th, and put into Cork on Monday night to take aboard extra provisions as she intended staying at sea for eight more days.

The crew are as follows:

Skipper.                 Sam Larner, 74,Shakespeare Ave.

Mate.                     E. Harding, 108, Marble Hall.

Bos'un.                    F.R.Williams,Havens Head.

Third Hand.            W.Musk, Manchester Square.

Deckhand.              R.Huddlestone, Langford Rd.,Johnston.

Cook.                     J.Richards,Newel Hill,Tenby.

Chief Engineer.       R.Perrin, Trafalgar Rd.

Second Engineer.    W.Davies,The Court,Hakin.

Firemen.                E.Tippe (a Polish recruit to the industry).

                             J.Jones,London.

As we go to Press we learn officially that the steam trawler "East Coast" has been towed to Ballycotton by the Milford trawler "Slebech" (E. E. Carter) and beached.

 

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