GEORGINA WILSON HL10

 

John Stevenson Collection

Official No:  162470   Port and Year:  Hartlepool, 1955

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

Crew:

Built: 1955, by Henry Scarr, Hessle.  (Yard no. 724)

Tonnage: 182 grt  61 net.

Length / breadth / depth (feet): 102  / 22.3 / 12

Engine: Oil; 6 cyl; 350 bhp = 10.5  kts.  Crossley Bros.

Owners:   As FAIRY COVE HL10 1955: J. Graham & Sons (Hartlepool), Victoria Docks, Hartlepool.   As GEORGINA WILSON Oct 1970: Hubert Jones (Trawlers), Docks, Milford.

Landed at Milford:  1970 - 1978

Skippers: J. Donovan; Tommy Smith

Notes:  10 Apr 1978: Firm went into liquidation. See story below.

     Accidents and Incidents:

 

From a local newspaper, probably the West Wales Guardian of Friday 9th October 1970:

 

    Heartening news for Milford and the local fishing industry is Thursday's announcement by Hubert Jones (Trawlers Ltd.) that they have purchased two drifter trawlers from Fleetwood.  The trawlers, Georgina Wilson and Brenda Wilson, have been brought from the north-western firm of James Wilson, and scratch crews leave today to bring them back to Milford.  They are due to arrive on Sunday and fitting out and crewing will start immediately.  Both trawlers are similar to the Irish-owned Ranworth Queen, which left this week for the first time under local management.

 

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 5th April 1974:

 

    With a triumphant "cock-a-doodle-do" on her siren the Milford Haven trawler Georgina Wilson sailed from the port at 11 a.m. on Thursday, the first ship to return to sea since the owners decided to lay-up the fleet a fortnight ago because of an economic crisis.

    As she sailed, in charge of Skipper Tommy Smith, Hakin, the Fishermen's Union officials made it clear that her crew had returned to sea without accepting any pay-cut and will be paid under the existing wages and hours structures.

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

 

SAME CREWS   

       The Georgina Wilson is one of three Milford trawlers owned by Swansea businessman Mr. Hubert Jones.  Her sister ship, the Sally McCabe (Sk. Charlie Watts) sailed on Thursday afternoon's tide, and a third ship, the Brenda Wilson was due to sail this morning (Friday) with the fishermen's union chairman Mr. Vaughan in command.

...........

    Meanwhile, with fish prices reaching their peak for the traditional Easter demand, eleven Milford trawlers remain tied up in dock.

 

[ The trawler owners had laid up their ships to put pressure on the Union for a pay cut while requesting the Government for a short-term subsidy to cover increased costs. ]

 

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 16th April 1976:

 

FISHMERCHANTS' CRISIS OFFER TO TRAWLER OWNERS

 

    The word 'crisis' is not unknown to Milford Haven's Fishing Industry but this week it has taken on a harsh new reality with the news that the port's operational fleet is down to SEVEN.

    This is the result of the decision of Hubert Jones Trawlers of Swansea to lay up two of their ships, the Brenda Wilson and the Georgina Wilson.  A third, the Sally McCabe is to go to the scrapyard.

    Another trawler, the Jade Star Glory [sic - see below] has been undergoing a refit for some months and was due to sail under the Jones flag.

    This reduces Milford's catching power to seven ships, five owned and one managed by Norrard Trawlers, and one owned by Mitchell and Kerr.

    This weeks crisis has been brought on by soaring running costs, particularly of fuel.  Local owners have complained to the Government about over-fishing of the fishing grounds by foreign vessels and recently called for stricter conservation methods to include banning the use of beam trawls popular with Continental fishermen.

    ..........

[The reference to JADE STAR GLORY - CTL in Jan. 1974 - is presumably a mistake for JADE STAR GYPSY, which began landing at Milford in 1976.]

 

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 14th April 1978:

 

    Milford Haven's shaky fishing industry was dealt another severe blow on Thursday with the announcement that Hubert Jones Trawlers of Swansea have gone into liquidation.

    The firm's two trawlers which have been operating out of Milford, the Georgina Wilson and Jade Star Gipsy, will be landed when they come in from sea then laid up.  This will throw twelve trawlermen out of work, reduce the port's catching power by 20 per cent to just eight vessels and deplete further already scarce supplies to the port's fish trade.  It could also have disastrous repercussions on the viability of the industry.

    There has been some anxiety over the future of the Jones Trawlers at Milford for some time.  This week's crunch came on Thursday morning following a High Court case in London.  A receiver from Swansea visited Milford Haven yesterday to wind up the company's business activities as from Monday April 10th, the date which the London court made an order for the company to cease trading.

 

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 9th June 1978:

 

£100,000 BILL TO REFIT TRAWLERS?

 

    How much will it cost Milford Haven businessman Mr. Peter Wright to put ready for sea the three trawlers he bought on Friday for £11,225?

    This is burning question on Milford Docks this week following Mr. Wright's out-bidding of scrap dealers and other bidders from England, Scotland and Ireland at the Auction of the trawlers Brenda Wilson, Georgina Wilson and the Jade Star Gipsy.

    Two of the trawlers had been laid up since the collapse of the Swansea-based form of Hubert Jones Trawlers two months ago.  The third had been "on the wall" awaiting repairs for some weeks before that.  She is said to require a new £30,000 engine block before she can return to sea!

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

 

Kindly supplied by Robert Smith

 

 

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