MONTANO M53

Kindly supplied by Ann Axford

Official No:  145066    Port Number and Year:     -     in London, 1920 (LO478)                                                                                  58th  in Hull, 1923 (H818)                                                                                   17th in Grimsby, 1929 (GY83)                                                                                     6th in Milford, 1945

Description: Castle Class (non-standard) steel side trawler; steam screw, coal burning. Yawl; fore and aft.

Crew:  10 men (1923); 11 men (1929); 12 men (1949).

Registered at Milford: 14 Jul 1945

Built: 1917, by Cook, Welton & Gemmell, Beverley.  (Yard no. 340k)

Tonnage: 269.4 grt 109.17 net.

Length / breadth / depth (feet):  125.4 / 22.5 / 12.25

Engine: T 3-Cyl. 83 nhp. 10 kts. Engine and boiler by Amos & Smith, Hull.

Owners:   As JAMES BERRY LO478. 19 Oct 1920: The Secretary of the Admiralty, Whitehall, London SW1.   As MONTANO H818 13 Sep 1923: Hull Northern Fishing Co. Ltd., St. Andrew's Dock, Hull. Manager: William R. Nowell. (Same address.)   As GY83 8 May 1929: Orontes Steam Fishing Co. Ltd., Fish Docks, Grimsby. Manager: William H. Johnston. (Same address.)   Nov 1932: Southampton Steam Fishing Co. Ltd., Riby St., Grimsby. Manager: Henry P. Capron, Fish Docks, Grimsby.                 Oct 1943: James Charles Llewellin, Crundale, Haverfordwest.   As M53 14 Jul 1945: Joseph Leslie Yolland,  'Trevegan', Letterston, Haverfordwest.        (17/64) John Yolland (Jnr), 'Caldy',  Wiston, Haverfordwest.                                             (17/64) Thomas Steward Yolland, 'St. Anne's',  Sketty Green,  Swansea.                           (13/64) Managing owner:  John Charles Llewellin, 'Fenton', Crundale, Haverfordwest.    (17/64)   15 Jan 1946: Joseph Leslie Yolland.            ) Thomas Steward Yolland.                            ) The Docks, Milford Managing owner: John Yolland (Jnr.).         )     11 Jul 1946: Yolland Bros. Ltd., The Docks, Milford Managing owner: John Yolland.

Landed at Milford: 3 Jan 1946 - 17 Nov 1949; 11 Feb 1950 - 9 Apr 1952.

Skippers: George Kersey (1952)

Notes:  There were five seamen named James Berry who served aboard warships at Trafalgar. 1917: Ordered by Hull Northern Fishing Co., but purchased and completed for the Admiralty as the minesweeper JAMES BERRY (Admy.no. 3603). Escort; 1x12pdr. 1923: Sold to mercantile, and acquired by the original owners. 8 Sep 1923: London registry closed. 7 May 1929: Hull registry closed. 13 May 1940: Requisitioned as converted to an armed patrol vessel (P.No. 4.171) Sep 1941: Fitted out as a magnetic minesweeper. Oct 1943: Employed on miscellaneous naval duties. Mar 1944: Fitted out as a fuelling trawler (Esso) (33 ton tank for refuelling diesel landing craft). Assigned to Operation Neptune – Normandy landings. 23 May 1944: Assigned to Force U. 3 Jul 1944: Operation Neptune ended. Aug 1944: Fitted out as a water carrier. Jul 1945: Grimsby registry closed. 1 Jan 1946: Messrs Yolland & Llewellin partnership dissolved. (See newspaper article.) 2 Jan 1946: Returned to owners. 14 Apr 1952: Fishing from Aberdeen. (See newspaper article.)

Cert. Cancelled & Milford Registry Closed: 26 Mar 1953. Vessel broken up at Granton.

Accidents and Incidents

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

 

    Messrs. Yolland & Llewellin, joint owners of the biggest trawling fleet sailing out of Milford, have dissolved the partnership after ten years of highly successful working, during which time the fleet has increased from one to twenty-two trawlers.  The dissolution took effect from January 1st, and in future Messrs. Yolland will trade under the name Messrs. Yolland Brothers, while Mr. J. C. Llewellin takes a number of trawlers under his own name.

 

    Yolland Bros.:

Castle Class:  Tenedos, Mikasa, Lorraine, William Mannell, Montano and George Adgell.

Strath Class: Craigmillar and Anne Melville.

Drifters: Allochy, Overfall, Poseidon, Invercairn, Primevere, Mint, Furze, Lichen, Calliopsis and Cassiopeia.

    The Montano left Milford on Thursday (yesterday) for Fleetwood, while the George Adgell arrives in Milford within the next fortnight from Aberdeen.  Both Strath boats are at Milford, but the drifters will fish from Lowestoft during the North Sea season, and will come round to Milford for the summer season.

 

John Charles Llewellin:

Castle trawlers: Cotsmuir, Lady Stanley, T.R. Ferens and Harry Melling.

    All the trawlers are away at the moment, the Lady Stanley at Hull and the others at Fleetwood, but they are expected to sail out of Milford in the near future.

 

    The fish merchants' business belonging to the firm in Fleetwood, Swansea and Milford will now be carried on by Yolland Brothers, while the merchants' business at Aberdeen has been taken over by Mr. Llewellin.

    Naturally interested to ascertain why such a profitable partnership should be dissolved, the "Guardian" made enquiries on Thursday.  We learned that Mr. Llewellin has suffered ill health for a number of years and wishes to cut down on his responsibilities.

    The sensational rise of Messrs. Yolland & Llewellin has provided one of the romances of the fishing Industry of Milford, starting as fish exporters in 1935, with Mr. J. C. Llewellin as their representative in Paris.  The firm had to turn their attention in 1937 to building up their fish merchants business in England because of the devaluation of the franc. 

    In 1936 Messrs. Yolland & Llewellin purchased their first trawler and not long afterwards embarked on an experiment which at the time was considered more than daring - "foolhardy", said the old hands.  They fitted out two trawlers to fish as a pair - the pareja - a Spanish method of fishing.  The earliest voyages, doubtless due to the inexperience of the crews in this type of netting, brought thin returns, but by-and-by these pairs began to make news, big news, for they started to smash fishing records.  What was then the youngest firm of owners had scored a big success, and confounded their critics.  Before the war started, the company had five pairs operating on the Irish grounds.  During the war the company worked with two old ships, the Gozo and Cairo, but disposed of these when their fleet of twenty-two trawlers were de-requisitioned in their turn after Government service.

    The partners in the firm of Yolland Brothers are Messrs. John J. Leslie and T. Stuart Yolland.

 

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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.

.....

BIG CRABBERS

    This class has provided a real family struggle, with Skipper Tom Salter pipping his brother-in-law on the post and his brother finishing in third place!

    The first three boats are owned by the Westward Company (Mr. E. E. Carter).

1.  Cleopatra II. (Tom Salter), Westward.

2.  Caldy (Hubert Morgans), Westward.

3.  Slebech (Harry Salter), Westward.

4.  Avonstar (Jack Ryan); 5, Ocean Brine (Frank Gambold); 6, Milford Knight (Harry Thompson); 7, Hero (Lenny Brown); 8, Montano (George Kersey); 9, Milford Countess (Teddy Funge).

 

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From the West Wales Guardian of Friday 11th April 1952:

 

    The Milford trawler Montano, Messrs. Yolland Bros., will leave the port for Aberdeen during next week.  She is not sold, but she will be fishing out of Aberdeen instead of Milford.

 

 

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