Author: Trevor Hallifax

Northern Duke built 1936 Germany at Bremerhaven by Deutsche Schiff und Maschinenbau A G Seebeck, Wessermunde Ordered by Leverhulme Ltd to absorb frozen credits in Germany
11/1936 She was completed and went to Fleetwood as a new vessel LO 169 for her owners Mac Line Ltd
She was completed as part of the WW1 reparations program
Edward D W Lawford was the Manager whilst the vessel operated out of Fleetwood
1937 Transfered to Grimsby for Northern’s with H Markham Cook as manager
During one fishing trip for the Icelandic fishing grounds the vessel ran aground at Louther skerry Pentland Firth. An inquest was held and charged the skipper Henry Lead with defaulting on his duties and thus responsible for the accident. His punishment was to have his competency certificate suspended for 2 months

1939 Requisitioned as a Boom Defense Vessel and an Armed Boarding Vessel operating on the Northern Routes
One of her conflicts was with the U Boat U 25 Commanded by Herbert Viktor Schultze.
On 18/01/1940 She had stopped the SS PAJALA a Swedish Vessel on route from Buenos Aires to Gothenburg with a cargo of grain and cattle feed. The Northern Duke Intercepted her and because the boarding officer was not satisfied with the examination and began escorting her to Lerwick for further inspection.
At tea time on the same day PAJALA was Torpedoed by U 25, the weather was not good and frequent snow squalls reduced visibility but the Northern Duke caught sight of a submarine on the surface and fired claiming 2 hits whilst pursuing the submarine.
She was able to ram the sub as it attempted to crash dive. Just as another squall came down. The Sub got away and the Northern Duke returned to rescue all of the crew of the SS PAJALA putting them ashore at Kirkwall.
Perhaps if the Northern Duke had been fitted with ASDIC, the U 25 may not have been so lucky, but at that time there were just not enough units available.
U 25 later after completing its tour returned for repairs and continued until she went missing with all crew of 49 sailors on 08/1940.
Most likely to have been mined in the North Sea.
1942 she was converted for Anti submarine duties.
03/1942 Loaned to the US Navy but was returned 10/1942.
She was operating out in the South Atlantic being based at Cape Town.

1946 Northern Duke was returned to her owners
11/1946 Converted to burning oil fuel.
12/1946 Her registry changed to GY 442
1948 her manager was W A Bennett with the same owners.
10/1963 she was sold to Clayton & Davie Ltd of Dunston on Tyne for Scrapping

Her details are 

• Official No   165366
• Yard Number 559
• Call Sign GYYP
• Admiralty Number FY 4.11 
• GT 655 NT 233
• Dimensions 188.1′ x 28.1′ x 15.1′ 
• Foc’sle  31′
• Engines 1000hp 12 knots T 3 cyl & LP turbine with DR gearing & hydraulic coupling by Deutsche Schiffs und Maschinenbau AG Seebeck
• Funnel colours Grey with black top seperated by white band

She arrived 30/10/1963 from Grimsby being towed by FIERY CROSS and was broken up.

Northern Dawn built in 1936 in Germany at Wesermunde by Deutsche Schiffs und Maschinenbau AG Seebeck, for Mac Line Ltd LO 136
She was ordered by Leverhulme Ltd to absorb frozen credits in Germany.
07/1936 Completed and went to Mac Line Ltd of London operating out of Fleetwood
10/1937 Went to Northern Trawlers Ltd London and was transferred to Grimsby
08/1939 Sold to the Admiralty for £33,088 and was converted to an Anti submarine Trawler
1941 she picked up survivors from the lifeboat of the Torpedoed ship SS URLA
1941 she became the first trawler to be fitted with RADAR
03/1942 Loaned to the US Navy
10/1942 Returned and operated in the South Atlantic based at Cape Town.

During her time in the navy she was attached to the 45th Escort Group as well as performing convoy escort duties.
02/1946 she was sold to The Ice Co Ltd Hull.
06/1946 She was Surveyed at Birkenhead before finally being returned to owners.
She was sold to Northern Trawlers Ltd London and was transferred to Grimsby
07/1946 the London registry was closed and was registered at Grimsby as GY 289
1948 the Manager was W A Bennett same owners.
03/1963 She was sold to Clayton & Davie Ltd Gateshead on Tyne for Scrapping and was delivered 27/03/1963.

Her registry was closed 09/1964 

Her details are

• Official No 164717
• Call Sign GYYN
• Pennant FY 146 
• GT 655 NT 265
• Yard No 548
• Dimensions 188.1′ x 28.1′ x 15.5′
• Engines 1000hp T 3-cyl & LP turbine 12 knots.
• Funnel colours  Grey with black top separated by white band.

Scrapped at Gateshead 1964

Northern Crown built 26/11/1953 by Cochrane & Sons of Selby
06/10/1956 Sailed for Fishing Grounds West coast of Greenland with a crew of 20 Colin Newton as Skipper
10/10/1956 Due reported bad weather decided to fish off Iceland
11/10/1956 The Vessel was stranded on a reef close to Gant Rock, Eldy 8 miles SW of Reykjanes Point Iceland
With the engine room flooding and both Life boats damaged the crew took to inflatable liferafts
The Icelandic Gunboat Thor Answered the distress call and was guided to the area by an American Aircraft arriving on the scene at 10.00, They took the entire crew onboard as the trawler sank stern First
12/01/1957 At a Formal Investigation the Skipper was judged to be at fault and had his Certificate suspended for 1 year

Her details are 

• Official Number 184918
• Yard No 1386
• GT 730 NT 291
• Dimensions 183′ x 32.1′ x 15.6′
• Engines Amos & Smith 1150 ihp 3 cyl 13.0 knots

Below is an article written by Steve Farrow for the Grimsby Evening Telegraph

‘On October 11th 1956, the steam trawler NORTHERN CROWN was wrecked after stranding on the rocky islet of Eldey, eight miles South West of Reykjanes Point off Iceland’s West coast.
Her lifeboats were washed away and the twenty man crew had only inflatable life-rafts to carry them to safety under the watchful eyes of Skipper Colin Newton.
These new rubber dinghies proved to be very reliable and aided by the Icelandic gunboat THOR, all of the men survived the ordeal.
57 men had been saved by these rubber dinghies over a period of one year with four Humber trawlers being lost; the OSAKO, JANE JORGENSEN, and St. CELESTIN.
The NORTHERN CROWN’S SOS was picked up in Iceland at 6.45 am that morning, and the gun-boat THOR sailed immediately reaching the stricken trawler at 9.20 am. Her engine-room was completely flooded by 8 am, for during the night the weather had been really atrocious with a howling South West gale.
Skipper Colin Newton was acting as relief skipper so her regular skipper August Ebernezersson could take two trips off for a holiday.
As the THOR left the scene with the rescued fishermen the NORTHERN CROWN disappeared beneath the waves.
The following day news reached Grimsby that the trawler had sunk in 60 fathoms of water, but all the men had survived thanks to the gun-boat THOR.
The men were taken to Reykjavik and were soon on their way home.
The story of one mans heroism soon became clear, the Chief Engineer Mr. A. E. Horsley of Daunbney St. Cleethorpes, had been on watch when the ship struck the rocks. Immediately he switched off the three oil- burners as the engine-room began to fill with sea water and oil.
He said “The skipper rang down to go astern and my second engineer Mr. A. Letch managed to pull the lever over. The skipper then rang to go ahead and with a little trouble I had managed to manipulate the stop valve.”
That action almost certainly saved the trawler from hitting the rocks again.
Fireman Mr. Frank Mitchell went so far as to declare of the Chief “If it had not been for him I don’t think we would have been here now.”
He claimed that with the engine-room flooded to a depth of four feet, Mr. Horsley turned the trawler ahead after she had struck the reef. “To do that he had to lie down almost on top of the oil with one hand holding a rail and the other trying to turn the wheel. This by some miracle he managed to do. I think only one man in 1,000 would have attempted to do what our Chief Engineer did.” He told a Grimsby Evening Telegraph reporter.
Even when the men were in the life-rafts their problems weren’t over. Once over the side, the rafts began to drift alongside and very close to the crippled trawler. With a lot of wooden planking hanging down from the damaged trawler, there was a danger of it splitting and puncturing the rubber boats. The crew frantically pushed themselves away from the ship and eventually broke free of her. One of the life-rafts capsized and deckhands Douglas Stoneman and John Andrews of Grimsby, were trapped inside the upturned inflatable. Other men who had been thrown into the water, quickly righted the dinghy.
All of the survivors gave glowing praise for these inflatables and stated that without these they would have probably perished.
A reception in Iceland was attended by Captain Kristofersson of the THOR and her other crew members. He was presented with an inscribed silver cigarette box and the Icelandic Life Saving Association received a cheque for £300.
Also there were representatives of the Reykjavikian Skymaster aircraft which led the search, the crew of the MUNINN, which also helped in the search and other officials.

11/10/1956 Stranded 8 miles SW of Reykjanes Point Iceland