Tag Archives: Christmas Day trawler tragedy

Hull survivor of Christmas Day trawler tragedy will light up sky to remember those lost, 50 years on

On December 25, 1973, the Ian Fleming was sailing towards the treacherous White Sea off the Russian coast. To avoid the worst of the weather, the skipper opted to head through the Norwegian fjords. It was here where the ship ran aground. Three men lost their lives that night: mate Terence Day, engineer Dennis Colby and George Lee. Aboard that ship was a 17-year-old deckie-learner, Jerry Thompson, who has dedicated his life to Hull’s fishing community. Jerry is the head of the Bullnose group, which operates the Hull Fishing Heritage Centre. Four years ago, the Hessle Roader and his family paid an emotional visit to the scene of the disaster. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 06:02

The Christmas Day trawler tragedy which killed 12 Hull men

It rocked the city on a day which should have been among the happiest of the year. On Christmas Day, 1966, 12 crew of the St Finbarr trawler died in an explosion off the coast of Newfoundland. With only 13 survivors, Hull families did not know in the immediate aftermath whether their loved ones had survived, plunging much of the city into confusion and despair. It was one of the biggest disasters of modern times – but only two years later would be woefully overshadowed by the Triple Trawler Tragedy of 1968, which led to the rise of Lil Bilocca and her Headscarf Revolutionaries. Here, Brian W. Lavery , author of The Luckiest Thirteen which recounts the tragedy, remembers the lives lost on that fateful day 52 years ago. Rest in Peace, Fishermen. >click to read<19:35