Tag Archives: Hull
Humber Ports Showing Significant Growth in UK Fish Imports
The Humber ports, operated by Associated British Ports (ABP), have solidified their position as the UK’s premier hub for seafood imports, according to newly released statistics. In the past year, the ports of Immingham, Grimsby, and Hull handled a remarkable 41.6% of the fish imported into the UK, marking a 10.5% increase from the previous year. This growth underscores the Humber ports’ vital role as a key gateway for the UK’s seafood trade. The strategic location of ABP’s Humber ports, coupled with their proximity to major seafood processing centers, has created a highly efficient and industry-leading hub. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:02
Hull Lifesaving Museum to host bestselling author, fishing boat Captain Linda Greenlaw
Although the 43rd annual Snow Row takes place next weekend (Saturday, March 2), the world- famous rowing race is not the only large-scale event on the Hull Lifesaving Museum’s winter calendar. Greenlaw, the only female swordfishing boat captain on the East Coast who was featured in “The Perfect Storm” by Sebastian Junger (and in the film based on the book), will discuss her remarkable career on Saturday, March 9 at in the auditorium of the Memorial Middle School. Greenlaw wrote three best-selling books about life as a commercial fisher: “The Hungry Ocean,” “The Lobster Chronicles,” and “All Fishermen Are Liars.” She now lives on Isle au Haut, Maine, where she captains a lobster boat. more, >>click to read<< 13:01
Hull people petition for Arctic Corsair to be permanently berthed in St Andrew’s Dock, not ‘concreted into city centre’
The historic vessel, Hull’s last sidewinder trawler, is set to be a dry-berthed visitor attraction at the currently developing North End Shipyard, off Dock Office Row, in the city. She is expected to be open to the public, restored to her former glory, in early 2025. The petition calls for the placing of Hull’s heritage ship Arctic Corsair at St Andrew’s Lockpits. The introduction to the petition says: “Hull Trawler Heritage – Hull City Council plan to berth the Arctic Corsair, Hull’s heritage museum vessel, on the River Hull near Hull city centre. “We the petitioners believe she should be permanently berthed in Hull’s St Andrew’s Dock Lockpits, her natural home. Sign this petition immediately if you believe she should be brought home to Bullnose before she gets concreted into the city centre.” more, >>click to read<< 09:40
Hull father and son in new Arbella ad. Their dog was definitely not hired, though
A longtime Hull lobsterman and his assistant sternman son are featured in a new TV ad from Arbella Insurance that was filmed off the waters of Hull against the backdrop of Boston Light. Capt. Chad Mahoney and his son, James Mahoney, are shown rescuing a golden retriever from the water and bringing it aboard their fishing vessel, First Light, as the dog’s owner frantically searches for it onshore. Following a screen test, it was determined that Oakley demanded attention but under no circumstances would he accept direction, according to a news release about the ad. “According to the staff at Sunshine Pet Parlor (in Hull), ‘Oakley is the worst dog who visits here. He always knocks everything over.’” Video, >>click to read<< 07:27
Hull tower blocks named in honour of trawler campaigner women
Three tower blocks in Hull have been renamed in honour of women who fought for new safety laws after a slew of fishing tragedies in the 1960s. Dubbed the Headscarf Revolutionaries, Yvonne Blenkinsop, Lillian Bilocca, Christine Jensen and Mary Denness changed the fishing industry for good. They took action after a triple trawler tragedy in 1968 which saw the loss of three Hull trawlers and 58 crew. Name plaques on the Porter Street flats were unveiled on Friday. The women’s campaign started when 58 fishermen lost their lives in three separate trawler sinkings in the space of less than a month in 1968. The trawlers – St Romanus, Kingston Peridot and Ross Cleveland – all sank in quick succession, and only one man survived. Photos, >click to read< 08:50
Tribute to unstinting Hull fishing heritage and museum volunteer Trevor Evans following his death
A Hull man who dedicated decades of his life to maintaining Hull’s fishing heritage for the benefit of future generations has died. Trevor Evans was the longest-serving volunteer aboard the Arctic Corsair, a floating museum set inside the country’s last working deep-sea sidewinder trawler. Mr Evans helped pack away one of the most symbolic items of the vessel, the ship’s bell, ahead of the Arctic Corsair’s relocation to a temporary berth, before it eventually takes centre stage in the North End Shipyard, creating a new visitor attraction for Hull. “Recently, Trevor was part of a group advising us on the future visitor experience at North End Shipyard, the new home for the Arctic Corsair. He will be greatly missed, and our condolences go to his family and friends.” >Photos, >click to read< 12:30
‘We are at 50% of the quota we had’: boss of UK’s last long-range trawler rues ‘squandered’ Brexit hopes
Just hours after docking, the latest catch – about 300 tonnes of frozen fish fillets – has already been transported in Kirkella-branded boxes to the fish market at Grimsby, to be weighed, graded and sold. While this may sound like a vast amount of fish, the UK’s only remaining “distance trawler” has returned home only half-full from its latest expedition. “The catch wasn’t so good this time,” says the first mate, Dean Jackson, 53, who is finishing up checks of the vessel on the bridge before enjoying some time at home with his family after about six weeks at sea. “Fishing is erratic,” he says. “We had four days when it was really good. But the problem when you get really good fishing is you’re at the mercy of the factory and processing.” >click to read< 12:27
55 years on, brother remembers skipper, 26, lost in the Triple Trawler Tragedy
The St Romanus went down in the North Sea, where, is still not known. Vic was 22 and fishing, but at home with a crushed finger, over the weeks the tragedy unfolded. He recalls the “numbness” that set in and the fading hope that the ship’s radio had broken down. “As time goes on and the life raft is found and a life ring, you do realise that the end was there,” he said. Vic, the vice chairman of fishing heritage charity Stand, says the loss of his brother is “still very raw”. Jim “like any older brother (was) a role model and hero”. >click to read< 07:55
Hull headscarf parade to raise money for trawler statue
A parade through Hull will raise funds to build a statue honouring four women who campaigned for trawler safety measures in the 1960s. The Headscarf Revolutionaries took on the fishing industry and the government after three boats sank in 1968 with the loss of 58 crew. Now campaigners are aiming to raise £100,000 for a memorial to them. The four women – Lillian Bilocca, Yvonne Blenkinsop, Mary Denness and Christine Jensen – fought for tougher safety laws. The trawlers – St Romanus, Kingston Peridot and Ross Cleveland – all sank within two weeks of each other off the Icelandic coast, with only one survivor. >click to read< 08;38
The hungover fisherman who narrowly escaped Triple Trawler Tragedy
As the 55th anniversary of the Triple Trawler Tragedy comes around this year, the 58 men who perished during the series of three disasters are remembered. Seafarers on the St Romanus, Kingston Peridot, and Ross Cleveland sadly died in the winter of 1968 between January 11 and February 5, when each of the three trawlers sank. Only one survivor- Harry Eddom – made it out of the Ross Cleveland shipwreck in the freezing Icelandic conditions and was miraculously found and saved. However, there was also another fisherman that was meant to be on that trawler, but a bad hangover prevented him from getting up on time. Walter Longden, known as Walla, visited the memorial to pay respect to his lost friends and shared how it could have also been his name on the plaque. >click to read< 08:08
Hull Maritime gets £250,000 from Foyle Foundation for Arctic Corsair visitor attraction
The grant has come from The Foyle Foundation, a leading UK supporter of learning and the arts, and will help towards developing the new centre at the former North End Shipyard, the future permanent home for the Arctic Corsair. Work to transform North End Shipyard is under way and is expected to open to visitors in 2024. Hull Maritime is a major regeneration project funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the city council. Five key maritime treasures will be transformed to create a new maritime experience for Hull. Elements include the restoration of two ships – Arctic Corsair and the Spurn Lightship – the regeneration of the former North End Shipyard, Dock Office Chambers and the Hull Maritime Museum will be refurbished. >click to read< 17:29
Hull’s fishing community unites to remember victims of the Triple Trawler Tragedy
The fishing community gathered together on the corner of Hessle Road and Boulevard to mark the 55th anniversary of the St Romanus trawler sinking. The terrible incident in 1968 that claimed the lives of 20 men was the first in a series of three disasters at sea, known as the Triple Trawler Tragedy. Every year, former fishermen, headscarf revolutionaries and family members of the deceased gather to remember the 58 men who lost their lives on the St Romanus, Kingston Peridot and Ross Cleveland. The memorial service was an emotional one, with many mourning the loss of old colleagues and school friends. The 20 victims’ names were read out before a minute’s silence. Photos>click to read< 18:39
Hull’s Quiet Disaster: The Christmas Day Tragedy of St. Finbarr
St Finbarr’s final trip was plagued by bad luck from the start. She took 14 days battling atrocious weather to get to Newfoundland’s Grand Banks, a trip usually done in half that time. Electrical faults reported from previous trips caused three delays before she even set sail from Hull’s St Andrew’s Dock on 16 November 1966. Ironically, it was St Andrew’s Day (the patron saint of fishermen), 30 November, when she reached the Newfoundland fishing grounds on her thirteenth and final trip. She had endured 38 days of foul weather, from Yorkshire’s Spurn Point to the storm-lashed grounds of the Grand Banks. Skipper Tommy Sawyer, a hard taskmaster, pushed his ship and her crew to the limit, 8 Photos, >click to read< 14:22
Hull’s Arctic Corsair trawler wins flagship award for teaching about life at sea
The Arctic Corsair has been recognised for its role in educating people about the historic trawler trade, winning a prestigious award. National Historic Ships UK bestowed the award to Hull Maritime Museum – the team behind the restoration of both the Arctic Corsair and Spurn Lightship – at a ceremony in Chatham’s Historic Dockyard, Kent, on Tuesday. There were three categories in the Flagship of the Year 2022 award. “As the restoration of the Arctic Corsair progresses, it is important that we continue to raise awareness of her career and significance within the fishing industry in different and creative ways.” Video, Photos, >click to read< 11:09
Hull’s once mighty deep-sea fleet down to one, as MP says Tories have ‘betrayed’ fishing industry
One of the two remaining Hull-based deep-sea trawlers will retire before the end of the year, as a city MP said the Government had “betrayed” the fishing industry over distant-water quotas in the wake of Brexit. The Farnella is owned by UK Fisheries, which also operates the supertrawler Kirkella. The company said a dozen “skilled and loyal” crew members were set to lose their jobs and it was working to find them other roles in the industry. “This is a sad day for us,” said Jane Sandell, the company’s chief executive. “The UK’s failure to negotiate adequate quotas for us in our traditional grounds in the northern external waters has led to this difficult decision.” Video, >click to read< 06:46
The day the Queen came to Hull’s Fish Dock
As the Royal train steamed slowly into the station, the sun shone suddenly through the grey clouds and misty rain that had darkened the day. The Queen’s first visit to Hull was made on Saturday May 18, 1957, and accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, she was cheered every step of the way. The city was the departure point for the Royal Yacht Britannia for the couple’s state visit to Denmark, but before that they spent a total of seven hours in the city. A highlight of the tour was a trip to the (St Andrew’s) Fish Dock. Bobbers were discharging the catch of the trawler Princess Elizabeth, and Prince Philip jumped from the dock on to the deck of the vessel to watch the fish being hauled out of the hold. >click to read< 21:11
900 tonnes of herring unloaded in Hull as city’s fish industry booms
The boss of a fishing company says he hopes more landings will be possible in Hull after two of the firm’s trawlers arrived in the port to discharge their catch. Between them, sister vessels Wiron 5 and Wiron 6 will unload 900 tonnes of herring over the next few days at the city’s Alexandra Dock. It’s the first time the two Hull-registered trawlers have discharged in Hull side by side and is the culmination of extensive planning by owners North Atlantic Fishing Company, which has an office in Hessle Road. >click to read< 07:50
Arctic Corsair and Spurn Lightship: Memories of working and playing hard on Arctic Corsair as restoration progresses
Two of Hull’s cherished ships have had decades-old paint and rust blasted away in the latest stage of a major restoration project which will ultimately see them displayed to the public. The Arctic Corsair and Spurn Lightship are being power-cleaned this week by special tools used to remove old paint, corrosion, and muck clinging to the ships’ hulls. >click to read<
Waking up to find a huge cod alongside him in his bunk was an experience young Pete Forytarz never forgot. – The third generation fisherman, 70, is one of a dwindling band with memories going back to the days when hundreds of boats, big and small, operated out of Hull. He did two trips to the White Sea on board Arctic Corsair back in 1973 for cod and haddock. and now acts as a guide on board on the sidewinder trawler, which is being restored as part of the £30m Hull Maritime project. In dry dock the vessel’s elegant lines are revealed, her slim hull and raked bow. “She is going to look beautiful,” said Pete, his face lighting up. >click to read< 10:46
Five rusty trawlers from Hull played a key role in securing victory in the Falklands War
As Hull officially commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Falklands conflict this weekend, attention will inevitably focus on the local military personnel who served there and the famous role played by the Hull-based passenger ferry Norland in carrying the troops who would ultimately help regain control of the islands. However, the spotlight will also shine on the other Hull vessels requisitioned by the Admiralty to join the Royal Navy Task Force. As well as the Norland, three city-based tugs and five stern trawlers also sailed to the South Atlantic. As such, Hull ended up sending more civilian vessels to the war than any other port. >click to read< 09:23
Yvonne Blenkinsop, Hull Headscarf Revolutionary, dies aged 83
Yvonne Blenkinsop, the last remaining member of Hull’s famed Headscarf Revolutionaries, has died at the age of 83. Yvonne was a true hero of the city who, along with Lillian Bilocca, Mary Denness and Christine Smallbone, campaigned for safety improvements on trawlers sailing from Hull following the Triple Trawler Tragedy of 1968. She died on Sunday. In 1968, the St Romanus, Kingston Peridot and Ross Cleveland trawlers all sank within a few weeks of each other, with the loss of 58 crew members in total. Not only did this cause grief among Hull’s fishing community, but a sense of anger and injustice. >click to read< 07:09
The night Russian warships mistakenly opened fire on innocent Hull fishermen
The invasion of Ukraine has triggered memories of another infamous act of Russian aggression now commemorated by a statue on one of Hull’s main roads. A memorial overlooks Hessle Road at the junction of Boulevard and features life-sized figure of a trawlerman clad in fishing gear standing on a large plinth. It’s a fitting spot in the traditional heart of the city’s former fishing community to remember the night in October 1904 when a fleet of 
trawlers from Hull came under fire from the Baltic Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy – an event described by newspaper headlines of the era as The Russian Outrage. The steam-powered vessels belonged to the Hull-based Gamecock fishing fleet and, at the time, were spread over some distance roughly 200 miles off Spurn Point in the Dogger Bank area of the North Sea. >click to read< 13:25
Lillian Bilocca: Plaque for woman who revolutionised safety at sea
A plaque has been unveiled for a woman who helped revolutionise safety at sea and is credited with saving many lives. The memorial has been placed on the wall at the former home of Lillian Bilocca, in Coltman Street, Hull. Led by Big Lil, as she was known, a group of four redoubtable women pressed for law changes after a 1968 trawler disaster. The disaster in 1968 saw 58 men perish after three Hull vessels were lost. In the face of strong opposition Bilocca, Christine Jensen, Mary Denness and Yvonne Blenkinsop, the four women later dubbed the “Headscarf Revolutionaries”, are estimated to have saved thousands of lives through their safety campaign. >click to read< 22:04
Looking Back: Life on board the Hull Trawler Ross Orion
We look back through a collection of images taken on board a Hull trawler named Ross Orion. They were taken just months before the horrific triple trawler tragedy that claimed the lives of 58 crew members on three other vessels. A photographer captured life on board another Hull trawler less than a year before the disasters. The Ross Orion set sail for Greenland from Hull’s docks and the photos were snapped on 15 July 1967 just off the coast. 11 photos, >click to read< 07:52
Families gather to remember Hull’s lost fishermen in memorial service for 1968 trawler tragedy
Three trawlers from the city sank within four weeks of one other. A total of 58 men lost their lives, leaving a scar on the city which is still being felt more than fifty years later. An annual Lost Trawlermen’s Day service is carried out on Hessle Road, where most of the fishing community lived during the time of the accidents. On the 18th of January, the St Romanus failed to return to Hull. All 20 crew members were lost at sea. On the 26th of January, the second trawler, the Kingston Peridot, was lost, along with its 20 men. On the 4th of February, the third trawler, Ross Cleveland was lost at sea, with 18 members of crew. One man, Harry Eddom, survived. video, >click to read< 20:23
Arctic Corsair: Hull trawler dry-docked ahead of restoration
Arctic Corsair, Hull’s last sidewinder trawler, is to be repaired as part of the city’s £30m maritime regeneration project. The vessel has been put in dry dock after being towed from its previous berth in Alexandra Dock to Dunston’s shipyard at William Wright Dock. Restoration work on the 61-year-old trawler will take about 12 months. photos, >click to read< – Arctic Corsair high and dry for the first time in three decades – And as these photographs show, her hull will also be clearly visible to visitors with plans for them to see her up close in the dry dock itself as well as being able to go onboard. >click to read< -08:54
Dunston’s will restore city’s historic Arctic Corsair and Spurn Lightship
A Hull-based ship repair firm has been appointed to restore two of the city’s most historic vessels. Dunston’s (Ship Repairs) Limited will carry out the work on the Arctic Corsair and the Spurn Lightship after being awarded a £4.78m contract by Hull City Council following a competitive tendering process. Based at William Wright Dock, the firm will now play a major role in the £30m Hull Maritime project which is being jointly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the council. It has been based in the city for over 100 years and normally carries out repairs, conversions, lengthening and maintenance on sea-going vessels. >click to read< 22:16
A campaign to bring 100-year-old steam trawler Viola back home to Yorkshire from an island off Antarctica
Resting on the ex-whaling station Grytviken in South Georgia, an island south east of the Falkland Islands, the now-rusted Viola has only snow-capped mountains and albatrosses for company on the sub-Antarctic isle. But over in Hull, a campaigning group called the Viola Trust is hoping to raise £3m to bring the Viola back home,,, Despite her rust and age, the Viola is in surprisingly good condition. She is the oldest steam trawler in the world with her engines still intact. >click to read< 14:46
Headscarf Revolutionaries: ‘Big Lil’ saved my life and that’s why she should be named the Greatest Hullensian of All Time
Alongside Christine Jensen, Mary Denness and Yvonne Blenkinsop, ‘Big Lil’ formed the Hessle Road Women’s Committee as the dire consequences of the Triple Trawler Tragedy in 1968 came into full focus. The group, known as the Headscarf Revolutionaries, has become immortalised in books and murals locally, but consensus remains that their work is not celebrated enough outside of Hull. Bilocca, a fish wife, led the group after becoming enraged by the loss of 58 men in the winter of 1968 when the St Romanus, Kingston Peridot and Ross Cleveland all sunk in a matter of weeks. >click to read< 10:06
Triple trawler tragedy: The Hull fishermen who never came home
In the space of less than a month at the start of 1968, 58 fishermen based in the English port of Hull lost their lives in three separate trawler sinkings. Thanks to the efforts of a group of determined women, the deaths would change the industry, with the ripples spreading from the Arctic Sea to the steps of Downing Street. – “I am going over. We are laying over. Help me. I’m going over,” skipper Phil Gay pleaded in a final, desperate message from the Ross Cleveland, which sank while sheltering from a storm in an inlet near Isafjordur in Iceland on 4 February. The Ross Cleveland was the third vessel to sink, in what became known as the triple trawler tragedy. >click to read< 21:14
Equipment from Foxy Lady II found in Saugus, Hull
A rescue pod, marked Foxy Lady II on the side, was discovered in a Saugus marsh Tuesday evening shortly before 5, around the same time the U.S. Coast Guard was calling off the night’s search for the missing Gloucester-based scalloper and its crew of two. The Foxy Lady II, manned by Capt. Wally “Chubby” Gray Jr., 26, and Wayne Young, 50, both of Deer Isle, Maine, had set out for a day trip of fishing on Stellwagen Bank early Saturday morning and was to return Saturday evening. The captain’s girlfriend reported the vessel overdue to the U.S. Coast Guard on Monday morning. Read More
