‘Northern Foam’ GY.490 and other trawlers on the slips at Grimsby 1952.

A scan of an original photo. Private collection.

‘Northern Foam’ GY.490 was a steam trawler built in Germany in 1936 by Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau, AG Weser shipyard, Bremen, Germany for Leverhulme Ltd. (war reparations). She was London registered as LO.153 and initially went to Fleetwood. In 1937, she was transferred to Grimsby.

In 1939, ‘Northern Foam’ LO.153 was requisitioned as an armed boarding vessel and for anti-submarine duties. In 1944, she took part in the Normandy Landings. She returned to Grimsby in 1946 where she was registered as GY.490. (The London registry closed in 1947.) Broken up at Dunston-on-Tyne in 1964.

‘Burke’ GY.285 was a steam trawler built in 1930 as ‘George Aunger’ GY.285 by Cook, Welton & Gemmell Ltd. of Beverley for the Bunch Steam Fishing Company Co. Ltd., Grimsby. In 1935, she was renamed ‘Sandham’. In 1938, she was sold to W. Butt, Grimsby. A month later, she was sold to Premier Steam Fishing Co. Ltd. and renamed ‘Burke’. In 1939 she was requisitioned as a minesweeper and later a wreck dispersal vessel. She was returned in 1946. Broken up at Antwerp, Belgium in 1955.

The steam trawler on the extreme right is ‘Tunisian’ GY.278. She was built in 1925 as ‘Commander Evans’ H.20 by Cochrane & Sons, Selby for Loch Fishing Co. Ltd., Hull. After being bought by two other Hull companies, she was bought by T. Robinson & Sons Ltd., Grimsby and became ‘Tunisian’ GY.278. She was bought by two other Grimsby companies and was scrapped in 1956.