Everett G. Griggs; a six-masted ship coming into Grimsby in 1909.

The tugs are working hard to tow this massive ship into the Grimsby Dock basin.

The ‘Everett G. Griggs’ was a 6-masted barkentine. She was built in 1883 by Harland & Wolff, Belfast, originally as the 4-masted ship ‘Lord Wolseley’ for Irish Shipowners Co. (T. Dixon & Sons), Belfast. After another reincarnation as the German-owned ‘Columbia’ she was sold in 1904 to C. E. Peabody, Vancouver, and was remasted and rerigged to a 6-masted barkentine and renamed ‘Everett G. Griggs’. In 1910, she was sold to Edward Robert Stirling, Blaine, Washington State, and was renamed ‘E. R. Stirling’ and became the pride of the Sterling Line.

So, the ‘Everett G. Griggs’ was owned by the Irish, Germans, Canadians and Americans. In 1927, the ‘E. R. Sterling’ left Australia with a cargo of wheat and was badly damaged by high winds and a hurricane. Only one man was killed in a nightmare voyage of 9 months. The ship was in a terrible mess and was eventually broken up in Sunderland, England in 1928. Quite a history!

Note: A barkentine is a sailing vessel with a square rigged foremast and the remainder of the masts are fore-and-aft rigged.

Note the crowds of onlookers on the right.

The photographer is unknown (but possibly Harry Shaw, 54 Durban Road, Grimsby).