Tag: gy-102

Blackburn Rovers Built 08/08/1934 by Smiths dock Co Ltd South Bank Middlesbrough for Consolidated Fisheries Ltd for a cost of £19850.00
18/09/1934 Documents handed over to Consolidated Fisheries Ltd
Anchor and Cable Certs, Boiler Test Cert, Lights and sound Signal Certs
Steam Superheater Header Cert, Steam Superheater Elements Certs

11/1934 First Skipper Alfred Camburn
25/08/1939 Requisitioned and converted to an A/S Based at Dover
26/11/1939 whilst on patrol off Goodwin sands in Heavy weather a cable was washed off her Fore deck and wrapped around the screw.
After dropping anchor she was dragged into a mine field. The Dover Lifeboat coming to her aid managed to take off all the crew and secret equipment in the midst of the mine field.
The coxswain was awarded the Silver medal for Gallantry.
The trawler was scuttled as she was well into the mine field But it went wrong and she was found 30 miles off the Kentish Sands.
02/06/1940 She took part to the Dunkirk evacuation with a crew of 17, during which she was either mined or torpedoed 24 miles E by S of North Foreland
During WW2 the ARCTIC PIONEER (yet to be ARCTIC VIKING) was an asdic trawler and patrolled the waters during the Dunkirk evacuations. 02/06/1940 nearing the last day of the Dunkirk withdrawal Arctic Pioneer heard the distress signal from the Blackburn Rovers in thick fog but could not assist.
Blackburn Rovers another asdic trawler was leading the Hull trawler Westella and the Trawler Saon on patrol of the channel,
Blackburn Rovers picked up a asdic sounding which it believed to be a U-boat.
On going to investigate Blackburn Rovers entered a British minefield and subsequently exploded, her depth charges also exploding.
The trawler Westella had also followed Blackburn Rovers into the minefield and as she was picking up the survivors from Blackburn Rovers she hit a mine blowing off her bow.
The trawler Saon picked up survivors from both the Westella and the Blackburn Rovers

Surname	Forenames	Age at Death	Date of Death	Rank	Boat
JONES	RICHARD	21	02/06/1940	Stoker	Blackburn Rovers
STUBBS	SAMUEL LESLIE	Unknown	02/06/1940	Engineman	Blackburn Rovers
MACDONALD	WILLIAM ANGUS	Unknown	02/06/1940	Leading Seaman	Blackburn Rovers
CROCKETT	BENJAMIN	20	02/06/1940	Seaman	Blackburn Rovers
BURGON	DAVID	32	02/06/1940	Seaman	Blackburn Rovers
HARTLEY	CHARLES ARTHUR	24	02/06/1940	Seaman	Blackburn Rovers
NICHOLSON	JAMES	Unknown	02/06/1940	Stoker	Blackburn Rovers
TATE	ROBERT DIXON	Unknown	02/06/1940	Stoker	Blackburn Rovers

Her Details are

• Official Number 162890
• Yard Number 976
• Admiralty Number FY 116
• Call Sign GYCL
• GT 422 NT 161
• Foc’sle 27
• Dimensions 157 x 26.7 x 12.3 
• Engines 99 HP 12 Knots

Official records state by U-boat action or mine on or about 02/06/1940
in the North Sea whilst in Admiralty Service