60 years ago since the tragedy. http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/60-y...lers-tragedy/story-25915093-detail/story.html 60 years ago, 40 men lost their lives as the Lorella and the Roderigo trawlers sank within minutes of each other in Icelandic waters. James Campbell speaks to two brothers who lost their dad in the double tragedy. BROTHERS Louis and Michael Mooney were playing without a care in the world when they got a call to come home. That moment 60 years ago was to resonate throughout the rest of their lives. Both were schoolboys back in 1955 when they were told the devastating news their father, Arthur, was lost at sea. He was one of 40 Hull trawlermen lost in a double sinking tragedy. The 40-year-old was a spare-hand on board the Roderigo, which disappeared in horrendous weather conditions alongside another Hull trawler, the Lorella. Facing the full fury of an Arctic storm, the trawlers fought a desperate battle for survival. Caked in thickening ice and lashed by hurricane-force winds, they had nowhere to turn. What made the tale more heart-breaking was the fact the vessels had come to the aid of the Kingston Garnet, which had a wire caught in its propeller. The stricken vessel managed to free itself and survived the conditions. Louis, now 71, of Summergroves Way, west Hull, was 11 years old when it happened. "At the time this was the first double tragedy we had experienced in Hull," he said "There was no television or radio back then, so the first we heard was from the Hull Daily Mail newspaper boy who shouted the Lorella was missing. "While this was terrible news, our dad was on the Roderigo, but we were later told both vessels were missing. "We had to get the whole family together. Down the street, all our friends and neighbours asked if there was anything they could do. Everyone tried to help." It was a couple of days after the vessels were reported missing before it was confirmed they had sunk. "Despite the news, we went to school the next day as there was nothing else we could do," Louis said. "Our mother tried to protect from the distressing news and kept us out of the house. "It was about two days later the news came through that all hope was gone." Michael, 73, of west Hull, says those couple of days are still fresh in his mind. "It feels like yesterday since this happened, not 60 years ago," he said. "This has stayed with us all our lives. "It may be 60 years ago but I can remember every detail of the day we heard. "It was devastating to hear all hope of finding the crew alive was gone." The news of the double tragedy hit Hessle Road hard and it would ensure neither Louis or Michael nor their other two brothers, Phil and Joe, would ever head out to sea. "The fishing industry employed thousands of people in Hessle Road and not just on the trawlers," Louis said. "So this was huge news for the area. "After our dad died, our mum wouldn't let us go on the trawlers, so we worked on the fish docks." The news spread far and wide and led to a memorable trip for the two brothers. "After hearing what happened, the council in Morecombe paid for us to go on a trip to the town," Louis said. "It provided us with a big lift. "It is very important to continue to remember these tragedies. I am always talking to my grandchildren about the fishing industry in Hessle Road so they don't forget." The boats sank on the weekend of January 25 and 26, 1955, sinking off Iceland's infamous North Cape with the loss of 40 lives. The vessels battled through towering waves and their radio operators continued to put out messages of increasing desperation. What had begun as a mission of mercy ended in a disaster the fishing community will never forget. Spray froze instantly as it hit the trawlers. Rigging normally just half an inch thick swelled to six, seven and eight inches as the ice built up. But because of the conditions, the crew were unable to chop it clear. Arthur had been a fisherman all his life and was a coxswain in the Navy during the Second World War. He lived in Walcott Street with his wife and four sons. "My dad was a typical fisherman who worked hard in tough conditions," Louis said. "I was very proud of him and I had a moment to remember over the weekend." Michael also has fond memories of his dad. "My dad always worked hard and played hard," he said. "He was a real character and when he returned he used to throw pennies in the street for the kids." Seven months after the tragedy, a Hull inquiry was held by the Board of Trade. It posthumously cleared both skippers of any blame. ‘There was nothing we could do to help’ FISHERMAN Jim Williams will forever remember the helplessness he and his crew mates felt on that winter night in 1955. He was aboard the Arctic Explorer fishing the same Icelandic seas as the Lorella and the Roderigo. Mr Williams, 86, was at the wheel and heard the radio messages from both doomed vessels in their last moments. He said: "We had just rounded the northeast coast of Iceland. "It was some of the worst weather experienced in that area in history. "It was just getting worse and worse the further east you went. "We heard the radio messages from both the Lorella and the Roderigo but we were just too far away to do anything. "Our skipper made the decision to head away to the northwest coast of Norway. It was the only commonsense course of action." Mr Williams knew the treacherous conditions the crews of the Lorella and the Roderigo faced. He said: "Everything was icing up and the combination of that and the strong winds made life very difficult. "This is what did it for the two vessels." While it was the only decision that could be made, Mr Williams admits it was agonising to leave the two vessels to their fate. He said: "I can't explain how we felt on the way back. "We knew many of those on both trawlers. It was a very sombre journey. "We had a good idea of what they must have gone through, but we were helpless and there was nothing we could do. "That is one fishing trip that will stay with me for the rest of my life." Mr Williams had a 27-year career at sea and says he has been fortunate. He said: "I was very lucky to have such a long career at sea and I spent the last eight years in command." He now volunteers on the Arctic Corsair, conducting tours of the deep sea trawler. Annual remembrance event THE annual Lost Trawlermen's Day will be held tomorrow (Sunday). Organised by fishing heritage group Stand, the event will take place near the Sailmakers pub in St Andrew's Quay at noon. The focus will be on the 40 men who lost their lives aboard the Lorella and the Roderigo to mark 60 years since the vessels sank. Hull City Council is providing a marquee for the event and there will be a free buffet at the Alexandra Hotel in Hessle Road afterwards.
Sobering read. Yorkshire's heroes of the sea Vessels died in Arctic hell THE conditions were appalling. Hurricane force winds lashed the seas into a frenzy. Blizzards swept down from the Arctic the true intensity of the swirling white-out apparent only in the deck lights. On the Hull trawlers Lorella and Roderigo , both several miles off Iceland's North Cape, the skippers put their trawlers head into wind and prayed for the only thing they knew could save them - a moderation in the weather. Each vessel fought its own battle to survive, the forepeak smashing downwards into the angry, mountainous seas and erupting in a mass of spray. They had no choice in which direction they could take. They sailed onwards - ever more northerly. Neither trawler could turn and to do so would mean instant disaster. And they knew that their position became every more dangerous by the hour. The vessels faced another problem, too, that of the relentless build-up of ice on their upperworks . The air temperature was 23F and the sea temperature 34F. The spray froze as it fell on the trawlers. The time was early in the morning. From the Lorella came a message to the Roderigo: "Boat deck frozen with solid snow, Lads digging it out since breakfast. Terrible lot on bridge top and they are going out there in daylight if possible. "Roderigo: "Same here. The whaleback is a solid mass." And so into the day.. 14.21, Roderigo: One side of our aerial is down. Weather very bad and freezing. please log in to view this image 14.36, Lorella (pictured): Heeling over. 14.39, Lorella: Going down. Heeling over. Lorella going down. Heeling over... There was no further transmission. 15.43, Roderigo: Calling all ships, we are now taking heavy water. 16.30, Aerials now icing up. 16.45: Can anyone take a bearing on this frequency? From the trawler Lancella, which was in shelter and listening into the broadcasts: Beatring as near as can say north east. 16.50, Roderigo to Lancella: Come to us. Position becoming serious now. 16.52, Lancella to Roderigo: We are coming to you. An American aircraft from the USAF base on Iceland now asked Lancella for Roderigo's position. Lancella replied: Roderigo is 90 miles NE of Iceland's North Cape. Wind NE force 11-12, visibility nil to one cable. Aircraft to Roderigo: What are your intentions? 1704, Roderigo: No intentions. Going further over. No visibility. Still going over to starboard. 17.05: Still going over to starboard. Cannot get her back. 17.08: Still going over. Going over. 17.09: Roderigo going over... The message was repeated in Morse until, after three minutes transmission ceased. Two vessels were missing. And 40 Hull fishermen were dead. Seven months later the calm of a Hull inquiry heard a witness say: "They could only hope for a moderation in weather or a rise in temperature."
Dangerous job. Good, good men working in appalling conditions to provide for their families. Smashing ice off the deck, constant sub-zero temperatures, never getting properly dry and warm. In near constant darkness. For days and weeks. No wonder they drank the pubs dry on returning.
I remember that happening. I was 11/12, at Hull Grammar and there were kids at school who had that tragedy happen to their families. Brave men, doing a difficult job, that could turn hellish very rapidly.
