Originally Posted by
Konrad Fredericks
I worked on side trawlers out of Lowestoft in the sixties between deep sea merchant trips. Boston Deep Sea Fisheries and Hobsons Trawlers.
We fished the North Sea from Dogger to German Bight, trips would be approximately 15 to 20 days depending on the catch. The average tow
was two and a half hours, after hauling, the net usually had to be repaired and shot immediately. If the damage was extensive we'd shoot the spare
trawl, then gut and sort the catch to be stowed in the pounds with crushed ice, (which had to be chopped and crushed with a felling axe about 6 days
into the expedition) and repair the damaged net. Then you could catch a bit of sleep unless it was your turn on the wheel or time for "up trawl" then we'd
haul in the bag and do the same thing again. Hauling was done with vessel sideways to the wind or tide, so in poor weather it could be very wet work.
That was basically the job, very hard work for up to 3 weeks at a stretch. There's a lot of heavy gear banging around on a trawl deck and many serious
accidents were the result of fatigue, as is still the case today. Care of the catch was paramount. One skipper, if he saw anyone carelessly
mishandling a fish, he'd scream in pain wring his cap in his hands and do a sort of a jig. Still now, when I see a fishmonger carelessly toss a
piece of prime cod I point out to them and everyone in the shop how it got there. Then I walk out.
When traveling always I've marveled at the infinite variety of designs developed for unique fishing methods but also to handle the different sea conditions. North Sea
trawlers are fine examples of this, there are unique designs for all nations fishing those waters. The North Sea can be very dangerous with not a lot of sea-room. In
bad weather, with wind over tide the seas are short but high and can snatch the gear from the sea bed, missing fish or turning it over making fishing impossible.
There were two methods of riding a storm. Laying and Dodging. Laying had the boat side ways on to the the weather riding up and down from trough to peak. Skipper and
a man on the wheel everyone else turned in. Dodging meant riding each wave as it came head on, Skipper, a man on the telegraph and one on the wheel, pretty scary
to begin with. We were in the North Sea in February 1965 when Boston Pioneer, FD96, was lost with all hands, we spent several days on a search pattern until a Nimrod located
their capsized life boat, then of course we had to make up for lost fishing time. The food was great, never heard a complaint; real mess tucker, fresh bread every 4 days,
mixed deep fried fish for breakfast every morning. Accommodation was a large saloon with rows of 2 tier bunks and a mahogany table with deep fillets. It wasn't practical for the company to
supply mattresses, the Lowestoft men had their own, I always slept on spare cod-e netting. Always a nice warm fug of a coal fire, diesel, disinfectant, bilges and the air blue
with Boars Head tobacco. Bloody lovely! No one had time for the merchant seaman's obsession with personal hygiene. It was work and sleep boys.
We wore all wool trousers, jumpers and sea boot stockings, wool is very good insulation when wet, 1 size too big, thigh boots, a large oilskin frock and sou'wester.
The boot soles used to get worn down on sea shells and debris, so we used to cut fresh treads that were more efficient than the original Dunlop design.
After 3 weeks tossing around out there you were so used to balancing on the moving deck and negotiating all the hazards, that as soon as you stepped on the dock you
began to stagger, it could last for several days. People used to avoid us thinking we were pissed, which some of us weren't. On standby you stayed at the Royal
National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen. Those were the days of trade union struggles T and G, not Seamans Union, the mission were always on the side of the bosses,
the fishermen hated them, but they were the only place the company would pay for digs. They used to lock the doors half an hour before closing time! Needless to say we
were paid a pittance. We were given a raffia bag with a few fish. Some would sell it, most used to give it away, we'd seen enough fish. The fishermen I worked with were fine
men who would always support others out of work or blacklisted. The work and lack of sleep was diabolical of course, but I must say I can't think of a finer place to be at 4-am
than on the trawl deck, in good blow, with rain in it. After a winter season in the North Sea, the 8 till 12 to Abadan on a Norwegian tanker, was a cross between a 5 star hotel and a hospital.
Well; that's how I remember it.
Konrad Fredericks AB.
London
Discharge book R 808730
