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Deep in southern latitudes, in a desolate corner of Cumberland Bay
on the east coast of the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia,
hard by the rotting quays of the abandoned whaling station of
Grytviken and almost within a stone's throw of the grave of Sir
Ernest Shackleton, lie three forsaken steam ships: rusting remnants
of our industrial past, unique survivals from a vanished age of
steam at sea. One of these ships is 'Viola', the sole surviving
Hull steam trawler from the huge fleet which put 'fish & chips'
on Britain's plates more than a hundred years ago. In this
absorbing account, maritime historians Robb Robinson and Ian Hart
describe her ancestry and origins in the Victorian and Edwardian
North Sea fishery - vividly depicting life for her crew in the most
dangerous industry of its time; they record her Great War service
as a U-boat hunter - one of the many merchant vessels largely
unsung for their contribution, and often sacrifice, in wartime; and
they recount her subsequent career hunting whales off West Africa,
then later sealing and exploration work in the South Atlantic,
before her final abandonment in South Georgia. Here she became
quarry for the infamous Argentine scrap metal expedition of 1982,
in the initiating action of the Falklands War. This improbable yet
true story of a humble working vessel and those involved with her
is a highly readable work of social, as well as maritime, history.
Recent discussion, academic publications and many of the national
exhibitions relating to the Great War at sea have focussed on
capital ships, Jutland and perhaps U-boats. Very little has been
published about the crucial role played by fishermen, fishing
vessels and coastal communities all round the British Isles. Yet
fishermen and armed fishing craft were continually on the maritime
front line throughout the conflict; they formed the backbone of the
Auxiliary Patrol and were in constant action against-U-boats or
engaged on unrelenting minesweeping duties. Approximately 3000
fishing vessels were requisitioned and armed by the Admiralty and
more than 39,000 fishermen joined the Trawler Section of the Royal
Naval Reserve. The class and cultural gap between working fishermen
and many RN officers was enormous. This book examines the
multifaceted role that fishermen and the fish trade played
throughout the conflict. It examines the reasons why, in an age of
dreadnoughts and other high-tech military equipment, so many
fishermen and fishing vessels were called upon to play such a
crucial role in the littoral war against mines and U-boats, not
only around the British Isles but also off the coasts of various
other theatres of war. It will analyse the nature of the fishing
industry's war-time involvement and also the contribution that
non-belligerent fishing vessels continued to play in maintaining
the beleaguered nation's food supplies.
Recent discussion, academic publications and many of the national
exhibitions relating to the Great War at sea have focussed on
capital ships, Jutland and perhaps U-boats. Very little has been
published about the crucial role played by fishermen, fishing
vessels and coastal communities all round the British Isles. Yet
fishermen and armed fishing craft were continually on the maritime
front line throughout the conflict; they formed the backbone of the
Auxiliary Patrol and were in constant action against-U-boats or
engaged on unrelenting minesweeping duties. Approximately 3000
fishing vessels were requisitioned and armed by the Admiralty and
more than 39,000 fishermen joined the Trawler Section of the Royal
Naval Reserve. The class and cultural gap between working fishermen
and many RN officers was enormous. This book examines the
multifaceted role that fishermen and the fish trade played
throughout the conflict. It examines the reasons why, in an age of
dreadnoughts and other high-tech military equipment, so many
fishermen and fishing vessels were called upon to play such a
crucial role in the littoral war against mines and U-boats, not
only around the British Isles but also off the coasts of various
other theatres of war. It will analyse the nature of the fishing
industry's war-time involvement and also the contribution that
non-belligerent fishing vessels continued to play in maintaining
the beleaguered nation's food supplies.
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