Norway- An End, and a New Beginning

There are many reasons ships leave the port and never return. Some reasons are heartbreaking. The sea is a dangerous place and between man and nature, many ships never made it back.

Other reasons are more mundane. Trawlers and drifters were sold on and ended up in other UK ports registered under new names and numbers. A notable number of ships found their way overseas. I've come across ships sold on to Greece, Turkey, Spain, Belgium, France and Sweden, but by far the most went to Norway.

Why Norway, of all places? Was it economics that made tired Lowestoft trawlers and drifters attractive to Norwegian captains? Was it professional and social ties between fisherman or ease of transport from one port to another? I'm still investigating that and I have been lucky enough to make contact with a researcher in Norway who has a keen interest in Lowestoft boats. Per Ole Lund is a retired Norwegian sea captain who is looking at the trade in boats from the other side of the mirror. As he comes across new information, I'll be posting it here. His emails to me are unedited except for minor spelling and grammar corrections. English is not his first language and Norwegian certainly isn't mine, so please forgive any errors in translation. These notes are purely a jumping off point for others interested in what happened to the ships after they "sailed into the sunset".

Wouldn't it be great to find a Lowestoft boat in Norway and bring her back home? Maybe we can.

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PDF#1 from Capt. Lund about the "Kathleen", "Noble", "Verbena".

PDF#2 from Capt. Lund about the "Thomas B. Miller", "Sussex County", "Speculator".

PDF#3 from Capt. Lund about the "Harnser".

PDF#4 from Capt. Lund about the "Myrtle".

Capt. Lund initially was looking for the "Myrtle" which I found was LT445. This is our email correspondence about that boat-

Capt. Lund: Yes , the name I have is “Myrtle”, but the year could possible be 1898(?). I have not, so far, found much info in Tysfjord Local History about the boat.

The boat was in ship register of 1948 owned by Mr. Edvard Andreassen, Skutvik in Hamarøy, Nordland, Norway with name “Mælar” but in Register Svolvær, Lofoten. He died in 1946 so the boat was probably sold at this time to Albert Kjøpsnes, Kjøpsvik in Tysfjord, Nordland. He used the same name “Mælar” with fishery number N23TF. I have been told me she was sunk in Tysfjord in beginning og the 50th [sic]. I will try to find out more, but all of Albert's family have died.

“ Mælar” was used for fishing in winter and in the summer season for cargo (cement) for Nordland Portland Cementfabrik (Norcem) in Kjøpsvik.