View source for SS English Trader

{{short description|Merchant ship (1934–1941}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2017}}
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{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=SS English Trader ashore Checkstone Rock 4.30am 23 Jan 1937 view 1.jpg
|Ship caption=''SS English Trader ashore Checkstone Rock 4.30am 23 Jan 1937''
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|UK|civil}}
|Ship name=SS ''Arctees''
|Ship owner=Arctees Shipping Company Ltd.
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|Ship ordered=1933
|Ship builder=[[Furness Shipbuilding Co Ltd|Furness Ship Building Company Ltd]]
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|Ship launched=25 January 1934
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|Ship maiden voyage=1934
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|UK|civil}} [[File:Trading Nav Comp.jpg|45px|House flag, Trader Navigation Co. Ltd]]
|Ship name=SS ''English Trader''
|Ship owner=Trader Navigation Company Ltd
|Ship operator=
|Ship registry=
|Ship route=
|Ship acquired=1936
|Ship fate=Ran aground on Hammond Knoll on the [[North Norfolk]] Coast
|Ship notes=
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|Ship out of service=24 October 1941
|Ship homeport= London<ref name=Trader/>
|Ship identification=*UK [[Official Number]] 163446<ref name=Trader/>
*Code letters GWPT<ref name=Trader>{{cite web|url=https://plimsoll.southampton.gov.uk/shipdata/pdfs/37/37b0281.pdf |title=LLOYD'S REGISTER, NAVIRES A VAPEUR ET A MOTEURS |publisher=Plimsoll Ship Data |access-date=30 December 2008}}</ref>
*{{ICS|Golf}}{{ICS|Whiskey}}{{ICS|Papa}}{{ICS|Tango}}
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Ship tonnage=3,953 [[Gross register tonnage|GRT]]
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|Ship length={{convert|362|ft|5|in|m|2|abbr=on}}<ref name=Trader/>
|Ship beam={{convert|57|ft|5|in|m|2|abbr=on}}<ref name=Trader/>
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|Ship depth={{convert|23|ft|6|in|m|2|abbr=on}}<ref name=Trader/>
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|Ship power={{convert|357|hp|abbr=on}} nominal
|Ship propulsion=*Two single-ended boilers with a working pressure of 220lb psi.
*Triple expansion reciprocating steam engine (North East Marine Engineering Company Limited, Newcastle upon Tyne) {{convert|357|hp|kW|abbr=on}}<ref name=Trader/>
*Single propeller
|Ship speed={{convert|8|–|10|kn|lk=in}}
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|Ship crew= 38
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The '''SS ''English Trader''''' was a British merchant ship wrecked off the coast of [[Norfolk]], England in October 1941.<ref name="srok">Cyril Jolly, ''The loss of the English Trader'', Chapter 1, Page 1 {{ISBN|0-906554-06-3}}</ref> After falling behind a [[convoy]] during the [[World War II|Second World War]] of which she was a part, the ship ran aground on the [[Hammond's Knoll]] sandbank and began to break up during a gale. Several rescue attempts by [[lifeboat (rescue)|lifeboats]] failed, but a further attempt the following day by the [[Cromer Lifeboat Station|Cromer Lifeboat]] rescued 44 of the crew, three having already been lost.

==Construction==
The ship was built in 1934<ref name="srok"/> at the shipyards of the [[Furness Shipbuilding Co Ltd|Furness Ship Building Company Ltd]] at [[Haverton Hill|Haverton-Hill-on-Tees]] for the Arctees [[Shipping]] Company Ltd<ref name="srok"/> where she was then called ''Arctees''. She was designed by Sir [[Joseph Isherwood]] and had his revolutionary "Arcform"<ref name="srok"/> hull design to improve fuel consumption. Fifty ships were built to that design between 1933 and 1954. In 1936, she was sold to the Trader Navigation Company Ltd as its first tramp vessel and renamed ''English Trader''. All of the company's later vessels had the same "Trader" suffix.

==Service==
The first three years of the vessel's life were uneventful. On 23 January 1937, the ''English Trader'' was in the waters of the [[Devon]] coast. While entering [[Dartmouth Harbour]] her steering gear failed and she ran aground close to [[Dartmouth Castle]] at the entrance to the harbour. The [[Torbay Lifeboat Station|Torbay lifeboat]] attended and executed a hazardous rescue in darkness, saving 52 people.<ref name="srok"/><ref>{{cite magazine |magazine=Lifeboat |issue=647 |page=31 |title=Double Jeopardy |date=Spring 2024 |location=Poole |publisher=[[RNLI]]}}</ref>

Attempts were made to re-float the ship by four tugs and a [[Royal Navy]] [[destroyer]] without success. She was badly holed and some of the holds were filling with debris and so, after ten days of being stuck fast, drastic measures were taken to save the ship. This involved cutting the ship in two at her [[bow (ship)|bow]] section which was eventually scrapped. The process took nineteen days after which the undamaged after part was pulled [[stern]]-first into Dartmouth Harbour. Later she was moved to [[Southampton]]. A contract was given to the Middle Docks & Engineering Company of [[South Shields]] to repair her. She was rebuilt from the [[boiler]] room forward in only 100 days.<ref name="srok"/>

===Second World War===
From the start of the [[Second World War]] the ''English Trader'' carried thousands of tons of [[cargo]] to and from the British Isles. For two years she crossed the seas avoiding [[U-boat]]s, [[naval mine|mines]] and aircraft attacks. In October 1941, she was berthed in [[London Docks]] where a cargo of sugar from [[Cuba]] was being unloaded. By 23 October, she had discharged her cargo and was taking aboard a mixed cargo bound for [[Mombasa]], [[Kenya]]. The cargo contained a variety of export goods including farm tractors and other agricultural implements, umbrellas, pocket watches, whisky, [[Andrews Liver Salts]], dresses and kitchenware. Stamped on the cases was "BRITAIN DELIVERS THE GOODS",<ref name="srok"/> in defiance of Germany's aggressive war against Britain.

===Convoy EC90===
Before her next voyage, a virtually new [[crew]] had been signed on – of the crew of 47, only eight men had been on the previous voyage.<ref name="srok"/> This eight included [[Captain (nautical)|Captain]] Grimstone and his three deck officers, the [[Chief Mate|mate]] John Elliot, William Hickson the gun layer, two other gunners and the ship steward. On 24 October, in the early afternoon the ''English Trader'' left the [[Thames]]. By late afternoon she had reached [[Southend-on-Sea]]. Here the [[Thames Estuary]] was wide enough for [[convoy]]s to form up in relative safety. Convoy EC90 was made up of 20 ocean-going [[Cargo ship|freighters]], two or three coastal [[Steamboat|steamers]] and two Royal Navy destroyers, one of which was the ageing {{HMS|Vesper}}.<ref name="srok"/> Convoy EC90 set off on its voyage in single file to start with, proceeding at a steady {{convert|8|kn|lk=in|spell=in}}. For the ''English Trader'' this was close to her maximum speed with a crew who knew how to get the best from her, which the new crew did not. The convoy's route took it up the east coast of [[England]] and around the top of [[Scotland]] and down into the Atlantic Ocean. The [[English Channel]] was far too hazardous for shipping convoys at this stage of the war. By 3 pm, the ''English Trader''{{'}}s troubles had begun. She had been running sluggishly, which had been noticed by the crew members from previous voyages. She was now a least a {{convert|1/2|mi|spell=in}} behind the bulk of the convoy and HMS ''Vesper'' was enquiring for the reasons for the poor speed of the ship. The speculation from the more experienced crew members was that the ''English Trader''{{'}}s [[coal]]-fired boilers, which were forced draught fed, required the booster fans to be precisely set. It was agreed that the ill-experienced new crew and the new chief engineer were unable to accomplish this. The captain was told by the [[Commodore (rank)|commodore]] aboard the ''Vesper'' that if she could not regain her position in the convoy by nightfall she should make for [[harbour]] at one of the east coast ports.

===Aircraft attack===
By nightfall the ''English Trader'' was some {{convert|5|mi|spell=in}} from the convoy and at times laboured to achieve {{convert|4|kn|spell=in}}, making her vulnerable to attack by enemy U-boats and aircraft. The situation was made worse when, in the darkness, the convoy ahead came under brief air attack, followed by an attack on the ''English Trader'' by a German [[Dornier Do 17]] bomber.<ref name="srok"/> The gunner aboard ''English Trader'' opened up at the approaching aircraft, which released two bombs, which narrowly missed the ship. Two large pillars of white foam rose as high as her mast on the port side just yards from the ship. The bomber now swooped over the ship and into the darkness to prepare for another attack. HMS ''Vesper'', which had broken off from the main convoy to help,<ref name="srok"/> opened fire on the aircraft, possibly damaging it as it broke off its attack and was not seen again.

===Aground on Hammond Knoll===
[[File:Shipwreck of the English Trader.jpg|thumb|right|Map showing the site of the wreck of the ''English Trader'']]
By midnight all was quiet, but the ship was still labouring to rejoin the main part of the convoy. Between 1 am and 1.30 am on Sunday 26 October, she was struggling against a strong ebbing [[tide]], which in turn forced her dangerously close to the [[sandbank]]s of [[Hammond Knoll]].<ref name="srok"/> At around 1.45 am the crew felt a slight jolt followed by a more severe jolt. This flung the ship forward followed by loud grinding, crunching and scraping of metal. Then there was silence. The ship had run aground on Hammond Knoll.

The ''English Trader'' was stranded on the knoll with her crew powerless to do anything about her. As the first signs of daylight approached, the weather began to rapidly deteriorate, with the wind reaching [[gale]] force. Ever increasing waves crashed around her decks, smashing the [[starboard]] [[Lifeboat (shipboard)|lifeboat]] and its [[derrick]]. The ship's back had broken as it settled on the knoll and the sea started it relentless destruction of the ''English Trader''. The [[port]] lifeboat, though in the lee of the storm, could not be launched because of the turbulent waves crashing around the sandbank.

===Lifeboat launched===
[[File:Chart Room of The English Trader.jpg|thumb|right|The chart room]]
[[File:Edward Walter Allen (1).JPG|thumb|Signalman Edward Allen]]
At 8.15 am, the [[Cromer Lifeboat Station]] was alerted and asked to aid the ''English Trader'' and the lifeboat [[Cromer Lifeboat H F Bailey III|''H F Bailey'']] was launched. She was crewed by twelve men including the triple [[RNLI Gold Medal]] holding [[coxswain]] [[Henry Blogg]]. By 11.35 that morning, the lifeboat had reached Hammond Knoll. By this time, three of the ''English Trader''{{'}}s crew had been swept off the foundering ship to their death. By the time the ''H F Bailey'' reached the ship the gale was at full force. The remaining 44 crew of the stricken ship had taken refuge in the chart room, the highest and safest point on the ship. The Cromer lifeboat made two attempts to get a line to the ''English Trader'' without success. A further attempt at rescue resulted in a near disaster for the ''H F Bailey'' and in the death of one of her crew. Coxswain Blogg had attempted to approach the stricken vessel and a wall of water hit the lifeboat on her port side which washed five of the lifeboat men, including the non-swimmer Blogg, overboard. The five men were hauled back on to the lifeboat but the signalman, Edward "Boy Primo" W Allen after being in the water for 25 minutes fell unconscious and died a short time later. At 3 pm, the Cromer lifeboat broke off the rescue attempt and made for [[Great Yarmouth]]. Her crew had tried in vain for seven hours to rescue the crew of the ''English Trader'' and were now exhausted. Meanwhile, the Great Yarmouth and [[Gorleston]] Lifeboat had been launched and was on its way. Between 4 and 6 pm, that lifeboat made five attempts to get alongside, with a line, without success. After these attempts and with darkness setting in, Coxswain Charles Johnson and his crew also reluctantly returned to Great Yarmouth after receiving orders from the Royal Navy. By 8 am the next morning, the Cromer Lifeboat was back at the Sands. The sea had calmed considerably and the ''H F Bailey'' was able to take the beleaguered crew of 44 from the ''English Trader'' with relative ease, taking them to the safety of Great Yarmouth. The ''English Trader'' was then left stuck upon the sands of Hammond Knoll. Reports from the following day said that the ''English Trader'' had gone completely under the waves. Henry Blogg received a [[RNLI Silver Medal]] for this rescue.

===Cromer Lifeboat crew===
[[File:The Bust of Henry Blogg of Cromer 11,04,2007.JPG|thumb|right|250px|The bronze bust of Henry Blogg on the cliff top in North Lodge Park in Cromer, Norfolk]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+ Crew of the Cromer Lifeboat [[Cromer Lifeboat H F Bailey III|''H. F. Bailey'']]
|-----
! Name
! Rank
|-----
| [[Henry Blogg|Henry G Blogg]] || Coxswain
|-----
| John J (Jack) Davies || Second Coxswain
|-----
| Henry W (Swank) Davies || Mechanic
|-----
| James W Davies|| Assistant Mechanic
|-----
| Edward W (Boy Primo) Allen|| Signalman
|-----
| William T (Captain) Davies || Bowman
|-----
| John J Davies, jnr|| Crewman
|-----
| Sidney C (Kelly) Harrison || Crewman
|-----
| [[Henry Thomas Davies|Henry T (Shrimp) Davies]] || Crewman
|-----
| William H (Pimpo) Davies || Crewman
|-----
| Robert C Davies || Crewman
|-----
| James R (Dick) Davies || Crewman
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}
* Jolly, Cyril (1981): ''The Loss of the English Trader'' Acorn Editions. {{ISBN|0-906554-06-3}}
* Jolly, Cyril "Henry Blogg, the Greatest of the Lifeboatmen", Pub: Poppyland Publishing, new edition 2002, {{ISBN|0-946148-59-7}}
* Leach, Nicholas & Russell, Paul,''Cromer Lifeboats 1804–2004'', Pub: Tempus Publishing, 2004, {{ISBN|0-7524-3197-8}}
* Tikus, Ayer (2004): ''The Ship-wrecks off North East Norfolk'' Pub: Ayer Tikus Publications, ISBN

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070222154115/http://www.cromerlifeboats.org.uk/07/ Cromer Lifeboats]
* [http://www.rnli.org.uk/rnli_near_you/east/stations/CromerNorfolk/ Cromer Lifeboat Station]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090712123629/http://freespace.virgin.net/david.cragie/cromershed.html The Old Cromer Lifeboat Shed]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080527111304/http://nationalhistoricships.org.uk/index.cfm/event/getVessel/vref/1446 H F Bailey Lifeboat (National Register of Historic Vessels)]
* [https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/museums/henry-blogg-museum RNLI Henry Blogg Museum in Cromer]

{{Lifeboat Stations in Norfolk}}
{{1937 shipwrecks}}
{{October 1941 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:English Trader, Ss}}
[[Category:1934 ships]]
[[Category:Steamships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:World War II merchant ships of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1937]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in October 1941]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the North Sea]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of Norfolk]]
[[Category:Merchant ships of the United Kingdom]]