Title
Wreck of Conqueror
Description
The MFV Conqueror was a modern freezer trawler built in 1965 by Hall, Russel & Co Ltd of Aberdeen, for the Northern Trawlers Company. By 1977 she had undergone a major refit to extend her freezer capacity, and left her home port of Hull to go mackerel fishing in Cornwall.
On the 26 December 1977 she was off Penzer Point with 250 tons of mackerel on board when she ran into bad weather, and ran aground on the rocks nearby, in the darkness of the early morning. None of her 27 crew were hurt or injured and it was something of a mystery why the wrecking took place, as although the winds were blowing force eight, the sea was relatively calm.
In any event the Penlee lifeboat ‘Solomon Browne’ was called and swiftly took of most of the crew to nearby Newlyn, leaving the skipper, Charles Thresh, and three others on board to see if they could help refloat her. By now the engineering steering flat and the tunnel to the engine room was full of water, with the stern firmly aground on the rocks.
The Solomon Browne lifeboat stood-by the Conqueror on and off for 2 days - the Trinity House vessel Stella, and the trawlers Farnella and Junella also stood by the stricken vessel until the salvage tug Biscay Sky turned up with some huge water pumps.
Meanwhile the skipper and his mates had tried to patch some of the worst holes and got the pumps working. The salvage team continued the hard work, and were within a couple of days of being ready to pull her off, when the weather turned nasty again.
A sudden gale blew up, and left the Conqueror with a 45 degree list, and submerged from the stern to midships. On the 21 January 1978 the salvage divers reported that she was now too badly holed to get off, so they packed up their gear and the Conqueror was abandoned to the sea.
On the 26 December 1977 she was off Penzer Point with 250 tons of mackerel on board when she ran into bad weather, and ran aground on the rocks nearby, in the darkness of the early morning. None of her 27 crew were hurt or injured and it was something of a mystery why the wrecking took place, as although the winds were blowing force eight, the sea was relatively calm.
In any event the Penlee lifeboat ‘Solomon Browne’ was called and swiftly took of most of the crew to nearby Newlyn, leaving the skipper, Charles Thresh, and three others on board to see if they could help refloat her. By now the engineering steering flat and the tunnel to the engine room was full of water, with the stern firmly aground on the rocks.
The Solomon Browne lifeboat stood-by the Conqueror on and off for 2 days - the Trinity House vessel Stella, and the trawlers Farnella and Junella also stood by the stricken vessel until the salvage tug Biscay Sky turned up with some huge water pumps.
Meanwhile the skipper and his mates had tried to patch some of the worst holes and got the pumps working. The salvage team continued the hard work, and were within a couple of days of being ready to pull her off, when the weather turned nasty again.
A sudden gale blew up, and left the Conqueror with a 45 degree list, and submerged from the stern to midships. On the 21 January 1978 the salvage divers reported that she was now too badly holed to get off, so they packed up their gear and the Conqueror was abandoned to the sea.
Publisher
Morrab Library
Date
12-27-1977
Rights
Morrab Library
Format
Print
Type
Photograph
Identifier
M.2570
Coverage
Penzer Point
Mousehole