On February 8, 1974, the maritime world was shaken by the sinking of the fishing trawler Gaul, a tragedy that led to the loss of 36 lives, 30 of whom were from Hull. The incident has been shrouded in controversy for decades, with theories suggesting deliberate sinking by the Soviet Union, or a submarine dragging the vessel underwater. Yet, a 2004 inquiry by the Wreck Commissioner dismissed these theories, attributing the Gaul's sinking to heavy storms and a failure of the offal chutes to close. Despite the inquiry's conclusions, the victims' families continue to express skepticism. Scheduled Commemorative Events To honor the memory of those lost, a series of commemorative events is set to kick off with a memorial service at the Hull Fishing Heritage Centre. The service will feature the Gaul Bell, recovered from the wreck, and will be marked by a minute of silence. A reception at the Guildhall will follow, attended by relatives of the crew, the Lord Mayor, and Admiral of the Humber, Kalvin Neal. Subsequently, a church service is slated at Hull Minster on the following Sunday. Recognition in Upcoming Sporting Events The tragedy will also be acknowledged during upcoming sporting events in Hull, including a Hull City football match and the first Hull Derby of the Super League season. These events will serve as a poignant reminder of the lives lost and the enduring spirit of the Hull community. Unveiling of a New Mural A new mural by artist Andy Pea will be unveiled, adding a touch of creativity in paying homage to the victims of the Gaul tragedy. The artwork will serve as a visual representation of the city's collective memory and respect for the crew members who perished. In reflecting on the tragedy, Admiral Neal highlighted the difficulty in comprehending the horrors the crew experienced and extended his thoughts to the survivors and families affected by the disaster. He stated, 'The loss is not just an event in the past, but a wound that time has yet to heal.' RIP Lads.
Slightly ashamed to admit I had never even heard of this tragedy until I came across this post . Glad I found it , thank you for posting it .
**** Ernie I normally post a Gaul poem on its anniversary. I’ll do it now, thank you for the heads up lol
There’s a memorial plaque at the Royal Quays Marina in North Shields to the six trawlermen from there who sailed on The Gaul’s final voyage.
Seen that when visiting North Shields so many times. I’ve had my Gaul poem “ a last night’s memory “ printed in the Gazette, a real honour for me being from Hessle road.
Thank you. Passed that on to my elder brother, who was part of the Trinity House Honour Guard at the original Memorial Service. Brings back such sad memories.
I remember the sinking of the Gaul well. I knew two lads on it. Brian Dudding, who was the elder brother of a mate of mine at the time, and John Haywood, both Endike old boys off North Hull. John was only 21 and a very good footballer, Brian wasn't much older. There was a mystery about the way she was lost with a lot of conspiracys theories. One was that she was dragged down by a Russian submarine that had become tangled in her nets, another one was the Gaul was a spy ship, hence the submarine. It was a very sad time for the city. It's loss certainly effected me at the time because I was a similar age to a lot of the lads onboard, and to this day I often visit the Bethnal Boards in Holy Trinity where the crews names are listed to pay my respects. If anyone happens to be in the old town of Hull and near Holy Trinity I suggest you call in and seek the Bethnal Boards out. The wall has several lists of crews and men lost at sea. One tragedy really hits home. Christmas Day 1966 off the coast of Newfoundland, Hull trawler the St. Finbar. It actually caught fire and sank. One lad was 15. Can you imagine that? The Triple Trawler Tragedy of 1968 is still fresh in my mind too. As a schoolboy we had kids at our school who's fathers, brothers and uncles were lost and we all sang 'For those in peril on the sea' in assembly. I also attended the friendly between City and Motherwell which was hastily arranged as a fund raiser for the families of those lost at sea. The city of Hull was certainly a differant place in those days and it was reassuring that the lads lost on the Gaul are still remembered today, the 50th anniversary.
I’ve no idea who we played but I can remember a night match at Boothferry Park when they had the minutes silence for the men of the Gaul. My Dad explained to me what was happening and to stand quietly. It was the first minutes silence I stood through. RIP
I remember in my last year in primary school walking out of the school gates, one of our dinner ladies was in tears and as I walked on I wondered why, Next day I found out her young husband was on board. Very sad. Doesn’t seem like 50 years ago though.
i was bout 12 then.i remember being on bunkers doing the minutes silence when some **** let go with a klaxton horn.cops had to jump [nto the crowd to save the ****s who did it. my family is all hessle road, rest in peace boys
I worked in the fishing industry through all these times, including the subway explosion, which I witness the aftermath of. Tragedy seemed to be was part and parcel of the fish industry, unfortunately. . On the Gaul I remember going to THE GAUL BALL AT THE CITY HALL, which was a fund-raiser for the families of those lost. T remember Normal Collier being there doing his broken mike routine and other celebrities for the City.
Hopefully the club will make it plain that it's 36 seconds of silence before kick off tomorrow, very plain.
Obviously not about The Gaul, or indeed any Hull trawler tragedy, but without doubt the greatest song ever written about loss of life at sea - and in my book, therefore, universal.
I assume that it was an autocorrect and meant to be the St. Finbarr. https://fishingnews.co.uk/fishing-n...ster-the-christmas-day-tragedy-of-st-finbarr/
The subway explosion was a tanker exploding in a tunnel to the fish dock, fairly sure a policeman was killed.
Google Mick McGarry (RIP) and the Hill Billy Troupe ( from Hull) singing 'Hull's Luckiest sailor' about a crew member who missed sailing on the Kingston Peridot which went down with all hands.
It was in the tunnel entrance to the fish Dock at the bottom of Subway Street. Not sure if it still exists . The tunnel had a low ceiling and this tanker decided to get onto the Dock via this tunnel instead of the correct way . The top of the tanker was ripped away and it caused an explosion . Think the driver and a policeman died . Think it was back in the 50 or 60 's.
