Trident: North Sea

ND56SW 8001 unlocated

NLO: Duncansby Head [name: ND 405 733].

Found with wrecks of HMS Exmouth and MV Tekla, for which see ND73SE 8001 and ND73SE 8002 respectively.

Hope of finding a Peterhead trawler which mysteriously vanished in heavy seas was rapidly fading last night - and the discovery of fishing equipment in the North Sea added to the fears for the seven crew. All day yesterday a full scale sea and air search was carried out for the 86ft [26.2m] multi-purpose vessel Trident. Two discoveries which could be connected to the Trident mystery emerged last night. Up to 200 plastic herring boxes were discovered in an area 20 miles south of the Trident's last known position 9 miles SSE of Duncansby Head [name: ND 405 733]. Also found were four herring baskets - three green and one red - floating nearby.

The Trident landed a catch at Ayr on Monday night and left there on Wednesday. The all-steel vessel built only 18 months ago, was returning to her home port from the fishing ground of the Isle of Man. She was in company with another Peterhead boat, Faithful II, which made port safely early yesterday, and whose crew believed the Trident to be following behind.

A full scale search was launched. No wreckage was spotted by two Shackletons from Lossiemouth, a Nimrod from Kinloss, or by lifeboats from Wick and Macduff. A fishery cruiser, the Switha, and fishing vessels from a number of north and north-east ports were also searching the area. The Switha helped the Faithful II by passing her a roll of tape to repair a burst pipe in the engine room.

The Faithful II last made contact with the Trident while carrying out the repairs, and when this was finished, the last we saw of her was on our radar screen about five miles ahead of us.

The boxes were discovered about 20 miles south of the Trident's last known position.

After 30 hours, the faint hope was that the men had taken to a liferaft and were drifting in the Moray Firth. But fishermen at Peterhead were believing more and more that the Trident must have been overwhelmed by a huge sea and turned over.

(Photo of Trident, PD111).

Information from SIMS (DRG), 11 December 1997.

Aberdeen Press and Journal, 5 October 1974.

[No accurate location cited]. The intact wreck of this vessel was discovered (apparently in 2001) by Stewart McDermott while searching for HMS Exmouth (ND73SE 8001). The identification of the wreck is based on the blue hull paint and the name painted in white letters across the stern.

The trawler lies listing to starboard on the sandy seabed at a depth of 60m. No collision damage was apparent but the foredeck hatch was open and the liferaft was missing from its mounting above the bridge.

(The marginal stability of this vessel is noted).

NMRS, MS/829/42.

FV Trident. This trawler was located in June 2001 by divers of the HMS Exmouth Expedition, and at some distance from HMS Exmouth. The vessel was evidently a recent wreck, lying on her starboard side. The name remained identifiable on the stern, and there was no hatch on the forward hold.

[No depth or accurate location specified].

M Reeves and M Brill 2002.

NMRS, MS/829/43 and MS/829/44.

The map sheet allocated to this record is arbitrary.

Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 1 February 2002.