2. In early 2009, James Morley acquired a box of magic lantern slides at a house sale in London. These turned out to be a collection of hand tinted images of a North Sea Boxing Fleet.

3. What were the Boxing Fleets?

4. They were an early form of intensive mechanised fishing Four fleets worked out of Hull around the time these images were taken. Fleets of trawlers that worked together far out in the North Sea. Serviced by steam cutters which ran their catches into Billingsgate

5. The Boxing Fleets had their origins in the sail trawling era This image from the 1880s is taken from Nor’ard of the Dogger by E.J. Mather (London, 1889).

6. Sailing trawlermen had become accustomed to keeping the sea in all manner of weather

7. The fleets were permanently at sea As one vessel ran low on fuel and provisions another would be voyaging out to join the fleet. In this way the fleets retained a permanent presence on the grounds.

8. Called boxing fleets because the catch was stowed in boxes

10. A typical day Three six hour trawls Trawls hauled at 6pm, midnight and 6am

11. The Cod End.

12. Catch sorted and boxed

13. No of Voyages Days at Sea Days in Port Av. Length of Voyage 1907 8 317 48 39 days 1908 8 321 45 40 days 1909 9 329 36 36.5 days Vessels were worked hard Analysis of the Running Logs of the Steam Trawler Viola 1907 - 1909

14. Crews also worked hard John Hill age 46: Mate on Boxing Fleet Trawlers 1 st August 1904 to 10 th January 1905 4 voyages 140 days at sea 21 days at home Source: Steam Trawler Running Logs John Hill is Robb Robinson’s great grandfather

15. Each boxing fleet consisted of up to fifty trawlers that more or less worked together under the guidance of an experienced skipper – the admiral

16. Skipper John Glanville. Boxing Fleet Admiral 1923 290 days at sea 75 days ashore 1924 312 days at sea 54 days ashore Source: Skipper John Glanville’s Fishing Log Book

17. One of the best known and most experience Boxing Fleet Admirals was Admiral Foot

18. Photographs of Admiral Foot courtesy of Pam Dennison his great grandaughter.

19. The most difficult dask was transfering fish on a daily basis from the trawler to the cutter

20. This had always been a perilous task as these 1880 images from E.J. Mather’s book show.

22. The open boats generally needed replacing after about 18 months

24. Unloading the fish boxes onto the cutter.

25. A Mission Ship accompanied the fleets to provide medical care and wider spiritual and material support

26. Steam Cutters such as the New Zealand had to run for Billingsgate with the boxes in order to catch the market.

28. Through all weathers in their dash to Billingsgate

32. The Cutter Canada coaling on the River Thames

33. Collection particularly remarkable because of the informal images

39. and the animal life

41. Who took these wonderful photographs and why were they taken?

42. A Large Number were used in Toilers of the Deep, the magazine of the Royal National Mission for Deep Sea Fishermen

45. What happened to the boxing fleets? Large losses of ships to enemy action whilst fishing and on war service: 1914 – 1918. Fleets reduced in size afterwards North Sea less productive during inter-war period Hull owners concentrated investment on highly profitable distant water sector The last boxing fleet trawlers called back in from the North Sea and laid up in early 1936, almost exactly 75 years ago.

46. Boxing Fleets: The last survivor