EARL THORFINN

Shipbuildervessel built by Hall, Russell & Company, Limited (Aberdeen, Scotland, 1864 - 1992)

Date1928

Object NamePASSENGER AND CARGO VESSEL

MediumSTEEL

ClassificationsShip

Dimensionslength 150 1/3' x breadth 27 1/12' x depth 12'
Gross Tonnage: 345 ton

Object numberABDSHIP002401

Keywords

Aberdeen Built Ships

About MeYard: Hall, Russell & Co.
Yard Number: 694
Official Number: 132500

Fate: Scrapped at Bo'Ness, February 1963.

Propulsion: Steam
Description: Passenger vessel, 1 deck, bridge deck 51', forecastle 35'

Owners:
1928: Orkney Steam Navigation Company, Kirkwall.

General History:
This vessel made 11 knots on its trial trip and had accommodation for 250 passengers.

23/05/1928:
On maiden voyage to Northern Isles 16 May safely negotiated all piers despite high winds and unfavourable tides. Large crowds met her at all the islands and all were impressed by her fine appearance and spacious accommodation, including plenty of room and ample shelter for livestock.
(Orkney Herald)

12/05/1932:
On news reaching Kirkwall of stranding of Grimsby trawler ATHENIAN on Skea Skerries (Westray Firth), Orkney S. N. manager D. Bertram got in touch with EARL THORFINN authorising her to go to assistance. She put off her passengers at Eday. EARL THORFINN lay off at distance of 200 yards while trawler was made fast to her with several hundred fathoms steel wire. However, wind and tide prevented her being towed into deep water. EARL THORFINN remained in vicinity until after 12 hour trawler skipper came aboard (joining his crew). Crew of EARL THORFINN were subsequently "financially rewarded" for their assistance. ATHENIAN was later refloated by a specialist salvage vessel.
(Hull Daily News, also Press & Journal, 14/05/1932; Orkney Herald, 18/05/1932; Edinburgh Evening Express, 18/06/1932)

21/06/1933:
Sheriff court action by Orkney S. N. Co. v. Orkney Harbour Commissioners for payment of £309.14.6 bill for repair of serious damage to hull and propeller revealed by survey at Hall Russell's Oct. 1932, S. N. Co. alleged that, while EARL THORFINN was being sprung off Kettletoft Pier, Sanday, the tide ebbing, on night of 20 July 1932 her hull and propeller came into contact with stone soulders. They alleged that the commissioners had not carried out any recent inspectaions. They further allege commissioners were promptly advised of accumulation of stones at approach to pier and that there was a similar incident on 27 August 1932. The Commissioners denied there was too little water, argued that master neglected to take necessary precautions and that any damage was caused by master trying to leave when ship was resting on bottom.
(Orkney Herald)

20/03/1939:
EARL THORFINN paying annual visit to Aberdeen for overhaul.
(Aberdeen Evening Express)

28/05/1946:
EARL THORFINN and EARL SIGURD to sail as follows [...] Friday "Round of the Islands" with mail and passengers only, fare 12/3. From Kirkwall 6.15 a.m., Westray 8.45, Papa Westray 9.15, Sanday 10.45, Stronsay 11.30, Eday 12.30 p.m. for Kirkwall.
(Orkney Herald)

14/01/1947:
EARL THORFINN forced by gales to postpone usual Saturday trip to Kirkwall by 24 hrs. No steamer has been able to call at North Ronaldsay for a fortnight.
(Orkney Herald)

11/12/1948:
EARL THORFINN made a special trip Kirkwall - Papa Westray to take to hospital farmer who had fallen off his cart when horse bolted.
(Scotsman)

EARL THORFINN Historical essay:

EARL THORFINN was launched by Hall Russell on 22 March 1928 and ran trial between Girdleness and the mouth of the Don from 9am to 5pm on 24 April. Although the weather was bad, it was said to have behaved splendidly and fulfilled the conditions of the contract in all respects. When it entered service on 16 May master was J. Craigie, mate G. Rendall, chief engineer H. Johnston, 2nd engineer H. Corsie, Purser W. Halcrow, able seamen W. Rendall, A.G. Sandison, J. Duncan and R. Cutt, fireman J. Sandison. Captain John Craigie had served the Orkney Islands Shipping Co. for over 36 years and in a presentation held aboard in December 1928 he received a gold watch and chain and a wallet of £44 Treasury notes as a mark of the esteem of his employers, the travelling public and shippers in the North Isles. The County Convener described his new command, EARL THORFINN, as ‘this handsome and elegantly fitted ship’. Capt. Craigie retired in January 1931, being praised by the Press and Journal as ‘one of the best known figures in North of Scotland shipping circles’ and was succeeded as master by Robert Gray, who had been mate for the previous two years. In June 1932 the Eday correspondent of the Orkney Herald commented favourably on Capt. Gray’s success in maintaining the weekly call despite a lot of northerly winds. He was particularly impressed that at Calfsound on Eday, where flit boats were used to load and unload EARL THORFINN, Capt. Gray was adept at manoeuvering the vessel to enable the boats to come alongside even in unfavourable weather. In December 1942 Capt. Gray died suddenly at home while still in post. The Orkney Herald commented that he ‘had the welfare of the islands at heart and spared no effort in fulfilling his duties’.

While the voyages of EARL THORFINN round the Orkney North Isles were normally routine, there were occasionally notable cargoes and special sailings. The Shetland herring fishing, now in its last days, was centred on Westray. In July 1828 EARL THORFINN shipped 400 barrels of herring from there to Kirkwall. The carriage of livestock was very much part of its role, and in April 1830 there were two particularly large shipments of cattle from Eday. In December 1832 two flocks of lambs were shipped from Eday in the same week, presumably to supply the Christmas market. In December 1931 the North Isles steam roller was landed at Gill Pier, Westray, to carry out works at Pierowall. EARL THORFINN carried out special sailings in connection with Kirkwall holidays and island agricultural shows. For example, 25 July 1930 was a Kirkwall holiday and the day of the Stronsay Cattle Show. It left Kirkwall at 9am for Sanday and Stronsay, returning from Stronsay at 7pm and Sanday at 7.45. On Empire Day 22 May 1931 it left Kirkwall at 8.45am for Calfsound (Eday), Papa Westray and Westray, returning in the evening. As sometimes happened, the Kirkwall Town Band travelled on the sailing and was billed to give a concert on Westray at 3pm. On Kirkwall holiday 24 June 1932 lunch, sightseeing excursions and tea were provided ashore on Stronsay for EARL THORFINN’s passengers. On occasion it was chartered to tender cruise liners anchored in Kirkwall Bay, for example in August 1932 to the French liner COLOMBIA. It could also be diverted at short notice to respond to emergencies. These could be the result of fishing trawlers going ashore. In July 1936 EARL THORFINN pulled the stranded Grimsby trawler GIRL PAT off a beach on the East side of North Ronaldsay. With the assistance of the local postman’s motor boat a rope was got onto the trawler, which was refloated after half an hour of hard pulling. Sometimes the emergency was a medical one. At the end of March 1962 it made what the Evening Express described as ‘a thirty mile dash in a seventy mile per hour gale’ to collect from Westray a 4 year old boy with severe head injuries caused by a pitch fork. The vessel carried him to Kirkwall, from where he was flown to hospital in Aberdeen.

While EARL THORFINN’s reputation for reliability was high, there were inevitably occasions when its sailings were interrupted. The most frequent reason was of course bad weather. For example, on 6 January 1947, with a fierce southerly gale sweeping Orkney, it was unable to make its scheduled sailing from Westray to Kirkwall. Surprisingly rarely it suffered accidental damage. In June 1949 its propellor was damaged when approaching Sanday Pier, caused it was thought by boulders on the sea bottom. The vessel sailed under its own steam to Buckie for repair.
In one incident the EARL THORFINN left Stronsay on the morning of 31 January 1953 - the day of the great storm - bound for Sanday, another island not far to the North but was caught in a 100 miles an hour wind from the North West and gave the Master no choice but to run before it and eventually landed in Aberdeen. She suffered much damage on deck which was virtually stripped of all moveable gear and it is creditable to her sturdiness and to the seamanship of her company that she survived, after being given up for lost.
Annual surveys were most frequently at Hall Russell at Aberdeen. In October 1928 this took ten days and the return passage twelve hours. However, a form of maintenance was regularly carried out locally which would not be permitted by modern maritime authorities. The vessel was deliberately beached for a couple of days to have her bottom cleaned and repainted, presumably by the crew, for example at Kirkwall Pier in April 1934 and at Gill Pier, Westray, in April 1937 and again in September 1941.

By the 1950s EARL THORFINN no longer seemed ‘handsome and elegantly fitted’ as it had been in 1928. A travel article in the Edinburgh Evening News described it as ‘old, but weatherly and homely’.

Sources (all from British Newspaper Archive, accessed 10/4/2023):-
Orkney Herald, 28/03/1928, 02/05/1928, 09/05/1928, 04/07/1928, 17/10/1928, 15/12/1928, 02/04/1930, 07/01/1931, 20/05/1931, 30/09/1931, 02/12/1931, 01/06/1932, 29/06/1932, 03/08/1932, 12/10/1932, 18/04/1934, 08/07/1936, 28/04/1937, 24/09/1941, 09/12/1942, 07/01/1947, 16/04/1949.
Press and Journal, 24/04/1928, 09/01/1931.
Aberdeen Evening Express, 20/03/1939, 02/04/1962.
Edinburgh Evening News, 04/10/1956.

Notes:
Triple expansion engine 3 cylinders 12½", 21" and 34" diameter, 27" stroke, 69 RHP.
1 single ended boiler with 3 corrugated furnaces 180lb. pressure.
Flat keel
5 bulkheads cemented
Cellular double bottom (forward) 46 tons water
Tanks in way of tunnel 17 tons water
Fore peak tank - 35 tons water
1955: Lloyd's Classification withdrawn at owners request.
1957:? Radar fitted - 1956 passenger certificate withdrawn
1959:? R/T fitted