DRUMTOCHTY

Date1915

Object NameFISHING VESSEL

MediumSTEEL

ClassificationsShip

Dimensionslength 115' 9" x breadth 22' 1" x depth 12'
Gross Tonnage: 211 ton

Object numberABDSHIP002768

Keywords

Aberdeen Built Ships

About MeYard: John Duthie Torry Shipbuilding.
Yard Number: 416.

Fate: Mined off Dover, 29 January 1918.

Propulsion: Steam
Description: Trawler.

Owners:
1915: North of Scotland Steam Fishing Company Limited, A408.
03/1915: Requisitioned by the Admiralty and converted to a minesweeper, armament 1 x 3 pdr, Admiralty no. 357.
(Gerald Toghill (2004), "Royal Navy Trawlers, Part Two: Requisitioned Trawlers" (Maritime Books, Liskeard), p. 130)

General History:
Requisitioned in October 1915 and converted to armed auxiliary patrol minesweeper and sent to serve in the Dover patrol.

DRUMTOCHTY's complement appears to have been mustered mostly from
Aberdeen, in the first week of October 1915. The following men are known to have been amongst her original RNR(T) crew (all former trawl fishermen):

Skipper: James Rennie, age 45, of 13 Rosebank Place, Aberdeen
(enrolled 4 October 1915)
Deck Hand: Alexander Laverton, age 31,of 36 Menzies Rd.Aberdeen
(enrolled 4 October 1915)
Engineman: James Motion, age 41, of 41 Miller Street, Aberdeen
(enrolled 5 October 1915)
Deck Hand: Jesse A. Hood, age 44, of 42 Kent Road, Lowestoft (allocated
1 October 1915)
Trimmer: Alexander Bruce Will, of 88 Victoria Road, Torry, Aberdeenshire

Commanded by three Skippers, RNR.:
James Rennie (Aberdeen) from 4 October 1915 [seniority from 6th] - 30 June 1917(?)
Charles H. Cook July 1917 - 8 January 1918
George Carpenter (Brixham) 9 January 1918 - 29 January 1918.

Trawler Patrol Logs Wed. 6 June 1917:
'About 7-30pm s.s. TANTALLON of Glasgow with her boiler burst, was met by HMAT ["His Majesty's Armed Trawler"]DRUMTOCHTY and towed into the Downs where she anchored.'

The Dover Trawler Patrol Log entry, for Tuesday 29 January 1918;
'At about 10pm H.M.A.T. DRUMTOCHTY when in approx. position Lat. 51.01.20N., Long. 1.19E. was mined or torpedoed under & abaft the engine room. Two survivors were picked up by PMS [Paddle Mine Sweeper] GOODWOOD [and] transferred to [Monitor] 'M.21' & brought into Dover. Remainder of total complement of Skipper & 12 hands were drowned.'

[Details courtesy of Chris Laverton, Canada]