The iron steam trawler Galatia was launched from the Beverley yard of Cochrane and Cooper on 21st January 1896. She measured 97.3′ x 20.4′ x 11.0′ and her tonnage was 150 gross tons, 63 net tons. She was powered by a triple expansion steam engine by C D Holmes and Co Ltd., Hull delivering 40 registered horse power. built for the Great Grimsby and East Coast Fishing Co Ltd. she was registered in Grimsby later that year GY 161. Her official number was 106686.
Builder’s mid section plan Galatia
Her fishing duties continued despite the outbreak of World War One with the huge Grimsby fishing fleet running the gauntlet of German U-boats every day to keep supplies of fresh fish on the tables of the British population during the conflict. It was on one such fishing expedition on 27th March 1917 that her luck was to run out. At 3:30am that morning the German minelaying U-boat UC-77, under the command of Kapitanleutnant Reinhard von Rabenau, surfaced close to Galatia. Two days earlier von Rabenau had sunk the steamship Grenmar and the trawler Prince of Wales in the same area. Rabenau fired three times at Galatia forcing the crew to abandon ship in their boat before and explosive charge was placed on the fishing vessel leaving the crew to watch as the charge was detonated and their vessel sank. The crew were to be picked up safely later and reach the safety of the mainland. Von Rabenau continued on his sortie sinking a further two vessels that same day – steamships Sandvik and Nova – and a further two vessels the following day before returning to his base in Germany.
UC-77 KTB detail of attack on Galatia
The wreck of the Galatia lies in position 56° 52.558’N, 01° 37.167’W. She sits upright in 60 metres rising 3 metres from the seabed and is oriented 085/265 degrees. The wreck was positively identified when the bell was recovered a number of years ago.
We would like to thank Lloyd’s Register Foundation – Heritage & Education Centre for allowing us to reproduce documents from their archive in this article.
