Keith Hall

The steel steam trawler Darmstadt was launched from the yard of Bremer-Vulkan, Grohn-Vegesack, Germany (Yard No 383) in 1896. She measured 105.8′ x 21.0′ x 10.2′ and her tonnage was 158 gross tons . Built for Fischdampfer Rederi Nordsee of Altona she operated for this company until the start of World War One. In 1915 her ownership is recorded as the British Royal Navy and her name is changed to Carbosin. Presumably this was the result of seizure by the British of a German asset. She served in various capacities for the Navy during the war and was then sold to Ellis and Meff Ltd of Aberdeen in 1920 who changed her name to Keith Hall and registered her is this port A636. Her career for her new owners was to be short.

On 27th November 1921 she was returning from a successful fishing trip in the grounds around the Faroes under the command of her usual skipper, William King. He had a crew of nine men aboard and a full cargo of fish. She had headed from the Faroes around 7.20pm on the 26th and approached Orkney in the afternoon of the 27th when she was enveloped in a thick fog. Despite the thick fog their was also a heavy swell running and a strong northerly running tide. In the conditions it appears King lost his course and, around 5:30pm, without warning, she ran hard aground near Birsay. The vessel was bumping heavily on the rocks and, despite the approach of the Stromness lifeboat and rocket brigade racing to answer the Keith Hall’s distress signals, they crew attempted to launch the ship’s boat. Unfortunately one of the crew, George Neilson, was washed overboard and lost when a large wave caused the lifeboat to lurch severely while the remaining crew reached shore safely in the boat. The crew were able to return to the wreck the following day to recover their belongings but the Keith Hall was ashore in a difficult position and was to become a total wreck.

There is some scattered wreckage of the Keith Hall, including a recognisable portion of the engine, ashore at Skiba Geo in approximate position 59 08.198 N, 003 19. 081W. It is not known if any other wreckage remains under water nearby.