Navena

The steel motor trawler Navena was launched from the Selby yard of Cochrane and Sons Ltd (Yard No 1438) on 12th December 1958. She measured 128.3′ x 26.9′ x 13.4′ nd her tonnage was 353 gross tons, 125 net tons. She was powered by a 7 cylinder 4SA diesel engine by Mirlees, Bickerton and Day, Stockport delivering 785 brake horse power. She was ordered by J Marr (Fleetwood) Ltd and registered there FD172. In January 1969 she was purchased by R and J Johnston of Peterhead and moved her base to that port although her registration remained in Fleetwood. Finally she was re-purchased by J Marr but this time round she was owned by the Aberdeen subsidiary of the company operating from this port although once again maintaining her Fleetwood registration.

On 5th December 1973 the Navena departed from Aberdeen under the command of skipper James Clark with a crew of eleven men aboard. She was heading for the Faroese fishing grounds. However as they approached Orkney they ran into a severe gale which the skipper later described as the worst weather he had ever seen. He decided to seek shelter in the Orkneys until the weather abated. However as they approached the island of Copinsay at 5:20am on the 6th the storm was at it’s worst and they were driven onto the rocks close to the northern tip of the island. Three hours after they struck the Kirkwall lifeboat, alerted by the Mayday calls from the Navena, arrived at the scene.

Two trawlers, Glen Affric and Coastal Empire also stood by and the lighthouse keepers, the only inhabitants on the island, watched from the shore close to the wreck but they all were helpless to assist as the huge waves pounded the Navena. Finally a British Airways helicopter from Dyce arrived and succeeded in winching of the entire crew, one by one, hovering only thirty feet above the deck of the vessel in seventy knot winds. The Navena became a total wreck in a position estimated to be 58° 54.175’N, 002° 40.498’W.