Norseman’s Bride

The wooden motor trawler Spinningdale was launched from the Rossie Island yard of Montrose Structures and Marine Ltd (A subsidiary of John Lewis Ltd, Aberdeen Yard No 310) on 3rd March 1961. She measured 68.0′ x 19.6′ x 10.5′ and her tonnage was 47 gross tons. She was powered by an EVSM4 diesel engine by Lister Blackstone Marine Ltd delivering 264 brake horse power. This engine was later upgraded with the installation of a more powerful 330 brake horse power engine, again from Lister Blackstone. Built for Bruce’s Stores (Aberdeen) Ltd and registered A581 she was sold to Spinningdale Fishing Company of Aberdeen before she was sold again to Marr and Sons Ltd of Fleetwood in 1968 who renamed her Migdale then later the same year, Vera Grace . In 1972 she was sold to her final owner, Mr David Reid of Kirkwall who renamed her Norseman’s Bride.

On 20th January 1975 skipper and owner David Reid was fishing near Fair Isle. He had a crew of five aboard. In the early hours of the morning, with the crew asleep below, he manoeuvred his vessel close to the rugged shore line of Fair Isle intent on sheltering from the Force 8 SSW storm that had blown up during the night. Unfortunately, in the darkness around 7:15am, he steered too close to the rocks and ran aground at Sauverstane half a mile west of the North Light at the base of some precipitous 400 feet high cliffs.. The distress calls were answered by the Aberdeen trawler Summerlee which had been operating as a safety vessel nearby for the oil rig Sedko K.  Summerlee arrived on the scene later that morning but could not approach the stranded fishing vessel due to the various shallow reefs and the heavy swell in the area she had gone ashore.  Summerlee’s skipper, John Stephen, launched a rubber dinghy from 200 yards off shore and with mate Ronnie Sim, a good friend of Norseman’s Bride owner David Reid, at the helm successfully reached the Norseman’s Bride taking off three of her crew. Sim then set off back to the stranded vessel but the heavy seas capsized the dinghy throwing Sim into the freezing water. Thankfully he managed to stay afloat and was quickly picked up by the Summerlee. By this time the local rescue company, who had been unable to assist from the top of the cliffs, had reached the scene in a second boat, the Good Shephard, and they launched a small boat which managed to reach the Norseman’s Bride and take off the remaining three crewmen. The crew were taken to North Haven and landed safely. There were some brief hopes that something might be salvaged from the vessel but she broke up and disappeared within a week as the bad weather continued.

There is some scattered wreckage in approximate position 59° 33.138’N, 001° 36.480’W but, as she was a wooden vessel, little remains and is mostly obscured by the deep kelp that blankets the site. She lies in 7 metres. Her maker’s plate was recovered in 2005 and is on display in the Shetland museum, Lerwick.