The Fleetwood trawler
Belmont
was built in 1906 by the firm of Scott & Sons, Bowling. She was 35.78m long with a beam of 6.55m and a draught of 3.5m. Her engine was a 66 horse power triple expansion built by Gauldie, Gillespie & Co, Aberdeen
Belmont
was hired by the Admiralty as an armed patrol trawler and fitted with 1 x 6pdr gun between 1915 to 1919.
On January 15th. 1928,
Belmont
went into
Grimsby ownership and later was sold to Aberdeen ((Reg. A101).
She had called at Peterhead Harbour during the morning of 26.01,
sailing again at 3 p.m. In crossing the bar she was struck
by heavy seas and drove ashore on the Horseback Rocks, only
yards from the lifeboat slipway where she lost her propeller
and was badly holed underwater. The local life-saving rocket
brigade was on the scene within minutes and quickly rigged a
breeches buoy, whereby first the ship's dog was brought off
followed by five of her crew. Her skipper, who had remained
aboard then shouted to those on shore that he felt his vessel
could he refloated, and that he and the remaining crew members
would stay until a tug arrived. However, the trawler continued
to keel over, and those on board quickly abandoned ship in the
breeches buoy, the wreck going over on her beam ends, later to
be broken up for scrap metal where she lay.
