Hull marks 50th anniversary of Gaul sinking

Sheena Lowe, sister of Gaul skipper Peter Nellist, lays a wreath in memory of the 36 crew who lost their lives

Thirty-six fishermen who died when a trawler sank off Norway are being remembered in Hull, as the city marks the 50th anniversary of the tragedy.

The Gaul sank in the Barents Sea on the night of 8 February 1974, with the loss of all crew.

Thirty of the dead were from Hull, with six from North Shields.

At the time, it was said to have been the UK's worst ever single trawler tragedy. For decades, conspiracy theories surrounded the sinking.

The Gaul sank in heavy seas in February 1974, with the loss of all 36 crew

Councillor Kalvin Neal, Hull's Lord Mayor and Admiral of the Humber, said: "Fifty years on, our thoughts are with those men and the families they left behind."

On Thursday, the Gaul's bell - recovered from the wreck - was rung outside the Hull Fishing Heritage Centre in Hessle Road, once the beating heart of the Yorkshire city's fishing community.

A minute's silence followed.

Jerry Thompson, chairman of the Hull Fishing Heritage Centre, rings the Gaul's bell. The trawler was previously known as the Ranger Castor

Relatives of the crew later attended a reception at the Guildhall.

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Colleen West, 57, the daughter of Colin Naulls, who was lost on the Gaul, said: "I remember the Fishermen's Mission knocking on the door to tell us he'd been lost.

"We were all devastated. We were all wondering what it [life] could have been like."

A service will take place at Hull Minster on Sunday.

Colleen West, centre, with sister Julia Naulls and aunt Pat Joplin came together to remember Colin Naulls

The tragedy will also be commemorated at sporting events including at Hull City's match against Swansea City at the MKM Stadium on Saturday.

They will continue at the first rugby league derby of the season, when Hull FC face Hull KR in the opening game of the new Super League campaign on 15 February.

Mr Neal added: "The sinking of the Gaul was regarded as the worst ever single trawler tragedy at the time it happened. For those who have never been to sea, it is hard to imagine the horrors those men went through."