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Mystery of the Gaul

from Role Call by Jan and Paul Ramsey

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about

The Hull-based 1100 tonne super-trawler FV Gaul and its crew disappeared during a fierce storm in February 1974 in the Barents Sea in February 1974. This was a decade when the Ministry of Defence eventually acknowledged that British trawlers were routinely used by the Navy to spy on Soviet naval movements. The crew comprised 36 men, the majority of whom were from the fishing town of Grimsby, UK. The remains of only 4 crew members have ever been identified.
The mystery of what happened to the Gaul has endured ever since 1974. Rumours have included that it was sunk by a Russian submarine, or that the trawler’s nets got caught in some secret cabling on the sea bed and that the Gaul had been pulled beneath the waves. The wreck of the trawler was finally found in 1997, after a private expedition by a TV crew. The showing of the arising documentary resulted in a further formal report being requested.
Note. Theories that the Russians sank the ship have been discounted by previous official investigations, and a public inquiry in 2004 into the disaster concluded the Gaul went down in heavy storms and was not deliberately sunk or pulled down by a submarine. It was reported that the trawler had experienced various previous mechanical difficulties which might have played a part in the sinking. The families have sought, throughout the subsequent decades, for the circumstances of the disappearance to be fully explained but there remains no complete and fully satisfactory answer to what actually happened to the trawler.

lyrics

In the early light of a January morning
Nineteen hundred and seventy four
The trawler Gaul left the dockside of Hull
For to seek a fortune in a northern shoal

We’re seeking the Grimsby lads manning the Gaul
Seeking the trawler that left Humbers shore
Seeking the captain and brave crew on board
Along the coast of Norway

The skipper aboard knew the line he had cast
More than a thousand miles the path
A crew of 36 men set the task
Just wanting to get the job done

On the 8th of February with sea state severe
Waves 10 yards high were said to be near
The captain had said she was set for the storm
No mayday came forth from the Gaul

Many’s the claim of the vessel’s demise
Sunk by a sub as she was a spy
For the families the truth is a long time denied
The mystery has yet to be broken

credits

from Role Call, released January 11, 2023
Ramsey

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Jan and Paul Ramsey Grimsby, UK

Jan and Paul first began singing together when they were students. Jan plays guitar and sings lead vocals, and Paul plays single reed harmonica and vocals. They are renowned for their close harmonies. Over the years they have performed extensively in the UK and overseas. They have held various residencies in UK folk clubs and are currently residents at Grimsby Folk Club. ... more

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