1896.
Hagerup & Doughty, who already had a very successful business concern in coal, decided to expand into trawler ownership.
Wednesday 3rd March 1897.
Hagerup & Doughty made arrangements for their carriers to carry fish for smacks belonging to Grimsby.
Wednesday 28th April 1897.
The first shipment of ice from Hagerup & Doughty's new ice factory was completed today. Sixty tons were put aboard the cutter
City of Glasgow then she put to sea to join the fleet. The ice itself was praised by William Brocklesby, the manager of the ice factory, and by those who used it.
Friday 21st May 1897.
The company announced their intention of increasing the wages of the engineers on their vessels by 2s 6d per week.
Thursday 1st July 1897.
The company applied to the Board of Trade to make regulations regarding the transfer of fish from the trawlers to the carriers of the fleet. The main points were the code of signalling used when the carriers were collecting fish from the fleet, the proper supply of lifejackets, and the duties Skippers had for the safety of the crews.
Friday 17th September 1897.
Hagerup & Doughty turned their ice factory in Robinson Street into a limited liability company to be called 'Hagerup & Doughty Ice Factory and Cold Storage Company Limited', with a starting capital of £150,000. First directors were Mr. George Doughty MP, Mr. F. Emil Hagerup, and Mr. T. B. Lightfoot, CE
Wednesday 27th October 1897.
Because of a strike, 15 new trawlers were awaiting engines before they could be delivered.
Wednesday 29th December 1897.
Hagerup & Doughty announced their intention of expansion into shipbuilding, having teamed up with James Schofield of Hull. The news was well received in Grimsby.
October 1899.
The first vessel for the newly formed subsidiary, Monarch Steam Fishing, was built. The trawler was named
King Arthur in keeping with the 'Monarch's' naming policy.
April 1906.
The company name was changed to Consolidated Steam Fishing and Ice Company.
September 1927.
The company name was simplified to Consolidated Fisheries Limited.
Friday 14th July 1933.
In answer to the question from an associate as to why the new vessels being built were to be named after football teams, John Marsden explained that he got the idea after he had what he described as a 'brainstorm'.
Friday 27th April 1934.
At a meeting of the Grimsby Exchange Limited today, Mr. T. W. Baskcomb resigned the position of chairman and Sir John Denton Marsden, Bart was elected to fill the vacancy. Mr. Marsden said that they should not lose the services of Mr. Baskcomb and proposed that he be appointed a vice-chairman, which was carried unanimously.
Thursday 2nd August 1934.
At a luncheon at the Royal Hotel given by Consolidated Fisheries today, Sir John Marsden spoke about the new vessel for that company, the
Grimsby Town, and also informed the gathered dignitaries that he had ordered four new trawlers that would be delivered in November and December of that year.
Friday 10th August 1951.
Appearing before Grimsby Borough magistrates today, radio operator Jack Howden pleaded guilty to breaking into the offices of Consolidated Fisheries and causing some damage. Mr. Howden apologised to the court and offered to pay for the damage he had caused after, he explained, he had been drinking. A radar reflector in the office had been damaged and a fire extinguisher had been sprayed around the room causing damage to furniture. He was fined £3 and 5s costs.
Friday 3rd September 1954.
John Cole was appointed Joint Managing Director of Consolidated Fisheries. Sir John Marsden became Chairman and Joint Managing Director.
Friday 4th September 1959.
The Goole Shipbuilding and Repairing Co Ltd received orders from Consolidated Fisheries for three more diesel trawlers to be built for the company.
Thursday 30th March 1961.
Consolidated Fisheries was the last company to use 'graining' – the painting of their vessels superstructure to resemble wood – although this was being phased out in favour of the company's new colour scheme. This new scheme had the superstructure painted in a buff colour, the black hull of the vessels would sport a light blue sheer line and the boat davits finished in admiralty grey. All external safety railings were painted white and the blue funnel, separated by a white band and black top, carried the full colour crown that had been inherited from the 'Monarch' subsidiary.
Thursday 7th December 1967.
Mr. Don Lister, a former top skipper for Consolidated Fisheries, gave up his sea career to accept the position of outside manager for the company. Succeeding Mr. Jack Mawer who had held the post for 20 years but who was retiring through ill health, Mr. Lister said that he still hoped to make one or to trips a year.
"You have got to if you want to keep up with trends and changes in the industry," he said.
Mr. Lister had been with Consolidated for the past eleven years and had been skipper of the Everton for six of those years.
Thursday 15th February 1968.
Angered by statements that there were inadequate supplies of lifejackets on board their vessels, Mr. Don Lister said that each man had a lifejacket and there were plenty to spare on every vessel. He added that any false accusations might lead to court action.
Thursday 28th August 1969.
The Grimsby Evening Telegraph reported that Consolidated Fisheries were looking into the possibility of buying a stern trawler after they had looked around Hull's
C. S. Forester. A feasibility study was being carried out and the estimated cost of building such a vessel for the firm was put at about £450,000. Obviously impressed by what he saw, Mr. Nigel Marsden said,
"There is no doubt that this is the sort of ship we would build. We believe it would be a success. The only difference being the method of stowing and landing the fish. We are looking at containers as a method of preserving the fish and reducing landing costs. One big Grimsby merchant is already very interested in this."
Thursday 5th March 1970.
Consolidated Fisheries announced that, in just over two months, their fleet of 15 trawlers had grossed £378,000-the highest in the company's history. It was also disclosed that they were still considering the purchase of a stern trawler to add to the fleet.
Thursday 11th February 1971.
A deal between Consolidated Fisheries and fish merchants Rex Kemp for contract selling was signed. For the coming year, Rex Kemp agreed to buy 100 kits of cod at a fixed price of £8 per kit every time a Consolidated trawler landed. Mr. Don Lister, the outside manager for Consolidated Fisheries explained the company's actions by saying:
"This is just an experiment with someone who has a little foresight and imagination. We could do with more merchants like Mr. Kemp. We, of course, guarantee selling part of our catch every time, but the way prices are going at the auction, I think Mr. Kemp is going to come out the winner. Already he is in pocket and there is no indication that prices are going to dip this summer."
Thursday 27th May 1971.
In an effort to curb any potential crew trouble aboard their vessels, the company decided to install television sets in each of their ships. The 15 sets, including the special aerials they needed, would cost around £200 each. Mr. Don Lister said of the decision:
"The ships can pick up English stations on the way up and way down. If they are fishing around Iceland they can receive programmes from the American base stations, and many programmes from the Norwegian television service are in English anyway. If a ship has to go into Iceland or Norway for some reason, there is very little for the crew to do, and that can lead to trouble on occasions. Having a TV on board will, I hope, occupy their minds and keep them out of trouble."
Thursday 10th June 1971.
The decision to make a private deal with the boilermakers during their work-to-rule actions caused quite a commotion on the fish docks. The deal was seen by others as something of a 'bowing down' but Consols justified their move by pointing out that no company can afford to have a third of its fleet tied up by a dispute – which was exactly what may have happened if the dispute had carried on for much longer.
Thursday 13th February 1976.
Mr. Don Lister, speaking about quota restrictions, said that they (the company) would look at the situation carefully in the light of the quota given.
"It's no good fishing out your quota halfway through the year using larger vessels. We shall decide how many ships to use and send the others to the North Wall."
It would, he continued, definitely cause unemployment, as the ships had nowhere else to go.
Tuesday 11th May 1976.
Consolidated Fisheries announced that, until the Government did something to compensate the trawler crews, they would give their crews compensation for losses incurred by the Cod War. Mr. Nigel Marsden commented,
"So that the fight should continue, we as a company have decided that if the Government will not compensate the crews, then we will have to help them."
Thursday 14th September 1977.
Speaking about the plea to lift the ban on Icelandic vessels landing in Grimsby, the Managing Director of Consolidated Fisheries, Mr. Nigel Marsden said it was 'beyond belief' that Icelandic landings should be considered at a time when the port's trawlermen were out of work owing to the Icelandic attitude.
Friday 2nd December 1977.
The company announced economies and redundancies amounting to about 60% of the workforce. These economies would include the laying-up of seven of the eleven trawlers in the Consolidated fleet. The laying-up would result in the direct loss of 130 fishermen's jobs and the ripple effect of 50 shore workers being made redundant. The company blamed their forced situation on the exhausted Norwegian quotas and their displaced vessels making losses on the Westerly grounds
Monday 6th February 1978.
Consolidated Fisheries revealed that they were finalising negotiations to buy 10 seiners from Boston Deep Sea Fisheries in Hull. At this time, the company had a fleet of 11 trawlers of which only 5 were still in operation. Consolidated Fisheries, through its subsidiary Consolidated Seiners, already had eight seiners and were managing another four vessels.
Friday 3rd March 1978.
Consolidated bought the 10 seiners, which comprised the whole of Hull's seiner fleet, from Boston Deep Sea Fisheries.
Friday 12th May 1978.
Supplementing their fleet, Consolidated announced that they had bought two anchor-seiners, the
Hanne Bork and the
Ulla Viola.
Friday 16th June 1978.
In a deal finalised today, Consolidated Fisheries sold six of their laid up vessels to Colne Fishing, Lowestoft. The six vessels involved were
Aldershot, Barnsley, Gillingham, Notts Forest, Port Vale, and the
Huddersfield Town.
Monday 27th November 1978.
Consolidated Fisheries revealed the sale, to Colne Fishing, of their last three trawlers, the recently converted
Real Madrid, Crystal Palace and the
Carlisle.
Saturday 13th September 1980.
Vice-Chairman and Managing director Nigel Marsden took a £5,000 a year pay cut. The decision was a result of a fishing climate that was 'not all that it should be'. He also announced major changes in the engineering and ship repair departments of the company and stressed that he would be looking closely at other departments to see where other economies could be made.
"When one is running a company, one has to get things to add up. I personally am taking a salary reduction of £5,000. I don't believe in asking people to do things that I would not do myself," he said.
Friday 18th September 1981.
The news that Consolidated Fisheries were to sell part of its fleet of seiners and drastically reduce its operations shook the fish docks today. Their fleet of 20 vessels would be reduced to just 12 and the company premises was to move from their present site in Aukland Road to much smaller premises adjacent to the No1 Fish Dock. In doing so, its labour force would be cut from 25 to just eight. The move would also see their blacksmiths fitting shop, electricians department and painting shop all disappear. The end of its dramatic reconstruction would leave the company with just its fleet of 12 vessels and a fish merchanting business to operate.
"Over the past 18 months," Mr. Nigel Marsden explained, "we have sat back and looked at the job. We have waited to see if prices would improve or if costs would ease. But there comes a limit," he said.
Friday 26th November 1982.
Consolidated Fisheries announce closure. The reason was given as being due to a take-over bid by another company failing, shortage of cash, lack of government help, the failure of a take-over bid and the refusal of bankers to extend borrowing facilities. Sixty jobs were lost and the company still owned 16 seiners, three of those being laid up.
Thursday 30th December 1982.
Six weeks after the cessation of trading, Consolidated Fisheries announced the sale of their 16 vessels.