PORT OF SCARBOROUGH
The Port of Scarborough is situated on the east coast and consists of three piers enclosing an outer and inner harbour. It is a tidal harbour, which means that at low water on Mean Low Water Springs the harbour is figuratively dry. The word Spring denotes tides of greatest depths and lowest ebb, as opposed to Neap Tides. The inner harbour is for the berthing of commercial vessels only, i.e. cargo, fishing or passenger carrying vessels and outer for private pleasure craft.
In modern times the main industry is fishing. However, the substantial commercial traffic of the port has been built up from 3 ships importing timber to approximately 90 ships carrying a variety of cargoes today. In 1952 the old Scarborough Corporation had a dredger built and the harbour was dredged to allow larger ships to enter the port. Dredging to maintain the depth of water is a continuing operation in the harbour. The port has two mobile cranes for handling a variety of cargoes.
Types of Vessels Fishing vessels consist of 36 keelboats and 33 open cobles. Most keelboats fish by means of a trawl net which is towed by the ship along the sea bed. In so doing a greater variety of fish is caught by these vessels compared with other methods of catching, i.e. line fishing and Trammel netting. For example, flat fish are usually found on the sea bed, lying on or under the sand. The towing of the trawl disturbs this type of fish on the bottom, whereas when using line and bait this does not happen.
Line fishing consists of many lengths of line, 60 feet in length, each having at intervals along it a small line with a hook attached. Each hook is baited with appropriate bait, e.g. mussels or Queen oysters, and these are put into the sea attached to buoys. Fish caught by this method are usually limited to cod, haddock, skate, whiting, conger eels and ling.
Trammel nets are really three nets in one, a small mesh net sandwiched between two larger mesh nets. Fish become entangled in pockets as the small mesh net is forced through one of the larger.
Ice is taken on board the boats for storing the fish. The larger keel boats go out fishing for three or four days, weather permitting, while the smaller boats go out daily.
White fish is landed in large quantities during the winter months, i.e. October to March. From March to September many of the smaller craft turn to lobster and crab catching. So it can be said that the fishing in Scarborough is in two phases; winter fishing which is for white fish and the summer for white and shellfish.
Up to the 1970's herrings were in abundance off this coast and for eight weeks between July and September the Scottish Herring fleet fished out of this port. Since the peak year 1964/65 the shoals gradually diminished, mainly due to overfishing, until by 1973 there was no herring fishing whatsoever. In recent years the Herring Industry Board has endeavoured to conserve the herrings by banning herring fishing along the East Coast.
Shell Fish - As previously stated, the shell fish season in Scarborough is approximately from March to September. These are caught by lobster or crab pots, which are small traps laid on the sea bed close inshore with bait inside. The crab or lobster climbs in to get the bait but cannot escape. Some vessels put two to six hundred pots down at a time.
Crabs - These are landed daily and are sold by the stone. When bought, the buyer either despatches them live or boils them. In the first case, if the crabs are going any distance the buyer must ensure that the crabs are still alive when they reach their destination. In the second case, before the crabs are boiled, they are 'drowned', that is to say they are immersed in fresh water for a period of two to three hours, then they are placed into a boiler, brought to the boil and boiled for twenty minutes.
Lobsters - These are caught in the same way, but are sold by the pound. An average lobster weighs somewhere in the region of a pound. Contrary to the boiling of crabs, lobsters must be boiled live. The water in the copper is brought to the boil and the lobsters put straight in and are instantly killed. These are boiled for the same length of time as crabs. This operation turns the lobster from black to bright red. Lobsters are despatched to different parts of the country alive, and are packed in boxes with wood shavings or in seawater filled tanks. It is imperative that these arrive at their destination live.
Fish Sales - As each vessel comes to the port, it is directed to the Fish Market Pier where it commences to unload. With some craft, seven Fish Market hoists are used to unload, and their fish laid out, according to type, in ten stone kits or five stone boxes, whilst some unload their own by means of ship's derricks. When the ships are unloaded and all the fish weighed and boxed on the market the salesman calls the buyers together by means of a hand-bell, and the auctioning of the fish commences. When the buyer has bid for the fish he wants, he takes it off the market to his own boxes, ices it and despatches it by road to various parts of the country, i.e. London and the Midlands. The varieties of fish are as follows: large cod, medium cod, codlings, haddock, whiting, skate, ling, conger eel, plaice, dover sole, lemon sole, turbot, hake, brill, halibut and dog fish.
EARLY HISTORY AND PORT STATISTICS
1225 — Henry III Made a grant of 40 oaks from his woods to the men of Scarborough for use in the harbour.
1251 — Henry III Granted Charter to 'His bailiffs and burgesses and other men of Scardeburg: it is for the benefit of Scarborough to make a certain new port with timber and stone towards the sea whereby all ships arriving thither may enter and sail out without danger, as well at the beginning of flood as at high water'. Authority given to Scarborough fishermen to land fish in Normandy free of toll.
1564 — Elizabeth I Grant £500 in money, 100 tons of timber, 6 tons of iron in aid of rebuilding the harbour.
1732 — George II Act passed to enlarge harbour at cost of £12,000. At this time there were upwards of 300 sailing ships belonging to Scarborough.
PIERS
1732 — Vincent Pier Vincent Pier rebuilt. Named after the engineer who finished it. Revenue produced by a levy of 1/2d. per cauldron of coals landed from Newcastle.
1752 — East Pier Plan prepared by Mr Vincent who built Vincent Pier. Mr Smeaton, who built Eddyston Lighthouse, was Consulting Engineer. Blocks for this pier were taken from foreshore at White Nab (Cornelian Bay) and conveyed in flat bottom vessels called 'floats'. Some of the stone blocks weighed 20 to 30 tons.
1822 — West Pier Previously two island piers of wood and stone; replaced by present pier.
1901 — Sandside and Approach Road constructed in conjunction with Marine Drive Originally Quay Street was part of the Old. Harbour. Mooring posts found in cellars of houses.
LIGHTHOUSE
The first reference to a lighthouse at the end of Vincent Pier occurs in 1804. A signal flag was displayed by day and a light by night when depth of water was not less than 12 feet. This is still carried out to date. A Cupola and additional storey were added in 1840. In 1914 the lighthouse was seriously damaged during the Bombardment of Scarborough by German cruisers. It was rebuilt in 1931.
SHIPBUILDING
Ship yards extended along the Foreshore from Blands Cliff to Ivy House. Launching was done in cradles on an inclined plane at low tide. At the beginning of the 19th century, Scarborough was one of the principal ship building centres on the east coast. From 1785 to 1810, 209 ships were built with a tonnage of 35,683 tons. As many as 15 ships were launched in one year. In 1849 a company was formed to provide means for repairing ships at Scarborough. A Floating Dock was built capable of taking ships up to 300 tons. A Model of Floating Dock is in Kensington Museum.
PORT
1301 — Edward I summoned Scarborough to send two armed ships to Berwick to fight against the Scots.
1346 — Siege of Calais. Scarborough furnished one ship and 19 men. 1645 In the siege of Scarborough during the Civil War besiegers took 120 vessels from the Scarborough Harbour. 1787 There were 1,500 seamen belonging to the Port, 500 of whom sailed in the East India Service.
1796 — Number of ships registered at Scarborough was 165 with a tonnage of 25,600. Exports included corn, butter, hams, bacon and salt fish. Imports coal, timber, hemp, flax, iron, brandy and wines.
CARGO STATISTICS
1960-61: 42 vessels handled 14,795 tons made up of 6,361 tons timber, 3,257 tons barley, 2,710 tons fertiliser, 1,279 tons refractories, 592 tons coal, 330 tons wheat and 266 tons bricks.
1961-62: 75 vessels handled 29,224 tons made up of 18,804 tons barley, 4,000 tons fertiliser, 1,768 tons timber, 1,315 tons refractories, 880 tons hardboard, 850 tons basic slag, 450 tons bricks and 225 tons lime.
1962-63: 87 vessels handled 34,667 tons made up of 9,538 tons timber, 9,378 tons fertiliser, 7,112 tons barley, 5,763 tons hardboard, 650 tons potatoes, 300 tons rubber, 205 tons quartzite and 168 tons soya meal.
1963-64: 103 vessels handled 44,699 tons made up of 25,892 tons timber, 6,922 tons fertiliser, 6,204 tons hardboard, 3,324 tons barley, 1,287 tons quartzite, 610 tons wax and 460 tons bonemeal.
1964-65: 127 vessels handled 57,538 tons timber, 1,695 tons barley, 10,900 tons fertiliser, 4,322 tons hardboard, 2,067 tons quartzite.
1965-66: 142 vessels handled 70,349 tons made up of 46,027 tons timber, 11,594 tons barley, 8,390 tons fertiliser, 132 tons refractories, 2,871 tons hardboard, 1,261 tons quartzite and 74 tons miscellaneous.
1966-67: 131 vessels handled 70,297 tons made up of 56,630 tons timber, 8,300 tons barley, 2,525 tons fertiliser and 2,842 tons miscellaneous.
1967-68: 123 vessels handled 60,227 tons made up of 48,161 tons timber, 1,048 tons cereals, 9,431 tons fertiliser and 1,587 tons miscellaneous.
1968-69: 126 vessels handled 74,255 tons made up of 70,978 tons timber, 1,500 tons fertiliser, 1,475 tons chemicals and 302 tons cardboard.
1969-70: 99 vessels handled 57,816 tons made up of 53,504 tons timber, 3,124 tons fertiliser, 1,888 tons chemicals.
1970-71: 90 vessels handled 53,646 tons made up of 52,259 tons timber, 829 tons chemicals and 558 tons hardboard.
1971-72: 83 vessels handled 46, 843 tons made up of 45,062 tons timber and 1,781 tons chemicals.
1972-73: 86 vessels handled 48,784 tons made up of 48,479 tons timber and 305 tons hardboard.
1973-74: 95 vessels handled 50,156 tons made up of 49,339 tons timber, 429 tons hardboard and 388 tons pulp.
1974-75: 67 vessels handled 33,117 tons made up of 32,220 tons timber, 381 tons steel, 516 tons fishmeal and 490 tons fertiliser.
1975-76: 83 vessels handled 45,869 tons made up of 36,383 tons timber, 8,853 tons potatoes, 143 tons fish and 490 tons fertiliser.
1976-77: 81 vessels handled 56,423 tons made up of 50,005 tons timber, 18 tons sheepskins, 141 tons iron ore and 6,259 tons potatoes.
1977-78: 86 vessels handled 59,706 tons made up of 56,950 tons timber, 2,100 tons potatoes and 656 tons barley.
1978-79: 68 vessels handled 54,608 tons made up of 48,897 tons timber, 1,359 tons clay, 2,390 tons cattle food and 1,962 tons fertiliser.
1979-80: 123 vessels handled 75,274 tons made up of 47,212 tons timber, 12,913 tons potatoes, 12,210 tons fertiliser, 2,638 tons cattle food and 301 tons hardboard.
1980-81: 96 vessels handled 63,625 tons made up of 41,139 tons timber, 14,866 tons potatoes, 6,853 tons fertiliser, 767 tons cattle food.
1981-82: 166 vessels handled 75,839 tons made up of 22,703 tons timber, 42,327 tons potatoes, 8,413 tons fertiliser.
1982-83: 123 vessels handled 56,957 tons made up of 17,045 tons timber, 28,588 tons potatoes, 8,665 tons fertiliser, 1,878 tons chipboard and 781 tons fishmeal.
1983-84: 76 vessels handled 49,164 tons made up of 23,677 tons timber, 10,842 tons potatoes, 12,042 tons fertiliser, 2,282 tons chipboard and 321 tons hardboard.
1984-85: 96 vessels handled 55,751 tons made up of 20,206 tons timber, 19,877 tons potatoes, 10,415 tons fertiliser, 3,584 tons chipboard and 1,669 tons hardboard.
1985-86: 85 vessels handled 50,548 tons made up of 18,879 tons timber, 10,279 tons potatoes, 17,410 tons fertiliser, 3,102 tons chipboard and 878 tons hardboard.
1986-87: 101 vessels handled 54,421 tons made up of 17,055 tons timber, 12,739 tons fertiliser, 821 tons chipboard and 23,806 tons potatoes.
1987-88: 99 vessels handled 62,655 tons made up of 22,102 tons timber, 22,185 tons fertiliser, 13,420 tons potatoes, 3,725 tons bulk barley and 1,223 tons wheat.
1988-89: 46 vessels handled 37,351 tons made up of 16,434 tons timber, 11,155 tons fertiliser and 9,762 tons barley.
