RV ''Onaway'' (LT358) was a fisheries research vessel that was operated by the
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (United Kingdom) - Directorate of Fisheries, now known as the
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) between 1930 and 1960. She was briefly requisitioned by the
Admiralty, to serve as a Boom Defence Tender during World War II (between 1939 and 1945), but returned to Ministry service in 1946.
In 1960 the ''RV Onaway'' was replaced by the ''
RV Tellina
RV ''Tellina'' (LT242) was a fisheries research vessel that was operated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (United Kingdom) - Directorate of Fisheries, now known as the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science ( ...
''.
Construction
In 1928 large crowds witnessed the launch of the motor fishing bauldie ''Onaway'' from the boatbuilding yard of Walter Reekie,
Anstruther
Anstruther ( sco, Ainster or Enster ; gd, Ànsruthair) is a small coastal resort town in Fife, Scotland, situated on the north-shore of the Firth of Forth and south-southeast of St Andrews. The town comprises two settlements, Anstruther ...
, Scotland. She was built to the order of Mr William, W Carstairs of
Cellardyke and was a sister ship of the ''Winaway'', a 53 ft long steam drifter. ''Onaway'' was fitted with a 48 hp semi-diesel engine and special design of steam boiler and capstan. Miss Jessie Watson of
Cellardyke, sister of the skipper performed the christening ceremony.
[Cellardyke News from Times Past by Richard Wemyss http://www.anstruther.info/category/community-news/page/16/]
Service as a fisheries research vessel
In 1930 ''Onaway'' was purchased by the
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (United Kingdom).
The ''RV Onaway'' (LT358) was in service with MAFF from December 1930 until March 1960, during which time she participated in 209 separate research campaigns. During the 1930s she was largely confined to inshore coastal waters of the southern
North Sea including
East Anglia
East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...
, the
Thames estuary, southern bight and Straits of Dover. Most of her early efforts were dedicated to the surveying of
herring
Herring are forage fish, mostly belonging to the family of Clupeidae.
Herring often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, i ...
and
sprat, but also plankton sampling and characterizing hydrology.
[Goodwin, N.B., Dare, P.J., Belson, S.J., Gunstone, K.L., Ellis, J.R., Rogers, S.I. (2001) A catalogue of DEFRA historical research vessel data. Sci. Ser. Tech Rep., Cefas Lowestoft, 112, 32pp. http://www.cefas.co.uk/publications/techrep/tech112.pdf]
After
World War II, ''RV Onaway'' ventured further afield with regular sampling voyages to
Cornwall and throughout the
English Channel (Sussex to South Cornwall) focused on pilchard/sardine investigations, although continuing to participate in surveys of
North Sea herring and sprat. In the 1950s she was used as a platform for large-scale tagging programmes targeting North Sea sole, crab, rays, herring and whiting. Between 1952 and 1959 she conducted annual surveys to characterize scallop populations in the
English Channel. In March 1959 the ''RV Onaway'' was used to carry out surveys of colliery waste dumping sites off the northeast coast of England.
Service during World War II
In 1939 the ''RV Onaway'' was requisitioned by the
Admiralty, to serve as a ''Boom Defence Tender''. The primary function of a Boom Defence Vessel was to lay and maintain steel anti-torpedo or anti-submarine nets. Nets could be laid around an individual ship at anchor, or around harbors or other anchorages. In January 1942 ''Onaway'' was listed among many similar Boom Defence Vessels allocated to the
Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern end in June 2009
Scapa Flow (; ) is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray,S. C. George, ''Jutland to Junkyard'', 1973. South Ronaldsay and ...
Auxiliary Patrol (
Orkney
Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...
). Specifically, ''Onaway'' is listed as being ''"at Macduff (
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland.
It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...
) refitting - to complete 14 Jan”''.
[ROYAL NAVY SHIPS, January 1942 (Part 1 of 4). https://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-4201-40RNShips1Home.htm. Retrieved 13 June 2018]
Following return from Admiralty service in 1946, the ''RV Onaway'' was immediately lengthened by 10 ft. and her engine changed from a 40 hp semi-diesel to a 120 hp diesel, with the result that her speed was increased from 5 to 9.5 knots.
See also
*
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Onaway
1928 ships
Ships of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
Research vessels of the United Kingdom