A total of 58 men perished in less than a month when the St Romanus, Kingston Peridot and Ross (Cape) Cleveland sank in Arctic waters within a month of each other in the winter of 1968. It was Hull's worst fishing disaster since the Second World War.

In an act of homage, workers at over 200 stores and companies stopped work at noon and observed a minute's silence. Around the same time, an official ceremony was held at Princes Quay shopping centre (once the point where trawlers left for Iceland) for relatives of the men who died - and for the 6,000 other fishermen from Hull who have lost their lives while fishing over the past 100 years.

And the city was hit by another tragedy a decade later when the modern stern trawler Gaul sank with all hands in controversial circumstances. Relatives still maintain the ship was a victim of the Cold War and sunk by a Russian submarine - a claim always denied by the UK government.

The response to the minute's silence campaign - launched at the beginning of the year by the local newspaper Hull Mail - has been staggering, given that many of those taking part were not even born when the ships were lost.

The Hessle Road community - once the heart of Hull's deep sea fishing community - stopped work and closed shops along with workers at fish processing companies like Simpsons and Smales. But large retail stores like Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and Sainsbury's, all large sellers of fish, also paid tribute. Workers at the city council offices and the port authority took part, along with dozens of shops ranging from fashion boutiques and jewellers to restaurants, pubs and snack bars.

The relative of one victim, Ann Clayton, who lost her brother Michael Morris on the Ross Cleveland, she was moved by the tribute, but felt it should have happened a long time ago.

She said: "My family has never got over Mike's loss and it's the same for the other families. These men are all still alive to the people that loved them most."

Other relatives travelled from far and wide to be at the tribute.

Meanwhile, leading Hull fish processor Walter Simpson of Simpsons Seafoods has called on local businesses to fund a permanent memorial to Hull's lost trawlermen.

Around £42,000 toward the total cost of £100,000 has already been raised by the Stand organisation and Mr Simpson said local businesses should put up the remaining £58,000. His company has given £1,000. He said: "We have always supported Stand throughout the years and we feel this is a very good time to make the donation."

www.fishupdate.com is published by Special Publications. Special Publications also publish FISHupdate magazine, Fish Farmer, the Fish Industry Yearbook, the Scottish Seafood Processors Federation Diary, the Fish Farmer Handbook and a range of wallplanners.

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