5 October 2000Contents and Chronology
5 October 2000
Note that DETR and MAIB documents are Crown Copyright. Hull Daily Mail articles in its WWW archive are Copyright Hull Daily Mail. The translations of Russian documents in this archive are Copyright OffMSG. Unless stated, all other text is Copyright OffMSG.
Background
MAIB Fact Sheet on the Gaul
MAIB Map 1 of NE Atlantic to North Cape (267Kb GIF).
MAIB Map 2 of Barent's Sea showing location of wreck (137Kb GIF).
MAIB video giving the marine accident investigators' version of the loss of the vessel. (Real Video.)
Cast of Characters
Chronology
26 September 1950
Hull trawler "Swanella" is arrested by the Russians on suspicion of spying: "The vessel’s captain, who presumably spoke Russian, was systematically noting all Soviet civilian and naval ships entering or leaving the Kola Sound."
Comments by Soviet Naval Intelligence
October 1950
The Bakhmutov Report:The Head of Intelligence for the Soviet Northern Fleet reports on spying by British ships in the Barents Sea: "...frequent violations of our territorial waters by English fishing vessels testify to active intelligence-gathering in this theatre of operations... Presumably on certain English trawlers there are Royal Navy intelligence officers"
19 July 1952
Hull Trawler Lord Ancaster (H-573) takes photographs of Russian submarine in Barents Sea.
14 October 1952
The Bulganin Letter: The Chief of Dept 10 Soviet Naval General Staff writes to Defence Minister Bulganin recommending that the Temporary Agreement on Fishing between the Soviet Union and Great Britain be terminated because of espionage activities by the British trawler fleet. "It should be noted that many English fishing vessels possess powerful radio transmitters and radar equipment and are basically designed not for fishing, but for intelligence-gathering."
November 1952
The Obukhov Report (1): The Acting Head of Soviet Northern Fleet Intelligence speculates on the antics of Royal Navy Fisheries Patrol-Boat Romola: "We do not exclude the possibility that on the night of November 14... there was some kind of agent activity, either picking up an agent from shore, or making contact with one."
December 1952
The Obukhov Report (2): The Acting Head of Soviet Northern Fleet Intelligence notifies the Border Guards about the activities of Hull trawler Lord Ancaster: "I consider that this trawler is carrying out tasks of an intelligence nature in the Barents Sea".
11-14 June 1954
Information Bulletin No 76: Previously Secret Soviet Northern Fleet Intelligence Report of an offshore encounter between the Royal Navy fisheries patrol vessel "Mariner" and the Hull trawler "Hugh Walpole".
April-May 1958
The Popov Report: Captain Popov of Soviet Naval Intelligence reports on the activies of British Trawlers off the Kola Peninsular: "The third radar set... appears externally to be a scanner, but is presumed to be used for intelligence-gathering purposes".
31 October 1958
The Kovel Report: Vice-Admiral Kovel, Deputy Head of Operations Division Soviet Naval General Staff, reports in detail on the activities of the Royal Navy 5th Fisheries Protection Squadron: "...besides fisheries protection duties, its primary task is intelligence on the kind of activity undertaken by the [Soviet] Northern Fleet, and also a study of the coastal defence systems in the Fleet operational area."
17 August 1959
Information Bulletin 125: A Soviet Naval Intelligence document titled The English System of Notifying and Reporting on Observation of Soviet Northern Fleet Exercises quotes from a top secret British Admiraly "Special Order" to the Fleet.
Diesel Trawler Gaul, and three sister ships, built at Brook Marine Shipyard in Lowestoft. Originally named Ranger Castor, the Gaul was part of a contract for four ships: The Ranger Calliope, Ranger Cadmus and Ranger Calliope. For specification of the Gaul, see this MAIB document.
27 January 1974
Diesel Trawler "Gaul" sets sail from Hull for the North Cape fishing grounds.
8 February 1974
The Hull-registered motor trawler Gaul is lost off the North Cape. There is no distress message and all 36 crew members perish.
Norwegian fisherman Arnt Olsen recovers life belt marked "Gaul Hull" from the Barents Sea. (Hull Daily Mail)
September - October 1974
A Formal Investigation is held into the loss of the Gaul. It concludes that the fishing vessel capsized and foundered in heavy seas. The investigation finds no direct evidence of how the tragedy occurred.
25 November 1975
Norwegian fishing vessel Rairo reports location of the Gaul to the British government.
August 1997
An expedition funded by Channel 4 (UK) and a Norwegian television companies discovers the wreck of the Gaul.
Hull Daily Mail trails C4 Dispatches saying that it "opens a whole new debate on the controversy".
6 November 1997
'The Mystery of the Gaul' is broadcast shown on Channel 4 television (UK). Included is footage from the 1997 expedition to locate the wreck.
Hull Daily Mail reviews 'The Mystery of the Gaul' and reports that "Last night's documentary revealed Commander Brookes ran an elaborate spy network from the [Hull] city headquarters of the White Sea Fish Authority."
Hull MPs renew calls for Public Enquiry to be re-opened. (Hull Daily Mail)
Former head of Naval Intelligence, Michael Kyrle Pope, admits that fishing trawlers were used for spying against the Russians. (HDM)
In answer to a Commons question from Alan Johnson MP (Hull West), Government Minister Glenda Jackson states that: ''On the basis of what has been seen so far, I am not convinced of the need to reopen the formal investigation." (Hull Daily Mail report)
Exhumation of bodies found on Russian coast delayed. (HDM)
Hull MEP Peter Crampton says he is looking into possibility of Euro funding for Gaul recovery.
January 1998
In response to the Channel 4 documentary, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) recommends a more detailed examination of the wreck in order to determine the cause of the sinking. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott announces that the Government will undertake a new survey of the wreck.
Hull Daily Mail reporter banned from Gaul survey vessel.
Bad weather west of Norway causes delay to arrival of survey vessel at Tromso. (HDM)
John Prescott warns relatives observing Gaul survey not to talk to the media during the trip.
Hull Daily Mail article about the imminent MAIB survey of the Gaul.
Hull skipper tells of dangerous secret spying mission. (HDM)
MAIB survey of the Gaul starts. (Hull Daily Mail report)
Nowegian fisherman tells Hull Daily Mail reporter 'Gaul was not fishing'.
August 1998
MAIB survey of the wreck completed.
15 August 1998
John Prescott on the advice of Chief Inspector of Marine Accidents, Rear Admiral John Lang, that new and important evidence had been found in the survey, announces his intention to reopen the Formal Investigation into the sinking of the Gaul.
A top forensic scientist says that the mystery of the bodies of the survivors 'may never be solved'. (HDM)
Hull Daily Mail reports that enquiry into sinking of the Gaul may be delayed because of MAIB commitment to investigating the sinking of the freight liner Derbyshire.
Discussions between the British and Russian governments about the exhumation of bodies found on the coast in Northern Russia. (HDM)
4 February 1999
Former submarine officer Alexander Nikitin goes on trial on charges of revealing secrets about Soviet sub accidents.
Hull Daily Mail interview with John Moore, building manager for the Gaul at Brooke Marine Shipyard, Lowestoft: 'A tale of intrigue'.
Hull Daily Mail reports Nikitin case.
Hull Daily Mail interviews British United Trawlers communications officer, David Close. Gives account of the February 1974 search operation for the Gaul.
Norwegian fisherman Arnt Olsen admits to having worked as a NATO spy in the Barents Sea during the Cold War. (Hull Daily Mail) Olsen was also the man who discovered a life-belt from the Gaul on 8 May 1974.
Profile of Hull West MP Alan Johnson and his efforts to get the Gaul Public Enquiry re-opened. (Hull Daily Mail)
Marine Accident Investigation Branch (part of the DETR publishes 'Marine Accident Report 4/99 Report on the Underwater Survey of the Stern Trawler GAUL H.243 and the supporting Model Experiments August 1998 - January 1999' A (very) short synopsis of the report is included here as well as the MAIB Fact Sheet on the Gaul, the script of the Chief Inspector's presentation to the Press Conference and a video explaining the MAIB's theory on how the vessel may have been overwhelmed..
16 April 1999
Roger Clarke is commissioned by John Prescott to investigate why no search was made for the Gaul (DETR Press Notice 409).
Hull Daily Mail reports publication of new Gaul Enquiry Report: "...the Gaul foundered when huge waves flooded the ship, sending water cascading into unlocked doors and hatches".
August 1999
A UK Government team goes to the Murmansk region of Russia to bring back DNA samples from the remains, in Nikel cemetery, of bodies swept up on the north Russian shoreline in the months following the loss of the Gaul. The DNA samples were to be compared with samples taken from relatives of the vessel's former crew members. For outcome, see DETR Press Notice 0014, 12 January 2000.
DETR Press Notice 0014: The Gaul: initial findings of DNA analysis of blood samples. DNA analysis of blood samples taken from the bodies of two young men exhumed in Russia earlier this year and from relatives of the crew of the trawler Gaul have now ruled out a positive link between the bodies and nearly all of the crew.
Hull Daily Mail sums up situation and observes that the government claim that "At no stage of the investigation did the MAIB receive any information to connect Gaul with intelligence gathering" is a long way from a denial that the ship was spying.
5 April 2000
DETR confirms that the bodies found in Russia were not members of the Gaul's crew (DETR press notice 276). See also DETR Press Notice 0014, 12 January 2000.
DNA test show that bodies found in north Russia are not related to the Gaul's crew. (HDM)
DETR News Release 338: John Prescott welcomes publication of Gaul report: 'The Trawler Gaul: Why Was No Search Made For The Wreck?'
"A breakdown of Government systems led to relatives being "cruelly deluded" with false hopes about the 36 men lost on the Hull trawler Gaul, a Government-commissioned report said today.Today's report criticised both the Department of Trade and the Ministry of Defence for the way they treated the Gaul bereaved." (HDM)
Families angry at the way they were treated by UK Government, reports Hull Daily Mail. Article also comments on files and records 'lost and thrown away' by officials.
Hull Daily Mail reviews DETR-commissioned report - The Trawler Gaul: Why Was No Search Made For The Wreck. States that 'the Government ruled out a search and rescue operation, kept relatives ill-informed, destroyed key documents and overlooked important information'.
2 June 2000
The Clark Statement: CDR T H V CLARK of the UK Defence Intelligence Staff makes a statement to the High Court revealing that Commander Brookes was, from 1960, "a member of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)" and not, as previously thought, an officer in Naval Intelligence. Some time after OffMSG published this document, David Pallister of The Guardian newspaper followed it up (without crediting us).
An Annotated Version of the Clark Statement
OffMSG Commentary (21 Sept 2000)
The Pallister Article (30 Sept 2000)
DETR News Release 459: Prescott says GAUL dive too dangerous
Hull Daily Mail reports reaction of families to John Prescott's ruling that a manned dive on the Gaul would be too dangerous.
Max Gold, the solicitor representing the main body of the ‘Gaul’ families association, writes to his clients following further stalling attempts by the UK DETR to put off a manned dive on the wreck of the vessel. The letter follows a meeting in Hull on Tuesday evening July 25.
Gaul Families Association legal team takes on Keith Jessop, the man who salvaged the gold from the HMS Edinburgh in an attempt to force the government’s hand on a manned dive -- or to obtain private funding for a dive. We await the press release. Don’t forget you read it at OffMSG first!
OffMSG publishes the Clark Statement revealing that Commander Brookes was an MI6 officer from 1960 to his death in 1971.
David Pallister of The Guardian newspaper writes follow-up to OffMSG release of the Clark Statement.
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