Kingston Peridot (H591) Hull Northern Fishing Co. Ltd Lost in Arctic Gale Jan 68





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Description



Larry Malkin (British, b. 1948)
Kingston Peridot, 1999

Signed Maritime Memorial Oil on Canvas | Hull Triple Trawler Tragedy

Highlights

• Powerful signed maritime oil painting by East Yorkshire artist Larry Malkin.
• Painted and dated 1999.
• Depicts the Hull distant-water trawler Kingston Peridot, registration H591.
• A retrospective memorial interpretation of her loss off northern Iceland in January 1968.
• Connected with the Hull Triple Trawler Tragedy, in which 58 fishermen died.
• Expressively painted with heavily textured waves and storm-driven atmosphere.
• Historically important subject connected with Hull’s distant-water fishing industry.
• Inscribed and dated on the reverse.
• Provenance from a private collection and Essex art dealer Thomas Cawood.
• Presented in a wooden frame with gilt inner slip.
• A substantial and emotionally resonant example of modern British maritime art.

Introduction

A commanding maritime memorial painting by East Yorkshire artist Larry Malkin, depicting the Hull distant-water trawler Kingston Peridot amid a violent Arctic storm.

Painted in 1999, the work is a retrospective artistic interpretation of the vessel’s loss off the northern coast of Iceland during the winter of 1968. No eyewitness account of her actual foundering survives, and the composition should therefore be understood as an imaginative memorial rather than a documentary record of her final moments.

Malkin combines close observation of the working steel trawler with an expressive, heavily textured treatment of the sea and sky. The result is both a dramatic marine painting and a moving tribute to the 20 crewmen who lost their lives.

Catalogue Details

Artist: Larry Malkin (British, b. 1948)

Title: Kingston Peridot

Date: 1999

Medium: Oil on canvas

Subject: Hull distant-water trawler Kingston Peridot, H591

Genre: Maritime memorial and industrial marine painting

Signature: Signed by the artist

Inscription: Inscribed and dated 1999 verso

Frame: Wooden frame with gilt inner slip

Catalogue Note

The Kingston Peridot is shown listing heavily as she encounters a violent combination of wind, waves and ice.

Strong diagonals dominate the composition. The angle of the hull, mast and rigging creates an immediate sense of instability, while the rising sea threatens to overwhelm the vessel.

Malkin employs a deliberately cold and restricted palette. Slate black, iron grey, deep indigo and steel green establish the hostile Arctic environment. Rust and ochre accents across the trawler provide contrast while reinforcing its industrial construction and working character.

Thick passages of white paint describe breaking water, wind-blown spray and foam. The surface is handled energetically with broad brushwork and palette-knife texture, giving the waves a sculptural quality.

The dark sky presses down upon the vessel, allowing little clear light to enter the scene. This restricted illumination contributes to the painting’s emotional weight and sense of isolation.

Although the subject is tragic, Malkin avoids sentimentality. The painting’s emotional power comes from the physical struggle between the steel vessel and the overwhelming force of the Arctic sea.

The Kingston Peridot

Kingston Peridot was a steel screw steam trawler built in 1948 by Cook, Welton & Gemmell Ltd at Beverley, East Yorkshire.

She was yard number 797 and was launched on 10 July 1948, entering service later that year.

Her recorded specifications include:

Official number: 181356

Port registration: H591

Gross registered tonnage: 658 tons

Net registered tonnage: 232 tons

Length: 197 ft 8 in, approximately 60.25 metres

Breadth: 30 ft 7 in, approximately 9.32 metres

Construction: Steel screw steam trawler

Engine: Triple-expansion, three-cylinder steam engine

Power: Approximately 1,000 indicated horsepower

Propulsion: Single screw

Engine builder: C. D. Holmes & Co. Ltd

The vessel was purpose-built for Hull’s distant-water fishing industry and operated in the demanding Arctic grounds around Iceland.

Ownership

Kingston Peridot was constructed for Kingston Steam Trawling Co. Ltd and registered at Hull in November 1948.

In June 1966 ownership passed to Hellyer Bros. Ltd of Hull, one of the city’s established distant-water fishing concerns.

Some later commercial records associate the vessel with the Hull Northern Fishing organisation. The documented registered owner from 1966 is Hellyer Bros. Ltd.

Loss of the Kingston Peridot

Kingston Peridot departed Hull for the Arctic fishing grounds in January 1968.

Her cook, William Good, suffered an injury after slipping aboard during rough weather. Skipper Raymond Wilson put him ashore in Reykjavík for medical examination on 14 January. This decision saved his life, although he was not present when the trawler was subsequently lost.

The vessel’s last recorded radio contact was received on 26 January 1968 from waters near Grímsey Island, north of Iceland. Historical accounts report dangerous icing conditions within the area.

When further communication could not be established, ships and aircraft began an extensive search. Wreckage was subsequently found in Icelandic waters, but the vessel herself was never recovered.

Kingston Peridot is presumed to have foundered on 26 or 27 January 1968. All 20 men remaining aboard were lost.

The Triple Trawler Tragedy

The loss of Kingston Peridot formed the second event within the Hull Triple Trawler Tragedy.

Three Hull trawlers disappeared within a period of several weeks:

St Romanus

Kingston Peridot

Ross Cleveland

A total of 58 fishermen died. The only man to survive any of the three sinkings was Harry Eddom of the Ross Cleveland.

The disasters brought national attention to the exceptionally dangerous working conditions faced by Britain’s distant-water fishermen.

The Headscarf Revolutionaries

Following the losses, a group of women from Hull’s fishing community began a determined campaign for improved safety at sea.

Led by Lillian Bilocca and supported by campaigners including Yvonne Blenkinsop, Mary Denness and Christine Jensen, the women became known as the Headscarf Revolutionaries.

Their campaign demanded stronger radio procedures, improved weather forecasting, proper safety equipment and the presence of qualified radio operators aboard trawlers.

The campaign contributed to significant reforms within the British fishing industry and remains one of the most important examples of working-class community activism in modern British history.

The Artist

Larry Malkin was born in 1948 and is based at Welwick, near Spurn Point in East Yorkshire.

His practice encompasses marine painting, landscapes, portraiture and sculpture. Maritime history and the working vessels associated with Hull and the Humber occupy an important place within his work.

Malkin has painted numerous ships connected with Hull, including historic trawlers and vessels associated with the Falklands campaign.

In 2016 he worked at the restored Spurn Lighthouse as artist in residence for the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, responding to the distinctive landscape, changing weather and maritime history of the Spurn peninsula.

He has exhibited in the United Kingdom and the United States. His marine paintings are particularly recognised for their regional knowledge, expressive atmosphere and interest in working ships rather than idealised pleasure craft.

Provenance

Private collection.

Thomas Cawood, art dealer, Essex.

Curated by Cheshire Antiques Consultant LTD®.

Dimensions

Canvas:
75 cm wide × 39.5 cm high

Framed:
82 cm wide × 46.5 cm high × 2 cm deep

All measurements are approximate.

Framing

Presented in a restrained wooden frame with a gilt inner slip.

The frame complements the industrial colouring and dramatic atmosphere of the painting without distracting from the principal subject.

The artwork is supplied ready for display.

Condition Report

The painting presents in good overall condition.

The canvas remains stable and appropriately tensioned, with no visible tears or evident structural repairs.

The strongly textured painted surface is consistent with Malkin’s expressive technique. Colours remain clear and well preserved.

Scattered age-related spotting or staining is present. These marks should not be described as traditional paper foxing because the work is painted on canvas.

The frame remains in serviceable display condition with surface wear, scuffs and some small losses consistent with age and previous use.

Please examine all listing photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition report. Additional photographs and information are available upon request.



Reserve: $2,160.00

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