Scale: 1:48. The ‘Joseph Conrad’ was the last steam trawler built for a Hull owner. Built by Cook, Welton and Gemmell, Beverley, for the Newington Steam Trawling Company Ltd, she was just over 185 feet in length and 823 gross registered tons. She was a fine example of the large, deep sea, steam side trawlers that worked out of the Humber ports of Hull and Grimsby.

On the fishing grounds of Iceland, Bear Island, the White Sea, and Greenland, they frequently trawled in depths of up to 200 fathoms (1200 feet). For optimum efficiency the otter trawl was towed at sufficient speed to prevent the fish already caught from escaping through the mouth of the net, but not so fast as to cause the ground rope to lift off the sea bottom. The speed varied according to conditions and was normally between two and five knots. The model shows well the asymmetrical design and layout of these vessels with the trawl equipment mounted on the starboard side. We can see the powerful winches required to enable the derricks to haul in the catch. There are two large hatches and we can also see the demountable wooden partitions, or fish ponds, where the catch would be gutted and prepared for the journey home. For ease of assembly these ponds have been conveniently painted red for the port side and green for the starboard side.

The model is a good example of the trend in professional modelmaking in the 1950s and early 1960s with its use of wood-effect veneers, crisp glossy paint surfaces, and increasing use of plastics, especially plasticard.

The ‘Joseph Conrad’ was scrapped in 1980.