St Catherine

Shetlopedia - The Shetland Encyclopaedia

St Catherine II (gross tonnage 1,216)

St Catherine II was built in 1916, as 'Highlander' and was purchased by the North Company in 1939. She was attacked from the air in August 1940 whilst en route from Aberdeen to Leith. She brought down two of the attacking aircraft and arrived in Leith with the wreckage on one of them on deck. Captain William Gifford and two of the crew received medals for this action. It was after this event that the name was changed to St Catherine II, but she was now a marked ship and after surviving two further air attacks, she was sunk by another in November 1940 outside Aberdeen.

One of the successful gunners was Laurence Halcrow of Lerwick who had the business Halcrow's Cafe in Bank Lane, Lerwick for many years post war.