Police divers unearth ship’s missing bell

Police divers identified the rightful owners of a long-lost ship’s bell – decades after it fell –  or was dropped – into the River Trent.

Members of the Underwater Search Team found the bell during a routine training dive in April this year and brought it ashore for a closer look.

Bearing the name Humber Prince, the bell was cleaned up little and returned to the station.

After some online detective work, PC Mike Grant was able to match the object to a barge originally built in 1956,

The vessel, originally known as Esso Nottingham, was reregistered as the Humber Prince in 1964 by Hull-based company by John H Whitaker Tankers.

She was used to carry petrol, Diesel and kerosene up to Colwick, but was plagued by reliability problems and eventually retired.

Current Managing Direct Mark Whitaker, who was contacted by PC Grant, has offered a potential theory on how the bell ended up in the water.

After speaking with some 'old hands' at the company, he explained:

"Our ships' bells were almost never mounted on the forward mast where they should be as they always got stolen.    

"Instead they were normally kept in the captain’s cabin for safe keeping and only brought up on deck if they were needed in fog.

"How on earth this one ended up in the river is a bit of a mystery. It's possible somebody tried to steal it, got disturbed and chose to ditch it overboard rather than getting caught red handed. Obviously it's a bit big to stuff up your jumper!"

PC Grant, a roads policing officer who has volunteered with the Underwater Search Team since 2015, said:

“We regularly take part in training dives along the embankment and often resurface with various lost items we find on the surface

“This was something that really caught out imagination and I am delighted that we have been able to learn more about where this item came from.

“So, if anyone knows more about how this bell came to be in the water or has previously sailed on the vessel, we would love to hear from them.”