Hms Repro
Overview
HMS Repro was a Grimsby steam trawler converted to Royal Navy minesweeping work and lost with all her crew in 1917 after hitting a German mine off Tod Head. Older accounts give 26 April and UC-41; newer archive work argues for 26 March and a mine laid by UC-77. This saved point is close to an approximate historical loss position but no identified wreck is reported here, so both the date dispute and the physical uncertainty remain visible.
The vessel and voyage
Repro was a steel steam trawler launched by Cook, Welton and Gemmell at Beverley in April 1910. She was about 35 metres long, 230 gross tons and fished from Grimsby as GY510. The Royal Navy hired her in February 1915, fitted a 12-pounder gun and used her as a minesweeper. Older history says skipper Herbert Edward Thomson was ordered with Taranaki to escort the oiler Scotol toward the Forth on the day she vanished.
How it was lost
Repro struck a German mine south-east of Tod Head and sank with no survivor. The exact account has changed. Traditional sources dated the loss to 26 April 1917 and blamed a mine laid by UC-41. New archive work argues that Royal Navy papers place it on 26 March and that the mine was laid by UC-77. The newer case is persuasive but the saved record still carries the older date, so this note reports the correction as researched rather than pretending the conflict never existed.
Deaths and survival
All of Repro's crew died; the checked quick sources do not provide a reliable complete number or name list. Herbert Edward Thomson and mate Alexander Keay are among people linked to the loss in public accounts. With no survivor, the sequence after the mine explosion was not recorded from aboard. A later crew-list check is needed before giving a total. 'All lost' is supported, while a guessed number would add false precision to a real community loss.
What remains
Record 322327 lies near an approximate documented loss position but does not describe a surveyed hull or an identifying object. Modern researchers believe a different trawler wreck north-west of this point is probably Repro, while another wreck once given her name has been identified as Lowdock. This point should therefore hold the historical loss area, not receive the other candidate's boiler, engine and hull details. The exact resting place still depends on physical identification.
Why it mattered
Repro shows how fishing vessels and crews became a vital part of First World War mine defence. A trawler built to work from Grimsby was armed and sent ahead of valuable shipping to face a weapon hidden below the surface. The full crew loss touched several coastal communities. New work on the date and mine layer also matters because it changes which German patrol caused the sinking and where researchers should look for the wreck.
History checked 2026-08-15 against the named sources below.
A wreck point does not grant permission to dive, disturb the site or recover anything. Check current law and local conditions first.