Missing bell discovered in the Trent

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE POLICE divers made an unexpected discovery after pulling out a rusty bell from the Trent.

Telling that members of its underwater search team found a bell during a routine training dive and it was discovered it belonged to a barge using the river in the past, Janet Friend reports.

Match the object

After a bit of detective work, PC Mike Grant was able to match the object to a barge originally built in 1956, which was known as Esso Nottingham then re-registered as the Humber Prince in 1964.

The barge had been used to transport petrol and kerosene up the river to the depot at Colwick before it was retired.

The bell, it was discovered, was originally built in 1956, and used on the barge in cases of fog, to warn other shipping of its presence.

They get stolen

Instead of being mounted on the forward mast, where they get stolen, this bell was kept in the captain's cabin so it was not known how it came to be on the bottom of the river, but it was thought someone tried to steal it, was disturbed, then chose to ditch it overboard rather than getting caught red handed, and it was rather heavy!

Image by Nottinghamshire Police.