The brig 'Helen' off Hull

Built at Sutton in 1837 by William Gibson for William Priest of Hull and William Lambert of Cottingham, the 'Helen' served in the Baltic trade. She was registered in Whitby and was still afloat c.1872-3. Baltic trade was very profitable and much safer than for whaling ships which were often lost in the ice. The two-masted brigs were popular vessels, easy to negotiate through the unimproved rivers and estuaries, although their sails were expensive both in terms of crew to operate them and materials to make and repair them.