I thought it was William Delf, not Deld. The year as I understood it was February 1886.
Here is a fourth verse, which I think is good. This was passed on to me by Peter Purves.

Methinks I hear the skipper say come lads come shorten sail,
For the sky to all appearances looks like an approaching gale.
Methinks I see them yet again and the midnight hour is past.
Their tiny crafts a battling there against the icy blast.

IMO, it doesn't matter if you sing, "long defied" or "long did fight", however, the meaning is altered if you sing "long to fight". Personally, I don't think any seaman longs to fight the possibility of death. Dick Miles