From Roy Palmer's "Oxford Book of Sea Songs".
"Written by Grimsby fisherman, William Delf, to help raise money (here's his original title of his 8 verse poem) "In Memoriam of the poor Fisherman who lost their lives in the Dreadful Gale from Grimsby & Hull, Feb. 8&9, 1889". In becoming a song & passing into the oral tradition it lost 6 verses & picked up a new one plus a chorus along with the tune". Barry