Conviction of Dod Orsborne

Date: October 22, 1936 • Location: London, United Kingdom

Dod Orsborne, captain of the fishing trawler Girl Pat, was convicted of its theft and imprisoned, having caused a media sensation when it went missing.

George Black "Dod" Orsborne was a British trawler captain and seafarer, who acquired notoriety in 1936 when he took the trawler Girl Pat on an unauthorised voyage across the Atlantic. The escapade attracted much press attention, and Orsborne and his crew were briefly hailed as heroes. Orsborne was tried and imprisoned for the theft of the trawler; subsequently he claimed that the voyage had been part of an undercover operation organised by British Naval Intelligence.