She told another trawler by radio that she was having difficulties with ice build-up on the ship, and arranged to move east to join them, but no further contact was established and on 29 January one of her liferafts was washed ashore.
She was bound for the north coast of Iceland with a full crew, but one man, Colin Ireland, was put ashore for medical treatment, leaving 19 on board.
A number of other ships were there to wait out what became a long and exceptionally severe storm, with hurricane-force winds and blizzards, causing dangerous amounts of ice to form on the vessels' superstructure and radar.
The Ross Cleveland's captain attempted to move her from a dangerous position to a safer one during the evening of 4 February, but the ship was overwhelmed by the wind and sea, capsized and sank.
At first it was believed all aboard Ross Cleveland had died, but on 6 February Harry Eddom, the mate, was discovered alive, having been washed ashore in a liferaft the previous day.
[9] As the wives' deputation arrived at the dock in front of TV cameras and journalists on 5 February for the meeting with the trawler owners, news broke of the loss of Ross Cleveland.
The following day the women travelled to London, again with massive media coverage, and met ministers to discuss a variety of reforms to the fishing industry.
[10] Various recommendations were made, and these were considered in greater detail by a government Committee of Inquiry, led by Admiral Sir Deric Holland-Martin, into safety in the British fishing industry.