Grimsby, also known as Great Grimsby, is a large town and seaport situated on the South Bank of the Humber Estuary, in England, close to where it reaches the North Sea. The town was traditionally in Lincolnshire until 1974, when it was absorbed into the new county of Humberside. After the abolition of Humberside in 1996, the town was returned to Lincolnshire. It now serves as the administrative centre of the North East Lincolnshire unitary authority. Grimsby developed as a major sea port on the east coast of England, hosting the largest fishing fleet in the world by the mid-twentieth century.