Sponsors
National Historic Ships UK acknowledges the financial support of its sponsors
Come aboard Mincarlo!
Location: Heritage Quay, South Pier, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 0AE
Come on board the Mincarlo fishing vessel - the last of her kind. A floating tribute to the men who braved the North Sea to provide our fish, she is the last surviving fishing vessel built in Lowestoft with an engine made in the town.
Mincarlo was launched from the famous Brooke Marine yard on September 25th 1961, one of three single-screw motor vessels built for W.H. Podd Ltd at a cost of £75,600 per ship. Her fishing career lasted 13 years, during which she was among the top half-dozen vessels in the 50 to 60-strong Lowestoft fishing fleet. Her catches mainly consisted of cod, plaice, haddock, skate and sole.
Mincarlo was known as a sidewinder because her nets went over the sides, unlike the now universal stern or beam trawlers. Her fishing gear comprised two otter trawls, each of which was fitted with otter boards - trawl doors designed to keep the net open. The nets were attached to heavy, 40 ft long ground ropes which held them on the seabed and ‘tickled up’ any fish lying on or below the sand. Putford Enterprises bought Mincarlo and continued to use her for fishing until June 1975. Two years later she was converted and began a new career as a rig standby vessel in the busy southern North Sea gas fields. She was renamed Putford Merlin but in 1989 at the age of 28, she was made redundant, replaced by a purpose-built standby vessel, and laid up at Brooke’s yard.
Putford eventually sold her for £1 to the Lydia Eva Trust, which had been set up to preserve the world’s last surviving steam herring drifter Lydia Eva.
Event Times
Friday 9 September: 0900-1600
Saturday 10 September: 0900-1600
Sunday 11 September: 0900-1600
Monday 12 September: 0900-1600
Tuesday 13 September: 0900-1600
Wednesday 14 September: 0900-1600
Thursday 15 September: 0900-1600
Friday 16 September: 0900-1600
Saturday 17 September: 0900-1600
Sunday 18 September: 0900-1600
Booking Details
No booking required
COVID-19 Considerations
This event will run in line with local & national government guidelines at the time of the festival.
Additional Information
Source: www.heritageopendays.org.uk/visiting/event/the-mincarlo
