Mincarlo (trawler) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids History

United Kingdom
Name	Mincarlo
Owner	W H Podd Ltd. Sold to Putford Enterprises. Sold to Lydia Eva Trust
Port of registry	Lowestoft
Builder	Brooke Marine, Lowestoft
Cost	£76,600
Yard number	Yard 281
Laid down	1960
Launched	25 September 1961
In service	28 years
Identification	IMO number: 5235686 LT412 Reg No: 303677 Call sign: GHXB
Status	Museum ship: floating
Notes	Sold to the Lydia Eva Trust for £1 and then preserved.
General characteristics
Class and type	Sidewinder trawler
Tonnage	166 grt, 56 net
Length	108.75 ft (33.15 m)
Beam	22.7 ft (6.9 m)
Depth	Moulded: 11.25 ft (3.43 m)
Installed power	Engine No: 117 by AK Diesels Ltd: 5-cylinder, vertical, 4 stroke cycle, naturally aspirated, developing 500 shp continuously at 320 revs. Driving through an AK Diesel 2:1 ratio reverse reduction gearbox to give a propeller speed of approximately 160rpm.
Speed	10 knots (19 km/h)
Crew	11
Notes	Fresh water capacity: 7 tons Fish Hold Capacity: 5,200 cu ft (150 m³) including 690 cu ft (20,000 L) ice room.

The Mincarlo is a special ship. She is the very last fishing trawler from the old Lowestoft fishing fleet that still exists. What makes her even more unique is that she's also the last fishing boat built in Lowestoft that still has an engine made right there in the town!

Building the Mincarlo
How Sidewinder Trawlers Fish
Mincarlo's Working Life
Saving and Restoring the Mincarlo
Gallery
See also

Building the Mincarlo

The Mincarlo was built in 1961 at the Brooke Marine shipyards in Lowestoft, a town in Suffolk. She was one of three similar ships made for a company called W.H. Podd Ltd. The other two ships were named Bryher and Rosevear.

The Podd family named all three ships, including Mincarlo, after small islands. These islands are part of the Isles of Scilly, which are off the coast of Cornwall. Each of these new fishing boats cost £75,600 to build.

How Sidewinder Trawlers Fish

The Mincarlo is a type of trawler known as a sidewinder, or side trawler. On these ships, the large trawl nets were put into the water over the side of the boat. The ropes that pulled the nets went through special pulleys called blocks. These blocks hung from two strong frames called gallows.

On the Mincarlo, these gallows were at the front and back, on the right side of the ship. The fishing equipment included two otter trawls. Each of these nets had special otter boards attached. These boards were designed to spread out in the water as the net was pulled. This kept the mouth of the net wide open.

The nets also had heavy ground ropes, about 40 feet (12 m) long. These ropes kept the nets on the seabed. They also helped to stir up fish hiding in the sand. Until the late 1960s, sidewinder trawlers were the most common type of deep-sea fishing boat. They were used for a long time in the North Atlantic.

Mincarlo's Working Life

The Mincarlo was part of the fishing fleet based in Lowestoft, which had about 50 to 60 boats. For 13 years, her catches were among the best in the fleet. She caught fish like cod, haddock, plaice, skate, and sole.

She belonged to W. H. Podd Ltd until 1975, when Putford Enterprises bought her. At that time, Putford Enterprises owned many fishing boats in Lowestoft and Grimsby. They also operated many safety standby ships for the offshore oil and gas industry in the southern North Sea.

In 1977, the Mincarlo was changed to become a standby vessel. She started a new job helping out in the busy North Sea gas fields. She was also given a new name: Putford Merlin. After 28 years of service, she was replaced in 1989 by a newer, purpose-built standby ship. She was then stored back at the Brooke's shipyard, where she was first built.

Saving and Restoring the Mincarlo

After her long working life, Putford Enterprises sold the Mincarlo to the Lydia Eva Trust Ltd for a very small price of just £1. After a lot of hard work to fix her up and make her look new again, the Mincarlo was opened to the public in 1998.

Today, you can visit the Mincarlo at Lowestoft Heritage Quay. Sometimes, she is moved to South Quay in Great Yarmouth. You can visit her for free!

The Mincarlo is now owned by the Lydia Eva and Mincarlo Charitable Trust Ltd. This is a registered charity that also owns another preserved fishing boat, the Lydia Eva, which is a herring drifter.

In January 2015, the Mincarlo began more repairs and restoration work. A company called AKD Engineering, based in Lowestoft, did the work for free. This was part of their celebrations for their 60th anniversary.