Mincarlo
Mincarlo is 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 - A Lowestoft Sidewinder
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. She and her sister vessels - Bryher and Rosevear - were named by the Podd family after small islands in the Scillies.
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. The organisation was renamed the Lydia Eva and Mincarlo Charitable Trust and work began on restoring the two historic vessels.
A newly refurbished Mincarlo was opened to the public in 1998. Lydia Eva is at present temporarily laid up for major hull repairs. They are living reminders of East Anglia’s fishing heritage.
Mincarlo is on display in either Lowestoft Yacht Harbour or at Great Yarmouth Heritage Quay from Easter to the end of October, 10.00am to 3.00pm. Admission is free.
Please contact the local Tourist Office for more information.
