Lydia Eva and Mincarlo Trust

Lydia Eva and Mincarlo Trust Latitude: 0.052° 52' 41.1° N Longitude: 0.01 ° 26' 15.9° E

About Us

The Lydia Eva is the world's last surviving herring drifter.
She is currently laid up in Lowestoft. Her hull requires major repairs if she is to float again and therefore is not open to the public. There are appeals for funds to aid its restoration (see www.lydiaeva.org.uk).

The Lydia Eva was the last vessel to be built at the King's Lynn yard. After her launch, she was then towed to Great Yarmouth where she was fitted with an engine boiler and machinery at Crabtrees and undertook her first sea voyage on July 22nd 1930. By the time the Lydia Eva joined the small herring fleet owned by Harry Eastick, the herring industry was in decline- having reached its peak in 1913 when 1006 vessels were based at Great Yarmouth.

Equipped with wireless and electric light, and specifically designed to be more efficient than her contemporaries, the declining herring stocks nonetheless meant that the Lydia Eva had a relatively short working life and she landed her last catch in December 1938.

Two months later Harry Eastick sold her and his other remaining vessel to Norford Sufflings, a local firm of fish merchants. She was then sold on to the Caernarvonshire Yacht Company and was altered and equipped for a contract with the Air Ministry, maintaining and servicing buoys around the West coast. In 1942 she was requisitioned by the Ministry of War Transport and became engaged in salvage work
In 1971 she was acquired by the Maritime Trust and restored as a floating museum in Great Yarmouth.

The Mincarlo is the last of her kind.She is the last surviving fishing vessel built in Lowestoft with an engine made in the town and known as a sidewinder because her nets went over the sides, unlike the now universal stern or beam trawlers. She remains a floating tribute to the men who braved the North Sea to provide our fish.

The Mincarlo was launched from the famous Brooke Marine yard on September 25th 1961. 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.

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. .