Technical
Official Number: 378030
RSS No.A16730
Licence No: 10425
Completed: 1963
Gross Tonnage: 85.63
Net Tonnage: 27.35
L.O.A: 26.72 m
Length: 24.39 m
Breadth: 6.25 m
Depth: 2.71 m
Engine: 186kW/250hp oil engine by Bolnes B.V., Krimpen aan de Lek, Rotterdam
History
1963: Launched by Scheepswerf De Rietpol, Spaarndam.
1963: Completed by H. Zwart, IJmuiden for Leopold & Theodoor Neyts, Zeebruges as MERCURIUS. Registered at Zeebruges (Z527).
11.1972: Sold to Germany.
6.12.1972: Zeebruges registry closed. Registered at Bremerhaven as SANDRA (BX751).
1973: Re-engined with 224kW/300hp oil engine by Bolnes B.V., Krimpen aan de Lek, Rotterdam.
1981: Sold to David Atkinson, Fleetwood. Bremerhaven registry closed. Registered at Fleetwood as COTSMUIR (FD277).
1988: Sold to A. Williams & J. E. Heron, Kilkeel, Co. Down. Fishing out of Fleetwood.
08.04.1990: Sailed Fleetwood for the Morecambe Bay fishing grounds.
09.04.1990: Trawl fouled the propeller and rudder taken in tow by the RESOLUTE and towed to Amlwch Harbour Angelsy. Trawl cleared by divers, but as the tide ebbed the vessel fell onto her side, and was flooded on the next incoming tide.
13.04.1990: Raised by the Holyhead Towing Company, which took almost 12 hours to pump out the vessel. Vessel repaired and put back into service.
By 1993: Sold to Sean M. Ryan, Fishguard, Pembrokeshire, (later Hermon, Glogue,Pembrokeshire).
199?: Converted for beam trawling. Fishing from Milford/Fishguard.
199?: On completion of rebuild as a beam trawler, remeasured 99gt.
10.03.1994: Registered at Fleetwood as MERCURIUS (FD277).
16.02.2009: At Milford to land and to sail the following day. One crewman, David Robert England (38), Morriston, Swansea stayed on board.
17.02.2009: Sailing postponed and later the Holyhead beam scalloper STEPHANIE (BCK152) arrived and secured alongside.. During the afternoon, England went ashore to the local pub. Late in the evening he returned on board and at 2330 was seen standing on the deck by the mate of STEPHANIE who spoke to him and ascertained he was all right. The mate then went ashore and spent a few hours in the nearby pub
before returning to his boat at 0230. As he crossed MERCURIUS, he found England asleep on the deck, next to the starboard accommodation door. He tried to rouse him, but England did not want to move so he decided to head for his own bunk.
18.02.2009: In the morning the body of a man was recovered from the dock.
20.02.2009: Pembrokeshire Coroner released the name of the man who had been identified as England.
2012: Fleetwood registry closed. Registered at Milford (M277).
11.2016: Still fishing and landing at Milford; member of the South Western Fish Producers Organisation Ltd, Ivybridge, Devon.
Click to enlarge images
M.T. Cotsmuir FD277
Picture courtesy of The John Worthington Collection
M.T. Cotsmuir FD277
Image from the David Slinger Collection.
M.T. Mercurius FD277
Picture from the Internet
M.T. Mercurius FD277
Picture courtesy of The Bill Williamson Collection
M.T. Mercurius M277
Picture from the Internet
M.T. Sandra BX751
Picture from the Internet
Changelog
27/10/2016: Page re-published due to site problems.
09/12/2016: Picture added and text amended.
11/12/2016: Added information.
20/03/2017: Added picture and removed FMHT watermark from others.
31/03/2020: Added an image.
28/08/2024: Edited history.
28/08/2024: Added an image.
