Newlyn's old timer, the Excellent.

The fishing vessel Excellent, now the oldest in the Stevenson fleet could be bought for £1 - a real piece of British maritime history with clandestine voyages during WWII to the coast of Norway just some of her incredible past adventures.

History

Built in 1931 by J & G Forbes of Sandhaven, the EFFICIENT was a 75ft wooden fishing vessel with a cruiser stern, fitted with a 160hp Petter Atomic diesel for the Ritchie Brothers of Rosehearty. Her two stroke Petter diesel was economical and gave her a speed of more than 11 knots.

Registered at More

Significance

EXCELLENT served as part of the Stevenson’s fleet for over 70 years. She has had three major engine changes and has been rebuilt twice. The changes in her reflect the changing needs of the fishing industry over this period. She is a very good example of a vessel which has been progressively modernised to enable her to remain commercially viable.

Her wartime service has still to be fully researched but is believed to include clandestine trips to Norway. Apart from her hull with its distinctive cruiser stern little remains to show her origins.

She is the only vessel in Newlyn with a crow's nest - in fact, both for and aft masts are fitted with them - who knows why?

Previous names

1. 1931 – 1946Efficient

Key dates

1. 1937 Bought by Stevenson's of Newlyn
2. 1941-1945 Requisitioned by the Admiralty

Bibliography

1. 1932 The Motor Boat Full page advertisement by Petters of Yeovil
2. 1988 Lost Ships of the West Country - Langley, M and Small, E
3. 1995 Olsen's Fisherman's Nautical Almanack 1995
4. 1997 The English Welsh and Northern Ireland Fishing Vessel List as at 30 June 1997 - Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food
5. 1997 Classic Boat High, Wide and Mighty
6. 1998 Classic Boat Seven Days at the Hake
7. 1998 Olsen's Fisherman's Nautical Almanack 1998
8. 2001 Growing up with Boats - Stevenson, William