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A 65ft Admiralty MFV abandoned on the mud by the jetty on the North side of Hooe Lake.

Type

65ft Admiralty MFV

History

The Admiralty MFV Charles Leake II was built in Lowestoft in 1946 and registered in Kings Lynn as LN106, originally built as a pilot boat she had a larger engine than the other vessels of that type. The trawler operated from Brixham in the mid-1960s under the ownership of Fred Easton from Bere Alston, with the ship notably winning the Brixham Trawler Race in 1966.

This ship helped with the distribution of detergent over the sea to disperse oil when the tanker Torrey Canyon sank on the Seven Stones reef off West Cornwall in 1967. Unfortunately this detergent reacted with her caulking and she subsequently leaked badly, which lead to her abandonment in Hooe Lake. By the 1980s the Charles Leake II was in poor condition, flooding with the tide, her bottom embedded in the soft mud of the lake, lying on her port bilge alongside a pink steel tug which may have been called Clare.

Description

All that remains of this MFV is the keel, some of the floor timbers and concrete ballast that was poured in between the frames.

The stern of the Charles Leake II is mixed in with the remains of the two Harbour Launches .

This vessel was not mentioned in the book Lost Ships of the West Country by Langley & Small and the remains on the foreshore were not reported by Read. Thanks to Martin Johns and Dave Boon for information about this vessel.

Location and Access

Hooe Lake, Oreston, Plymouth

From Oreston, take the Lower Saltram road off Plymstock Road then turn right into Kingfisher Way. Follow the road down to the lake and there is a car park at the end; the stone jetty is easily visible on the north shore. The foreshore is firm but further out is deep mud so appropriate footwear and knowledge of the tide is needed.

Nearby hulks include the lighter Arthur , the two Harbour Launches and the schooner John Sims

Last updated 18 May 2021

Position OS: SX 50195 53052
Position GPS: 50.358268, -4.107348
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