Not Set

Remains of a fishing vessel on the southern shore of Hooe Lake, near Oreston in Plymouth.

Type

Motor fishing vessel (MFV)

History

Flete Lady was built at Mashfords boatyard, Cremyll, in 1958 from timber from the Flete Estate near Ermington. There is a story that the lady of the Flete Estate gave the timber to Mashfords for free in exchange for a box of lemon soles every month. The 20m long fishing boat was registered in Plymouth as PH36. Mashfords fleet of four boats were Flete Lady, Pentillie (PH43) a WWII MFV fleet tender built in 1943, Lowestoft trawler Master Hand that was broken up at Torpoint and Bosloe (PH122) built by Mashfords in 1966. June 1977 she was owned by Tamar Trawlers of Cremyll and ownership was transferred to Michael Henwood and Anthony Jago in November 1985, then to Michael Henwood of Cawsand in 1989. Alan Manning skippered the Flete Lady with a crew of three or four through the 70s and 80s. Last fished by Victor Krykunivsky, Flete Lady was decommissioned in 1995 stripped of fittings then moored in Hooe Lake.

Moved to the west end of Hexton Quay, John Kennington attempted to refloat the hull and convert the hull into a houseboat after shifting 5 tons of mud from her bilges, he lived on board for a while in a cut-down caravan before eventually condemning the hull.

Please get in touch if you have any information about this vessel by sending us a message below.

Description

The remains of Flete Lady lie beached at the west end of the boatyard and were in poor condition when photographed by The SHIPS Project in 2020. The hull is largely complete but many side planks are eroded or missing so the hull floods each tide. The bulwarks and all upperworks and fittings are now missing. The ship is beached alongside the Floralie .

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. Take the footpath heading south under the folly and follow it round to the hulk, there is a gap in the bushes where you can walk through to the beach. Alternatively, walk round via the beach but take care as the rocks are slippery.

Nearby hulks include Floralie , Hooe Lake 11 and Silver Seagull

Last updated 03 Jan 2021