Excelsior (smack)
Encyclopedia
Excelsior is the last surviving fishing smack
of the Lowestoft
fishing fleet
and a member of the National Historic Fleet. She was built by John Chambers of Lowestoft in 1921 and worked until 1936 before being converted into a motor cruiser. In 2011 Excelsior celebrated her 90th birthday. During her time as a motor cruiser she was known as Svinor and sailed mainly in Norwegian waters before returning to Lowestoft in 1972.
She measures 23 metres long with a beam of 5.9 metres and is the last traditional sailing trawler able to tow a full-sized traditional trawl net. Excelsior was restored in 1989 and operates as a sail training vessel based out of Lowestoft, able to accommodate up to 16 people, with 12 sleeping berths.
Smack (ship)
A smack was a traditional fishing boat used off the coast of England and the Atlantic coast of America for most of the 19th century, and even in small numbers up to the Second World War. It was originally a cutter rigged sailing boat until about 1865, when the smacks became so large that cutter...
of the Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
fishing fleet
Fishing fleet
A fishing fleet is an aggregate of commercial fishing vessels. The term may be used of all vessels operating out of a particular port, all vessels engaged in a particular type of fishing , or all fishing vessels of a country or region.Although fishing vessels are not formally organized as if they...
and a member of the National Historic Fleet. She was built by John Chambers of Lowestoft in 1921 and worked until 1936 before being converted into a motor cruiser. In 2011 Excelsior celebrated her 90th birthday. During her time as a motor cruiser she was known as Svinor and sailed mainly in Norwegian waters before returning to Lowestoft in 1972.
She measures 23 metres long with a beam of 5.9 metres and is the last traditional sailing trawler able to tow a full-sized traditional trawl net. Excelsior was restored in 1989 and operates as a sail training vessel based out of Lowestoft, able to accommodate up to 16 people, with 12 sleeping berths.
See also
- MincarloMincarlo (trawler)Mincarlo is the last surviving sidewinder fishing trawler of the Lowestoft fishing fleet. She is also the last surviving fishing vessel built in Lowestoft, with an engine made in the town.-Construction:...
- last surviving Lowestoft Sidewinder fishing trawler.