New lease of life for the last ship built at the famous
Ramage & Ferguson shipyard, at Leith, Scotland.
MERCATOR
Launched from the
Leith Shipyard in December 1931 she was Ship No 269 according to the official
shipbuilders list, she was an order from the Belgian Government for a 3 masted
Barqentine for use as a sail training ship to be used by the Belgian Navy.
A barquentine is a
sailing vessel with three or more masts; with a square rigged foremast and
fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts.
Ideal for sail
training along with the advantage of having a smaller crew than a full rigged
ship, they are capable of very good performance before the wind, along with the
ability to sail relatively close to the wind.
The MERCATOR is a
very striking looking ship that required extensive work after a long period of
lay-up at the port of Ostend.
MERCATOR seen here at her berth in Ostend, Belgium
(Photograph from the official Mercator website)
Her extensive re-fit
was carried out in Ostend, Belgium
by
IDP Shipyard (Industries des pêcheries)
They did the masts and the rigging a few years ago. While
last year they carried out repairs, cleaning and panting of the hull along with
a complete refit of her inside, with the cost of the whole operation costing
around 3.4 million Euro. She is now back at her berth in Ostend
open to the public, who as you will see in the video below came out in great
numbers to welcome the old Leith built ship home.
Return of the Mercator to Ostend
If you happen to be in Ostend and wish to be shown around
the ship and the surrounding area then we would recommend that you contact
Joris Surmont, who is a very knowledgeable guide working in Ostend with very
good English as well, you can find more details of his guided tours below, just
click on the link to be taken right there.
You can also visit the official MERCATOR museum site here at
She is a testimony to the men who built her at Leith,
now eighty five (85) years after she first entered the waters of the Firth of
Fourth and still going strong, she is supported by a marvellous organisation
along with many volunteers who will ensure she goes on for many more years.
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