RV ''Platessa'' (LT205) was a fisheries

research vessel A research vessel (RV or R/V) is a ship or boat designed, modified, or equipped to carry out research at sea. Research vessels carry out a number of roles. Some of these roles can be combined into a single vessel but others require a dedicated ...

that was operated by the

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (United Kingdom) The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) was a Departments of the United Kingdom Government, United Kingdom government department created by the Board of Agriculture Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict. c. 30) and at that time called the Board ...

- Directorate of Fisheries, now known as the

Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) is an executive agency of the United Kingdom government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). It carries out a wide range of research, advisory, consul ...

(Cefas) between 1946 and 1967. RV ''Platessa'' was based at the port of

Lowestoft Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the List of extreme points of the United Kingdom, most easterly UK se ...

and was originally ordered by the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

as one of 81 Motor Fishing Vessels (MFVs) in the ‘1501-Class’ during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Motor fishing vessels were small wooden craft, built-in large numbers during the war for use as

Ship's tender A ship's tender, usually referred to as a tender, is a boat or ship used to service or support other boats or ships. This is generally done by transporting people or supplies to and from shore or another ship. A second and distinctly different ...

s. Constructed as MFV 1576 by East Anglian Constructors at

Oulton Broad Oulton Broad refers to both the lake and the suburb of Lowestoft, Suffolk, England. The suburb is located west of the centre of Lowestoft. It became a civil parish in 2017. It had an estimated population of 10,338 at the 2011 United Kingdom cen ...

, she was ordered on 26 February 1944, but not completed by the end of the wartime. Trials began in April 1946, and she was taken into service (but not ownership) as an unfinished hull by the

Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (United Kingdom) The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) was a United Kingdom government department created by the Board of Agriculture Act 1889 ( 52 & 53 Vict. c. 30) and at that time called the Board of Agriculture, and then from 1903 the Boar ...

and converted to a fishing research vessel. She was adapted to carry a trawl on her starboard side. The ''Platessa's'' work was almost equally divided between co-operation with the '' RV Sir Lancelot'' in the East Anglian

herring Herring are various species of forage fish, belonging to the Order (biology), order Clupeiformes. Herring often move in large Shoaling and schooling, schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate wate ...

fishery survey,

plaice Plaice is a common name for a group of flatfish that comprises four species: the European, American, Alaskan and scale-eye plaice. Commercially, the most important plaice is the European. The principal commercial flatfish in Europe, it is ...

population surveys, plaice marking, mesh experiments and comparative fishing tests. Rotting hulk of RV Platessa

In 1967 the RV ''Platessa'' was handed back to the

Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) The Ministry of Defence (MOD or MoD) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for implementing the defence policy set by the government and serv ...

after 20 years in service, she was replaced by the '' RV Corella''. In 1968 the RV ''Platessa'' was sold to private owners (H.J. Lamprell Ltd) and after sinking in Hamilton Dock,

in 1975 she was eventually hulked at

Lake Lothing Lake Lothing is a saltwater lake located in Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. The lake, which is believed to be the remnant of medieval peat cutting,

where her remains lay for many years. She was recorded as still extant in

Lake Lothing Lake Lothing is a saltwater lake located in Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. The lake, which is believed to be the remnant of medieval peat cutting,

on 19 August 2015, and she continues to exist as one of two wooden wrecks (the other being the MFV Yellowtail) in the central basin.

Service as a fisheries research vessel

The RV ''Platessa'' (LT205) was in service with the

from April 1946 until June 1967, during which time she participated in more than 473 separate research campaigns.Goodwin, N.B., Dare, P.J., Belson, S.J., Gunstone, K.L., Ellis, J.R., Rogers, S.I. (2001) A catalogue of DEFRA historical research vessel data. Sci. Ser. Tech Rep., Cefas Lowestoft, 112, 32pp. http://www.cefas.co.uk/publications/techrep/tech112.pdf She was primarily confined to the southern

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

, but with occasional forays into the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea is a body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the north by the North Ch ...

and

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

, especially in the 1960s. The RV ''Platessa'' (LT205) was overwhelmingly dedicated to research on North Sea

and North Sea

Plaice Plaice is a common name for a group of flatfish that comprises four species: the European, American, Alaskan and scale-eye plaice. Commercially, the most important plaice is the European. The principal commercial flatfish in Europe, it is ...

. This work included the tagging of more than 12,000 plaice during the 1950s, 7000 during the 1960s.Burt, G., Goldsmith, D. and Armstrong, M. (2006) A summary of demersal fish tagging data maintained and published by Cefas. Sci. Ser. Tech Rep., Cefas Lowestoft, 135: 40pp. http://www.cefas.co.uk/Publications/techrep/tech135.pdf In addition, large numbers of tagged plaice were released off the

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

coast, using the RV ''Platessa'' during 1949 and 1950. In August 1951 echo-sounder traces were obtained over a wide area off

Whitby Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is on the Yorkshire Coast at the mouth of the River Esk, North Yorkshire, River Esk and has a maritime, mineral and tourist economy. From the Middle Ages, Whitby ...

by the RV 'Platessa', using a Marconi sounder. They were found to occur at a depth corresponding to that of a sharp

thermocline A thermocline (also known as the thermal layer or the metalimnion in lakes) is a distinct layer based on temperature within a large body of fluid (e.g. water, as in an ocean or lake; or air, e.g. an atmosphere) with a high gradient of distinct te ...

, and small whiting about 3 in. in length, large

Medusae Jellyfish, also known as sea jellies or simply jellies, are the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals, althoug ...

, herring and sandeel larvæ were caught with a pelagic trawl at the depth of the trace. This work was reported in a ‘letter’ to the journal Nature in 1952. In 1950 the RV ''Platessa'' was involved in comparative herring surveys alongside the RV ''Clupea''. The RV ''Clupea'' (a 75 ft motor drifter) had been taken into service in August 1948 and shared with the Scottish Home Department's

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

Laboratory, working half of the year from

and the other half from

. This arrangement lasted until 1952 when the RV ''Clupea'' was allocated full-time for the use of the

scientists. During many of the earliest research cruises aboard RV ''Platessa'' (in the 1940s) scientists used a

Secchi disk The Secchi disk (or Secchi disc), as created in 1865 by Angelo Secchi, is a plain white, circular disk in diameter used to measure water transparency or turbidity in bodies of water. The disc is mounted on a pole or line and lowered slowly dow ...

to assess light penetration (turbidity) in the southern

. Recently,

Cefas The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) is an executive agency of the United Kingdom government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). It carries out a wide range of research, advisory, consul ...

scientists re-discovered 469 historical Secchi depth measurements in survey logbooks, collected in 1931, 1937, 1946–50, and 1968. These historical measurements have revealed that the ‘sechhi depth’ was much deeper (and therefore water more transparent) in the past compared to today, and thus that the North Sea has become much more turbid. The Suffolk Record Office holds a photograph captioned ''"survey ship ''Platessa'' LT 205 in Lowestoft harbour after being escorted back by the Gorleston lifeboat Khami having sprung a leak whilst working in the Smiths Knoll area"'', dated 5 October 1968 (after leaving MAFF service).Suffolk Record Office - photographs. https://www.suffolkarchives.co.uk/collections/getrecord/GB175_1176_1_12_9_10_4, Accessed 27/06/2018

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Platessa 1946 ships Ships of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Research vessels of the United Kingdom

Service as a fisheries research vessel

See also

References