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 TheReaper under full sail. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Builder | J. & G. Forbes ofSandhaven |
| Launched | 1901 |
| Identification |
|
| Status | Museum ship |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Fifieherringdrifter |
| Tonnage | Gross: 61.30 (net 29.04) |
| Length | 70.26 ft (21.42 m) |
| Beam | 20.38 ft (6.21 m) |
| Draft | 8.60 ft (2.62 m) |
| Sail plan |
|
Reaper is a restored historicFifieherringdrifter which is registered by theNational Historic Ships Committee as part of theNational Historic Fleet of theUK, and currently operates as amuseum ship.
Built by J. & G. Forbes ofSandhaven in 1901, she is 21 metres long and ofcarvel construction, usinglarch planking on larch andoak frames. First registered atFraserburgh in 1902, she operated initially as a sailinglugger with amain dippinglug sail and amizzen standing lug sail. There would have been a crew of around eight to work the nets which were set atdusk and hauled in atdawn. Once the haul was complete, a swift return to port would ensure the best prices for the earliest-sold catches.
Reaper later spent many years inShetland fishing for herring in the summer and she was fitted with an engine between the Wars. DuringWorld War II she was requisitioned by theAdmiralty[1] and served in the southeast ofEngland, often being used as abarrage balloon mooring. After the war, she resumed fishing in Shetland and continued until 1957. She holds the record catch for Shetland of 233cran (almost 250,000 herrings).[citation needed]
From 1959 she served the local council as a general purposecargo boat until the introduction of theroll on-roll off ferries when she was retired from service.
Reaper was purchased by theScottish Fisheries Museum inAnstruther,Fife in 1975 and restored to her traditional sailing configuration as a two-masted sailing lugger, much as she would have appeared when first going to sea in 1902. RenamedReaper FR958, she is one of the last authentic survivors of this type of vessel, once plentiful on the east coast ofScotland.
Listed as part of theNational Historic Fleet, she sails regularly in the summer months. When not sailing, the boat is berthed in Anstruther harbour opposite the fisheries museum. In 2003 she visited 14 ports around Britain, attracting 24,000 visitors. In 2005 she visited 12 ports around Britain, including a visit to theFestival of the Sea inPortsmouth, and attracted 20,000 visitors.
In 2001, with seven people aboard, she was the centre of an emergency off the coast of northeastEngland when she began to take on water due to the failure of abilge pump. A rescue helicopter was scrambled fromRAF Boulmer inNorthumberland. Alifeboat dispatched fromAmble transferred a new pump and escorted her to harbour for repairs.[2]
In August 2016 she was blown over and partially submerged in unseasonably strong winds while docked at Johnshaven Harbor in Aberdeenshire.[3]
Reaper was portrayed in an episode of the 2010 BBC TV seriesBoats that Built Britain.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 2016 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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