The steel motor vessel Redgate was launched from the Waterhuizen, Groningen yard of NV Scheepswerven Gebr van Diepen (Yard No 992) in 1968. She measured 254.5′ x 38.9′ x 19.0′ and her tonnage was 1421 gross tons, 881 net tons. She was powered by an 8 cylinder 4SA diesel engine by Atlas Mach (GmbH) of Kiel delivering 1500 brake horse power. Ordered by the Turnbull, Scott Shipping Co Ltd of London she operated for this company until she was sold in 1977 to Lumin Cia Naviera SA and registered in Panama under her new name Annemieke. She continued to mainly operate in European waters for this organisation.
MV Annemieke as Redgate
Lloyd’s register (as Redgate)
On 9th November 1978 she was en route from Furnace, Loch Fyne to Hamburg loaded with 2400 tons of granite chips under the command of Captain Anton G Muller who had a crew of seven men aboard. As they reached a position near Kinnaird Head Muller noted that her steering was getting sluggish and an inspection revealed that she had developed a leak. He steered the vessel closer to shore but, when in a position noted as thirteen miles off Peterhead, the vessel’s situation had deteriorated. Now with a serious twenty eight degree list, Muller ordered his crew into a liferaft. Before he left the ship, at 1:00am on 10th, Muller sent out a Mayday call which was picked up by Moray Coastguard. At 1:14am the Peterhead lifeboat James and Mariska Joicey was launched, local shipping had been alerted and a Sea King helicopter from RAF Lossiemouth was also called in to the rescue effort. A local fishing vessel, Brighter Dawn skippered by Me Alex Morgan, was close to the foundering vessel and sped to the scene picking up the crew from the raft at 1:30am. He later reported that, as he arrived at the scene, Annemieke was still afloat but by the time he had the crew aboard she had gone.
Buchan Observer 14th November
The wreck believed to be Annemieke lies in position 57° 27.299’N, 01° 22.297’W. She lies in 106 metres with a least depth clearance of 90 metres and is oriented 030/210 degrees. The identification has not been verified due to the depth of the wreck which lies with 150 metres of the Fortes/Cruden oil pipeline. The wreck, which measures 67 x 23 x 14 metres, closely matches the dimensions of Annemieke and lies in a position near her reported loss location 13 miles off Peterhead.
