Unity

The steel motor fishing vessel Mount Royal was launched from the Aberdeen yard of John Lewis and Sons Ltd (Yard No 337) on 23rd April 1963.  She measured 80.0′ x 20.8′ x 10.8′ and her tonnage was 59 gross tons, 18 net tons.   She was powered by a 6 cylinder 4SA diesel engine by Lister Blackstone Marine Ltd delivering 496 brake horse power.  Ordered by Malcom Smith Ltd she was registered in Aberdeen A669 later that year.  In 1981 she weas sold to Orkney fishermen Albert and David Reid and registered in Kirkwall K458.  She was to be purchased by another Orcadian, Mr K Bain, four years later before she was returned to the north east fishery in Fraserburgh in 1993 where she was renamed Margarita Strachan FR112.  Finally, she was purchased by the Unity Fishing Company Ltd in Peterhead in 1994 who named her Unity PD14.

The details of her last service years are not recorded but, in 1996 she was decommissioned and her engine and fittings removed.  On 2nd April she was under tow by MFV Armen, en route to Invergordon to be scrapped, when the tow line snapped off Lossiemouth.  The unstable hulk wallowed in the swell and almost immediately turned turtle and foundered. 

The wreck of Unity lies where she sank in position 57 45.328’N, 03 13.343’W.  She sits upright and in tact in 21 metres with a least depth clearance of 16 metres.  She is a popular dive with local dive teams as she is not subject to tidal flows and visibility is generally fairly good. 

We’d like to thank Simon Cook for his permission to use his underwater photographs of the wreck.