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9 September 2010 Home >Forum >RV Sarsia

RV Sarsia

From Mike Helm 17/3/2006

I sailed on the Marine Biological Association's RV Sarsia out of Plymouth in the early 1960s. I last saw her partially submerged and derelict in the East Float dock, Birkenhead, this February. Can anyone please provide details and the history of this ship. I believe she was built by Philip & Son, Dartmouth, in 1953. Thanks.

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Previous comments

John Boylett
19/4/2010

Dejas Marine bought the Sarsia in 1981 and renamed it Dejudah in 1982 when she was taken to West Africa and used as high definition oil survey boat untill 1886 when the oil business went a quiet and returned back to Dartmouth May 22nd. 1986 and then on to Plymouth
where it sayed in Millbay Docks for about 2 years untill sold and towed away, she could have sailed under her own power but there was some cracks in the rudder operating hydraulic cylinders and Lloyds deemed it unsafe.
I was the engineer when she sailed from Plymouth in 1982 to Abidjan, I did several trips on her and was on
her when she returned from Port Gentil in 1986, somewhere I have plenty of photos of her during that time including one of her being towed across Plymouth sound, the last time I saw her,

Tony Pendleton
21/10/2008

The bow of RV Sarsia was featured on BBC Breakfast TV this morning as part of the introduction to a business report from the Wirral.
As an ex Sarsia 1st Mate (four years in the mid-70's) it was certainly quite a shock to me... I last saw her in Falmouth in the 80's when she was involved in African offshore oil work.
tony.pendleton (at) hotmail.co.uk

bill
13/10/2007

hi the sarsia will be cut up very shortly because they want to build on the ground around her. she has been lieing there for 10 years, it sank because someone nicked the sea cock.

Craig Eastman
14/6/2006

Hi Mike,

I saw your post on the Sarsia which now lies solemny in Birkenhead's East Float. As far as I can gather she came into service in the April of 1953 as a replacement for the Sabella. She was herself replaced by the Frederick Russell in 1981, although the National Marine Biological Society lists her last year of service as 1979. I assume she was left in Birkenhead sometime from 1979 onward, although nobody seems to be able to help me confirm this as yet. I have photographed Sarsia on several occasions, and she does make for a beautiful if sad subject. Drop me an email on disko@tiscali.co.uk if you'd like to see them.