# Decca Navigation in small fishing boats



## Mike Craine

When was Decca Navigation first installed in small fishing boats - 50 footers. Especially those based in the Irish Sea and along the northern coast of Ireland?


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## wee bobby

HI- MIKE- I think the late 60's--as I would call it from the CLOCKWORK era-to date!!


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## wully farquhar

Hi Mike,I think the Decca were in some of the boats out of Scrabster around the late fifties.


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## gdynia

The following is a list of dates when the DECCA chains first went into service

http://www.jproc.ca/hyperbolic/decca_chains.html


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## donald mckay

I think the first Wick boat would have been the Good Hope WK209 in the late 50s


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## janathull

Stevensons had the old black box decca, I think it was the mark 8, in the early sixties, seems very antiquted now. Regards janathull.


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## bill dial

*Decca*



janathull said:


> Stevensons had the old black box decca, I think it was the mark 8, in the early sixties, seems very antiquted now. Regards janathull.


I believe the mk5 was the first to be installed stand to be corrected


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## Michael.b

Hello Mike,my father was a crew member of the Mercator GY 587 in 1953.She was the first seine- netter in Grimsby to be fitted with Decca,it was MK 3 too big to go in the wheelhouse so was installed down in the cabin, all the crew were involved in getting a position etc one man to call readings to man on deck then called to man in wheelhouse then the skipper done his bit.


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## bill dial

Michael.b said:


> Hello Mike,my father was a crew member of the Mercator GY 587 in 1953.She was the first seine- netter in Grimsby to be fitted with Decca,it was MK 3 too big to go in the wheelhouse so was installed down in the cabin, all the crew were involved in getting a position etc one man to call readings to man on deck then called to man in wheelhouse then the skipper done his bit.


Michael ur probably rite m8 i brought a anchor seiner from whitehaven to north shields it had old mk 5 in it that was late 70s(Thumb)


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## Binnacle

gdynia said:


> The following is a list of dates when the DECCA chains first went into service
> 
> http://www.jproc.ca/hyperbolic/decca_chains.html


Very interesting. Thank you.


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## JCM

I believe the first Decca in Scotland was fitted on Boy Peter 2 KY255 owned by Peter Murray and Ian Murray. The Decca they had the sreial number 0001. I believe it was fitted in 1952( I am not sure of this date) My father(Peter Murray) after a trail time was asked to speak on his sucess at a Decca conference in london, the main bits of the conference was recorded on a LP, including my father speaking on his decca.


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## billmaca

Didnt the mark five also have a good sized box down below with the black box with the dials in the wheelhouse?


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## cajef

billmaca said:


> Didnt the mark five also have a good sized box down below with the black box with the dials in the wheelhouse?


You are correct the decometers were in a box in the wheelhouse, I worked for Decca from 1968 the MK5 which was straight valve TRF receiver was fitted on several inshore boats in the Fleetwood fleet the receiver was usually in a cabin down below or even the engine room, it was gradually phased out by about the mid seventies and replaced by the MK12 which was a valve superhet receiver.

Then the Mk21 which had the receiver and decometers in the one box was brought in eventually replaced by the MK53 and finally the MK53G which had Decca and GPS in the same unit.

I reckon I must have serviced hundreds in the past, there were a lot of Decca models but many were aircraft versions, someone earlier in the thread mentioned the MK8, that was an aircraft Decca.


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## Mike Craine

Fantastic info, thanks for everything.


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## JCM

Further information on Boy Peter II Decca Navigator. I have spoken with a crewman who was on the boat at the time (Coul Deas) the Decca was fitted in Ayr on a Saturday in 1950. The Boy Peter II was an ex Navy MFV (Nan Fisher) and was orginally from Whitstable, she had a seperate wireless cabin situated between the wheelhouse and the galley, the Decca was fitted in this place.
They sailed later that day for trials, when asking how accurate it would be the Decca men(3) who were fitting it said you can bet your life on it and they did just that, when they were certain it was working ok one of the Decca men went over the side with a dhan, the Boy Peter II steam away from him with the compass covered, then the Decca man in the wireless room directed them right back to the man(I bet he was glad !) needless to say the crew were impressed. To hire the machine was £5 per week.


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## Bobby Allen

Certainly I remember the old Mk 5's in Whitby end 50's beginning of the 60's


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## finnan

I could be wrong but did the paper track plotters not follow the introduction of the mk 12 late 60s dont think these plotters were compatable to the mark 5.1 of the great innovations of the fishing industry.They replaced the old cigar box with the 2 rollers that u would operate by hand.


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