Ancel

Vessel numberHV000631

(not assigned)B46

Date1953

DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 16.41 m x 13.8 m x 4.34 m x 1.7 m (53.84 ft x 45.28 ft x 14.24 ft x 5.58 ft)

DescriptionANCEL‘s construction in Broome in 1953 for Streeter & Male was done by a team lead by Doug D’Antoine who served an apprenticeship with his uncles Robin and Jack Hunter, shipwrights that were involved shortly after World War II with the reconstruction of another Broome pearling lugger TRIXEN (HV000391.). Doug D’Antoine is an Aboriginal Bardi speaker from Cape Leveque in WA, and the grandson of Adrian Julius (Frenchy) D’Antoine, a pearler who was originally from the Seychelles. ANCEL was named after Arthur Males friend Captain Ancell Clement Gregory, one of the principle figures of the north west pearling industry

ANCEL’s hull shape is typical for a Broome lugger. The shallow draft was required for the shoaling waters of Roebuck Bay and the hull shape was developed from the graceful pre-WW II sailing luggers to a fuller hull, developed to maximize cargo capacity and to fit a powerful diesel engine for propulsion, relegating the sail-plan to a lesser role. ANCEL’s construction is notable because up to this point in time, the luggers constructed in Broome had sawn frames, made from the branches of the Kadjebut (meleleuca laucadendron) tree, a large paper-bark that is found in the Kimberly region of Western Australia. The impact of diminishing supplies of timber from this tree necessitated the introduction and use of laminated frames, which was first discussed in an article published by the Commonwealth Director of Fisheries titled, ’Standard Pearling ship for the North-west’. This article, featuring the work of Naval Architect, A.N.Swinfield A.M.R.IN.A., provided drawings and construction details as a basis for future fleets of standardized vessels. The construction details of ANCEL almost mirror those of the drawings of the A.N. Swinfield luggers of the north-west coast.

Streeter & Male owned ANCEL for three years before it was sold it to the Australian Pearling Company Ltd in Darwin. It was initially used to fish wild shell for seeding the cultured pearl farms. In 1964 ownership was transferred to T.K. Archer and it was later purchased by Bartholomew Ryan and used as a pleasure craft.

ANCEL was temporarily beached and abandoned on Finucane Island near Port Headland in 1970, prior to being donated to the Western Australian Museum and placed in the museum’s storage facility in Welshpool WA.

SignificanceANCEL is a pearling lugger built in 1953 in Broome WA. It was amongst the last of the traditional Broome pearling luggers that were built in the 1950s. Arthur Streeter’s company Streeter & Male built the vessel, and ANCEL is one of a small number built with Indigenous shipwrights, and is a unique example of Indigenous re-engagement with the pearling industry.

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