Michael & John Corlett

Brothers Mike Corlett, 84, and John Corlett, 82, and their two siblings were raised at Fairy Cottage, Laxey. Their father was the village pharmacist. They enjoyed an enviable amount of freedom as youngsters and were allowed to roam free on the shoreline and brooghs.

As adults, they taught themselves to be divers, using almost rudimentary equipment. 

Mike became a diver for the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries and later bought his own fishing boat. John became a successful farmer. Any free time was devoted to exploring wrecks.

In this oral history they describe how they were the first to locate HMS  Racehorse, which sank off Langness in the 1820s. They also talk about exploring the cargo vessel Ballina, which went down off Laxey Bay in 1882, and the Fleetwood trawler Merisia, dashed on the rocks in Bulgham Bay in 1940, and some of the fascinating objects they brought to the surface.

Interviews

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• Interview with Michael & John Corlett