Background
Coates was born in Swansea, the son of Joseph Coates, Professor of Chemistry at the University College of Swansea.
Coates was born in Swansea, the son of Joseph Coates, Professor of Chemistry at the University College of Swansea.
He was educated at Clifton College and took Engineering Science at The Queen"s College, Oxford.
His research led to the construction of the first working replicas of triremes and gave a greater understanding of how they were built and used. He also carried out research into the use of shipping in Northern Europe during the Bronze Age, in particular the Ferriby Bronze Age boat and the Dover Boat. He joined the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors and in 1943 saw sea service on the Arctic convoys.
After the war, he continued to work in the Admiralty.
An early project was the design of new inflatable lifejackets and liferafts for which he was appointed Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1955. He was the leading ship design architect for the County-class destroyers.
Coates remained in Admiralty service until 1979 when he retired for the post of Chief Naval Architect. In 1982 he was approached by Professor John Morrison of Wolfson College, Cambridge to assist with research into the design of the trireme.
Together they and others founded the Trireme Trust, and created a series of small scale replicas based on historical records and architectural theory.
Their work eventually led to the construction of a full-scale replica, the Olympias, by the Greek government in 1987. He also worked on the archaeological remains of Bronze Age seagoing ships in Northern Europe, establishing that vessels of considerable size and architectural sophistication capable of large-scale overseas travel existed in the era of 2030-1680 British Columbia. He was awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Science) by the University of Bath in 1989. Coates married Jane Waymouth in 1954, she predeceased him in 2008.
He died on 10 July 2010, leaving two sons.