Nice one Captain.
Nice one Captain.
In Grytviken, South Georgia are three ships abandoned on the beach, relics of the old whaling and sealing days.There is the `PETREL` a whale chaser still with the harpoon gun on the focsle, , and the VIOLA and ALBATROSS, two sealers alongside each other.
They had been semi submerged but recently hauled up the beach.
The Viola, which was sold to the Argentinos around the 1920s, was renamed, DIAZ, has a beautiful coal burning, steam engine, all the brass work is in excellent condition considering it is over 100 years old. there is a team of enthusiasts, all volunteers, trying to restore her and get her back to Humberside where she was built as a trawler.
The last photo is of a brass memorial to three British Soldiers who have been killed on South Georgia, it is in the Norwegian Church, One of the Soldiers was a near neighbour, unfortunately his family have moved to another part of town, so I am still trying to find them to give them the photo of thier son`s memorial.
Nice one Captain.
It was good to see the whaling ships as they are,redundant. If only we could get the Japanese, Norwegians and Icelanders to do the same to their whaling fleet. Thanks for posting them Brian, it brought back good memories of seeing those Leviathans off the Canadian coast,incredible sight,
BrianD
Built by J.L.Thompson in Sunderland in 1949 as Silveryew,for the Silver Line of London,the freighter Eastern Glory was purchased on the stocks and so renamed by the Indi-China Steam NavigationCo. of Jardine Mattheson & Co.
The Princely Hong,whose emblem of the St. Andrews saltire she is wearing on both houseflag and stem crest. She was briefly chartered by the Government during the 1956 Suez crisis and 10 years later was sold to Ben Line,renamed Bennachie she sailed on until 1971 when she was scrapped.
The portrait was painted by an unknown Chinese artist and shows her leaving Hong Kong ,painted long before Hong Kong soared skywards,
BrianD
Nice one Brian. It looks a long time ago. You can actually see the hills.
...derelict now, but still floating and in use as a breakwater at Powell River, British Columbia.
They are unique because they are the only floating concrete freighters left, nine from WWII and one left from WWI.
http://www.concreteships.org/ships/powellriver/
Here's a shot taken from the shoreline of the three closest in the shot above.
The ships are providing a breakwater at the pulp mill in B.C. and I took these pictures last July.
Powell Lake is in the background of the first picture, and the locals like to say that Powell River, which only flows about two miles from the lake to the Strait of Georgia, is the shortest river in Canada...
Nice one Az Gila.
Fascinating bit of Mercantile Marine history,I have read about concrete ships,seen lots of lighters and barges that were concrete,but never so many hulks.What a useful end for them,thanks for the posting AZ Gila,
BrianD
These vessel (C1-S-D1 type) were of the single deck type, with raked stern and modified cruiser stern. there was a big shortage of steel in WW2
The bridge and poop were built of concrete and the deckhousing was constructed of wood.
The ship had seven dry cargo holds, deep tanks and machinery space.
For propulsion there was a 3-cyl. triple expansion reciprocating engine with steam from oil-fired water-tube boilers, all situated aft.
The engine produced 1.300 ihp. Speed was 7 knots. Accommodation was provided for a crew of 39. of 4800grt
good right up about them on google and wilkipedia
A lot were used as breakwaters in Chesapeake Bay and about seven in the Powell River.
I never saw a ship but in the 50s I saw a few barges, they had wooden battens around the hull. I think they were in the Sharpness Canal and docks when I was at the Vindi. There may be one or two of these barges lining the banks of the Severn with all those other steel ones.
Captain, the Powell River tourist folks claim that nine of the WWII hulls are there, not seven.
I didn't mention it very explicitly, but while these ships are a breakwater, they are actually still floating. The uniqueness is that these hulks are actually afloat, and have even been repositioned as the Powell River wood mill has been downsized and turned into a pulp mill.
A good history - better than wiki...... is here...
http://www.thesunshinecoast.com/about/gianthulks.html
Hi Az-Gila,
thanks for that info.
I just read it on the Concrete Ships .org
I personally dont know what is what with these vessels. They must have been well built if they are still with us.
This is what the article said..................
The Powell River Floating Breakwater
Of all the concrete ships built during World War I and II, only 10 are known to still be afloat. These ships form a massive floating breakwater on the Malaspina Strait in the city of Powell River in British Columbia, Canada.
The breakwater was constructed to protect the logging pond of the Powell River Company pulp and paper mill (later purchased by Pacifica Papers).
While nine of these ten ships were built during the Second World War, the tenth ship, the S. S. Peralta, is the last remaining WWI concrete ship afloat.
In December of 2000, the mill was downsized as the result of a corporate merger between Pacifica Papers and NorskeCanada. The mill no longer processes raw materials, so they were planning to remove a few ships from the breakwater. The company changed its mine and decided to keep all ten ships, but rearranged them.
YOGN 82
S.S. Henri Le Chatelier
Quartz
S.S. P. M. Anderson
S.S. Peralta
S.S. Emile N. Vidal
S.S. John Smeaton
S.S. Thaddeus Merriman
S.S. L. J. Vicat
S.S. Armand Considere
That site is very interesting reading, amazing what concrete can do.
http://www.thesunshinecoast.com/about/gianthulks.html
I wonder what the effect of a heavy sea has on them, on a steel ship they can hog and sag, bend, what is the effect on a concrete ship I wonder.
Cheers.
kong aka Brian.
I know it is not a ship photo but it is a `boat`and the sea and the season of fun.
I did this for my grandchildren.
I took this one in March 1967,we were approaching Bombay as we passed,she was "as stately as a galleon,she glides across the sea." Ageless and perfect of line. Those Arabian boatbuilders created some magnificent craft,
BrianD
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