Hi Alec I did meet most of the crew on there but dont recall the name, I wass most o0f the time with the Bosun/Shanty man, a scots fella, I have his card some where.
Enjoyed every minute on that ship.
Cheers. Brian
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Hi Alec I did meet most of the crew on there but dont recall the name, I wass most o0f the time with the Bosun/Shanty man, a scots fella, I have his card some where.
Enjoyed every minute on that ship.
Cheers. Brian
brian have a great time you will just be back in time for my birthday 28th you can get the round in cheers clancyQuote:
Originally Posted by captain kong
Thanks for that Clancy,
I`ll email you a bottle of scotch for your birthday
This is the Batillus, A French Shell Tanker , at the time the biggest ship in the world. 560,000-tons. on her maiden voyage, I flew out to her from CapeTown in July/August 1976 when I was flying with Court Helicopters in Cape Town. we circled her first and took photos then landed on the deck with stores. I walked aft with the papers and went on the bridge. I had been sailing on 250,000 tonners but they seemed like little coasters compared with this one. she was massive. I believe she was scrapped after a few years. they became dynosaurs.
Click on blank space below.
Liner row in New York from Pier 90 down. taken in the 50s.
Front to back,
Parthia, Caronia,[ green godess] Queen Mary, Britannic Flandre, United States, Constitution.
A sight never to be seen again.
too true cong,was there many times on the QE scythia and sylvania,also new jersey on the waiwera coming home fromnew zealand.
Here is a photo of the Queen Mary 2 , we were off the Pope Pious 11th Glacier in Chileno Antarctica in 2006.
I got a chunk of ice, 10,000 years old off the Glacier I melted some and it tasted beautiful, I also put a chunk in my whisky and it made it fizz. I still have some in a bottle at home here. The photo was taken from the lifeboat, Commodore Ron Warwick signed it for me.
The first picture is of the Royal Mail liner the "Asturias".Built in 1908 ,she is shown passing the Eddystone lighthouse and is illuminated by moonlight and a ships searchlight. She served as a hospital ship in WW1 and was torpedoed and severely damaged. She returned to service in 1923 and was scrapped in Japan in 1933.
The second picture shows the Booth liner "Hildebrand". Buiult in 1951 for the South American trade, the Three Graces in the background and the Alexandra tugs in the foregrouind make a very nostalgic scene ,she must be on the way home here.
good painting of the Hildebrand, she was wrecked on the Cascais outside of Lisbon, in fog, they didnt have radar then, in 1957. she was outward bound for Manaus 1000 miles up the Amazon.
:)
Great pictures, -all of them.,-brings back many memories !!.
Thanks fellas !!.
Bob F :handclap: :handclap:
Here is a photo taken in the fifties of the QUEEN ELIZABETH approaching Pier 90 in New York.
By the gasometer, [not there now,] is the UNITED STATES and the other one is the INDEPENDENCE
Again the world will not see these ships again.
Here is one with a differenc.
I made this one of the grandchildren
It is called.
"I SEE NO SHARKS, NAOMI"
Fascinating pictures all, not to mention the accompanying info from time
to time. Apropos, has anyone got photos of a ship that intrigued me in the
30's and I've never forgotten since. During my frequent meanderings along
the Dock Road I often wondered whether I was going to see it - and
frequently did. Name El Uruguayo and always berthed close to the entrance
of Brocklebank/Canada if memory serves me right, so you could get a good
view of it through the gates. Apart from the romantic name I was always
impressed by rhe funnel with its Maltese Cross. Any info about it would also
be welcome, especially about what happened to it laterwhen I should imagine
it had to play its part in the war effort like so many others of its ilk that plied
their trade from Liverpool in those long ago days.
There was also I think a sister ship, El Parugayo. I looked and looked
for it to no avail.Was it also based in Liverpool but in another part of the
Docks? If so, does anyone also remember it? And know what happened to it?
Many thanks Stan H.
PS - hope you have a wonderful holiday, Cap'n!
Here we are, the ships themselves. `El Paraguaya `and the `El Uruguaya `
They were owned by Houlder Brothers for the meat and grain trade with South America. I cannot find any information of these two ships, or their fate.
Photos courtesey of
www.photoship.co.uk/Ship List/index.html
Thank you
`El Paraguaya`and the `El Uruguaya and in the ship list as `El Paraguayo`and the `El Uruguayo`. Sister ships built 1912 and scrapped 1937. Houlder Line disappeared in 1947.
http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/houlder.htm
OK so I get 8 out of 10 for spelling
Thanks Waterways for that extra info. Their demise coincided with "my
leaving of Liverpool"! And the Houlder Line has also gone! Sic transit...
Stan H.
I am not sure of which thread to put this post as it kind of crosses boundaries,however!. Last week I was invited to dinner with a lot of gentlemen from similar backgrounds ,but of varying ages, from sixty up into the eighties. By serendipity I found myself supping aperitfs with with a fellow emigre. He was in his eighties and had led a fairly colourful life. From Robey, he left college and became an engineering cadet with Houlder Bros. In 1936 he met one of the Houlder Brothers,John, who offered him some advice. Remember this was before World War Two,war was'nt in the offing and Britain was in a recession then. John Houlder told this young man to leave the Merchant Navy because British shipowners would have to start "Flagging Out",that is to say ,moving their ships out of Britain and registering in places like Panama. He told the young cadet that they would be employing people from third world countries to save money. Stan left the Merchant Navy upon John Houlders advice and got a position in the City Engineers Department,and this is where the crossover comes in. He rose rapidly through the the ranks and soon became a young "Blocker" I should say that the young mans full name was Stanley Butterworth, for those of you who like to ferret through the archives.
Stan and I spoke of the religious divide that used to be strong in our old home. He told me that some of the council depots where totally Orange whilst others where totally green. There was one Depot manager by the name of Duffy who had all his men in the same Orange Lodge as he was in.
If a protestant depot manager found a left wing trouble maker in his employ( and that person would have been a protestant to have got a job there) he would get Stan to transfer the individual to a catholic depot where he would last just a few days before asking for his cards.The catholics did vice versa manitaining a kind of balance. Stan left Liverpool after the war to settle for the City Engineers job in Birmingham.
John Houlders advice was precipitate,had not the war intervened we would have lost our fleet a lot earlier.
One of the prime means of the city's decline was flags of convenience. The governments should never have gone along with it. To save money the shipowners would have modernised their fleets to the the most state-of-the-art and innovative around. Instead they used cheap labour and created unemployment at home. British ship design post war was old hat and never progressed much at all.
The shipping industry had far too much influence in government circles.
What is a "blocker".
Have I been away from Liverpool "that long"?. A blocker was a name given to any one in a supervisory or managerial position. To emphasise their status,these people would wear Bowler hats ,or Homburgs, which were known as "Blockers". A hat was shaped by "blocking" and the term somehow was transferred to people who could afford to buy them i.e. the bosses.
I am sad to hear the sobriquet has been lost ,especially as I have got the "blockers" job at last!
'Blocker' is still in use in Cammell Lairds, where a mate of mine is a foreman plater. Although the bowler hats went out of the window back in the sixties to be replaced with hard hats, currently colour coded to denote trade etc.
Backsplice
For tonights delectation we have the Pacific Steam Navigation Co,'s "Panama" 0f 1902 ,she is shown here in her WW1 dazzle camouflage when she was acting as an Auxilliary Transport vessel,she then became a Hospital ship and after the war she was bought by the Admiralty and used in that capacity right up until 1948 when she was scrapped.
Then we have the fabulous Mauretania ,a product of Cammell Lairds in 1939 .She is shown here in that short period before the outbreak of WW11,during which she helped the war effort as a troopship. She became the Grand Old Lady of the Atlantic and gave sterling service until she was broken up in 1965.
The turret steamship Mersario was built in 1906 by Doxfords of Sunderland. Maclay and McIntyre of glasgow owned her and she is shown here in the Grand Harbour of Valetta in a painting by the Maltese Artist Gaetano d'Esposito one of the foremost ship artists at that time
The freighter Chinese Prince was built in 1926 by the Deutsche Werk A.G. of Hamburg for the Rio Cape line,a subsidiary of Furness Withy's Groups Prince Line,of which she was the third of what would eventually be four succesive ships to bear that name. Her end came at the hands of the Germans when she was torpedoed in the Mediterranean in June !941 by the U-552. A total of 45 people were slain out of a crew of 64.
This picture was painted by the Japanese artist H. Shimidzu showing Mount Fujiyama in the background
Here for you ship lovers are two more classic pics. First we have an oil tanker ,the British Councillor ,built in 1922 for the British Tanker Co.
She met her end in 1940 when she was sank by a torpedo from an E-boat off Spurn Head.
The second picture shows the Cunard liners Aquitania and Queen Mary,camouflaged in their wartime grey ,in the Clyde Anchorage Emergency Port, getting ready to undertake troopship duties during WW11.
Hi All You Guys,
Now I have got rid of the Mersey mist out of my eyes.What a great site to be able to read.Well first about being up the mast on a square rigger.They were mad those guys, when late March 1956 I was on a New Zealand Coaster M.V. Holmglen on delivery to NZ.We had been delayed for over 2 months,with being frozen in the Canal out of Hoogezand North Holland.Built in the Bodewes Shipyard.We manged 4 Miles backward off Finnisterre in 24 Hours in a real howler.The following night there had been this booming sound coming from For'ward.In the Engine room the MAN 8 cylinder engine I still reckon gave a small jump with each boom.I got the Short straw as she had more engineers tickets between the 3 of use than the QE2.So when the 2nd arrived down he asked what that Booming noise was,he actually thought he was dreaming it.But decided differently pretty quickly. I turned in pretty quickly and was just settling nicely when Chief comes in and tells me we have to get up for'ward as the hull is going one way and the for'ward mast the other way in the rolls.Anyway we managed to get to the lower turnbuckles and they couldn't be tightened any more as obviously the yard had saved their efforts rather than use the top turnbuckles.So Maurice and myself had to go up the ladder on the mast and tighten the top turnbuckles.
We made it OK but I will always rememberCaptain Keith the Super and Old man for the Home trip.saying "He would have sworn at times we were only hanging on by our arms at times".No way we told him our legs were wrapped round the mast that tight that it took longer for to get our legs loose than it did to tighten the turnbuckles.We matched the Old Clipper record of 63 days.Captain Kong did you know an Eric Watts with Cunard he was a First Officer.I used to visit him quite a lot 2 years ago.He had been crook for a fair while.Some one mentioned the Whale Back hull or Turret hull.My Maternal G/father was on the S.S.Sagamore,3rd, Engineer WW1 when she was torpedoed 3rd,March 1917.He was 1 of only 7 survivors picked up by the S.S.Deucalion 12th,March 1917.He ended up losing his lower limbs to just below his knees.have you any photos of her.I have a couple pre 1912,but she had passenger accomodation for 60 added.My Dad didn't know what he missed by not going to Sea.He is the only one out of a hell of a lot of the male rellies who did.Thanks guys for a great evenng reading,viewing and reminissing.Best Regards Ken B
Hi Ken,
thanks for interesting letter.
Here is a photo of the SAGAMORE, I think it will be the one, it is from the pre first WW days.
PHOTO IS FROM THE "OLD SHIP PICTURE GALLERIES" with thanks to them.
You mentioned Sailing ships, My brother sailed on one on the Australian and New Zealand coasts. it was the `WONGALA`, she was a `Powder Boat` carrying explosives around the coasts. She was reputed to have been more of a submarine than a sailing ship, she would go down off Sydney Heads and surface off New Zealand 12 days later.
She ended up on a reef off Thursday Island.
I dont know Eric Watts of Cunard, there was a Captain called Frederick Watts, he was Master of the Caronia.around 1960 ish.
We had a meeting with `ar Bob from Ontario, Canada, at the Eldonian Club yesterday. A few bevies sunk and lamps swung.
Here are some photos.
me, Bob, Ernie, then Bob and his mate from Wallasey, then Bob and his mate again , then Bob meeting a fellow Russian Convoy Veteran.
This is a picture of the S.S. Nagoya,a P&O liner built just before the First World war. She was on the Far East run to India ,China and Japan. She did a short spell as a hospital ship on the North Russian coast in 1918 ( was she treating the British who were wounded during the Russian Civil War ?)
She is shown here going to the breakers yard in Yokohama in 1932,a very sad end to an illustrious career.
Here's a picture to evoke some memories;a Maggie Booth liner that was built on Merseyside in 1958.She ran a regular schedule from Liverpool to Lisbon,Barbados and the River Amazon ,all the way to Manaus. How many of you salt waterrmen sailed on her?
This is a picture of the steamship Defender,one the Harrison Line that sailed out of Liverpool,She is shown heading into the Mersey passing New Brighton.
The little coaster in the foreground seems minute in comparison with the Defender; note the columns of smoke from the other vessels on the river, this was painted in the Merseys heydays.
BrianD
Heres a graceful old timer;built by Denny Bros in Dumbarton she saw service with the Southern Railway from 1924 under the name of Dinard.She is shown here in her wartime colours as a hospital ship. She returned to ferrying in peacetime and worked the Dover /Boulogne route until 1968. The Finns bought her and renamed her Viking and did ferrying in the Gulf of Bothnia until 1970 when she was sold for scrap.46 years service,they built them to last back then!
BrianD
Here are two old vessels of a bygone age that are still afloat.
`Balclutha` British built, preserved in San Francisco.
and the British built`Fals of Clyde` preserved in Honolulu, Hawaii. she was converted to an oil tanker and cargo ship. I have been onboard them a few times and are very interesting ships.
Why cant the British preserve ships???
Here's a golden oldie,The Monarch of Bermuda of Furness Withy lines.Built at Newcastle on Tyne in 1931 she was one of the first luxury cruise liners,an all electric vessel she weighed 22424 tons and served on the New York /Caribbean run for very many years. An awful lot of Merseysiders crewed her in that time.
Super thread here! Wonderful to explore Liverpool's maritime heritage in this way. Thanks, Brian and everyone! :handclap:
Chris :PDT_Aliboronz_24:
Here is a seldom seen shot, none of you Vindi boys will recognise it;it is the old Gravesend sea training school. I spent a couple of very happy weeks there in 1958 .I was at the Vindi but spent two weeks at Gravesend training for the Armistice Parade. The boys who attended Gravesend were called 'peanuts' because they were not allowed to go about in more than groups of two. The thing I liked about Gravesend was the view of the river. Situated opposite Tilbury it afforded a view of the great liners that travelled up the Thames as well as the cargo boats and barges .The vessel on the river here is the 4 masted barque Olivebank, at 2795 tons she was part of the Erilson's grain fleet and was registered at Mariehamn.
BrianD
This is a shot of the old passenger landing stage down you know where.
I remember it like this when we went on our shool trip to the Isle of Man.I also tied up here when I was with Cunard and Canadian Pacific. What a wonderful place it was then. It was bustling with porters and the vans from the chandling companies, mostly horse drawn then. I hope the new landing stage provides the same kind of "busyness". It would be great to see more of the modern liners plying their trade from there........
BrianD
I remember in the early sixties this time of year going over to Belfast. On arrival at the Pier Head the cobblestone was criss crossed with tram lines. The excitement of boarding the Irish boat was immense and claiming the top bunk in the cabin was all important. We would get there about nine o clock at night the evening summery and light. We would go up on deck before she set sail. Liverpool to my young mind was an all important place and a great city to come from. I have never lossed that feeling about the place. Sailing up the river it would be dark and the nights journey was ahead of us as we retired to the cabins. All excitement and fun. In the morning at first light we would go out on to the top deck and look at the approaching coast line of Ireland sheer delight as we sailed into Belfast. We would count the forty shades of green from under the bridge, as the rural shades made themselves manifest. Our Kid always insisted that there was forty one a dispute that could not be settled. And then docking at Belfast and once again cobblestones criss crossed with tram lines and away in the van. Lisbon, Lurgan, Armagh, Omagh, Portadown, and into Donegal the sheer joy of being a boy in summer.
This picture brings to mind the lines of John Masefields wonderful poem "Sea Fever" The coastal vessel pictured is the 'Cromarty Firth',built at Ardrossan in 1919 for the B
Border Shipping Company. Come on now ,all together "Dirty British coaster ,with a salt caked smokestack,ploughing through the Channel on a mad March day............................................... ........................."
BrianD
I loved the narrative verse of Masefield as a lad Brian. Masefield was the first poet I mastered in English lit. The Everlasting Mercy, Reynard the Fox, Widow in the Bye Street, and of cause the great seafairing narrative The Dauber. I was in Dorchester Museum perusing the Hardy room when my eyes caught a model of a sailing ship it was very intricate and had been put together with great care. There was an inscription with the information that Masefield had put it together as a present for Hardy.I could not help feeling a slght envy or to be kinder to myself a frustration that such a great poet could be also such a fine craftsman. 'Tear your heart out' 'Don't give up your day job Jude' Still I came away with the knowledge that I know the works of the both writers who gave such a great contribution to English lit. And I did once build a Spitfire!