1970 Advertisment for a Chief Officer by Harrisons (Clyde) Ltd., Glasgow

Ellerman's CITY OF GUILDFORD closes at Glasgow for receiving cargo for West, South and East Africa

Burns & Laird shipping offices move to Ardrossan

From "The Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald" dated Friday 10th April 1970

Burns & Laird Lines Ltd. are to build a new office at Ardrossan Harbour for their superintendent staff.
The new premises will be beside the company's present terminal and will be ready by the end of the year.
It will house the marine engineering and catering superintendents, along with their clerical staff.

The announcement was made this week when it was also stated that Burns & Laird Lines would also centralise their accounts section in Belfast and would move to a new office in Glasgow.

UPGRADING

"There is perhaps a slight down-grading of Glasgow," Mr. N. C. B. Wright, general manager of Burns & Laird, said. This is offset by an upgrading of Ardrossan. I don't think the public will notice any difference.
Certainly no change is anticipated in our service between Ardrossan and Belfast with the ferry "Lion."
"There were some redundancies and not everyone wanted to transfer to Belfast, but this was covered by early retirements, and in all cases but one the staff concerned have now got other employment," Mr. Wright said.
"The important public work remains in Glasgow - the passenger department for sales, package tours, party travel, and so on."

Burns & Laird are part of the Coast Lines group, based at Liverpool.
They will now become part of the new Irish Shipping Division of the group, of which Mr. Wright is a director.
Belfast will deal with passenger and freight accounts.

A spokesman for the Harbour Company, Ardrossan, told our reporter on Tuesday that he could confirm that the office would be built, but added : "While it is envisaged, it is still at the planning stage. But it will not take long to put up."

An employee of the Burns & Laird Lines Terminal in the Harbour indicated that the new building would take up a part of the present car park. And it will become part of the present administrative offices beside which is the Terminal Passenger Waiting Room.

Ellerman's CITY OF GUILDFORD closes Birkenhead for receiving cargo for West, South and East Africa

End Of A "Clyde-Built" Era

From: The Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald dated 17th April 1970

END OF A ?CLYDE-BUILT? ERA

The sale of Ardrossan Dockyard to Ardrossan Harbour Company and the consequent cessation of shipbuilding and repairing ends an industrial activity which has been carried on in the town for almost 150 years.

The formation of the harbour, the foundation stone of which was laid in 1806, led to shipbuilding being started in Ardrossan about 1825 by Matthew Henderson who turned out many ships of 100 tons or under.

The trade on a large scale was established by John Barr, the first provost of the town, and James Shearer who began their shipbuilding business in 1842, the business being taken over about 1890 by Ardrossan Drydock and Shipbuilding Company. There were also two other shipbuilding businesses in the town making small wooden ships.

Ardrossan Dockyard was originally designed for the construction of wooden ships and on several occasions launched what were at the time the largest vessels built on the Clyde. The first steel vessel (304 tons) was launched in August 1888.

New Yard

In 1919 a new south yard was constructed and the first vessel built there - of 4000 tons - was the first launched directly into the sea at Ardrossan. At that time the yard employed about 300 men, and the old north yard gradually fell into disuse. During the last war the number of employees increased on occasion to about 700.

There were latterly four berths capable of building all types of craft up to a length of 275 feet, and the largest ship built at the yard was the ?LAIRDSGLEN?, launched in March, 1954.

Shipbuilding ceased in the town after the yard was bought over by a Greenock owner in 1962, but repair work continued until the end of last year.

Scribe Tango

Ben Line Company postcard of BENALLIGIN in service 1968-1972

Oil painting of an unidentified Alfred Holt Blue Funnel vessel : artist and date unknown

Glasgow seaman to be deported from New Zealand after deserting PORT HOBART in Auckland

   A 27-year old seaman from Glasgow appeared in Court in Auckland, New Zealand, charged with deserting his ship, the PORT HOBART, about six weeks earlier.

   He was found guilty and the Court was told that Police had received an anonymous tip-off and found the man hiding in a hotel in the suburbs of Auckland.

   The man was sentenced to be deported from New Zealand on any ship or aircraft as directed by the Police.

1970 advert by A McNeil & Company, Greenock for a First Mate for their sand and gravel dredger

Advert in 1970 for First Mate on A McNeil's sand and gravel dredger operating on Firth of Clyde

FIRST  MATE

for local sand and gravel dredger operating daily on the Firth of Clyde.  Qualifications required : Master’s

Certificate Home Trade or Foreign Going essential.

Clyde Pilotage Certificate an advantage but not essential.

Apply by letter, stating qualifications and experience to

A.  McNeil  &  Co.,

24  Hamilton  Street,

Greenock

Harrison Line's ARBITRATOR closes at Birkenhead for receiving cargo for South and East Africa

Blasting at Harbour disturbs residents

From "The Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald" dated Friday 8th May 1970

Ardrossan Harbour Company became the target of criticism from nearby residents this week owing to the nightly blasting being carried out at the new pier being built for the Arran ferry.

The work, which is being carried out on 24 hours a day, is a race against time by the harbour company to put the new service in operation as soon as possible.

However, nearby householders, who have been awakened night after night by the warning blasts of a siren, and then the blasting itself, show little sympathy for the company and for its problems.

"RIDICULOUS"

Mrs. Irene Kane, of 209 Glasgow Street, told our reporter : "I think this blasting at night is ridiculous. I have two scholboys who are being wakened night after night by the noise. I can understand them wanting the work finished, but I still don't think it is necessary for them to carry it out in the early hours of the morning.
"They could stop work at midnight and start again about six in the morning, and that way," she added, "we would be sure of getting a few hours sleep, but as it is we are wakened by the sirens and then terrified by the blast which is making this whole building shake.

Mrs. Martha Kerr, who lives some distance away from the harbour at 9 McKellar Avenue, said she understood the necessity of the work being completed, but what she objected to was the fact that no one had been notified prior to the work starting.
Seventy-three-year-old Mrs. Kerr told our reporter : I have a heart complaint and the first night I was wakened by the blasting I was badly frightened. I had absolutely no idea what was going on and it's not very nice to lie awake hour after hour waiting on the next blast going off.
"I find it difficult to sleep at the best of times, but this work being carried out at night is now making it impossible. If we had even been notified before work began, at least we would have been expecting it," she concluded.

NO ALTERNATIVE

To find out how much longer the blasting is likely to go on, the "Herald" contacted Mr. J. H. Shields, manager and secretary of Ardrossan Harbour Company, who told our reporter : "At the moment it's difficult to say, but it will take a few weeks yet before we are finished. We have no alternative but to work during the night as this is a race against time to have the job completed.
"The new boat service is required very shortly, so work must go on."

When the new service does go into operation, return journeys each day will be increased from four trips to five, and loading and unloading will be speeded up.

R.A.C. re-opens its port office at Burns & Laird's Ardrossan Harbour Terminal

From "The Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald" dated Friday 15th May 1970

PORT OFFICE RE-OPENS

The Royal Automobile Club has re-opened its port office at Ardrossan Harbour for the 1970 season.

Mr. Kenneth Sheridan, manager of the R.A.C. West of Scotland, announcing the re-opening said :
"This will be the third successive year that the Club has provided full port facilities for motorists at Ardrossan. It was clear when Burns & Laird first inaugurated the "Lion" service from Ardrossan to Belfast that this crossing would be popular with motorists. Results have justified this view and shown that the establishment of an RAC office in this terminal was a good decision."

Contributed image of a painting of Union Castle Line's EDINBURGH CASTLE

From "The Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald" dated Friday 29th May 1970.

The "Framptondyke" sailed from Ardrossan Harbour for Montreal on Wednesday with a cargo of steel, and was one of 44 ships to dock at the harbour during the week ended last Saturday.
Seven tankers were among the arrivals, the largest being the "Krebsia" from Hamble, with spirit, and the "Venita" from Puerto Miranda with crude oil.
The "Yewmount" sailed on Sunday with a load of sulphur for Bayonne.