Proposed Super-Shipyard at Hunterston

From "The Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald" dated Friday 30th July 1971

SUPER-YARD PROPOSED

Two leading Scottish industrialists have recently advocated creating a super shipyard at Hunterston if the proposed multi-million-pound steel complex is given the go-ahead.

This week Mr. Robert Robertson, chairman of the Hutchison Engineering Group, revealed his plans in a national newspaper report.

Earlier Mr Hugh Stenhouse, chairman of Stenhouse Holdings, had put forward this idea in a Face-to-Face interview on STV.

Both suggested the super yard as an alternative to continued building on the upper reaches of the river.

CITY OF NEWCASTLE closes at Birkenhead for receiving cargo for East African ports

Grab Dredger SIR WILLIAM H RAEBURN starts digging at Berth 16 Rothesay Dock, Clydebank, Glasgow

Robert Dickens writes -
She was the largest ship owned by the company, and made her final sailing , Ardrossan to Douglas, on 15th August 1971.
She left Douglas for Barrow and docking on 17th August.
Sold 14th December 1971 to Arnott Young & Co., Dalmuir, near Glasgow.
Left Barrow 29th December 1971 in tow of the Clyde tug "Wrestler" arriving in the Clyde 31st December 1971.

Last trip for "Lady of Mann"

From "The Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald" dated Friday 20th August 1971

LAST TRIP FOR OLD SHIP

"Lady of Mann," the oldest and largest ship in the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company's fleet, bade farewell to Ardrossan Harbour on Sunday after completing her last crossing from the island.
She is now to be broken up.

Built at Barrow by Vickers Armstrong, "Lady of Mann" was launched in March 1930, the centenary year of the shipping company. She had a passenger capacity of 2,870 and a speed of 23 knots.

The ship, which was used as a troopship during the war, was the only vessel to have borne her name - the other ships names used by the company have been given to successive vessels ; there have been at least four steamers each called Ben-my-Chree, King Orry, Tynwald and others.

"Lady of Mann" was a smart, rakish-looking ship which has been a popular summer visitor to Ardrossan for 40 years.

1971 Advertisment by Inchcape & Co.for a Marine Engineer for Bahrain in the Arabian Gulf

WAVERLEY on a chartered cruise calls at Lochranza (Arran)

   WAVERLEY, the last sea-going paddle steamer in Europe, was chartered on Saturday by the Clyde River Steamer Club for a cruise from Prince’s Dock, Glasgow and Gourock round Arran and Ailsa Craig.

   She carried her full complement of passengers, who had some time ashore at Lochranza (Arran).

   After the bad weather earlier in the week, Saturday was mainly dry and sunny and the passengers – some of whom had even travelled specially north from England – thoroughly enjoyed the cruise.

Harrison Line's MAGICIAN closes at Liverpool for receiving cargo for West Indies

CAREBEKA V is towed into Brodick Bay by the tug WARRIOR

 During the stormy weather on Wednesday a cargo ship had to be towed into Brodick Bay.

   The CAREBEKA V from Sfax in north Africa had been approaching Ayr when she developed rudder and propeller trouble.   The ship, with its cargo of phosphate, requested tug assistance.

   The tug WARRIOR arrived from Greenock but owing to weather conditions it was decided that Brodick would be the most convenient bay to which to tow the ship.

   The ship had to stay off the Isle of Arran until Friday when FLYING MIST, another Greenock tug, towed her to Ayr.

   ADDITIONAL NOTE  : By Hendrik Stoll.

   1986-06-27: Final Fate: On passage from Landskrona (Sweden) to Ghent (Belgium) with a cargo of stone, due to a collision in thick fog with Norwegian passenger ship "PETER WESSEL" in Skaw (Danish coast) sunk in pos. 57.44.N. - 10.47.E. Eight of the eleven people on board perished here.

Tug WARRIOR tows Netherlands coaster CAREBEKA V into Brodick Bay (Isle of Arran)

 During the stormy weather on Wednesday a cargo ship had to be towed into Brodick Bay.

   The CAREBEKA V from Sfax in north Africa had been approaching Ayr when she developed rudder and propeller trouble.   The ship, with its cargo of phosphate, requested tug assistance.

   The tug WARRIOR arrived from Greenock but owing to weather conditions it was decided that Brodick would be the most convenient bay to which to tow the ship.

   The ship had to stay off the Isle of Arran until Friday when FLYING MIST, another Greenock tug, towed her to Ayr.

   ADDITIONAL NOTE  : By Hendrik Stoll.

   1986-06-27: Final Fate: On passage from Landskrona (Sweden) to Ghent (Belgium) with a cargo of stone, due to a collision in thick fog with Norwegian passenger ship "PETER WESSEL" in Skaw (Danish coast) sunk in pos. 57.44.N. - 10.47.E. Eight of the eleven people on board perished here.

Harrison Line's MAGICIAN closes at Glasgow for receiving cargo for West Indies

CAREBEKA V is towed into Ayr by the tug FLYING MIST

 During the stormy weather on Wednesday a cargo ship had to be towed into Brodick Bay.

   The CAREBEKA V from Sfax in north Africa had been approaching Ayr when she developed rudder and propeller trouble.   The ship, with its cargo of phosphate, requested tug assistance.

   The tug WARRIOR arrived from Greenock but owing to weather conditions it was decided that Brodick would be the most convenient bay to which to tow the ship.

   The ship had to stay off the Isle of Arran until Friday when FLYING MIST, another Greenock tug, towed her to Ayr.

   ADDITIONAL NOTE  : By Hendrik Stoll.

   1986-06-27: Final Fate: On passage from Landskrona (Sweden) to Ghent (Belgium) with a cargo of stone, due to a collision in thick fog with Norwegian passenger ship "PETER WESSEL" in Skaw (Danish coast) sunk in pos. 57.44.N. - 10.47.E. Eight of the eleven people on board perished here.

Tug FLYING MIST tows Netherlands coaster CAREBEKA V from Brodick Bay to Ayr

 During the stormy weather on Wednesday a cargo ship had to be towed into Brodick Bay.

   The CAREBEKA V from Sfax in north Africa had been approaching Ayr when she developed rudder and propeller trouble.   The ship, with its cargo of phosphate, requested tug assistance.

   The tug WARRIOR arrived from Greenock but owing to weather conditions it was decided that Brodick would be the most convenient bay to which to tow the ship.

   The ship had to stay off the Isle of Arran until Friday when FLYING MIST, another Greenock tug, towed her to Ayr.

   ADDITIONAL NOTE  : By Hendrik Stoll.

   1986-06-27: Final Fate: On passage from Landskrona (Sweden) to Ghent (Belgium) with a cargo of stone, due to a collision in thick fog with Norwegian passenger ship "PETER WESSEL" in Skaw (Danish coast) sunk in pos. 57.44.N. - 10.47.E. Eight of the eleven people on board perished here.

Former ERSKINE FERRY brought to the surface in Irvine Bay

   The former River Clyde passenger and vehicle ferry ERSKINE FERRY which sank in a gale off Gailes (the sandy coastline between Irvine Harbour and Troon on the Firth of Clyde) two weeks ago has been refloated.

   The ferry was being used as a working platform for laying an outfall pipe for the Beecham factory.

Torpedo found in Saltcoats Bathing Pond

From "The Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald" dated Friday 24th September 1971

TORPEDO IN BATHING POND

A minor Naval rescue operation took place in Saltcoats on Monday when a torpedo was discovered in the town bathing pond.

Mr. James Thomson (32) of Winton Street, Ardrossan, spotted the torpedo on Monday morning and immediately notified Saltcoats police.
The police waited at the bathing pond for several hours until mid-day when a Navy recovery vessel arrived from Faslane, Dunbartonshire, and quickly took away the missile which was not dangerous.

It is believed that the torpedo had gone astray from recent Navy practice manoeuvres off the coast.