Derelict remains of the Govan Vehicular Ferry landing stage at Water Row, Govan, Glasgow

Glasgow Police Boat SEMPER VIGILO

5^th April 2019  @ 2210

 Jimmy  (Fisherman, Girvan)  Scotland

 E-mails :

 Glasgow Police boat SEMPER VIGILO

    I see that there have been some mentions recently about the wee boats that worked at Glasgow.

   You might be interested that the Glasgow Police boat SEMPER VIGILO when she was sold lay in Girvan Harbour for a couple of

years and left not long ago.   I don’t remember her name that

she had after leaving the Police, but the SEMPER VIGILO name

was Latin or Greek for “I am always watching” that was the

name on the Police badges.

    Another wee boat that seems to have been forgotten

was “NEAVE” or “KNAVE” or something like that and my

uncle used to sail on her for Glasgow Corporation Parks

Department.

 Jimmy.

July 1963 saw a drowning in the swimming pool of Elder Dempster’s ACCRA nearing Freetown

July 1963 saw a drowning in the swimming pool of Elder Dempster’s ACCRA 

Margaret Taylor sends an e-mail

18 April 2019 @ 1856
 

Many moons ago - July of 1963 - my husband and I and two daughters

travelled from Liverpool to Lagos on Elder Dempster Line`s ACCRA.

 During the voyage - the day before arriving at Freetown, if I remember

rightly, a passenger returning home to Nigeria was tragically drowned

during an event in the ship`s swimming pool.

 My husband, a doctor, was going to Nigeria to work at

University College Hospital, Ibadan. He spent hours on deck trying to

save the victim`s life.
It is an event which has been in my memory for 55 years - a

rare and unexpected tragedy for an historic and well-known

shipping line. 

Administrator's Note.   Any reply to this e-mail should be

made to our CONTACT US at the top of the page and it

will be forwarded to Mrs. Taylor.

July 1963 saw a drowning in the swimming pool of Elder Dempster’s ACCRA nearing Freetown

July 1963 saw a drowning in the swimming pool of Elder Dempster’s ACCRA 

Margaret Taylor sends an e-mail

18 April 2019 @ 1856
 

Many moons ago - July of 1963 - my husband and I and two daughters

travelled from Liverpool to Lagos on Elder Dempster Line`s ACCRA.

 During the voyage - the day before arriving at Freetown, if I remember

rightly, a passenger returning home to Nigeria was tragically drowned

during an event in the ship`s swimming pool.

 My husband, a doctor, was going to Nigeria to work at

University College Hospital, Ibadan. He spent hours on deck trying to

save the victim`s life.
It is an event which has been in my memory for 55 years - a

rare and unexpected tragedy for an historic and well-known

shipping line. 

Administrator's Note.   Any reply to this e-mail should be

made to our CONTACT US at the top of the page and it

will be forwarded to Mrs. Taylor.

River Cart flowing from Paisley to River Clyde from M8 flyover at Glasgow Airport

River Cart and Paisley Harbour (Scotland) from M8 flyover at Glasgow Airport

U.S. Navy supply ships calling at Fairlie (Firth of Clyde)

From Alan and Jean, (Fairlie, Firth of Clyde, Scotland)

20 May 2019  @ 1540

U.S. Navy supply ships calling at Fairlie (Firth of Clyde)

   We were very interested in your mention of U.S.S. YELLOWSTONE

at Tail-of-the Bank.

   It reminded us in 1960s, 1970s and 1980s when U.S. Navy

supply ships were common callers at the Navy jetty at Fairlie,

bringing stores for the Holy Loch vessels, and the stores

were taken from Fairlie to Holy Loch in the Ross & Marshall

lighters and small coasters.

   The U.S. ships were quite colourful (colorful) with their

grey hulls and their funnels (stacks) painted grey with yellow

and blue bands.

   Our favourite, her name began with M, not quite sure but

could be MARSHFIELD or MARSHLAND ….. or something like

that, was obviously a WW2 type but always immaculate

 and a frequent caller.

   Does anyone else remember these ships calling at

the Clyde ?

Alan and Jean.

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Tug REGIS 2 dredging at the mouth of River Kelvin at the Riverside Museum, River Clyde, Glasgow

Housing apartments now on the site of former Meadowside Granary, River Clyde, Glasgow

Musuem sailing ship GLENLEE at Riverside Museum, Pointhouse, River Clyde, Glasgow

Museum ship No 8 former passenger ferry at Riverside Museum, Pointhouse, Glasgow

Yacht COBALTINA at Govan Pontoon, River Clyde, Govan, Glasgow

"The Glasgow Banana Boats"

“ The Glasgow Banana Boats “

 Contributed by Jim  (Scotstoun, Glasgow)

     I worked for years at Yarrows Shipyard at Elderslie

and thought you might like to hear this little story.

   In the 1950 / 60 /70s the Glasgow Corporation

(= the City Council) operated a number of sludge

carrier type boats that carried the sewage from the

city, down the Clyde to off the coast of Arran, where

they dumped the sewage into the water and then

returned to Glasgow.

   The boats were called SHIELDHALL, DALMARNOCK

and GARROCH HEAD and were based at the sewage

treatment works at Shieldhall, Glasgow, just a short

distance upriver from King George V Dock.   These

boats, despite their horrible cargo, were always

immaculately maintained and they had comfortable

areas for passengers, groups of senior citizens or clubs,

which were carried on the ships during the summer

months, on the round 7-hour trips from Glasgow to

 Arran then back to Glasgow.  The passengers could go

onto the boat deck and watch the wonderful scenery,

and talk over tea and coffee and snacks.

   These boats, with their gleaming hulls, passenger

accommodation and tall buff-coloured funnel with a

black top, could, if you stretched your imagination

far enough you could possibly imagine that they were

the “Banana Boats” which brought the precious bananas

from the Caribbean to Glasgow.         Remember that

these were years of low wages, food was in short supply,

housing was in crowded tenements and bananas, as well

as grapes, melons, pears and other fruits were too scarce

or expensive to buy.  

   And so, back at Yarrows.   Every year a large number of

15 or 16 year old boys, fresh out of school, were taken on

as craft apprentices for training in all the trades necessary

for shipbuilding.

   These impressionable youths were often teased on a grand,

even monumental scale, by the men in the yard.  

   So, when the workmen saw the sewage boats coming

down the River and nearing the shipyard, they told the boy

apprentices that a “Banana Boat” was heading out to the

Caribbean or some hot corner of the Mediterranean and the

boys were to run to the Quayside and shout to the boat,

and the passengers on the boat deck, that would they

“Please bring us back some bananas.”

   It is not known what the boat’s crew or passengers

thought of the shouted requests.

   And lastly, as previously said, the boats were based

at the sewage treatment works at Shieldhall.   As can be

imagined in those early days an intensely unpleasant

odour hung over the area.

   A wonderful, delightful but expensive perfume, a

favourite of the ladies, is “Chanel number 5”

   The Glaswegians (= citizens of Glasgow) had a name

for the nasty, smelly, revolting smell from the sewage

works.   They called it “Shieldhall number 5.”

Caledonian MacBrayne's LOCH RIDDON from Cumbrae approaching and at Largs slipway

Demolishing the giant unloading cranes at Hunterston Terminal Jetty, Firth of Clyde, Scotland