Burns & Laird's coaster LAIRDSROCK berths at Belfast with 392 tons of steel from Greenock

1960 advert for Wilson Line services from Hull and Middlesbrough (U.K.) to Mediterranean ports

Mackinnon Mackenzie wall-plate advertising P& O and British India Lines

Oranje Lijn of Rotterdam (Holland) in 1960

   ORANJE  LIJN  (Maatschappij  Zeetransport)  N.V.

                                ( Associated  with  K. P. M.)

Offices :   Westplein 11,  Rotterdam,  Holland,  P.O. Box  1246

Telegraphic  Address :  “Zeetrans”

Telephone :   11.44.20

Managing  Director  :  A.  VERDER

Assistant  Managing  Director  :  J.  SALVESEN

Secretary  :  W. E.  BARON  SNOUCKAERT  VAN  SCHAUBERG

Marine  Superintendent  :  P.  VAN  SCHOONEVELD

FLEET  IN  1960

PRINS  ALEXANDER   built 1947

PRINS  CASIMIR   built 1954-1955

PRINS  FREDERIK  HENDRIK   built 1946

PRINS  FREDERIK  WILLEM   built 1951

PRINS  JOHAN  WILLEM  FRISO   built 1947

PRINS  WILLEM  11   built 1954-1955

PRINS WILLEM  111   built 1948

PRINS  WILLEM  1V   built 1946

PRINS  WILLEM  V   built 1956

PRINS  WILLEM  GEORGE  FREDERIK   built 1954

PRINS  WILLEM  VAN  ORANJE   built 1953

PRINSES  IRENE   built 1959

Building

 PRINSES  MARGRIET       110 passengers

Map of around 1960 of Ardrossan Harbour (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, U.K.)

Around year 1960 some representative vessels of Coast Lines Group, Liverpool

1960 Advert by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson Limited Shipbuilders, Tyneside, England

National Dock Labour Board Office, NDLB, Robert Denver, Timeline, Soup Kitchen

National Dock Labour Offices, dock Road, Ardrossan
Opened by Robert Denver, age 77 and the oldest working docker at that time.

TIMELINE:
Dock Labour at the Ardrossan Harbour

1890 An early effort to organise labourers was made in January 1890 by Mr Shaw Maxwell and Mr T Burns the organiser of the ?American Brotherhood of the Knights of Labour?, and Mr Derby (sec), of the Seaman?s Union.
A meeting in the Templars Hall unanimously agreed to form an ?Assembly of the Knights of Labour?.
In June 1890, a meeting to set up a branch of the National Union of Dock Labourers took place.
There was some concern over encroaching on the territory of the Knights of Labour, but being based in America it was felt they were to remote, but the idea lapsed due to lack of support.
1892 Another attempt was made again, failed.
1897 A strike took place at the harbour, but the harbour broke this by importing labour in special trains from Glasgow.
1911 a local branch of the Dockers Union was finally formed.
1912 The harbour supported an all union workforce.
This however was short lived, when the labourers joined with the Coal Trimmers in a dispute over pay,
The Harbour Company responded by bringing in outside labour once again.
This lead to a pitched battle between strikers and Police near Montgomerie pier, the strikers used stones and other missiles.
The police responded with a baton charge, unrest followed in the town.
The company continued to bring in labour from Grangemouth and as far as Tilbury

On one occasion the strikers ambushed a train at
South Beach station, and several men were roughly handled and the rest chased out of town
The Ardrossan strikers gained national prominence, meanwhile the company continued to bring in outside labour, and the support for the strike dwindled when the Cranemen returned to work
In late November 1912 the company had a capable body of labour, housed and fed at the harbour (Soup Kitchens) under police guard
The strike was not formally settled till Jan 1913

1941 National Dock Labour Corporation was set up.
1947 It was renamed National Dock Labour Board

Clan Line's CLAN MACLACHLAN closes for receiving cargo at Birkenhead

CLAN LINE

FAST LINER SERVICES

SOUTH   and  EAST  AFRICA

CAPE TOWN,  MOSSEL BAY,  PORT ELIZABETH,  EAST LONDON,

DURBAN,  LOURENCO MARQUES  and  ^BEIRA

CLAN MACTAGGART .....  Closing Newport May 28 ...... Birkenhead June 7

LOBITO,  CAPE TOWN,  MOSSEL BAY,  

PORT ELIZABETH,  EAST LONDON  and  MAURITIUS

CLAN ROSS ...... Closing Birkenhead May 6

*CLAN MACLEAN ........Closing Glasgow May 19 ....... Birkenhead May 27

*Not for Mossel Bay

DURBAN,  LOURENCO MARQUES  and  ^BEIRA

CLAN STEWART ........ Closing Glasgow May 5 ........ Birkenhead May 23

CLAN URQUHART .......... Closing Glasgow May 16 ...... Birkenhead May 24

^ Beira cargo must be especially booked before despatch 

CEYLON,  INDIA  and  PAKISTAN,

ADEN,  BOMBAY,  TRINCOMALEE,

MADRAS  and  CALCUTTA

(via Colombo)

CLAN MACLACHLAN ........ Closing Glasgow May 24 ....... Birkenhead June 1

AQABA,  ADEN,  COCHIN,  TUTICORIN,

COLOMBO,  CHITTAGONG and  CHALNA

CLAN ALLAN ........ Closing  Glasgow May 14 ........ Birkenhead May 25

AQABA,  ADEN  and  COLOMBO

CLAN MACKENZIE ....... Closing Glasgow May 28 ...... Birkenhead June 3

Vessels have liberty to call at other ports

either in or out of route

CAYZER,  IRVINE  &  CO.  LTD.,

LONDON,  LIVERPOOL  and

109  HOPE  STREET,  GLASGOW 

Telephone  CENtral  7050

Cunard's ASSYRIA closes at Glasgow for cargo for New York, Baltimore, Norfolk and Newport News

Burns & Laird's coaster LAIRDSROCK leaves Belfast with 390 tons of scrap for Ardrossan

Burns & Laird's coaster LAIRDSROCK berths at Ardrossan with 390 tons of scrap from Belfast

New ship Tanker ATHELQUEEN storing, crew, etc. at Custom House Quay, Greenock

New ship ROTHESAY CASTLE storing, crewing, etc. at Deep Water Berth, Greenock

Hamburg-Atlantic passenger liner HANSEATIC scheduled to leave Southampton for New York