Glasgow And Ships Of The Clyde

Swedish ore-carrier TOSTERO collides with British India's liner DEVONIA at Greenock

Contributed by Bill McKellar.

From Glasgow Herald Saturday 12 September 1964

DEVONIA  in  Clyde  Mishap

   The 12,800-ton liner DEVONIA, which was to have sailed today on a National Trust for Scotland eight-day cruise of Scottish islands, was struck by a cargo ship yesterday at Greenock.   As a result the cruise has been cancelled.

   The DEVONIA, which was moored at Princes Pier, suffered extensive damage to her aft superstructure on the starboard side and a crushed lifeboat when she was struck by the 9,500-ton ore-carrier TOSTERO, which was blown off course when proceeding up channel under her own power accompanied by tugs.

   As a result the DEVONIA is to be surveyed and repaired at the new dry-dock at Greenock, thus becoming the dock’s first customer.

   Four Indian seamen who, with other members of the crew, made frantic efforts to get down to the quay after the DEVONIA was struck, were thrown into the water when the gangway they were descending slid off the edge of the pier.

   The DEVONIA was sent against the pier and, as she recoiled, the strain snapped her mooring ropes, even uprooting a bollard.

   A strong wind caught the DEVONIA, which drifted about 50 yards out from the pier, where her anchors held her until she was towed back alongside.   About a dozen members of the crew, most of them Indian, got off the DEVONIA before the gangway collapsed.

   Three of those who landed in the water were rescued by railway joiners who threw lifebelts to them, and a fourth was picked up by a motor launch.   All were allowed back to the ship after treatment at Greenock Royal Infirmary for shock and abrasions.

   All available tugs in the area were directed to Princes Pier.   The TOSTERO, with about 30 feet (9 metres) of plating on the starboard side buckled, also hit the quay wall at the DEVONIA’s stern.   She was pulled clear by tugs and anchored at Tail-of-the-Bank, the anchorage off Greenock.

   The 502-feet (153 metres) long TOSTERO, owned by Rederi A/B Regin / Knut Kallstrom of Stockholm, Sweden, and making for General Terminus Quay, Glasgow , with a cargo of about 14,000 tons of iron ore from Lulea, Sweden, will go upriver today to unload.   Arrangements are to be made to carry out repairs.

   The DEVONIA will go into dry-dock today.   Mr. Joseph Dagleish, general manager of the dry-dock company, said they would start recruiting labour immediately.

   A statement issued jointly by the National Trust for Scotland and the owners of DEVONIA, the British India Steam Navigation Company Limited, said the damage to DEVONIA would take 10 days to repair.

   The statement added :—  

   “The Trust and British India regret the inconvenience to the 900 passengers who were to have joined the ship on Saturday morning.”

   An official of the Trust explained last night there could be no question of a postponement of the cruise.   Not only had the DEVONIA other commitments, but the cruise could not be reorganized on alternative dates even if this were convenient to the passengers.

   All passage money will be refunded.

   The official said that as many passengers as possible living in distant areas had been telephoned and in some cases they had been able to reach leaders of groups who were to have joined the cruise.

   Some people had already travelled to the Greenock area, and others were on their way before they could be stopped. 

   The co-operation of British Railways was being sought in advising people not to travel.   Members of the Trust staff will be at Glasgow and Edinburgh railway stations this morning to tell people due to travel on two special trains to Greenock of the cancellation of the cruise.

   The gale-force winds which struck the Clyde area caused the passenger excursion steamer DUCHESS OF HAMILTON to turn back from a cruise.   The ship met bad weather on a trip from Brodick (Isle of Arran) to Ayr yesterday afternoon and was forced to turn back.   She sheltered in Brodick and later sailed up-river.

Monday 14 September 1964

   Repairs to the 12,800-ton cruise ship DEVONIA, damaged when an ore carrier was in collision with her at Greenock on Friday, began immediately after she was docked on Saturday — the first ship to use the £4.25m Firth of Clyde Dry Dock at Greenock.

   Mr. Joseph Dagleish, general manager of the dock company said yesterday that work would continue round-the-clock on some of the damaged sections to try to ensure that the ship could leave the Clyde next week-end.

   A survey has disclosed no underwater damage, but while repairs are going ahead on the upper works, the opportunity will be taken to scrape and paint the under part of the hull.

   About 50 men were recruited at the dock over the week-end bringing the labour force up to 130.   Some employees who had arranged to go out of town for the local holiday week-end had to be recalled and work went on throughout the week-end.

LOCAL  SHIPYARDS CO-OPERATED

   “The additional labour was obtained with the co-operation of local shipyards, to whom we are grateful,” Mr. Dagleish said.

   Recruitment will continue until an initial figure of about 350 is reached and, thereafter, the build-up will be gradual as the work expands.   Ultimately the company aim to employ more than 1000 men.

   The DEVONIA was due to leave Greenock on Saturday for an eight-day cruise organized by the National Trust for Scotland, which had to be cancelled.

   In the ordinary way she would have returned to Greenock next Saturday to disembark passengers.   Then on Sunday she would leave for Dublin to pick up passengers for a holiday cruise, and it is hoped that she will be able to fulfil this part of her schedule.

THE DRY DOCK WAS READY FOR DEVONIA

   The docking on Saturday was completed without a hitch and in perfect weather.   Cranes were at the ready and squads of men were waiting to make a quick start on the dock’s first repair job, which utilizes only half of its 1000 feet (305 metres) length.

   Ironically, preceding DEVONIA on her short journey from Princes Pier to the Dry-Dock was the ore-carrier TOSTERO, the other ship involved in the collision, which was being towed up-river from Tail-of-the-Bank to discharge her cargo of iron ore at the General Terminus Quay at Tradeston, Glasgow.

   After the Swedish-owned TOSTERO finishes unloading she will go to the Alexander Stephen Company dock at Linthouse, Govan, Glasgow, for survey.   About 30 feet (9 metres) of her plating is buckled at the starboard bow, near deck level.

   The Greenock dock’s second ship, the 8,000 ton Blue Funnel cargo liner ACHILLES, which, but for Friday’s collision, would have been the forerunner, is due next week-end for routine repairs.

Cancellation of cruise for a year

   The next cruise arranged by the National Trust for Scotland will take place next year from 4 to 11 September 1965.

   This is announced in a letter to each of the 900 passengers who were to have sailed last Saturday in the 12,800 ton liner DEVONIA on a cruise round Scottish Islands.

   The Trust’s cruise was cancelled on Friday 20 hours before the DEVONIA was due to sail, after the liner was damaged in a collision at Greenock.

   Details of next year’s cruise itinerary have not been worked out, but passengers on this year’s cancelled cruise will have priority in booking.   No earlier dates were available for a replacement cruise.

Alternative cruise on DUNERA

   The British India Steam Navigation Company, the owners of DEVONIA, have offered to passengers who would have sailed in the DEVONIA a limited number of places at reduced fares on their autumn cruise for adults in the sister ship DUNERA.

   This cruise leaves Tilbury on October 10, and passengers return to Southampton on October 25, after visiting Vigo, Malaga and Lisbon.   The dormitory passage, normally £42, is offered to Trust cruise passengers at £35.

   In the meantime all passengers on the Trust cruise are being asked to return their passage tickets and rail tickets for the special trains to and from Greenock in order that their money may be refunded.