Latest Events

This page shows the 100 latest events.

What/When	Ship
News Event Wednesday, January 21, 2026 @ 1214	ECO TRINITY (2025-- General cargo ship IMO 9938705 : 132.8m overall of Briese Schiffahrts GmbH & Co. KG, Leer, Germany)	Own Page
ECO TRINITY arrives in the Clyde and passing Dunoon and Greenock and inbound for Glasgow
Ship's location Passing Custom House Quay, Greenock (Firth of Clyde UK) on passage to Glasgow Port of Registry Madeira (Portugal) Arrived from Marin (Spain / Espana) leaving there at 07:06 12 January then waiting anchored in Ayr Bay Gross Tonnage 7,887 Sailing for Riverside Quay, Shieldhall, Glasgow (Scotland, UK) Cargo carried on arrival Wind Turbine components
Contributed by Sandra B.  (Senior Site Administrator) 11:20   Tug CMS BOXER leaves her base at Victoria Harbour, Greenock and passes Custom House Quay and Greenock Ocean Terminal to wait off Fort Matilda (= at the western end -- the Gourock end -- of Greenock Esplanade) where she will meet the inbound ECO TRINITY. 11:40   The inbound ECO TRINITY passes the towns of Innellan, Dunoon, Kirn and Hunter's Quay and also Holy Loch. 12:07   ECO TRINITY passes Greenock Ocean Terminal and enters the River Clyde shipping channel which will take her the 17 miles (27km) upriver to the berth at Riverside Quay, Glasgow 12:14   Now passing Custom House Quay, Greenock, followed by the tug CMS BOXER
News Event Thursday, January 22, 2026 @ 1220	ELSBORG (2020 > General cargo ship IMO 9411771 : 88.97m overall of Wagenborg Shipping, Delfzijl)	Own Page
Wagenborg's ELSBORG at 5 River Berth, Port of Ayr (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK)
Ship's location 5 River Berth, Port of Ayr (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Port of Registry Delfzijl (The Netherlands) Arrived from Halmstad (Sweden) having sailed 17 January 2026 at 06:50 Gross Tonnage 2,281 Cargo carried on arrival Agriprods (= Agricultural produce) Deadweght Tonnage 3,609
Contributed by Veronika
News Event Wednesday, January 21, 2026 @ 1325	SD IMPULSE (1993- Shiphandling Tug 32.53m overall of Serco Marine Services)	Own Page
SD IMPULSE passing Custom House Quay, Greenock heading for Faslane Naval Base
Ship's location Passing Custom House Quay, Greenock (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Port of Registry London (England, U.K.) Arrived from Serco Marine Services Base, Great Harbour, Greenock (Scotland, UK) Gross Tonnage 319 Sailing for HMNB (= His Majesty's Naval Base) Faslane (Gare Loch, Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK)
Contributed by Sandra B.  (Senior Site Administrator)
News Event Wednesday, January 21, 2026 @ 1426	AYTON CROSS (in 2022 Tug of Svitzer)	Own Page
AYTON CROSS had left Bulk Carrier LOUISE and was passing Custom House Quay, Greenock
Ship's location Passing Custom House Quay, Greenock (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Arrived from Towing the outbound Bulk Carrier LOUISE at Greenock Ocean Terminal Sailing for Svitzer Berth at Great Harbour, Greenock Ships agent Svitzer Marine Ltd., Greenock (Scotland, UK)
Contributed by Sandra B.  (Senior Site Administrator)
News Event Friday, January 23, 2026 @ 1000		Own Page
Islanders oppose plans to reduce ferry service to Cumbrae (Firth of Clyde, Scotland)
Ship's location Largs - Cumbrae Slip ro-ro ferry service (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Ships agent Caledonian MacBrayne, Gourock, Scotland
From BBC Scotland Online News  23 January 2026   Islanders oppose plans to reduce ferry service to Cumbrae Image source,Getty Images Image caption, Ferry operator CalMac intends to scale back services on the Largs-Millport route from four per hour to three Published 23 January 2026 Cuts to ferry services for the Isle of Cumbrae will leave the local community "under pressure", locals have claimed. Operator CalMac intends to scale back sailings between Largs and Millport from four per hour to three. Islanders believe Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop should intervene before the new timetable takes effect from 27 March. CalMac said the changes were due to the scrapping of simultaneous loading and unloading of passengers and vehicles. The firm said this was needed for safety reasons, but would extend the turnaround time between journeys. However, islanders argue the current format of the service is sustainable. They fear the reduction in journeys will cause damage to the local economy by cutting the amount of visitors going there during the peak summer season.   Angus Campbell, the chairman of Cumbrae Ferry Committee and a community council member, said CalMac was proposing "radical cuts" which would put the community under pressure. He said: "We do not believe that the end of simultaneous loading and unloading is justified. "There have been no safety issues on our route for 40 years whilst carrying over 28 million passengers. "It is a backdoor way of imposing large-scale service reductions to our island and to our fragile economy."   Image source,Getty Images Image caption, CalMac intend to scrap simultaneous loading and unloading of passengers and vehicles Campbell also said he did not believe there had been meaningful consultation between the ferry company and islanders over the plans, something CalMac disputes. He added: "Cutting capacity on a busy, well-performing route reduces revenue, damages the fragile island economy, and increases the subsidy burden on the public purse." A protest against the changes is due to take place on Cumbrae on Saturday. CalMac insists the move is needed, and the current format only takes place on the Largs to Cumbrae route. Chief executive Duncan Mackison said: "Safety is our number one priority and following a thorough review we are not comfortable with the risk to customers, crew and shore staff when loading and unloading cars and foot passengers at the same time. "The consequence of this is that turnaround times at Largs and Cumbrae will be 10 minutes, but it brings the service in-line with how we operate on all other routes with slipways." Mackison said CalMac had been in talks with Cumbrae Ferry Users Group about the plans since October.
News Event Wednesday, January 21, 2026 @ 1427	ANGLEGARTH (1996- Tug 66 ton bollard pull : 33m long of Svitzer A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark / Managers: Svitzer Marine Ltd, Middlesbrough)	Own Page
Tug ANGLEGARTH passing Custom House Quay for the Svitzer Berth at Great Harbour, Greenock
Ship's location Passing Custom House Quay for the Svitzer Berth at Great Harbour, Greenock Port of Registry Milford (Wales, UK) Arrived from Escorting the outbound Bulk Carrier LOUISE at Greenock Ocean Terminal Gross Tonnage 374 Sailing for Svitzer Berth at Great Harbour, Greenock Deadweght Tonnage 290 Ships agent Svitzer Marine Ltd., Greenock (Scotland, UK)
Contributed by Sandra B.  (Senior Site Administrator) Tug ANGLEGARTH leaves the outbound Bulk Carrier LOUISE at Greenock Ocean Terminal
News Event Wednesday, January 21, 2026 @ 1530	WYRE ESTUARY (2023- Grab Hopper Dredger 29.20 meters overall of Wyre Marine Services Ltd.))	Own Page
In heavy rain WYRE ESTUARY is approaching Kip Marina (after dumping her spoil near Loch Long)
Ship's location Approaching Kip Marina Port of Registry Dover (England, UK) Arrived from Spoil dumping grounds in Firth of Clyde (roughly midway between Gourock Pier and Blairmore) Sailing for Kip Marina, Inverkip (Scotland, UK)
Contributed by Sandra B.  (Senior Site Administrator)   WYRE ESTUARY is dredging at Kip Marina and dumps the spoil at the dumping ground near the entrance to Loch Long.    The image was taken in an unexpected heavy rain squall
News Event Wednesday, January 21, 2026 @ 1415	LOUISE (2024 > Bulk Carrier IMO 9470301 : 177.85m overall)	Own Page
Bulk Carrier LOUISE passing Custom House Quay, Greenock and outbound for Rouen (France)
Ship's location Outbound and passing Custom House Quay, Greenock (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Port of Registry Majuro (Marshall Islands, an island country in the northwestern Pacific Ocean) Sailing for Rouen (France) and expected to arrive there at 20:00 on 23 January 2026 Gross Tonnage 22,863 Sailed from berth Riverside Quay, Shieldhall, Glasgow (Scotland, UK) Deadweght Tonnage 37,207 Outward cargo Light ship = no cargo on board
Contributed by Sandra B  (Senior Site Administrator) 11:30   Tugs ANGLEGARTH, AYTON CROSS and SVITZER MILFORD assist Bulk Carrier LOUISE to leave Riverside Quay, Glasgow 13:11   LOUISE and tugs pass below the Erskine Bridge 14:02   LOUISE and tugs pass the Port Glasgow Light 14:09   After travelling 17 miles down the River Clyde from Glasgow the Bulk Carrier LOUISE with her two tugs ANGLEGARTH and AYTON CROSS (a third tug SVITZER MILFORD had left the tow at Great Harbour) has just rounded Garvel Point at Greenock and is now heading to pass Custom House Quay. Passing James Watt Dock, Greenock : Tug ANGLEGARTH is in the lead, then LOUISE and the tug AYTON CROSS is tucked in behind the Bulker's stern  Tug  ANGLEGARTH passing Custom House Quay, Greenock Now approaching Custom House Quay, Greenock Svitzer tug AYTON CROSS astern of LOUISE LOUISE is now passing Greenock Ocean Terminal
News Event Wednesday, January 21, 2026 @ 1054	AYTON CROSS (in 2022 Tug of Svitzer)	Own Page
Tug AYTON CROSS passing Titan Crane, Clydebank, heading upriver to Glasgow to sail LOUISE
Ship's location Passing Titan Crane, Clydebank, heading up the River Clyde for Glasgow Sailing for Riverside Quay, Shieldhall, Glasgow (Scotland, UK) to sail Bulk Carrier LOUISE at 11:30 Ships agent Svitzer Marine Ltd., Greenock (Scotland, UK)
Contributed by Zakmac
News Event Wednesday, January 21, 2026 @ 1059	ANGLEGARTH (1996- Tug 66 ton bollard pull : 33m long of Svitzer A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark / Managers: Svitzer Marine Ltd, Middlesbrough)	Own Page
Tug ANGLEGARTH passing Titan Crane, Clydebank, heading upriver to Glasgow to sail LOUISE
Ship's location Passing Titan Crane, Clydebank, heading up the River Clyde for Glasgow Port of Registry Milford (Wales, UK) Sailing for Riverside Quay, Shieldhall, Glasgow (Scotland, UK) to sail Bulk Carrier LOUISE at 11:30 Gross Tonnage 374 Ships agent Svitzer Marine Ltd., Greenock (Scotland, UK) Deadweght Tonnage 290
Contributed by Zakmac
News Event Wednesday, January 21, 2026 @ 1105	SVITZER MILFORD (2004 > Shiphandling tug IMO 9292876 of Svitzer Marine, Middlesbrough, UK)	Own Page
SVITZER MILFORD passing Titan Crane, Clydebank, heading upriver to Glasgow to sail LOUISE
Ship's location Passing Titan Crane, Clydebank, heading up the River Clyde for Glasgow Port of Registry Milford Haven (Wales, UK) Sailing for Riverside Quay, Shieldhall, Glasgow (Scotland, UK) to sail Bulk Carrier LOUISE at 11:30 Gross Tonnage 384 Ships agent Svitzer Marine Ltd., Greenock (Scotland, UK) Deadweght Tonnage 226
Contributed by Zakmac
News Event Monday, January 19, 2026 @ 1000		Own Page
Scottish Government rule that two new Fisheries Ships will not have National Security status
From BBC Scotland online news 19 January 2026 Minister rules out national security status for new fisheries ships Image source,Scottish government Image caption, Scotland's rural affairs secretary says the new ships will be "merchant-class" vessels     A call to designate two planned Scottish fisheries ships as vital to national security, boosting the chances of them being built in the UK, has been rejected. Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said the ships would have no military capability and did not qualify for competition law exemptions for defence vessels. The ships they are replacing were both built by the Ferguson shipyard and there have been suggestions the orders could provide new work for the state-owned firm. One of the ships would be a patrol vessel to enforce fishing regulations, while the other would be a research ship. The timetable for ordering the new ships is vague with the Scottish government only saying it will happen in the "coming years" but last week it released images and concept design information., external Previously it had suggested the procurement process might begin in late 2025, but information on the Public Contracts Scotland website has since been amended, according to online publication UK Defence Journal., external One of the ships would replace the marine protection vessel Minna, built by Ferguson's in 2002, and be equipped with three boarding craft for inspection roles. The second would replace the fisheries research ship Scotia, also built by Ferguson's in 1998, and would be fitted with advanced sonar and other monitoring equipment.   Image source,Scottish government Image caption, The second vessel would be a research ship with advanced acoustic monitoring equipment MSP Paul Sweeney, who leads Holyrood's cross-party shipbuilding group, asked in a written question, external whether the ship orders could be directly awarded or the bidding restricted to UK-based shipyards. Sweeney suggested they might qualify for a "section 45" exemption, external from the UK's Subsidy Control Act in view of the role they would play in national security. However, in her reply, Gougeon said defence was a reserved matter and Scotland did not commission independent naval vessels. She added that the design of the ships "does not include warship specifications or military capability, which could misrepresent their authority at sea". She said they were "merchant- class vessels" and any direct award of a contract would have to comply with both procurement and subsidy control legislation. Echoes of an earlier debate The debate over whether such vessels can be classed as defence-related "grey ships" mirrors a political row almost 20 years ago. In 2007, Ferguson's, the Clyde's last commercial shipyard, was struggling in the face of competition from Poland, which had recently joined the EU, with claims that overseas yards were getting unfair state subsidies. There were suggestions that by making a planned fisheries patrol vessel "lightly armoured" it could be classed as a warship, allowing an exemption from EU procurement rules. At the time, the opposition SNP's deputy leader Nicola Sturgeon said: "Before the contract for a new fisheries protection vessel is put out to contract it should be reclassified as a 'grey ship' in order that the work can simply be given to a Scottish yard. "It's time for action now to save jobs and protect our shipyards." But the Labour/LibDem coalition in power at Holyrood insisted that redesignating the ship was not an option. The patrol vessel was never built as the fleet renewal programme was reviewed after the SNP came to power later in 2007, and it decided not to proceed with the order. Changed geopolitical climate The chief executive of Scottish Engineering, Paul Sheerin, recently suggested the heightened level of threat since Russia's invasion of Ukraine meant it was time to look again at what was considered a military vessel. Writing in the Herald, external, he said: "There is a valid argument that given the current precarious geopolitical climate, we should consider the potential dual use of publicly procured ships in terms of what role they could play in the event of the UK being pulled into conflict and so review their build in terms of sovereign capability." The Ministry Defence (MoD) has traditionally restricted bidding for "complex warships" such as frigates and aircraft carriers to UK firms but does not extend the practice to support vessels. In recent months, the MoD has faced criticism after it emerged that 24 tugs and other small support vessels for Royal Navy bases at Faslane and Portsmouth will be built overseas.   Image source,Serco Image caption, UK-based Serco has won a maritime services contract with the MoD but the agreement allows it to buy new tugs abroad The £850m maritime service contract was awarded to UK-based Serco but the deal left it free to place the shipbuilding order with Damen, a Dutch firm which is currently contesting allegations that it breached sanctions on Russia. The Ferguson shipyard, which was nationalised in 2019, is currently completing MV Glen Rosa, the second of two dual-fuel CalMac ferries which have been blighted by design challenges and disputes over costs. The Port Glasgow firm, which employs about 300 workers including 50 apprentices, has no more orders on its books, having been undercut last year by a Polish rival in its bid to build seven simpler and smaller CalMac vessels. Unions and representatives from the local community have asked the Scottish government to directly award it the contract for a replacement for another ferry, MV Lord of the Isles, to allow it to move on from the ferries controversy. Ministers are still weighing up if that would be legal under procurement and subsidy control law.
News Event Monday, January 19, 2026 @ 1033	GLENLEE (1992 > (locally known as the Tall Ship) a 3-masted barque 245.34 feet (74.83 m) long and a static floating museum ship at Riverside Museum, Glasgow)	Own Page
Museum ship GLENLEE at Riverside Museum, Glasgow has 2 of her 3 masts removed for renovation
Ship's location River Clyde at the Riverside Museum, Glasgow (Scotland, UK) Port of Registry Glasgow (Scotland, UK)
Contributed by Robert McManus    The building behind GLENLEE has a strangely mis-shapen pointed roof.   It's the Riverside Museum, and the pointy bits on the roof are meant to signify waves on the sea crashing onto the beach.
News Event Monday, January 19, 2026 @ 1039	FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE BOAT (in 2026 at Glasgow, Scotland)	Own Page
FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE BOAT exercising in River Clyde near Riverside Museum, Glasgow
Ship's location River Clyde at the Riverside Museum, Glasgow (Scotland, UK)
Contributed by Robert McManus Glasgow Airport fire rescue training on the River Clyde (apparently in case a plane comes down on the River Cart).
News Event Monday, January 19, 2026 @ 1029	KELVINHAUGH FERRY No. 8 (in 2026 Exhibit former foot-passenger ferry : of Riverside Museum, Glasgow)	Own Page
KELVINHAUGH FERRY No. 8 at River Kelvin Pontoons at Riverside Museum, Glasgow (Scotland)
Ship's location River Kelvin Pontoons at the Riverside Museum, Glasgow (Scotland, UK) Ships agent Riverside Museum, Glasgow (Scotland, UK)
Contributed by Robert McManus The Kelvinhaugh (Govan passenger No.8 ) at River Kelvin pontoons
News Event Monday, January 19, 2026 @ 1113	CASPER OWL (in 2024 Workboat of Offshore Workboats Ltd, Dock Street , Clydebank, Scotland, UK)	Own Page
Workboat CASPER OWL at the Pontoons at Riverside Museum, Glasgow (Scotland, UK)
Ship's location Pontoons at Riverside Museum, Glasgow (Scotland, UK) Port of Registry Glasgow (Scotland, UK) Ships agent Offshore Workboats Ltd., Clyde Boatyard, Dock Street, Clydebank (Dunbartonshire, Scotland )
Contributed by Robert McManus CASPER OWL with barge approaching pontoons to have 2 x winches fitted
News Event Wednesday, November 1, 1978 @ 0800	BENAVON (1973-1992 Container ship of William Thomson's Ben Line, Edinburgh)	Own Page
1 November 1978 : Crew list on Ben Line's Container ship BENAVON (1973-1992)
Port of Registry Leith (Scotland, UK)
On 1 November 1978 BENAVON was on passage from Port Kelang (Malaysia) to Southampton, Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Rotterdam and Le Havre on the Ben Line Containers / TRIO Service
News Event Thursday, January 15, 2026 @ 1200	ISLE OF ISLAY (2026 > Ro-ro passenger ferry of Caledonian MacBrayne, Gourock, Scotland)	Own Page
The first new CalMac ferry ISLE OF ISLAY is handed over by Turkish shipyard
Port of Registry Glasgow (Scotland, UK)
From BBC Scotland online news 15 January 2026   First new CalMac ferry ISLE OF ISLAY handed over by Turkish shipyard Published 15 January 2026 The first of four new CalMac ferries being built by a Turkish shipyard - MV Isle of Islay - has been formally handed over. The new ship has now been passed by UK regulators and is expected to begin the two-week journey to Scotland next week. Ferry operator CalMac will then need to carry out crew familiarisation and berthing trials so it is likely to be early spring when the ship enters service. The vessel, which can carry 450 passengers and 100 cars or 14 HGVs, will serve Islay and Jura. A ceremony was held at the Cemre shipyard at Yavlova to mark the transfer of ownership of the ship to Scottish-government owned ferries body CMAL, which then leases it to CalMac. The ship was originally due for delivery in October 2024 but a series of delays have been blamed on labour shortages and supply chain difficulties.   Image source,CMAL Image caption, MV Isle of Islay is the first of four new CalMac ferries built at the Cemre shipyard   A second vessel for the Islay route, MV Loch Indaal, is due for delivery in six months' time while work is progressing on a further two ferries destined for the Little Minch, serving North Uist and Harris. CalMac, the UK's largest ferry operator, has at times struggled to maintain services in recent years due an increasingly unreliable fleet with around half the major vessels beyond their expected service life. Opposition politicians have blamed that on poor stewardship by the Scottish government but Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said the new ship marked a "milestone" in the improvement in lifeline services. "Full focus is now on preparing the vessel for entry into service for the benefit of our island communities and businesses as soon as possible," she said. CMAL chief executive Kevin Hobbs added: "Taking ownership of the MV Isle of Islay marks a great step forward in our plan to rejuvenate the Scottish ferry fleet." Disabled access restored on Arran route CalMac's west coast fleet services remain stretched this winter due to repairs and scheduled overhauls, meaning fewer large ferries are available. Earlier this week the main Arran route was reduced to a single vessel service using the chartered catamaran MV Alfred because two large vessels, MV Glen Sannox and MV Caledonian Isles are away for maintenance for the rest of the month. The lift on Alfred is currently broken, meaning some disabled passengers had to stay in their cars or in a minibus on the car deck during the 90-minute crossing between Troon and Brodick. CalMac said its monitoring showed these arrangements did not "provide the standard of access and experience we expect customers to have", so it is now redeploying a second vessel to the route. It said MV Isle of Arran would join MV Alfred from Friday as a temporary measure until the lift is repaired. A spokeswoman said: "This will cause disruption on some routes, and we apologise to those impacted. "However, all islands will continue to be served by a vessel, and our capacity analysis indicates that customers can continue to travel as and when they need to across the network."
News Event Friday, January 16, 2026 @ 0936	SVITZER WARDEN (2007- Tug 24m long of Svitzer Towage)	Own Page
Tug SVITZER WARDEN passing Clydebank (River Clyde, Scotland) heading upriver for Glasgow
Ship's location Passing Clydebank (River Clyde, Scotland, UK) Port of Registry Rochester (England, UK) Sailing for To assist in sailing Bulk Carrier PENELOPE L from Riverside Quay, Shieldhall, Glasgow Gross Tonnage 207 Ships agent Svitzer Marine Ltd., Greenock (Scotland, UK) Deadweght Tonnage 150
Contributed by Robert McManus SVITZER WARDEN was heading for Riverside Quay, Glasgow to assist the Svitzer Tug ANGLEGARTH to sail the Bulk Carrier PENELOPE  L  at 10:00.
News Event Friday, January 16, 2026 @ 1030	GOLDEN BANYAN (2025 > Oil / Chemical tanker IMO 1055844 : 150m overall of Manager: Seacon Ships Management (Europe) Sa, Athens, Greece : Owner: Bright Chemone Shipping Ltd , Athens, Greece)	Own Page
Tanker GOLDEN BANYAN arriving at the entrance to Rothesay Dock, Clydebank (Scotland)
Ship's location Inbound and arriving at the entrance to Rothesay Dock, Clydebank (Scotland) Port of Registry Monrovia (Liberia) Arrived from Le Havre (France) Gross Tonnage 11,944 Sailing for NuStar Fuel Terminal, Rothesay Dock, Clydebank (River Clyde, Scotland, UK) Deadweght Tonnage 18,444 Cargo carried on arrival Oil grades
Contributed by Robert McManus   GOLDEN BANYAN is now at the entrance to Rothesay Dock and tug CMS BOXER is at her bow and tug SVITZER MILFORD is at the stern.       The tanker is looking very clean and immaculate, well so she should be as she was only built last year (2025) The tugs are now turning the Tanker to allow the stern tug SVITZER MILFORD to tow her astern in a dog-leg manoeuvre to the berth in the Fuel Terminal And GOLDEN BANYAN is now berthed at the fuel terminal
News Event Friday, January 16, 2026 @ 1102	PENELOPE L (2015 ?? > Bulk Carrier IMO 9714343 : 169.37m overall of Austbulk Shipping, Imbari, Petaling, Malaysia)	Own Page
Bulk Carrier PENELOPE L outbound and passing the Yoker - Renfrew Bridge, River Clyde, Scotland
Ship's location Outbound and passing the Yoker - Renfrew Bridge, River Clyde, Scotland Port of Registry Monrovia (Liberia) Arrived from Adams Yard at Riverside Quay, Shieldhall, Glasgow .. tugs SVITZER WARDEN and ANGLEGARTH Gross Tonnage 17,027 Sailing for El Jorf Lasfar (Morocco, West Africa) ... due to arrive at 16:00 on 21 January 2026 Deadweght Tonnage 28,145 Outward cargo Scrap metal
Contributed by Robert McManus Tug SVITZER WARDEN towing PENELOPE  L through the Yoker - Renfrew Swing Bridge on the River Clyde. Svitzer tug ANGLEGARTH at the stern of the Bulk Carrier PENELOPE  L  and the two tugs have now passed through the Yoker - Renfrew Swing Bridge and are continuing their passage down the River Clyde.
News Event Wednesday, January 14, 2026 @ 1200	GLENLEE (1992 > (locally known as the Tall Ship) a 3-masted barque 245.34 feet (74.83 m) long and a static floating museum ship at Riverside Museum, Glasgow)	Own Page
Masts of Glasgow Riverside Museum Historic Ship GLENLEE removed for conservation work
Ship's location Riverside Museum, Partick, Glasgow (Scotland, UK) Port of Registry Glasgow (Scotland, UK)
From BBC Scotland Online News 14 January 2026     Masts of historic ship on River Clyde removed for conservation work Image source,Martin Shields Image caption, Work has begun to remove the masts of the Tall Ship Glenlee     The masts of a famous Glasgow ship have been removed for the first time in 30 years to allow conservation work to take place. Owners of the Tall Ship Glenlee - which is docked at the city's Riverside Museum - will send two of the vessel's three masts to a specialist workshop in Maldon, Essex. Repairs will then be carried out and a new set of running rigging will be added before the masts are returned to the Glenlee in the summer. The vessel was built in Port Glasgow about 130 years ago, and served as a British cargo sailing ship for over 20 years. After being refurbished in 1999, she has served as a museum and tourist attraction.     She is owned by The Tall Ship Glenlee Trust, an independent charity, who said the ongoing work will keep the ship in as good a condition as possible. Specialists TS Rigging have previously worked with other historic vessels throughout the UK, such as RRS Discovery and the Cutty Sark. The team there will firstly carry out detailed analysis of the strength and condition of the metal before carrying out any necessary repairs. An entire new set of running rigging will be added, while the standard rigging is to be serviced - this involves traditional skills that now considered so rare they have been added to the Heritage Crafts endangered list. Fiona Greer, the development director of the Tall Ship Glenlee, said: "Maintaining an historic vessel is an expensive but essential business: we want to ensure that Glenlee remains in best possible condition. "Being able to upgrade her rigging with the funding received from National Heritage Memorial Fund is something we have been planning for a long time." She added that people wanting to watch the masts being removed should do from the Govan side of the river, or at the Govan-Partick Bridge footbridge.   Image source,Martin Shields Image caption, The work is the first refurbishment of the ship in three decades The first phase of the ship's refurbishment focused on the internal hull and steel work and was completed in spring last year. The second phase - funded by a £1.8m grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund - is the first major overhaul of the ship's rigging in three decades. Chris Wood, a rigger with TS Rigging, said: "Vessels such as Glenlee were once commonplace, but have now become a rarity largely consigned to history. To work on an original Victorian tall ship that has been saved for the nation is a privilege." The steel-hulled ship was built by Anderson Rodger in the Bay Yard and designed to carry cargo across the world, being originally fitted with three masts made mainly of steel. For the first 20 years of her working life, these masts were her only means of propulsion, driving her across the world's oceans, using wind power alone. She served as a British cargo sailing ship for over 20 years and was then used by he Spanish Navy for training between 1922 and 1979. The Tall Ship Glenlee Trust - at that time called the Clyde Maritime Trust - took over responsibility for the boat in 1993 and returned her to the River Clyde.
News Event Wednesday, January 14, 2026 @ 1030 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	COASTWORKER (1995- Tug 19.5m long of Coastworks Operations Ltd., Fairlie, Scotland, U.K.)	Own Page
Coastwork's COASTWORKER working at Rothesay Dock, Clydebank (River Clyde, Scotland, UK)
Ship's location Rothesay Dock, Clydebank (River Clyde, Scotland, UK)
Contributed by Robert McManus
News Event Wednesday, January 14, 2026 @ 1400		Own Page
An interesting website item on Google of Rothesay Dock, Clydebank through the years
Ship's location Rothesay Dock, Clydebank (River Clyde, Scotland, UK)
https://jlwsolutionsltd.com/rothesay-dock-then-and-now/
News Event Wednesday, June 20, 1962 @ 1100	DUCHESS OF HAMILTON ( 1932-1971 Passenger excursion steamer 272 feet long with triple screws of Caledonian Steam Packet Company, Gourock)	Own Page
DUCHESS OF HAMILTON leaves Largs Pier on an Excursion Cruise to Inverary (Loch Fyne)
Sailing for Inverary (Loch Fyne, Scotland, UK) Port of Registry Glasgow Sailed from berth Largs Pier (Ayrshire, Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Net Tonnage 297 Outward cargo Passengers Gross Tonnage 801 Ships agent Caledonian Steam Packet Company Ltd., Gourock, Scotland, UK Deadweght Tonnage 155
News Event Wednesday, July 16, 1969 @ 1000 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	USS HORNET (in 1969 Aircraft Carrier of US Navy)	Own Page
1969 : Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. HORNET deploys to South Pacific to recover spacecraft Apollo 11
Ship's location South Pacific Ocean Sailed from berth Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, USA
ABOARD THE U.S.S. HORNET, July 16-As Apollo 11 hurtles through the dark ocean of space, this aging vessel throbs along in the rolling waters of the South Pacific-two ships, the progeny of separate milieus, caught up together in man's most incredible adventure. Setting out days apart from different ports on divergent courses, they are moving nonetheless toward a historic rendezvous. The Hornet, an elderly aircraft carrier with memories, medals and marks from World War II, is the primary recovery ship for the first lunar-landing mission and will be waiting 1,200 miles southwest of Hawaii next week when Neil A. Armstrong. Col. Edwin E. Aldrin Jr. and Lieut. Col. Michael Collins end their monumental voyage. But today, when the astronauts roared away from Cape Kennedy, whirled around the world and blazed toward the moon, this ship was here below the Equator, 1,800 miles south of Hawaii, ready to pluck the three men from the water if their trip had been interrupted during its first few hours. That improbable possibility having passed, the Hornet tilted in a wide turn and steamed northward toward the primary recovery zone, 1,100 miles away.   The ship is scheduled to arrive in that area on Tuesday, two days before Apollo 11 is to streak into the earth's atmosphere and plop into the ocean. Among the 2,222 men aboard are the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's 35-member recovery team, which includes engineers, technicians and physicians. Also on board are the pilots and crews of a helicopter squadron and the swimmers from an underwater demolition team. Those are the men who will participate directly in the recovery of the astronauts and their command module, but the team concept, which has pervaded the previous recovery efforts in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space feats, is evident on the Hornet. "I don't kid myself for one moment," Capt. Carl J. Seiberlich said today. "Every man who sailed on the Hornet from Pearl Harbor last Saturday is a part of this and I can point out quite a few of them whose jobs are critical to the success of this recovery mission.” Although Captain Seiberlich is relatively new to his ship-he assumed command in May the Hornet is not unfamiliar with the mechanics of a recovery. In August, 1966, an unmanned Apollo module was picked up by the ship's men, and in the last month a number of simulated exercises have brought the ship to a level of readiness "unparalleled in my experience with recoveries," Dr. Donald Stullken, chief of the NASA recovery team, said. But yesterday, as the Hornet approached the Equator, most of those on board forgot about their approaching appointment with history long enough to take part in the traditional "Court of King Neptune" ceremonies. About 650 men who had never crossed the Equator before-"pollywogs" they are called - were initiated into the fraternity of those who have the "shellbacks.” Then the ship settled back into her nautical routine. Shrill, piercing boatswains' whistles signaled announcements over a public-address system; the clink and clank of wrenches filtered through the cavernlike area beneath the flight deck where the ship's helicopters and planes are stored, and the talk of a few small groups of sailors rose from their gathering place beneath a whirring, turning radar screen. In the sky, the sun disappeared behind a mountain of clouds, coloring them pink and beige and purple, and just above the horizon, a sliver of moon appeared, pale and pearl.
News Event Sunday, January 11, 2026 @ 1800	GIRVAN LIFEBOAT (in 2026 at Royal National Lifeboat Institution, Girvan, Scotland)	Own Page
Stranraer inshore lifeboat and Girvan all-weather lifeboat attend yacht in difficulty near Loch Ryan
Ship's location Near the mouth of Loch Ryan (= near Stranraer, South West Scotland, UK)
From BBC Scotland online news 12 January 2026 Lifeboat crews battle gales to rescue drifting yacht   Image source,Stranraer RNLI Image caption, Girvan lifeboat was called out to tow the yacht to safety By Lifeboat crews have battled gale force conditions to rescue a yacht drifting and in danger of being swamped by waves off south west Scotland. The 40ft (12m) vessel - with one person on board - suffered an anchor line failure and was being blown towards hazardous waters in Loch Ryan on Sunday evening. The RNLI inshore lifeboat at Stranraer attached control lines to stabilise the stricken yacht which was then towed to safety by an all-weather lifeboat from Girvan. An RNLI spokesperson described it as a "challenging rescue carried out in very difficult conditions".     Image source,Stranraer RNLI Image caption, Emergency services were alerted to the incident on Sunday evening The drama unfolded at 18:00 on Sunday when HM Coastguard received reports of a yacht in difficulty to the north of Loch Ryan. The vessel and its single occupant were deemed to be in immediate danger given the conditions and the location of the boat. The drifting yacht was said to be rolling heavily and, with no effective means of control, was at high risk of being overwhelmed by the weather. The Stranraer inshore lifeboat was deployed to provide initial assistance until further resources could be mobilised.     The crew of the Stena Superfast VII ferry, which was nearby, kept a watch on the yacht and provided rescue crews with updates on its location. After being stabilised by the Stranraer inshore lifeboat, a larger all-weather lifeboat from Girvan arrived on the scene to tow the yacht to safety. A Stranraer RNLI spokesperson said: "This was a challenging service carried out in very difficult weather. "The yacht was being driven by strong winds and heavy seas after its anchor failed, and the situation was deteriorating. "Our volunteer crew worked calmly and professionally in demanding conditions and are grateful to HM Coastguard, the crew of the Stena Superfast VII, and Girvan RNLI for their coordination and support."
News Event Wednesday, January 7, 2026 @ 1151	SOUND OF SHUNA (2003- Roro ferry 49.95m of Western Ferries, Hunters Quay, Scotland)	Own Page
SOUND OF SHUNA nearing Gourock with snow-topped mountainns in the distance
Ship's location On passage across the Firth of Clyde from Hunter's Quay and heading for McInroy's Point Port of Registry Glasgow (Scotland, UK) Arrived from Hunter's Quay (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Gross Tonnage 489 Sailing for McInroy's Point, Gourock (Scotland, UK) Deadweght Tonnage 229 Cargo carried on arrival Passengers and vehicles Ships agent Western Ferries, Hunter's Quay (Scotland, UK)
News Event Wednesday, January 7, 2026 @ 1310	CMS BOXER (2019- Towing, pushing and fire-fighting tug / workboat 21.2m overall of Clyde Marine Services Ltd., Victoria Harbour, Greenock)	Own Page
Tug CMS BOXER passing Custom House Quay, Greenock (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK)
Ship's location Passing Custom House Quay, Greenock (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Port of Registry Greenock (Scotland, UK) Arrived from Victoria Harbour, Greenock (= the base of the owners Clyde Marine Services Ltd.) Gross Tonnage 149
13:10    Passing Custom House Quay, Greenock (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) 13:25    Passing Custom House Quay, Greenock (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK)
News Event Monday, January 12, 2026 @ 1302	ALFRED (2019- Ro-ro passenger catamaran ferry 84m overall on charter to Caledonian MacBrayne from Pentland Ferries)	Own Page
Caledonian MacBrayne's chartered ALFRED gets special dispensation for disabled facilities
Ship's location Firth of Clyde Troon to Brodick passenger and vehicle service Port of Registry Kirkwall (Orkney Islands, Scotland, UK) Ships agent Caledonian MacBrayne, Gourock, Scotland Gross Tonnage 2,991 Deadweght Tonnage 466
From BBC Scotland online news 12 January 2026 Ferry's makeshift disabled facilities as scaled-back timetable begins Image source,Christopher Brindle Image caption, The chartered catamaran MV Alfred will provide a single-vessel Brodick service during January   A scaled-back timetable on the main ferry route for Arran has begun with special arrangements put in place for disabled travellers due to a broken lift. The chartered catamaran MV Alfred will be the only ferry sailing to Brodick for the remainder of January while two major ships are away for maintenance. The catamaran's lift is out of action so CalMac has obtained permission from regulators for some disabled passengers to remain on the car deck during the 90-minute crossing where an accessible toilet will be available. CalMac will also help with overnight accommodation for customers with critical medical appointments unable travel to and from the mainland in a single day. The situation has arisen because two other ferries which normally serve the Arran route are both undergoing maintenance. CalMac's newest ferry, MV Glen Sannox, has been at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead since November for an extended overhaul while still covered by warranty. The ship is due back in service on 2 February. Image source,Christopher Brindle Image caption, MV Caledonian Isles arrived in Greenock for its annual overhaul at the weekend An older vessel, MV Caledonian Isles, which returned to service in October after 20 months of repairs, departed at the weekend for its annual overhaul in Greenock and will return on 7 February. In the meantime, a single-vessel Brodick service will be provided from Troon by MV Alfred, the catamaran which has been chartered from Pentland ferries since May 2023 at a cost of £1m per month. Special dispensations The car deck passenger lift on MV Alfred is currently broken, with spare parts due to arrive next week, but there is no firm date for when it will be fixed. Passengers are not normally allowed to remain on the car deck but CalMac has obtained permission from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency for special arrangements for up to 10 customers per sailing who are unable to use stairs. A small number of passengers will be allowed to stay in their own vehicles while foot passengers will be offered a space in an accessible minibus and an accessible toilet will also be available on the car deck. The presence of passengers on the car deck means dangerous goods will not be allowed to use the ferry, and will have to use the much longer alternative route to Arran, from Claonaig on the Kintyre peninsula to Lochranza. CalMac said it had calculated that MV Alfred would be sufficient to meet January passenger demand but apologised to customers, acknowledging that onboard facilities may "fall short" of expectations. MV Alfred has vending machines for drinks and snacks rather than a full catering service. The Isle of Arran Ferry Committee urged passengers not to vent their frustrations on CalMac staff. "These decisions are not of their making and they too must be equally frustrated," it posted on social media. Replacement vessel delays CalMac faces a difficult few weeks as it tries to maintain service while juggling scheduled winter maintenance slots and unexpected repairs that have left four of its 10 largest ships out of service. MV Lord of the Isles, which normally serves South Uist, is currently in dry dock due a "small fault" with its steel plating close to the waterline, while MV Clansman is undergoing scheduled maintenance The underlying issue is delays to vessel replacement with many vessels now well beyond their expected service life, but the situation should improve during the year as new ships arrive. The first of four large ferries being built in Turkey, MV Isle of Islay, although delayed by more than a year, is expected to be handed over by the Cemre shipyard in the next few weeks before making the journey to Scotland. The remaining three ships are due to follow on at six-monthly intervals, while MV Glen Rosa, earmarked for the Arran route, is currently due for completion by the Ferguson shipyard by the end of the year. Work is also said to be progressing well on seven small ferries being built by a shipyard in Poland. The charter of MV Alfred has provided CalMac with vital extra capacity while it awaits new vessels, which are procured by a separate government-owned firm CMAL, but the arrangement has lasted far longer than expected. The cost of the charter, while it includes crewing costs and fuel, is now more than double the £14m paid by Orkney-based Pentland Ferries for construction of the ship by a Vietnamese shipyard in 2019.
News Event Friday, July 1, 1966 @ 1000 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	SOUTH AFRICAN SEAFARER (ex CLAN SHAW : 1961-1966 General cargo ship 512 feet long of South African Marine Corporation "Safmarine", Kaapstad, : 1966 aground and wrecked off Cape Town))	Own Page
1966 : SOUTH AFRICAN SEAFARER wrecked at Cape Town (South Africa) : 76 rescued by helicopters
Ship's location Entrance to Table Bay, Cape Town (South Africa) Port of Registry Kaapstad (Pronounced ka pstet : Afrikaans for "Cape Town") Gross Tonnage 8,101
News Event Wednesday, January 7, 2026 @ 1557	SOUND OF SHUNA (2003- Roro ferry 49.95m of Western Ferries, Hunters Quay, Scotland)	Own Page
SOUND OF SHUNA approaching and berthing at Western Ferries Terminal, McInroy's Point, Gourock
Ship's location Approaching and berthing at Western Ferries Terminal, McInroy's Point, Gourock (Scotland, UK) Port of Registry Glasgow (Scotland, UK) Arrived from Hunter's Quay (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Gross Tonnage 489 Sailing for Western Ferries Terminal, McInroy's Point, Gourock (Scotland, UK) Deadweght Tonnage 229 Cargo carried on arrival Passengers and vehicles Ships agent Western Ferries, Hunter's Quay (Scotland, UK)
News Event Monday, April 5, 1954 @ 1800 The actual date and time are unknown and details shown here are our best estimate		Own Page
April 1954 Sailing Notice for Pacific Steam Navigation Company of Liverpool to South America
News Event Wednesday, January 7, 2026 @ 1550	SOUND OF SEIL (2013 > ro-ro ferry of Western Ferries, Hunters Quay, Scotland)	Own Page
SOUND OF SEIL leaving Span 2 at McInroy's Point Terminal, Gourock for Hunter's Quay
Ship's location Leaving Span 2 at McInroy's Point Terminal, Gourock for Hunter's Quay (Firth of Clyde) Port of Registry Glasgow (Scotland, UK) Sailing for Hunter's Quay (Cowal Peninsula, Firth of Clyde, Southern Scottish Highlands (Scotland, UK)) Sailed from berth Span 2 at Western Ferries McInroy's Point Terminal, Gourock (Scotland, UK) Outward cargo Passengers and vehicles
News Event Wednesday, January 7, 2026 @ 1213	ECO TITAN (2023 > General cargo ship IMO 9933793 : 132.78m overall of Briese Chartering / Briese Schiffahrts Gmbh & Co - Leer, Germany)	Own Page
ECO TITAN arrives in the Clyde and passing Dunoon and Greenock and inbound for Glasgow
Ship's location Passing the Town of Dunoon (Firth of Clyde) and inbound for Glasgow Port of Registry Madeira (Portugal) Arrived from Vigo (Spain / Espana) and waiting at anchor in Brodick Bay (Isle of Arran, Firth of Clyde, Scotland) Gross Tonnage 7,887 Sailing for Riverside Quay, Shieldhall, Glasgow (Scotland, UK) Deadweght Tonnage 9,000 Draught aft on arrival 6.3m Cargo carried on arrival Wind Turbine components
10:50   ECO TITAN had earlier left her anchorage at Brodick Bay (Isle of Arran) and now at Cumbrae Heads boards her Clyde Pilot from the cutter GANTOCK and the Pilot will guide her through the waters of the Lower Firth of Clyde and through the narrow shipping channel of the River Clyde to her berth at Riverside Quay, Glasgow 12:00   Tug SVITZER MILFORD is waiting off Gourock to meet ECO TITAN and escort her upriver to Glasgow   12:13   ECO TITAN now passes the Towns of Dunoon, Kirn and Hunter's Quay. 12:48   Inbound for Glasgow and passing Greenock Ocean Terminal.   The container ship MSC ANNICK is loading containers for Liverpool (England) 12:50   ECO TITAN approaching and passing Custom House Quay, Greenock.   Escorted by tug SVITZER MILFORD
News Event Wednesday, January 7, 2026 @ 1347	ANTJE K (2002 > General cargo ship IMO: 9198630 : 90.25m overall of Flagship Management Co Bv - Farmsum, Netherlands) / Alstership)	Own Page
ANTJE K outbound and passing Custom House Quay, Greenock (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK)
Ship's location Outbound and passing Custom House Quay, Greenock (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Port of Registry Delfzijl (The Netherlands) Sailing for Irish Sea and English Channel : awaiting orders Gross Tonnage 3,037 Sailed from berth Riverside Quay, Shieldhall, Glasgow (Scotland, UK) Deadweght Tonnage 4,247 Outward cargo Light ship = no cargo on board
The outbound cargo ship ANTJE K approaching and passing Custom House Quay, Greenock Passing Greenock Ocean Terminal with Container Ship MSC ANNICK loading containers for Liverpool
News Event Wednesday, January 7, 2026 @ 1524	MSC ANNICK (2013 > Container ship IMO 9169122 : 260.65m overall of MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co - Geneva, Switzerland)	Own Page
Container ship MSC ANNICK leaving Greenock Ocean Terminal for Liverpool (England)
Ship's location Leaving Greenock Ocean Terminal with tug SVITZER WARDEN at bow and ANGLEGARTH at stern Port of Registry Monrovia (Liberia) Sailing for Liverpool (England, UK) Gross Tonnage 40,792 Sailed from berth Greenock Ocean Terminal, Greenock, Firth of Clyde, Scotland, U.K. Deadweght Tonnage 52,329 Outward cargo Containers
News Event Sunday, April 30, 1967 @ 1000	AUSTRALIS (in 1967 Passenger liner of Chandris Line at Australia, Panama Canal and Southampton)	Own Page
1967 : 86 passengers complain of conditions aboard Chandris Liner AUSTRALIS at Melbourne
Ship's location Melbourne (Australia) Arrived from Southampton (England, UK) Arrived in berth Melbourne (Australia) Sailing for Sydney (Australia) and Auckland (New Zealand) Master of vessel on arrival Captain de Luyt Cargo carried on arrival 2,100 passengers Ships agent Chandris Lines (Aust) Pty. Ltd., Chandris House, 135 King Street, Sydney. Phone 28-2451
News Event Friday, July 15, 1955 @ 0800 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	SEALIGHT (1930-1963 Steam engined general cargo Clyde puffer lighter 86 feet long of Light Shipping Co. / Ross & Marshall Ltd : 1964 scrapped at Troon))	Own Page
Clyde puffer SEALIGHT at Troon loads coal for Inverie (small village on Knoydart Peninsula)
Ship's location Troon Harbour (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Port of Registry Greenock (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, U.K.) Arrived from Eriskay (Island in Outer Hebrides of Scotland) Gross Tonnage 154 Sailing for Inverie (a small village on the Knoydart Peninsula, Scottish Highlands) Cargo carried on arrival Light ship = no cargo on board Outward cargo 129 tons 10 hundredweights of coal for Inverie, for the account of J Kennedy & Son Ltd. Ships agent Ross & Marshall Ltd., 98 West George Street, Glasgow, C.2. Tel DOUglas 4294
Monday 20 June 1955    SEALIGHT in Prince's Dock, Glasgow loading wooden poles for Tarbert (Isle of Harris, Scotland) and Isle of Raasay (off Isle of Skye, Scotland) for account of Christie & Vesey Ltd.      While in Prince's Dock the ship's boiler (= engine) was cleaned Tuesday 21 June 1955      Still in Prince's Dock and continued boiler cleaning Wednesday 22 June 1955   Completed loading and shifted to the Coaling Berth at the nearby Queen's Dock and bunkered (= refuelled with coal to power her steam engine) and then left Glasgow and started down the River Clyde on her long passage to Tarbert in Isle of Harris (Outer Hebrides in the Western Isles of Scotland) Thursday 23 June 1955      On passage to Tarbert in Isle of Harris (Outer Hebrides in the Western Isles of Scotland) Friday 24 June 1955    On passage to Tarbert in Isle of Harris (Outer Hebrides in the Western Isles of Scotland)      Arrived in Tarbert at 4pm (= 16:00 hours) Saturday 25 June 1955    No berth available.    Had to lay off the pier. Sunday 26 June 1955     At Tarbert Monday 27 June 1955      At Tarbert and commencing discharging cargo Tuesday 28 June 1955      At Tarbert and discharging cargo.   Then completed discharge of cargo and left Tarbert for Kyle (= Kyle of Lochalsh in the Scottish Highland area)   Wednesday 29 June 1955    At Kyle and loading the balance (= the remaining number of wooden poles) and leaving for the Isle of Raasay (= a small island off the Isle of Skye)    Thursday 30 June 1955   At Raasay and discharging the remaining cargo of wooden poles.   Friday 1 July 1955    At Portree (Isle of Skye) and on hire by B. French Ltd. to take a cargo to Raasay.   Saturday 2 July 1955   At Raasay and discharging the cargo.   Sunday 3 July 1955    Left Raasay and started on passage to Troon (Firth of Clyde)   Monday 4 July 1955    On passage to Troon.    When transiting the Crinan Canal received orders to go to Furnace (in Loch Fyne) and load 165 tons of crushed granite for the account of William Sim & Co. Ltd., Glasgow. Arrived at Furnace and loaded the cargo and left for Glasgow.   Tuesday 5 July 1955.    Arrived at Custom House Quay, Clyde Street, Glasgow, but there was no labour to discharge the crushed granite.    However at 5 pm (= 17:00 hours) labour arrived and discharged the cargo.   Wednesday 6 July 1955   Left Glasgow and went down the River Clyde to Greenock where she bunkered with coal.    Then left Greenock for Troon (Firth of Clyde)     At Troon loaded 116 tons 14 hundredweights of coal and coke for the Isle of Eriskay for the account of William Campbell Ltd.     Eriskay is a small island in the Outer Hebrides with a population of around 160 and lies between South Uist and Barra.     Thursday 7 July 1955    On passage from Troon for Eriskay.     Friday 8 July 1955    On passage to Eriskay.   Arrived at 3 pm (= 15:00 hours)   Saturday 9 July 1955     At Eriskay, discharging.   Sunday 10 July 1955   At Eriskay.   No discharging today due to religious observance.   Monday 11 July 1955    At Eriskay, discharging   Tuesday 12 July 1955   At Eriskay, discharging   Wednesday 13 July 1955    Left Eriskay for Troon (Firth of Clyde)   Thursday 14 July 1955       At noon  (= 12:00 hours) in the Crinan Canal and making for Troon (Firth of Clyde)   Friday 15 July 1955    At Troon.    Loading 129 tons 10 hundredweights of coal for Inverie, for the account of J Kennedy & Son Ltd.   She also loaded 10 tons 7 hundredweights of bunker coal (to power her steam engine.)    Inverie is the main village on the Knoydart Peninsula in the Scottish Highlands.   It is not far from Oban and is located on the north side of Loch Nevis and, although on the mainland of Scotland. ...
News Event Friday, July 15, 1955 @ 0800 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	MOONLIGHT (1952- 1966 steam engined general cargo Clyde puffer lighter 88 feet long of Ross & Marshall, Glasgow : 1970 scrapped at Troon)	Own Page
Clyde puffer MOONLIGHT on passage from Greenock to Troon to load coal for Ormsary in West Highlands
Ship's location On passage from Campbeltown to Troon (but called at Greenock to bunker = refuel with coal Port of Registry Greenock (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, U.K.) Sailing for Troon (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Gross Tonnage 164 Cargo carried on arrival Light ship = no cargo on board Deadweght Tonnage 188 Ships agent Ross & Marshall Ltd., 98 West George Street, Glasgow, C.2. Tel DOUglas 4294
Monday 11 July 1955   MOONLIGHT was at Ardrossan (Firth of Clyde) loading 92 tons 1 hundredweight of Coke for R McEachran Ltd. at Campbeltown (Kintyre) Tuesday 12 July 1955   At Campbeltown, discharging. Wednesday 13 July 1955   At Campbeltown, discharging. Thursday 14 July 1955   On passage from Campbeltown to Greenock to load coal bunkers (bunkers = coal to fuel her steam engine) Friday 15 July 1955   On passage from Greenock to Troon (Firth of Clyde)    P.M. at Troon loaded 111 tons of coal for Ormsary (a small village on the Scottish Mainland area of Argyll & Bute) for the account of William Campbell Ltd. Saturday 16 July 1955   On passage from Troon to Ormsary Sunday 17 July 1955   At Ormsary Monday 18 July 1955   At Ormsary : commenced discharging the cargo of coal.
News Event Wednesday, December 31, 2025 @ 1725	SCOT PIONEER (2006 > General cargo ship IMO 9331347 : 89.33m overall of ScotLine)	Own Page
SCOT PIONEER goes aground at Teignmouth Harbour (Devon, South coast of England, UK)
Arrived from Hamburg (Germany) Port of Registry Inverness (Scotland, UK) Sailing for Teignmouth Harbour (Devon, South coast of England, UK) Net Tonnage 1,053 Gross Tonnage 2,528
From BBC Online News 31 December 2025   Cargo ship SCOT PIONEER runs aground in Teignmouth Harbour Image source,Ian Collins Image caption, The Scot Pioneer cargo ship ran aground in Teignmouth Harbour on New Year's Eve ByGeorge Thorpe Devon Published 31 December 2025 A cargo ship has run aground off the south Devon coast. The coastguard said it received reports of the vessel - its name Scot Pioneer visible from the shore - had got into difficulty in Teignmouth harbour at about 17:25 GMT. It added the ship, registered to Inverness in Scotland, had eight crew on board and no injuries or damage to the vessel had been reported. A coastguard spokesperson said it was expected the boat would be refloated at the next high tide at about 02:00 on New Year's Day with a harbour tug being sent to assist the vessel get to the dock. Eyewitnesses said the ship appeared to have got stuck on the seabed about 50m (164ft) away from Shaldon beach. A marine traffic website, external said the ship had last docked in Hamburg before leaving the German port on Boxing Day. Teignmouth harbour master, Rob Parsons, said the timing of incident was "unfortunate". "Time and tide wait for no man and you can never beat Mother Nature," he added. He said the priority was to get the vessel floated and his team would attempt to do so using a tug called Teign C early on New Year's Day.   In April, a cargo ship carrying animal feed had to be refloated after it ran aground during a similar incident in Teignmouth Harbour.
News Event Thursday, January 1, 2026 @ 1000	WAVERLEY (1974 > Excursion paddle steamer 240 feet long of Waverley Steam Navigation Co. Ltd)	Own Page
Plea to raise £ 135,000 to fix paddle steamer WAVERLEY
Port of Registry Glasgow (Scotland, UK) Gross Tonnage 693
From BBC Scotland Online News 1 January 2026 Plea to help raise £135,000 to fix paddle steamer WAVERLEY   Image source,PA Media Image caption, Waverley, which was launched in 1946, now offers cruises to the public ByJames Diamond Bristol Published 1 January 2026 The team behind the world's last seagoing paddle steamer is hoping to raise £135,000 to replace "vital components" ahead of the 80th anniversary of its launch. The sum is just a small part of the £1.5m required to repair the Waverley, which is due to visit the Bristol Channel in late May 2026. Waverley was built in Glasgow to connect rail passengers to seaside towns, and now offers cruises to the public. Paul Semple, general manager of Waverley Excursions, the company that runs the trips, said: "We are preserving her truly unique character. As the world continuously changes around Waverley, she becomes even more special as she represents a moment in time when she was first designed and built."   Image caption, Paul Semple says the refurbishment will maintain Waverley's "unique character"       The renovations will also be funded by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society and the steamer's owning charity, Waverley Steam Navigation Co. The £135,000 is needed to replace the ship's two masts and several windows in the dining saloon with authentic materials. Mr Semple said: "They are vital components that really give the authentic nature to Waverley. "Essentially, many parts of the ship could be replaced with more modern materials and fittings which may last longer, but collectively that would change the look and feel of the ship." Waverley was built shortly after the Second World War for the London and North Eastern Railway, connecting passengers from Glasgow to towns such as Rothesay and Dunoon. It was launched in October 1946 and entered service the next year. Following the end of its working life, the ship was gifted to the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society in 1974 for £1.
News Event Sunday, January 4, 2026 @ 1144	BAKKANES (2021 > Fish Farming Service Vessel IMO 9366809 : 73.4m 241 feet overall of P/A Bakkafrost, Glyvrar, Faroe Islands)	Own Page
Fish Carrier BAKKANES loitering in Firth of Clyde about midway between Rothesay and Largs
Ship's location Firth of Clyde (Scotland) about midway between Rothesay and Largs Port of Registry Glyvrar (Faroe Islands)
News Event Sunday, January 4, 2026 @ 1212	ENDURANCE (in 2023 Inshore creel fishing boat GW42 at Greenock)	Own Page
Creel boat ENDURANCE fishing off Cloch Lighthouse (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK)
Ship's location Off Cloch Lighthouse (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Port of Registry Glasgow (Scotland, UK)
News Event Sunday, January 4, 2026 @ 1248	STADIONGRACHT (2020 > Heavy Lift / General Cargo ship IMO 9202508 : 172m overall of Spliethoff, Amsterdam)	Own Page
STADIONGRACHT arrives in the Firth of Clyde (Scotland) from Rauma (Finland)
Ship's location Arriving in the Firth of Clyde (Scotland) Port of Registry Amsterdam (The Netherlands) Arrived from Rauma (Finland) having left there at 18:18 on 30 December 2025 : sailing around north of Scotland Net Tonnage 6,730 Sailing for Greenock Ocean Terminal East Berth (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Gross Tonnage 16,641 Draught aft on arrival 10.1m Deadweght Tonnage 21,400
11:10   At Cumbrae Heads STADIONGRACHT boards her Clyde Pilot from the Pilot Cutter GANTOCK, and the Pilot will guide her to Greenock and berth her at Greenock Ocean Terminal. 11:45   STADIONGRACHT is inbound and now passing Rothesay (Isle of Bute) 12:20   STADIONGRACHT inbound and passing the town of Dunoon and heading for Greenock Ocean Terminal 12:28   Now off Gourock and meets the tug SVITZER WARDEN who attaches the tow rope through the freighter's stern centre lead 12:33   STADIONGRACHT is now off Greenock Esplanade and approaching Greenock Ocean Terminal and will berth at the east berth
News Event Sunday, January 4, 2026 @ 1320	SVITZER WARDEN (2007- Tug 24m long of Svitzer Towage)	Own Page
SVITZER WARDEN passing Custom House Quay, Greenock (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK)
Ship's location Passing Custom House Quay, Greenock (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Port of Registry Rochester (England, UK) Arrived from Berthing STADIONGRACHT at Greenock Ocean Terminal East Gross Tonnage 207 Sailing for The Svitzer berth at Inchgreen Wall, Great Harbour, Greenock (Scotland, UK) Deadweght Tonnage 150 Ships agent Svitzer Marine Ltd., Greenock (Scotland, UK)
SVITZER WARDEN had finished assisting in berthing STADIONGRACHT at Greenock Ocean Terminal East and was now passing Custom House Quay, Greenock and heading for the Svitzer base at Great Harbour.
News Event Sunday, January 4, 2026 @ 1408	ARGYLE (2006- Passenger and vehicle ferry of Caledonian MacBrayne, Gourock)	Own Page
Caledonian MacBrayne's ARGYLE leaving Wemyss Bay and Toward Point Lighthouse can be seen ahead
Ship's location Having left Wemyss Bay and Toward Point Lighthouse can be seen ahead Port of Registry Glasgow (UK) Sailing for Rothesay (Isle of Bute, Firth of Clyde, Scotland) Sailed from berth Wemyss Bay Pier (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Outward cargo Passengers and vehicles Ships agent Caledonian MacBrayne, Gourock, Scotland
News Event Sunday, January 4, 2026 @ 1424	BUTE (2005- IMO 9319741 Passenger / Ro-ro ferry 72m long of Caledonian MacBrayne, Gourock)	Own Page
Caledonian MacBrayne's BUTE arriving at Wemyss Bay (Firth of Clyde) from Rothesay (Isle of Bute)
Ship's location Approaching Wemyss Bay Pier (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Port of Registry Glasgow (Scotland, U.K.) Arrived from Rothesay, Isle of Bute, Firth of Clyde (Scotland, UK) Sailing for Wemyss Bay Pier (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Cargo carried on arrival Passengers and vehicles Ships agent Caledonian MacBrayne, Gourock, Scotland
News Event Sunday, January 4, 2026 @ 1447	LOCH BHRUSDA (1996- Ro-ro ferry 35m overall carrying 150 passengers and 18 cars for Caledonian MacBrayne, Gourock)	Own Page
Caledonian MacBrayne's LOCH BHRUSDA at Largs Pier (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK)
Ship's location Largs Pier (Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Port of Registry Glasgow (Scotland, UK) Arrived from Campbeltown (Kintyre, Scotland, UK) having left there at 10:07 on 4 January 2026 Gross Tonnage 246 Sailing for Troon Drydock (Dales Marine Services, Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Cargo carried on arrival Light ship = no cargo on board Ships agent Caledonian MacBrayne, Gourock, Scotland
The vessel will overnight at Largs Pier and about 08:00 tomorrow (Monday 5 January) will leave Largs for Troon where she will drydock at Dales Marine Services for maintenance and repair
News Event Monday, January 9, 1967 @ 1000 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	HAUSTRUM (1954-1975 Oil Tanker IMO 5144019 : 169m overall of Anglo Saxon / Shell Tankers UK : 1975 scrapped at Kaohsiung, Taiwan)	Own Page
1967 : During the Vietnam War and Shell Tanker HAUSTRUM is attacked by Vietcong guerrillas
Ship's location Saigon River, South Vietnam Port of Registry London (England, UK) Vessel Master Captain Albert Rylett Arrived from Curacao (Lesser Antilles, southern Caribbean Sea) Sailing for Nha Be Oil Terminal, near Saigon (South Vietnam) Cargo carried on arrival Lubricating Oil
News Event Monday, January 9, 1967 @ 1000	ALERT (1961-1981 H.M.Telegraph Ship 417 feet long 14 knots of H M Postmaster General, London : 1995 scrapped)	Own Page
1967 : Advert for Marine Engineer for H. M. Telegraph Ship ALERT
Ship's location Glasgow (Scotland, UK) Port of Registry Southampton (England) Ships agent Post office Engineering Department, Leith House, 47-57 Gresham Street, London E.C.2. Gross Tonnage 6,413 Deadweght Tonnage 4,765
News Event Friday, January 20, 1967 @ 1700	NURMAHAL (1959-1975 General cargo ship 442 feet long of Asiatic SN / Hain-Nourse Line/ P & O, London)	Own Page
NURMAHAL closes at Glasgow for receiving cargo for Arabian / Persian Gulf ports
Ship's location Glasgow (Scotland, UK) Port of Registry London Sailing for Kuwait, Bahrain, Khorramshahr, Basrah (Baghdad), Mosul (Kirkuk), Dammam, Doha, Dubai Gross Tonnage 8,628 Ships agent Frank C. Strick & Co. (Glasgow) Ltd., 95 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, C 2 Phone CITy 6131 Deadweght Tonnage 11,750
Contributed image of NURMAHAL
News Event Saturday, January 7, 1967 @ 2300 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	SAALE (in 1967 East German cargo ship... off Beachy Head, England)	Own Page
1967 : East German cargo ship SAALE and British Tanker EDENFIELD collide off Beachy Head, England
Ship's location 8 miles off Beachy Head (South coast of England)
Beachy Head is a headland in East Sussex, England.   It is situated close to the town of Eastbourne
News Event Thursday, January 12, 1967 @ 1000		Own Page
1967 : Advert for Marine Engineer Officers by Shaw Savill Line of London
News Event Thursday, January 12, 1967 @ 1000	QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 (1969-2008 Passenger Liner IMO 6725418 : 963 ft (293.5 m) overall of Cunard Line, London / Trafalgar House / Carnival Corporation)	Own Page
H.M. The Queen to launch new Cunard Liner QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 at John Brown's Shipyard, Clydebank
Ship's location John Brown's Shipyard, Clydebank (River Clyde, Scotland, UK) Port of Registry Southampton (England, UK) Net Tonnage 37,218 / 37,182 Gross Tonnage 65,863 / 70,327
News Event Thursday, January 12, 1967 @ 1000 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	SYLVANIA (1957-1968 Passenger liner 608 feet long of Cunard Line, Liverpool)	Own Page
Cunard Liner SYLVANIA at Southampton makes a test loading of a Hovercraft
Ship's location Southampton (England, UK) Port of Registry Liverpool (England, UK) Net Tonnage 11,679 Gross Tonnage 22,017 Deadweght Tonnage 9,345
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 1800 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	AFRICAN STAR (in 1969 of Farrell Line)	Own Page
AFRICAN STAR left Joralemon Street, Brooklyn (USA) for Cape Town, Beira and Lourenco Marques
Sailing for Cape Town due on July 22, Beira due on August 1 and Lourenco Marques due on August 4 Sailed from berth Joralemon Street, Brooklyn (USA) Ships agent Farrell Line
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 2359	BREMEN (in 1969 Passenger Liner of North German Lloyd)	Own Page
BREMEN leaves West 52nd Street, New York for Cherbourg and Southampton and Bremerhaven
Sailing for Cherbourg (France) due July 10, Southampton (England) on July 10, Bremerhaven on July 11 Sailed from berth West 52nd Street, New York
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 1430	QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 (1969-2008 Passenger Liner IMO 6725418 : 963 ft (293.5 m) overall of Cunard Line, London / Trafalgar House / Carnival Corporation)	Own Page
QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 leaves West 52nd Street, New York for Le Havre (France) and Southampton (England)
Sailing for Le Havre (France) due July 8 and Southampton (England) on July 9 Port of Registry Southampton (England, UK) Sailed from berth West 52nd Street, New York Net Tonnage 37,218 / 37,182 Ships agent Cunard Line, New York, USA Gross Tonnage 65,863 / 70,327
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 2300 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	ATLANTIC CLIPPER (in 1969 of Atlantic Line in New York and Caribbean)	Own Page
ATLANTIC CLIPPER leaves Morris Street, New York for Caribbean ports
Sailing for See note below Sailed from berth Morris Street, New York
The vessel's destination was Nassau on July 8,  Saint Martin on July 16,  Saint Kitts on July 17,  Antigua on July 18,  Montserrat on Ju 18,  Pointe a Petre on July 19,  Dominica on July 20 Fort de France on July 21 St Lucia on July 22 St Vincent on July 23 Grenada on July 24
News Event Saturday, December 27, 2025 @ 1426	MICHELANGELO (1965-1975 Passenger liner 276.2m 906feet overall of Italia Line, Italy : 1991 scrapped at Gadani Beach, Pakistan)	Own Page
14 minute Youtube video of the rise and fall of Italia Line's liner MICHELANGELO (1965-1975)
Port of Registry Genoa (Italy) Gross Tonnage 45,911
Contributed by Suzanne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_AhvRCrQnE
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 0800 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	AMASTRA (in 1969 Oil Tanker of Shell Tankers)	Own Page
AMASTRA due at Oil Terminal (New Jersey) from Curacao (Lesser Antilles, southern Caribbean Sea)
Arrived from Curacao (Lesser Antilles, southern Caribbean Sea) Sailing for New Jersey, New York (USA) Cargo carried on arrival Oil
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 0800 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	BIENVILLE (in 1969 at Charleston and New York)	Own Page
BIENVILLE due Elizabeth Marine Terminal (New Jersey) from Charleston (South Carolina, USA)
Arrived from Charleston (South Carolina, USA) Sailing for Elizabeth Marine Terminal (Port Newark, New Jersey, New York (USA)
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 0800 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	LONDON BANKER (in 1969 at New York and Japan)	Own Page
LONDON BANKER due at Erie Basin, Brooklyn, New York from Yokohama (Japan)
Arrived from Yokohama (Japan) Sailing for Erie Basin, Brooklyn (USA)
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 0800 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	MADS SKOU (in 1969 at Newfoundland and New York)	Own Page
MADS SKOU due Berth 3 East Basin, Brooklyn, New York from Cornerbrook (Newfoundland, Canada)
Arrived from Cornerbrook (Newfoundland, Canada) Sailing for Berth 3 East Basin, Brooklyn (USA)
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 0800 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	NORDFELS (in 1969 freighter at New York and Hamburg)	Own Page
NORDFELS due at Berth 12, Brooklyn, New York from Hamburg (Germany)
Arrived from Hamburg (Germany) Sailing for Berth 12, Brooklyn (USA) Sailed from berth New York (USA)
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 1800 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	ATLANTIC SPAN (in 1969 at New York and Antwerp)	Own Page
ATLANTIC SPAN leaves New York for Antwerpen (= Antwerp, Belgium)
Sailing for Antwerpen (= Antwerp, Belgium) Sailed from berth New York (USA)
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 1800 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	EURYLOCHUS ( IN 1969 freighter in New York and Antwerp)	Own Page
EURYLOCHUS leaves New York for Antwerpen (= Antwerp, Belgium)
Sailing for Antwerpen (= Antwerp, Belgium) Sailed from berth New York (USA)
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 1800 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	GALCZYNSKI (in 1969 freighter at New York and Poland)	Own Page
GALCZYNSKI leaves New York for Gdynia (Poland)
Sailing for Gdynia (Poland) Sailed from berth New York (USA)
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 1800 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	SCYTHIA (1964-1969 Refrigerated / General cargo ship IMO 6420927 : 457 feet long of North Western Line (Mersey) Ltd / Cunard Brocklebank Ltd., Liverpool : 1986 scrapped)	Own Page
SCYTHIA leaves New York for Liverpool (England, UK)
Sailing for Liverpool (England, UK) Port of Registry Liverpool (England, UK) Sailed from berth New York (USA) Net Tonnage 2,829 Ships agent Cunard Line, New York, USA Gross Tonnage 5,837 Deadweght Tonnage 7,662
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 0200	IRISH SPRUCE ( 1957 - 1972 General cargo ship 449 feet long of Irish Shipping Company, Dublin)	Own Page
IRISH SPRUCE leaves New York for Dublin (Ireland)
Sailing for Dublin (Ireland) Port of Registry Dublin (Ireland / Eire) Sailed from berth New York (USA) Gross Tonnage 8,014
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 0300	SHOENFELS (in 1969 freighter in New York and Kuwait)	Own Page
SHOENFELS leaves New York for Kuwait (Persian / Arabian Gulf)
Sailing for Kuwait (Persian / Arabian Gulf) Sailed from berth New York (USA)
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 0600	PUERTO PLATA (in 1969 at New York and Dominican Republic)	Own Page
PUERTO PLATA leaves New York for Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic)
Sailing for Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) Sailed from berth New York (USA)
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 0800	PRESIDENT COOLIDGE ( in 1969 and 1972)	Own Page
PRESIDENT COOLIDGE leaves New York for Penang (Malaya)
Sailing for Penang (Malaya) Sailed from berth New York (USA)
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 1000	DERBYSHIRE (in 1969 Freighter at New York and Japan)	Own Page
DERBYSHIRE leaves New York for Kobe (Japan)
Sailing for Kobe (Japan) Sailed from berth New York (USA)
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 1300	PIAKO (1962-1967 General cargo ship of New Zealand Shipping Company, London : 1967 transferred to Federal Line : 1973-1979 transferred to P & O)	Own Page
PIAKO leaves New York for Sydney (Australia)
Sailing for Sydney (Australia) Port of Registry London (U.K.) Sailed from berth New York (USA) Gross Tonnage 9,986
News Event Saturday, July 5, 1969 @ 0800	OCEANIC (1965-1985 Passenger Liner of Home Lines, Genoa, Greece : 2012 scrapped)	Own Page
Home Line's OCEANIC arrives West 44th Street, New York from Nassau (Bahamas).
Arrived from Nassau (Bahamas).... having left there 3 July Port of Registry Panama (= Panama City, Panama) Sailing for West 44th Street, New York, USA
News Event Saturday, July 5, 1969 @ 0800	FRANCONIA (1963-1973 Passenger liner (formerly IVERNIA) of Cunard Line, Liverpool)	Own Page
Cunard Line's FRANCONIA arrives West 52nd Street, New York from Bermuda
Arrived from Bermuda .... having left there 3 July Port of Registry Liverpool (England) Sailing for West 52nd Street, New York, USA Cargo carried on arrival 1612 Passengers Ships agent Cunard Line, New York, USA
News Event Saturday, July 5, 1969 @ 0800	UNITED STATES (1952-1969 Passenger liner 990 feet long (302 metres) of United States Lines, New York)	Own Page
UNITED STATES arrives West 46th Street, New York with 1,612 passengers from Southampton (England)
Arrived from Southampton (England, UK) having left there June 29 Port of Registry New York City (USA) Sailing for West 46th Street, New York, USA Cargo carried on arrival 1612 Passengers Ships agent United States Lines
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 0800	OLYMPIA (in 1969 Passenger Liner of Greek Line)	Own Page
OLYMPIA arrives at West 57th Street, New York, USA with 875 passengers from Bermuda
Arrived from Bermuda .... having left there 1 July Sailing for West 57th Street, New York, USA Cargo carried on arrival 875 Passengers
News Event Thursday, July 3, 1969 @ 0800	RAFFAELLO (in 1969 Italian Passenger Liner)	Own Page
RAFFAELLO arrives at West 50th Street, New York, USA with 956 passengers from Genoa (Italy)
Arrived from Genoa (Italy) having left there 25 June Sailing for West 50th Street, New York, USA Cargo carried on arrival 956 Passengers
News Event Wednesday, July 9, 1969 @ 1000 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	ATLANTIC SONG (in 1969 of Atlantic Container Line)	Own Page
1969 : Two British double-decker buses travelling from Port Newark (USA) to Denver (Colorado, USA)
Two British double-decker buses are on the final stage of an odyssey from England to the loftier altitudes of Denver. They will shuttle residents of Denver and tourists to Larimer Square a century-old section of downtown Denver that recently underwent a thorough face-lifting.   For the Bristol-made buses there were none of the indignities that used to attend trans-Atlantic shipment being heaved up in the air to land on the deck of some freighter. Instead they made their way under their own power across England to the North Sea port of Harwich and onto the West German vehicle Carrier Undine.   At Antwerp in Belgium, the buses rolled off the Undine and onto the Atlantic Song of the Atlantic Container Line for the longer ocean trip.   The British travelers arrived at the line's Port Newark terminal on Tuesday, but did not disembark until Wednesday again under their own power. They are now making the long trek across the plains at a leisurely pace, with time out for public appearances at cities along the way.
News Event Saturday, October 29, 1966 @ 0945	YOMA (1965-1967 Conventional general cargo ship IMO 187198 : 460 feet overall of Henderson Line, Glasgow : 1982 scrapped in Pakistan)	Own Page
1966 : Henderson Line's YOMA arrived Glasgow with 3,100 tons of general cargo from Rangoon (Burma)
Arrived from Rangoon (Burma) via Dublin (Ireland) Port of Registry Glasgow (Scotland, UK) Arrived in berth 2 Prince's Dock, Glasgow : with her head west and stem 3 blinds into berth 3 Net Tonnage 3,286 Sailing for Birkenhead (England, UK) to complete loading then for Rangoon (Burma) Gross Tonnage 6,340 Sailed from berth 2 Prince's Dock, Glasgow : with her head west Deadweght Tonnage 9,970 Draught forward on arrival 16 feet 8 inches Draught aft on arrival 18 feet 3 inches Cargo carried on arrival 3,100 tons of general cargo (inwards) Commenced discharge of inward cargo 31 October at 0800 Stevedore discharging inward cargo James Spencer & Co. (Stevedores) Ltd., 165 Finnieston Street, Glasgow, C. 3. Tel.. 041-221-5224 Completed discharge of inward cargo 8 November at 1130 hours Commened loading outward cargo 9 November at 0800 hours Outward cargo General cargo 300 tons Stevedore loading outward cargo James Spencer & Co. (Stevedores) Ltd., 165 Finnieston Street, Glasgow, C. 3. Tel.. 041-221-5224 Completed loading outward cargo 11 November at 14:45 hours Draught forward on sailing 10 feet 5 inches Draught aft on sailing 18 feet 3 inches Engine trials 10 November from 12:00 to 12:10 Draft forward 6 feet 5 inches, aft 18 feet Ships agent Patrick Henderson & Co., 95 Bothwell Street, Glasgow C. 2. Tel CENtral 8761 Sailed 11 November at 19:35 hours for Birkenhead (England, UK) to complete loading then for Rangoon (Burma)
On 2 November at 21:00 she shifted ahead from berth 1 to berth 2
News Event Sunday, December 28, 2025 @ 1307	WES ESTHER (2023 > General cargo ship IMO 9953963 : 89m overall of Wessels Reederei Gmbh, Haren Ems, Germany)	Own Page
WES ESTHER passing Braehead Shopping Mall, River Clyde, Glasgow heading for Riverside Quay
Ship's location Passing Braehead Shopping Mall, River Clyde, Glasgow Port of Registry Madeira (Portugal) Arrived from Hamburg (Germany) Gross Tonnage 2,518 Sailing for Riverside Quay, Shieldhall, Glasgow (Scotland, UK) Deadweght Tonnage 3,809 Cargo carried on arrival Bulk cargo of agricultural products
Contributed by Veronika
News Event Sunday, December 28, 2025 @ 1517	THUN GEMINI (2013 > Oil / Chemical Tanker IMO 9263590 : 114.66m overall of Thun Tankers Bv., Lidkoping, Sweden)	Own Page
THUN GEMINI in River Clyde, having left Rothesay Dock, Clydebank for Whitegate Refinery (Ireland)
Ship's location In River Clyde, having just left Rothesay Dock, Clydebank for Whitegate Refinery Port of Registry Delfzijl (The Netherlands) Arrived from Whitegate Refinery (East Cork, County Cork, Munster, Ireland) having left there at 22:36 25 December Gross Tonnage 4,107 Arrived in berth NuStar Fuel Terminal, Rothesay Dock, Clydebank (Scotland, UK) Deadweght Tonnage 7,559 Sailing for Whitegate Refinery (East Cork, County Cork, Munster, Ireland) Sailed from berth NuStar Fuel Terminal, Rothesay Dock, Clydebank (Scotland, UK) Cargo carried on arrival Oil grades Outward cargo Light ship = no cargo on board
Contributed by Veronika    These must be the most terrible images I had ever taken,   Please take my apologies. It is time first have been at Renfrew-Yoker Bridge, stopping on way home from Braehead.    I do not know best places to take photographs.    Horrible dull afternoon and sky completely overcast with thick clouds.   Visibility is very poor.
News Event Monday, July 11, 1966 @ 0552	HAPARANGI (1947-1967 Refrigerated cargo ship 541 feet long of New Zealand Shipping Company: 1967 transferred to Federal Line: 1971 transferred to P & O: scrapped 1974	Own Page
HAPARANGI arrives at Glasgow to load 1 heavy lift and 1,271 tons of cargo for New Zealand
Arrived from Newport (Monmouthshire, Wales, UK) approximately 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Cardiff. Port of Registry U.K. Arrived in berth 73 Plantation Quay, Glasgow ... with her head west and bow on sheds bulkhead wall of berths 77 / 73 Gross Tonnage 11,281 Sailing for Liverpool (England, UK) then Auckland ( in the North Island of New Zealand) Sailed from berth 73 Plantation Quay, Glasgow ... with her head west and bow on sheds bulkhead wall of berths 77 / 73 Draught forward on arrival 23 feet 2 inches Draught aft on arrival 25 feet 2 inches Cargo carried on arrival General cargo 3,800 tons (outwards) Commened loading outward cargo 11 July at 1730 Outward cargo General cargo 1,271 tons Stevedore loading outward cargo James Spencer & Co. (Stevedores) Ltd., 165 Finnieston Street, Glasgow, C. 3. Tel.. 041-221-5224 Heavy lifts loaded 13 July loaded one heavy lift of 32 tons 10 hundredweights from floating crane NEWSHOT Completed loading outward cargo 20 July at 1130 Draught forward on sailing 23 feet 10 inches Draught aft on sailing 26 feet 11 inches Vessel on ground pm 15 July, ship 6 feet off wall, even strain on moorings, 24 ft 5 ins for'd : 25 ft 4 ins aft Ships agent Patrick Henderson & Co., 95 Bothwell Street, Glasgow C. 2. Tel CENtral 8761 Sailed 20 July at 11:55 for Liverpool to complete loading then for New Zealand
HAPARANGI was berthed at 73 Plantation Quay, Glasgow.   Since those days the adjacent Prince's Dock has been infilled and the area redeveloped and the BBC Scotland studios and the Glasgow Science Centre now stand right beside where the vessel was berthed.    If you are avidly interested, HAPARANGI is named after a mountain near Rotorua at the Bay of Plenty in the North Island of New Zealand.
News Event Monday, March 28, 1966 @ 0800	CHINDWARA (1950-1970 General cargo ship 484.5 feet overall of British India Steam Navigation Company, London : 1974 scrapped at Hong Kong)	Own Page
British India Line's CHINDWARA arrives in Glasgow to discharge 762 tons of general cargo
Arrived from Belfast (Northern Ireland, UK) Port of Registry London (England, UK) Arrived in berth Berths 1 / 2 Prince's Dock, Glasgow, with fore end of number 5 hatch on bulkhead wall Net Tonnage 4,092 Sailing for Middlesbrough (England, UK) Gross Tonnage 7,525 Sailed from berth Berths 1 / 2 Prince's Dock, Glasgow, with fore end of number 5 hatch on bulkhead wall Deadweght Tonnage 9,574 Draught forward on arrival 12 feet 10 inches Draught aft on arrival 19 feet 6 inches Cargo carried on arrival General cargo 762 tons Commenced discharge of inward cargo 28 March at 0800 Stevedore discharging inward cargo James Spencer & Co. (Stevedores) Ltd., 165 Finnieston Street, Glasgow, C. 3. Tel.. 041-221-5224 Completed discharge of inward cargo 29 March at 1900 Outward cargo Light ship = no cargo on board Draught forward on sailing 11 feet 3 inches Draught aft on sailing 18 feet 9 inches Ships agent The General Steam Navigation Co. Ltd., 91 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, C.2. Telephone CENtral 2803 Sailed 1950 on 29 March for Middlesbrough (England, UK)
The ship was named after Chhindwara, a major city in India and a Municipal Corporation in the Chhindwara district in the large Indian state of Madhya Pradesh in Central India.   It is believed that once upon a time the Chhindwara District was full of “Chhind” (Date-Palm) trees, and the place was named “Chhind”-“Wada” (wada means place).    Isn't it amazing the things you learn in this website.
News Event Thursday, July 21, 1966 @ 0800 The date and time shown is as timetabled	QUEEN ELIZABETH (1940-1946 Troopship then 1946-1968 passenger liner of Cunard Line, Liverpool)	Own Page
QUEEN ELIZABETH due at West 52nd Street, New York from Southampton (England)
Arrived from Southampton (England) having left there July 16 Port of Registry Liverpool (England, UK) Sailing for West 52nd Street, New York (USA) Gross Tonnage 83,673 Ships agent Cunard Line
News Event Thursday, July 21, 1966 @ 0800 The date and time shown is as timetabled	QUEEN ANNA MARIA (in 1966 of Greek Line at Israel and New York)	Own Page
QUEEN ANNA MARIA due at West 57th Street, New York from Haifa (Israel)
Arrived from Haifa (Israel) having left there July 7 Sailing for West 57th Street, New York (USA)
News Event Thursday, July 21, 1966 @ 0800 The date and time shown is as timetabled	GROOTE BEER (in 1966 of Holland America Line at Rotterdam and New York)	Own Page
GROOTE BEER due at West Holland Street, New York from Rotterdam (The Netherlands)
Arrived from Rotterdam (The Netherlands) having left there July 11 Sailing for West Houston Street, New York (USA)
News Event Thursday, July 21, 1966 @ 0800 The date and time shown is as timetabled	VICTORIA (in 1966 of Incres Lines at Puerto Rico and New York)	Own Page
Incres Line's VICTORIA due at West 10th Street, New York from San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Arrived from San Juan (Puerto Rico) having left there July 18 Sailing for West 10th Street, New York (USA)
News Event Thursday, July 21, 1966 @ 0800 The date and time shown is as timetabled	SANTA ROSA (in 1966 of Grace Line at Haiti and New York)	Own Page
Grace Line's SANTA ROSA due at West 15th Street, New York from Port au Prince (Haiti)
Arrived from Port au Prince (Haiti) having left there July 17 Sailing for West 15th Street, New York (USA)
News Event Thursday, July 21, 1966 @ 0800 The date and time shown is as timetabled	SANTA MERCEDES (in 1966 of Grace Line at New York)	Own Page
Grace Line's SANTA MERCEDES due at Port Newark (New Jersey, New York, USA) from Cristobal
Arrived from Cristobal ...... having left there July 17 Sailing for Port Newark (New Jersey, New York, USA)
News Event Wednesday, July 20, 1966 @ 0800 The date and time shown is as timetabled	SANTA CECILIA (in 1966 of Grace Line ... at New York)	Own Page
Grace Line's SANTA CECILIA due at West 16th Street, New York from Rio Haina (Dominican Republic)
Arrived from Rio Haina ( Haina River, near Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic.)... having left there July 12 Sailing for West 16th Street, New York (USA)
News Event Wednesday, July 20, 1966 @ 0800 The date and time shown is as timetabled	FRANCE (1960-1974 Passenger liner 316.1 m (1,035 ft) of Compagnie Generale Transatlantique (French Line) of Le Havre, France : Scrapped 2008)	Own Page
French Line's FRANCE due at West 48th Street, New York (USA) with passengers from Le Havre (France)
Arrived from Le Havre (France) ...... having left there July 15 Port of Registry Le Havre (France) Sailing for West 48th Street, New York (USA) Gross Tonnage 66,343 Cargo carried on arrival Passengers
News Event Monday, July 18, 1966 @ 0800 The date and time shown is as timetabled	SANTA MARGARITA (in 1966 of Grace Lines ... at New York)	Own Page
Grace Line's SANTA MARGARITA due at Port Newark (New Jersey, New York, USA) from Cristobal
Arrived from Cristobal ...... having left there July 6 Sailing for Port Newark (New Jersey, New York, USA)
News Event Saturday, July 16, 1966 @ 0800 The date and time shown is as timetabled	GENERAL S. B. BUCKNER (U.S. Army Transport)	Own Page
GENERAL S B BRUCKNER due at 58th Street, Brooklyn (New York) with 1,096 troops from Germany
Arrived from Bremerhaven (Germany) .... having left July 8 Port of Registry USA Sailing for 58th Street, Brooklyn (New York, USA) Cargo carried on arrival 1,096 Military Troops
News Event Saturday, July 16, 1966 @ 0800 The date and time shown is as timetabled	OCEANIC (1965-1985 Passenger Liner of Home Lines, Genoa, Greece : 2012 scrapped)	Own Page
Home Line's OCEANIC due at West 44th Street, New York with 1,097 passengers from Nassau (Bahamas)
Arrived from Nassau (New Providence Island, Bahamas) .... left there on 14 July Port of Registry Panama (= Panama City, Panama) Sailing for West 44th Street, New York Cargo carried on arrival 1,097 Passengers
History Name 1965–1985: Oceanic 1985–2000: StarShip Oceanic 2000: Big Red Boat I 2001–2009: Oceanic 2009–2012: The Oceanic Owner 1965–1985: Home Lines 1985–1996: Premier Cruise Line 1996–2000: Premier Cruises 2001–2009: Pullmantur Cruises[1] 2009–2012: Peace Boat[2] Operator 1965–1986: Home Lines 1986–2000: Premier Cruise Line / Premier Cruises 2001–2009: Pullmantur Cruises[1] 2009–2012: Peace Boat[2] Port of registry 1965–1990: Panama City,  Panama 1990–2000: Nassau,  Bahamas[1][3] 2000–200?: Unknown,  Spain[4] 200? - 2012: Valletta,  Malta[1][5] Builder Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Monfalcone, Italy[1] Cost $40 million[4] Yard number 1876[1] Launched 15 January 1963[1] Completed 1965 Acquired March 1965[1] Maiden voyage 1965 In service 31 March 1965[1] Out of service 2012 Identification IMO number: 5260679 Fate Scrapped at Zhoushan, China in 2012 Notes Sold for scrap in June 2012   General characteristics (as built, 1965) Type cruise ship Tonnage 39,241 GRT (British measurement)[6] 19,141 NRT 29,000 GRT (Panamian measurement)[7][8] 8,738 t DWT[1] Length 238.44 m (782 ft 3 in)[1] Beam 29.42 m (96 ft 6 in)[1] Draught 8.60 m (28 ft 3 in)[1] Installed power 4 × DeLaval steam turbines combined 44500 kW[1] Propulsion Two propellers[3] Speed 26.5 knots (49.1 km/h; 30.5 mph) service speed[3] 27.25 knots (50.47 km/h; 31.36 mph) maximum speed[6] Capacity 1,600 passengers (maximum)[1] Crew 560[6]   General characteristics (as rebuilt, 2000) Tonnage 38,772 GT[4] Decks 10 (passenger accessible)[4] Speed 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) service speed[6] Capacity 1,800 passengers (maximum)[4] Crew 565[4] Notes Otherwise the same as built
News Event Friday, December 26, 2025 @ 1416		Own Page
A 19 minute Youtube video of Pilots working at Belfast (Northern Ireland)
Ship's location Belfast (Northern Ireland, UK)
Contributed by Suzanne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm0MgqOOLkA
News Event Thursday, March 16, 1961 @ 1100 The date is correct but time is unknown and the time shown here is only our best estimate	EMPRESS OF CANADA (1961-1972 Passenger liner 650 feet 198 metres of Canadian Pacific Steamships, Liverpool)	Own Page
March 1961 : a 1 minute black and white Youtube video of new liner EMPRESS OF CANADA on trials
Ship's location Measured mile off town of Sannox (Isle of Arran, Firth of Clyde, Scotland, UK) Port of Registry Liverpool Gross Tonnage 27,284 Deadweght Tonnage 9,400
Contributed by Suzanne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_j8hR_MVuE

Latest Comments

This shows the 100 latest comments.

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AT PRINCE'S DOCK, GLASGOW  ... WHAT WAS WRC   

On 25 March 1966, RAVNEFJELL at 30 Prince's Dock, Glasgow loaded 2 lifts by WRC, total 48 tons 10 hundredweights.   What was WRC ?????

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E-mail from Nelson (Liverpool)        16 June 2024

 

   I am interested in your latest Clan Line item about CLAN ROSS at Birkenhead in 1958.

  Does anyone know the address of the Cayzer Irvine and Clan Line office in Liverpool in 1958 ?

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Any information please on 

   motor launch / cruiser PIONEER at Glasgow Riverside Museum

  and

  the unknown workboat at Govan Pontoon, Glasgow

these vessels may have been involved in the construction of the new Govan Bridge in January 2024.

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CLAN MACKINNON at New York in March 1954

  Yes, Clan Line's CLAN MACKINNON arrived in New York (USA) from London in March 1954.   This is well outwith the usual Clan Line trading areas.   Any suggestions as to why CLAN MACKINNON would be in New York  ?

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Harrison Line memories : the song Matilda by Harry Belafonte

 

Contributed by Jim (Birkenhead)  28 April 2024

 

I spent many enjoyable years with Harrison Line of Liverpool.

 

One of the memories when on the West Indies run was when in the Caribbean and in the ship’s crew mess or over the ship’s loudspeakers music was played.  

Harry Belafonte was always enjoyed, and when he sang Matilda, Coconut woman  and island in the sun all over the ship the crew would accompany him, singing out loudly, especially the word Matilda .   It it was amazing to hear everyone blasting out Matilda  at the top of their voices.

 

A few years after leaving Harrison’s I was at Bidston Dock and met an old shipmate from TACTICIAN and ADVENTURER.  He was walking his dog.  It’s name was Matilda.

 

A question for everyone, for something that has puzzled me was in Belafonte's song Matilda, who was Matilda and what was her story.    Does anyone know?

 

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AHMADU BELLO  (1963-1981) of Nigerian National Line

Contributed by J. (Engineer, London)  by e-mail 22 April 2024

   Does anyone remember AHMADU BELLO (1963-1981) a general cargo ship of Nigerian National Line : a frequent visitor to London, Birkenhead, Glasgow and Tees Dock.

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Walter Runciman / Moor Line’s CRAGMOOR

 

E-mail received 26 August 2022

I was staggered to read about Moor Line’s CRAGMOOR in your Latest Entries.   My father sailed in that ship in 1961-62.  Mostly a Newcastle and Sunderland crew.    Have you the details of those times.

 Name is not shown, by request.

 Douglas replies :    Yes, I’ve got the details from the Chief Officers Log Books.   There’s an awful lot in the books, maybe 100 large pages or so and masses of daily detail.   Let me know on CONTACT US what you actually want and I’ll see what can be done.  Thanks for your message.

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Does anyone remember Hogarth’s BARON FORBES which was

scrapped in 1953

and

Tracing a discharge book left aboard in 1959.

 E-mail 13 November 2020

From Murdo MacPherson

 Does anybody remember the rent boat BARON FORBES an old

ex-german ship the worst ship I sailed in she was scrapped

in 1953,  forecastle accommodation one trip was enough

The captain Mcphail was strict
ps I left my discharge book on an Everard ship in Goole

in 1959 got any ideas how I can trace it

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Isthmian Steamship Lines of USA

E-mail October 10  2020 

 From Bobby Ford  (USA)

Do you have anything about Isthmian Steamship Lines,

or anyone remember them, who did freighter service

from India and Far East in 1950 / 60’s.

   Any memories of the "STEEL" boats  ?

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What do you want (or not want) on this website ?

    It is the time of year to ask you, the readers, what you want  -  or

do not want  -  on this website.

    More of this, or less of that, or maybe something new ?

    Please let us know what you want, so that we can try to provide the material which is of interest to YOU.

    Also we are always interested in receiving material from our readers.   So, wherever you are in the world, how about sending

stories, images or items to put in the website ?

 Thank you.  11 August 2020

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Information needed on Cunard Line's ASCANIA (1911-1918)

10th August 2020    E-mail from a viewer. 

Cunard Lines ASCANIA  (1911-1918)

 I am wondering if you might have more information and pictures

on the Vessel Ascania - Shipping line Cunard 1911-1918

Master - SGS Mihal.

This is a ship that my grandfather travelled from Southampton,

England to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1914.

Please any information would help.

Thank You

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Where did the Royal Navy families from H.M.S.MAIDSTONE stay in Rothesay ?

Port of Registry Admiralty (Royal Navy, London)

Where did the Royal Navy families stay in Rothesay ?   E-mail 03 June 2020 from Helen G (Glasgow)      As a young girl in 1960s my parents and I often visited my aunt in Rothesay …(Isle of Bute, Firth of Clyde,)    It was exciting to see a big Royal Navy ship, I remember her name was MAIDSTONE, and she was anchored in the bay.    There was always submarines about her and sailors in uniform in the town.    My aunt used to tell that some sailors and their families stayed in “Navy Houses” in Rothesay.   Does anyone know where the houses were ?  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Song about the Clyde and the musical band on Glasgow excursion steamers in 1950s / 60s

 

Email from Margaret Rose (nee Wilson)   May 31 2020 Montreal  

 

In the early 1960s my family emigrated from Scotland to Montreal(Canada).

   Dad always used to tell of sailing down the Clyde from

Glasgow on excursion steamers and there was a musical

band aboard which played Scottish tunes to entertain

passengers.

   A favourite song was something about the Clyde.   I know

it’s a long shot but does anyone know the name of the

song and the band ?

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Lightship ALBATROSS built at Robbs Shipyard, Leith in 1927

E-Mail from a viewer   31 May 2020

Hello- I wonder if anyone can please help. I am researching a lightship built at Robbs shipyard in 1927. Her name is Albatross and I believe she was built in yard 30. I would dearly love to see her build plans but I know that is a massive ask. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks

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Cruise ships may be laid up in the Clyde

 

22 May 2020

1353

 

From Jimmy Johnston (Paisley)

 

   In the news they are talking about laying up idle cruise liners in the Clyde.   Where in the Clyde or even in Scotland could be good places to put these big ships.

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e-mail from Tommy Robertson   (Dumbarton)

21 May 2020

 

Elder Dempster / Blue Funnel ship scrapped at Dalmuir (Glasgow) around 1980

 

Does anyone know the name of the Alfred Holt Blue Funnel

ship that was scrapped at the Arnott Young yard at Dalmuir. 

  She was definitely a Blue Funnel job but had the Elder

Dempster buff funnel.

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Paddle Steamers at Pusser River, Chalna, Bangladesh

 

E-mail 23 March 2020 from N.L. of Cardiff, Wales

 

   I was looking at your item on the WAVERLEY which calls herself the “Last seagoing paddle steamer in the World.”

  It reminded me of the last time I was at Chalna (Pusser River, Bangladesh) in early 1980s where there were many largish paddle steamers about 300 feet (100 metres) long chugging around.  

   I never thought of what they were doing, maybe bringing the gangs of workers to the anchorage to load Jute (who remembers the biting Jute Flies) onto the ships, or maybe taking passengers to some place downriver.

   But these were big working paddle steamers.   Does anyone else remember them ?

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Why was Irish Lights Tender IERNE registered in Liverpool ?

 19 March 2020 @ 1057

J R of Birkenhead e-mails :

   I read your item about the IERNE, a lights tender owned by the Commissioners of Irish Lights, Dublin, Ireland.  

   Why was she registered in Liverpool and not Dublin ? and what was her eventual fate ?

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Maclay and McIntyre of Glasgow ships DOMIRA and KASSANGA and a ship LYNFIELD of Stockton on Tees

A viewer e-mails 

   I am particularly looking for some information about a Glasgow Tramp Shipping Co called Maclay and Mc intyre and 2 ships of there's Domira sold 1919 and Kassanga bought 1911 sunk 1917. 

 Also a ship called Lynfield belonging to a shipping co called Field from Stockton on Tees 

Can anyone help ?

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Stewardesses and Nurse on Burns & Lairds IRISH COAST in 1966

 2019-12-29

By e-mail

Does anyone remember the Stewardesses (usually student school-teachers who were working during the summer holidays) and the Nurse who worked on Burns & Lairds IRISH COAST in 1966.

Mary D.

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Old Mississippi – type passenger steamer in Sydney (Australia)

Jim Middleton (London) e-mails

29 December 2019

 The BBC news today showed the wild fires at Sydney and the smoke at Sydney Harbour.

   I was surprised to see in the news report, in the background, an old Mississippi type passenger steamer, with two tall abreast funnels (stacks) passing under the Harbour Bridge.

   Can anyone give details of this vessel and its route and timetable ?

   Thanks, JM.

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CLAN FRASER and a rope across the dock at Glasgow

 4 November 2019

Jim McGoogan e-mails :

   Your article of CLAN FRASER of 8^th January 1964 says a rope was put across King George V Dock, Glasgow while the ship was making an engine trial.

   Why put a rope across the dock and where would the rope be attached to the ship and also attached to the dock ?

 

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Glasgow shipping line Maclay and Mcintyre and ship pictures of DOMIRA 2 and LYNFIELD.

A reader asks for any information on Glasgow shipping line Maclay and Mcintyre and ship pictures of DOMIRA 2 and LYNFIELD.    Can anyone help ? 14 September 2019 ====================================================================

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Where is the “Chapman Anchorage” ???

   Robbie Keen (Carlisle, England) emails:

 I see in the entry for BENWYVIS that she

was in “Chapman Anchorage.”   Where is

Chapman Anchorage and what would she

 be doing there ???

Robbie.  31 August 2019

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Teak fronts on the front of ship's bridges

By Eric S.     8th July 2019

Many cargo vessels and tankers built as late as the 1950s had

teak fronts to their bridges, even though the rest of their

superstructures was steel. Why was this so? Was the teak

front at these late dates merely a design feature, or an echo

of past practice, perhaps, or were there practical reasons?

All comments are welcome.

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Can anyone identify this cap badge ?

Samms of Nantwich e-mails:    07 July 2019

 I saw this officer’s cap at a flea market.   Can

 

anyone identify the cap badge ? 

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What shipping Companies served Calcutta, Chalna, Chittagong and Rangoon and what problems did the Monsoon rains and storms cause to the ships ?

By e-mail from R.S. (London)  2 July 2019

    There was a programme on television the other evening

about the Monsoon in the Bay of Bengal.   I was a North

Atlantic man and never ventured to the Far East.

   I wondered what difficulties would be experienced by

ships during the Monsoon season’s heavy rainfall and

swollen rivers and storms.

    And also, I can only think of maybe 3 shipping

companies which regularly traded to the area – Calcutta,

Chalna, Chittagong, Rangoon.   What other companies

were there ?

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Where did this ship come from in Sweden ???

Haltst…….. ?????

January 2020 and Bryn Wayt e-mails

A chap was asking where ship came from: the spelling was incorrect using Haltstwik on the 'docket'.

The origin of the ship must have been HALLSTAVIK in Sweden.

The place was/is famous for it paper-mill, hence the ships cargo bound for Belfast.
Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallstavik

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

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

20 May 2019  @ 1540

    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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Clyde Navigation Trust launches NEWARK, GARMOYLE and DUNGLASS

 

 14 March 2019   @ 1239

Richard Danielson e-mails

 The Clyde Navigation Trust harbour launches: Newark, Garmoyle and Dunglass have had little written about them. 

I have a photo showing two of them (which two I cannot tell) giving a tow to the Duchess of Hamilton to help her turn at Bridge Wharf in 1969. 

Please ask anyone who knows about the work of the launches to get in touch with me by email.

THANK YOU.
Richard Danielson. 

 

Admin Note :

   For safety and security of our readers we do not normally show e-mail addresses.    Any reply to this interesting question should be made to our “CONTACT US” and we will forward the message to Richard.

 

20 March 2019  @ 1604

 

Jim Howie  (Partick, Glasgow)

 

   I am replying to Richard’s query about the small boats at Glasgow.

   Sorry to disappoint you Richard but there was a small but bulky booklet produced possibly about 50 years ago that described in great detail all the Clyde Navigation Trust / Clyde Port Authority vessels.   I did have a copy but it’s been lost.

  

In 1960’s the Clyde Trust / Authority had quite a few vessels.

6 Dredgers : CESSNOCK, CRAIGIEHALL, ELDERSLIE, LENNOX 11, ROSSLYN and SIR WILLIAM H. RAEBURN.

12 Hopper Barges.

1 Dumb grab hopper barge.

1 Tug CLYDE.

4 high-level Vehicular Ferryboats : FINNIESTON, GOVAN and WHITEINCH.  The remaining one was a spare in case of breakdowns.

3 chain-operated ferries : RENFREW and ERSKINE.  The remaining one was a spare in case of breakdowns.

11 passenger ferryboats.

1 60-ton floating crane NEWSHOT.

1 Diving Bell barge.

2 Divers’ motor boats.

1 Oil Separating Barge PLOVER

3 motor launches NEWARK, GARMOYLE and DUNGLASS.

1 Hydrographic Survey launch CRANNOG.

And a number of very small rope boats which were used in the docks and piers to bring the mooring ropes from ships to the pawls on the dockside.

 

I think CRANNOG did an awful lot of the surveying for the placement for both Finnart and Hunterston jetties.

And around mid 1990s NEWARK was fitted with an A-frame at the stern and spent a week in Ardrossan Harbour dragging the bottom of Eglinton Dock to clear all debris prior to the construction of the Marina in the dock.

   The motor launches normally berthed at the Trust / Authority workshops at Renfrew although at odd times they laid alongside the dredgers and hoppers in Queen’s Dock.

 

   If you would care to put the photograph on this site I have a friend who may be able to identify the boats in question.

 

Jim Howie.

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Looking for images / photos of BALLYGALLY HEAD of 1950s

 23 January 2019  1011

Joseph McGurk Jr. e-mails

Hi, I am looking for any photos of the tramp steam ship, BALLYGALLY HEAD, I think

there were two built, one in the late 1800s and the other in the mid 1950s

   I would appreciate if you could find any as it would make my father very happy as

he sailed on her

   Thank you, regards Joseph mc gurk jr

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Renfrew Harbour, Firth of Clyde, around 1980

    January 2019 : Robert Orr contributed this image of Clyde Navigation Trust / Clyde Port Authority HOPPER No. 25 at their wharf at their workshops at Renfrew Harbour around 1980.

 

   Does anyone have any idea what the other ships are ?

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The advert for paddle steamer EAGLE 111 in 1937

 6th  January 2019.

   James Barrowman (Brighton, England) e-mails :

I am an enthusiast for paddle steamers and read your item on EAGLE 111.

   The advertisement shows the ship departing from Glasgow (Bridge Wharf) s. s.

   Assuming that s.s. does not mean Steam Ship, can anyone help with what s.s. means ?

   Thanks, Jim Barrowman.

7^th January 2019 

   J.S. (Pollokshaws, Glasgow) replies :

The River Clyde runs generally east to west through

the centre of Glasgow and essentially divides the city

into two halves, the  “North Side” and the “South Side.”

   In the past and even today people talk of coming

from or living in the South Side.

   Up to around 1970’s passenger excursion steamers

and cross-channel to Ireland steamers left Broomielaw,

Anderston Quay and Lancefield Quay on the North Side

and in the summer months left Bridge Wharf on the

South Side (hence S.S.) on excursions “Doon the Watter”

= Down the Water = sailing down the River Clyde to

Clyde piers such as Dunoon and Rothesay and

Tighnabruaich.

   The advert mentions the steamer calling at Govan

 Wharf and Renfrew to pick up passengers.

   Today Govan Wharf is only recognisable by a derelict

and ruined few baulks of timber.   It was situated on the

South Bank essentially between the Govan Drydocks

(now also derelict) and the Bae Shipyard (formerly Fairfields

yard) and beside the playing field between Wanlock Street

and Dunvegan Street, Govan.   Up to the 1960s the

small Govan Passenger Ferry used to ply from near

Govan Wharf across the river to the east end of Meadowside

Quay

   It was news to me that excursion steamers stopped

at Renfrew.   I have no idea where the stop was located.

   Perhaps someone can help.

 

Ref The advert for paddle steamer EAGLE 111 in 1937.

12 January 2019   Robert Orr replies :

The steamer berth at Renfrew was on the river bank at 'The Green' in

Renfrew and as far as I'm aware was destroyed during the 'Clydebank

Blitz' in 1941, (this being air attacks on the town of Clydebank on the

opposite bank of the Clyde, home amongst other things to John Browns

shipyard). If you go to Google maps and search Clyde Street Renfrew

the bollards for mooring ropes are still visible at the edge of the Green.

The Scania Yard visible in street view was the start of the land

 

occupied by Simons and Lobnitz shipyards in Renfrew.

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Questions about Alfred Holt's Blue Funnel Line in 1960's

10 December 2018   Geoff in Australia e-mails :

I was on the Ulysses which traded between the Far East,mainly Indonesia and the East Coast and Gulf of the US.I understand it was a route which belonged to the Indra Line which Holts acquired in 1915. I believe that it may have been incorporated into a round the world service later.My time was during the late 50s and ended in 1960.

Crews during my time consisted of Europeans on deck and Chinese in the engine room, and catering,on ships trading from Liverpool. The Ulysses had Malays on deck and Chinese in the engine room,I cant remember who were the catering staff.

Gunung Djati was the name of the leading Javanese Haji and Islamic missionary.

 

With regards to crewing, the Dutch arm of Blue Funnel had all Chinese crews with Dutch officers, certainly in the 1950s.

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Ellerman’s CITY OF EXETER at Plymouth in 1958    

I was quite surprised to read that CITY OF EXETER called

at Plymouth in 1958.   Was Plymouth a normal call for Ellerman

African service passenger liners?

   Jim Hesketh, Liverpool 

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12 November 2018

 

TWEED, a 1959-built 112 foot water carrier of

Furness Withy, Port of Spain, Trinidad

 James R. (Avonmouth, England) e-mails :

    Looking at your list of ships I was surprised to see

TWEED of Furness Withy, a 112 foot water tanker at

Port-of-Spain, Trinidad.

   Anyone have information on this ship ?

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Can anyone name this British coaster ?

 

05 November 2018

Billy Fullarton writes :

  I took this photograph in 1970s or 1980s at Ardrossan

Harbour, Scotland.   Can anyone name this coaster. ?

 

   I think her name ends in SOUND.

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British & Irish KILKENNY in 1935

Does anyone have details of this ship in 1935 ???

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Ben Line carried a Naval tug from Trincomali to Gan ???

     I was with Brocklebank’s and sometimes called at

Gan Island in the Indian Ocean to discharge stores for

the RAF overside to landing craft in the lagoon.

   Talking to someone he said that he was on a Ben ship

which carried a small naval tug from Trincomali in

Ceylon to Gan, around late 1960s.

   Anyone know about this ?

    J.S., (Wallasey)

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Questions about Alfred Holt's Blue Funnel Line in 1960's

Jim J. of Liverpool e-mails :

   Around 1966 I was on a Royal Mail or Pacific Steam ship

in Houston / New Orleans area and saw an Alfred Holt Blue

Funnel ship there.

   Can anyone enlighten me as to why a Blue Funnel would

be in the Gulf of Mexico ?

   Also in conversation someone told of Blue Funnel having

Chinese crews on deck and catering.   I had always thought

that Blueys had British crews.   Someone please tell me

what is correct.

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Deck cadets Critchley and Doherty on RAMON DE LARRINAGA in 1965

 22 May 2018

 Alan Rutherford e-mails :

   Interested in whereabouts of other deck cadet officers Critchley and Doherty from RAMON DE LARRINAGA in 1965 ?

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   Looking for information on some British ships around 1950-1954

 Ian Rae e-mails  ....  4 March 2018 @ 1221

 Great website.

I am trying to find information on some of the voyages my late brother -in-law made.
Blairdevon-this was his first trip, signed on 30 April paid off 12 June 1950.This was a fairly ancient coal burner.Dont know owner
Tahsinia-20Jun-13 Oct 1950-to Bombay
Saxon (?) Star-28 Sep -25 April 1952-(paid off Manchester)
Camerionia9 Jun to 10 Sep 1952
Empire Halladale-a troopship-23 Oct 1952 -paid off Birkenhead 22 Jan 1953
Retainer 6 Feb-31 Oct 1953-paid off Antwerp
Cortona 15 Dec 1953-19 Jan 1954

Thereafter he sailed out of London and latterly on Manchester Liners
When I tried your search the year 1951 was missing

Regards,
Ian Rae

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Can anyone identify this USN lapel badge ?

     Dominique and her husband from Lyons (France) were on vacation in Spain and bought this lapel badge in a street market in Tarragona (near Barcelona).

   Can anyone identify the badge ?

2018-02-18 @ 1320

 

19 May 2018

Hello Douglas,

It's Bryn (Wayt) here - you helped me with the Austerland cargo vessel last year. Thanks again.

This message is about the image of the USN "Anchor pin".
There are loads on eBay just type in "US Navy Petty Officer gold tie pin" 

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First ship was CHARLTON MIRA of Charlton Steam Shipping Company, London

Bill Steel e-mails

Charlton Mira was my first ship. Built in Sunderland at Bartram's yard. Doxford 670LB4 diesel oil engine. She had two scotch boilers and steam auxiliaries. Lovely vessel but would roll on wet grass.

17 February 2018 @ 2307

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 What is the difference between Agents / General Agents and Freight Brokers ?

    Jim Harrison  (Brighton, England) e-mails :

 I am using the India Steamship Company sailing notice as a simple example, but my question actually can also relate to many other shipping companies.

   The India Company shows that intending shippers can contact the U.K. General Agents Stelp & Leighton or the U.K. Freight Brokers J. H. Wackerbarth.

   My question is : what is the difference between using Agents / General Agents and Freight Brokers ?

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   German cargo ship MILLERNTOR in 1954

 

    In January 1954 the cargo ship MILLERNTOR, registered in Hamburg, 2,787 nett tons and Master T. Goldsweer, arrived at Ardrossan Harbour, Scotland, with a cargo of Iron Ore from Narvik (Norway).

 

   After unloading she left Ardrossan returning to Narvik.

 

Does anyone have any information or details of MILLERNTOR ?

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" If sufficient inducement "

 James Bridges (Canterbury, England) e-mails –

   Many of your sailing notices show that a ship will go to a port “if sufficient inducement.”      What exactly is “if sufficient inducement ?”

“ If sufficient inducement “

 

23 January 2019 at 2113

 Geoff  (Australia)  e-mails :

 

James Bridges (Canterbury, England) e-mails –

 “Many of your sailing notices show that a ship will go to a port “if

sufficient inducement.” What exactly is “if sufficient inducement ? “

My understanding of "sufficient inducement" meant if there was

 enough cargo to be lifted to be commercially viable. ”

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Was she “ LAIRDS OAK “ or “ LAIRDSOAK ” ?

   Robert Bothwell (Glasgow) e-mails :

I have always had an affection for Burns & Laird Lines of Glasgow and refer to your entry of their coaster LAIRDS OAK in 1954.

   The Ships in Focus book shows her name as LAIRDSOAK but the accompanying photograph clearly shows the name LAIRDS OAK.

   I know it’s a bit pedantic but what was her name, LAIRDS OAK or was it LAIRDSOAK ?  

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Harbour oilers CLYDE ENTERPRISE and CLYDE VENTURE in late 1960’s

 

   Does anyone have details of these two oilers which were working in the Clyde in late 1960’s ?

 

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Coaster BALLYCASTLE in 1953

 

In 1953 the coaster BALLYCASTLE of John Kelly, Belfast, was at Ardrossan Harbour loading a cargo of coke for Londonderry.   Does anyone have details of this ship ?

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   Carebeka's coaster RIAN in 1953

 

 In December 1953 the Carebeka’s Groningen registered coaster RIAN arrived at Ardrossan Harbour from Hamburg.

 

   The handwriting in the Harbour Log-book is not easy to read.   The master’s name could be Cloinga or Eloinga : can any Netherlands reader tell what the name is ?

 

   Also the cargo is shown as  “M of Potash” …. What is “M of Potash” ???

  

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Details needed of Van Nievelt, Goudriaan's ALPHERAT in 1954

When the Blue Star Line cargo ship PARAGUAY STAR was leaving Montevideo for Buenos Aires her docking bridge fouled the housed port anchor of the Dutch cargo ship ALPHERAT.

   The docking bridge sustained displaced and buckled bridge rails and started deck plank caulking.   Repairs at Buenos Aires cost 5,850 Argentinian Pesos.

   PARAGUAY STAR. a passenger and cargo liner of 10,722 gross tons, was on passage from Liverpool for Buenos Aires and ALPHERAT is a passenger and cargo ship of Rotterdam South America Line (Rotterdam-Zuid Amerika Lijn) and operated by Van Nievelt, Goudriaan & Co. Stoomvaart Maatschappij, Rotterdam.   ALPHERAT is well known for carrying Jewish emigrants from Rotterdam to South America.

Additional note :

Can anyone supply details of ALPHERAT ?

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Norwegian Tanker RAILA in 1953

 

   Does anyone have details of the Tanker RAILA, registered in Oslo, which was working around the British coast in 1953 ?

 

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Elder Dempster services from USA and Canada and Calcutta to Africa.

 Fred from Formby (Merseyside, England, writes

 

“ I was surprised to read in the Elder Dempster Lines entry of 27^th May 1957 that they did sailings from U.S.A. and Canada to West Africa, also Canada to South Africa and also Calcutta to West Africa.

 

Can someone tell something about these services ? ”

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CHANTALA  (Worcester Park, Surrey) writes :

British India Steam Navigation handbook for Hindustani for Navigating Officers and Deck Cadets

   In 1965 when joining BI as a Deck Cadet a necessary handbook was for issuing commands in the Hindustani Language.

   All I can remember now is “Asti aria kurro”

   Does anyone still have the book and can scan or photograph a few pages to show the commands ?

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Sailings from Glasgow Bridge Wharf in April, May and June 1968 to Rothesay and Tighnabruaich.

 

      Thank you so very much for putting in the sailings from Bridge Wharf in Glasgow that I asked for.   Anne G., Isle of Bute

  

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British Army Tank Landing Craft LCT 4086 and her base at Cairnryan in 1954

 

   Tank Landing Craft LCT 4086 of the British Army’s Royal Army Service Corps arrived at Ardrossan Dockyard in February 1954.   Anyone have details of this vessel and of her life and also details of her base at Cairnryan (which is near Stranraer in south-west Scotland)

  

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Anchor Line advertisement of 1871

    I did laugh on seeing the wonderful Handyside and Henderson address of their office in Londonderry as 96 ½ Foyle Street.

   If anyone is in Londonderry can they please, please take a photograph of that building and post it on this site.

Thank you.

Still laughing

Fred of Formby, Merseyside, England.

11 June 2018  Bryn Wayt replies that the building has been demolished and modern housing has been built on its site

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German cargo ship RUHR in 1953

 

  On 15^th December 1953 the German cargo ship RUHR, registered in Hamburg and 1,725 nett tons, Captain Ekelman, brought a cargo of scrap metal from Halifax (Canada) to Ardrossan Harbour.

 

   Has anyone got any details of this ship ?

 

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British coaster J B KEE in 1957

 

 Fred of Formby (Merseyside, England) writes :

 

   I have put in a short article about J B KEE making a distress call on 4^th November 1957.

 

   Anyone have details of this ship ?

 

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Which Donaldson Line ship collided with a Cunard Liner in 1960’s in Quebec or Montreal ?

 

 Bas Buma (Rotterdam) e-mails ….. translated by Google

 

   Does anyone remember in 1960’s when a Donaldson cargo ship collided with a Cunard passenger liner, maybe CARINTHIA or SYLVANIA at Quebec or Montreal?   My memory is not good now.

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At what time did Union Castle mailships leave South Africa for U.K. ?

 

 Jim Allbright (London) e-mails :

 

   I thoroughly enjoy reading your “Conducting their business in Great Waters” articles as they remind me of places and ships of long, long ago.

 

   Something which I have always pondered – Union Castle passenger liners left Southampton at 4pm on Thursdays for South Africa, --- but did they have a set time, say 4pm when sailing from, for example Cape Town or Durban, when returning to U.K. ?

 

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SUNBEAR of Saguenay Terminals.

 

   In 1962 Saguenay had chartered a general cargo ship named SUNBEAR.   Does anyone have details of this vessel ?

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Can anyone identify or help with a cargo ship AUSTERLAND around 1955-1960 ? === ship is now firmly believed to be AUSTRALIND 

Captain Bryn Wayt writes :

 My father fitted a T/V to a ship that visited the Clyde around the years 1955-60 and I accompanied my him to assist - I was young and have only a limited memory of the event.
The 'Master' invited us both to sail with him "around the world" - so my guess was it was a long-range merchant vessel. It was NOT a "liner" but more of an "ocean freighter".
The name that sticks in my limited memory bank is the "AUSTERLAND".
I've tried various sources to find her, but have not been successful.
I was born and bred in Glasgow, but I was not acquainted with the Dock in which the ship was anchored to narrow the search.
It was there for at least a week, as the "Master" visited my father's shop and asked for a T/V to be fitted in his vessel.
It took a little time to gather the required bits and bobs to accommodate the order that's why I say a week all told in dock.
Anybody who can give me a clue where to look would be thanked in customer fashion.

James Jeffries replies :

   I saw the message from Captain Wayt and I don’t know off-hand of AUSTERLAND but the name makes me think of AUSTRALIND of the Australind Steam Shipping Company / Bethell, Gwyn & Trinder Anderson & Company, London.

    AUSTRALIND was a 7,214 gross ton tramp cargo ship and was built in 1944 by William Denny & Brothers, Dumbarton, for Australind,  and in 1959 was sold to Argus Steam Ship Company, Liberia and renamed PORTALON.

   In 1972 she was scrapped in Santander, Spain.

However it’s an interesting problem and I’ll start looking for an AUSTERLAND

 

Billy MacAulay (Moderator and Senior Member) writes :

   I have never heard of AUSTERLAND, but as Jim says AUSTRALIND is a possibility as Trinder Anderson vessels were visitors – though not too frequently – to Glasgow - and AUSTRALIND was in Govan Drydock, Glasgow around 1954.

   But I will also look for AUSTERLAND and being a cargo ship will search at Queen’s and Prince’s Docks and surroundings.   It will take some time as there is a lot to plough through.

  

 

  

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   Why was LADY McGOWAN IN Loch Riddon ?

 

 The small I.C.I. explosives carrying coaster LADY McGOWAN was in Loch Riddon on 29 November 1953.

 

   Loch Riddon is a small Loch situated near Tighnabruaich in the Kyles of Bute, a lonely and sparsely populated hilly area off the main area known as Firth of Clyde, Scotland.

 

   Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions as to the reason why LADY McGOWAN would be in this unusual locality ?

  

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John Kelly's coaster BALLYCLARE in late 1953.

   In our entries for this ship it is difficult to read the Master's name... possibly Capt. Crab.   Anyone know if this is correct ?

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Small boat sailor writes from Inverkip :

 

 

 

   I see that motor launches P.D.1 and 8641 passed King George V Dock, Glasgow in January 1967.   Their names vaguely ring a bell in my memory but I don’t remember anything about them.

 

   Does anyone know anything of these two launches ?

 

Just a guess could P.D.1 refer to the launch being the mooring rope boat in Prince’s Dock ?

 

   Sandy

  

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Mystery of CVC in Prince’s Dock area of Glasgow

   In 1958 the Clyde Shipping Company’s coaster PLADDA

 was listed as berthed in CVC in Prince’s Dock

 area in Glasgow.

   Does anyone know where CVC was ?

Jim Sloan replies : CVC was Clyde Vila Crane on the quay around berth 81 Plantation Quay, Glasgow

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Pacific Steam Navigation’s KENUTA at Puna in 1957

 

Tom Hayworth e-mails :

 

Your homepage shows KENUTA at Puna in 1957.   Where is Puna ?

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Ben Line’s Far-East coaster BENVEG in 1957

 

Leith Man e-mails

I was very surprised to see your entry for BENVEG in January 1957

for BENVEG as I had never heard of her.

 

Anyone have any more information please ?

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SPRINGFIELD QUAY, GLASGOW

Harry Cochrane e-mails :and conveniently close to the city centre. With restaurants, casino, bingo, bowling, cinema and hotel, everything you need is at The Quay.

For a good few years what was Springfield Quay in Glasgow has been redeveloped into an entertainment area with a cinema, hotel, casino and restaurants.   There was always a big sign at the entrance reading "SPRINGFIELD QUAY" but now the sign has been removed and replaced with a much smaller and more modern one saying "THE QUAY"

It's sad to have the last of the great Glasgow dockside quayside names disappear from public view.

aand conveniently close to the city centre. With restaurants, casino, bingo, bowling, cinema and hotel, everything you need is at The Quay.nd conveniently close to the city centre. With restaurants, casino, bingo, bowling, cinema and hotel, everything you need is at The Quay.

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MYSTERY SHIP PORTHOLE  From Michael Irwin (michaelj87836@gmail.com) When: 16 September 2016 15:09 Can show name?  Can show email?  Can show message?  I have a very short video posted on youtube of a porthole that I am trying to identify. It is more than likely WW1 era. Glass window is 14" in diameter and the entire assembly weighs 132 lbs. The name of the youtube video is Mystery Ship Porthole and I will leave a link. Thanks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbgNppQ8XWM ............................................................................................................................................

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LASHERCIA ..... A Spanish coaster in 1962

   Does anyone have information on LASHERCIA which was trading around the Irish Sea and Liverpool in 1962 ?

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Clyde Navigation Trust launches GARMOYLE and DUNGLASS

Jim Allison writes : I see from arrivals and sailings that the Clyde Navigation Trust launches GARMOYLE and DUNGLASS were busy on the River, even in the middle of the night.  What was their occupation ?

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Carrickfergus (Northern Ireland) in January 1963.

From Sean R  (Larne, Northern Ireland)

   Thanks very much for showing the ships bringing explosives from Irvine to Carrickfergus in January 1963.   After 53 years I've now found out the two ships in the photographs, CASCADE the Dutch coaster and LADY ANSTRUTHER of ICI.    Sean R.

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   What do you want  (or don't want)  on this website  ?

   With new Administrators and Contributors now helping with this website, it is probably a good time to find out what you, the viewers, want to see and read about.

   So, what do you want -  or don't want  -  on this website ?   Should there be more of this  ....... or less of that   ....... or maybe something entirely new  ?

   Please use the "Contact us" button and tell the team in as much detail as possible so that we can try to provide items which are of interest to you.

   Thank you. 

 

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Netherlands coaster MADO in 1963

   In January 1963 the Groningen registered coaster MADO was at Irvine, Scotland, having arrived with a cargo of 200 tons of fertilizer from Rotterdam.   Does anyone have any information or details of this ship

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CARGOES FOR BEIRA BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT ONLY

I see from the sailing notices (such as in SYDNEY STAR) that cargoes for Beira in East Africa are often accepted by special arrangement only.  Why by special arrangement ?

  Charlie and Misty Fennelly, New Jersey. U.S.A.

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Holland America cargo ship DUIVENDYK

Holland America cargo ship DUIVENDYK was at Glasgow from August 27 1959 to September 2 1959 loading scrap metal for Japan.   Does anyone have any information about this vessel.

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Information needed on cargo ship KORBACH in 1958

 

KORBACH was closing for receiving cargo in Glasgow on 25 July 1958 and loading for the Great Lakes, Detroit and Chicago.    She was probably on a charter by Anchor Line or Head Line or Cunard Line.

 

Does anyone have any information on KORBACH ?

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“Conducting their business in Great Waters” series

Just to say how much we enjoy reading your “Conducting their business in Great Waters” series.   Really good to read of BENDORAN at Zamboanga and DURBAN CASTLE at St. Helena Island and British India’s KENYA at Zanzibar. And Misty appreciates the diary of Donaldson Line's LETITIA that you included for her.  This is the only website that brings the voyages to life.   Even the kids read it and are sure learning their world geography.   Charlie and Misty Fennelly,  New Jersey. U.S.A (Misty was born in Canada and her family were Pilots on Saint Lawrence)

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WHERE IS " PULO BOKOM "

On 5th January 1957 Alfred Holt's Blue Funnel CALCHAS was at Pulo Bokom.   It's not on Wikipedia.   Where is Pulo Bokom ?

"Hydatina" of Croydon, England, writes :

Pulau Bukom, also known as Pulau Bukum, is a small island belonging to Singapore that is located about five kilometres to the south of the main island of Singapore, off the Straits of Singapore. The size of Pulau Bukom is about 1.45 km².   Royal Dutch Shell Group had a refinery there which I visited a number of times on Shell U.K. Tankers.

Note : The event for CALCHAS has been amended accordingly.

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A question about Alfred Holt and the King George V Dock in Glasgow

Jim Alison e-mails :   Your event of 25th August 1958 tells that Blue Funnel's PELEUS loaded a 6-ton lift by "Holt's crane".   Did Alfred Holt have a company crane at Glasgow, or could it be the ship's own derrick that was used. ?

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CLAN MACINTOSH and help needed on the origin of three launches loaded at Glasgow.

On 9th July 1958 CLAN MACINTOSH loaded 3 launches by her own gear at Glasgow.   The launches came from "Mechano / Medano.   Please have a look at the image, which has been enlarged, and see if you can throw some light on the launches.

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Scottish motor coaster PIBROCH built in 1956 by Scott & Sons of Bowling

Does anyone have details of her owners and employment after being sold by Scottish Malt Distillers Company ?

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CAN YOU HELP  The oilers "Invertest, Apexity and Clanity" are noted as daily supplying bunker fuel oil to vessels. Have you any images or information on these three ships. ? 

A. Manson replies: Apexity and Clanity were owned by F.T Everard later taken over by Fisher.

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CAN YOU HELP   Ore ships at General Terminus Quay .....when leaving, they left Terminus Quay astern.... where were they turned, to go downriver ahead.  Did they turn in Princes Dock...or at Yorkhill Basin...or at King George V Dock ?

  A. Manson replies "Ore carriers leaving General Terminus Quay were canted at Princes Dock ; the area inside the entrance was known as the Canting Basin."

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CAN YOU HELP   Glasgow fire-boat "St. Mungo"    Billy and Terry Kelly noted that Glasgow had a fire-boat named "St. Mungo" operated by Glasgow Fire Service, moored at Yorkhill Quay at the entrance to Queens Dock,  and crewed by firemen based in Yorkhill Fire Station (just across the road from Yorkhill Quay.)  Does anyone have a photograph of "St. Mungo" ?

A. Manson replies :Photographs and history the early and latter St. Mungo Fireboats can be seen by going on website "St. Mungo Fireboat"

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CAN YOU HELP    Blue funnel liner "Pyrrhus" is shown as arriving on 16th July 1958 (see the image) at berth 3 King George V Dock, head South, bow 5 1/2 ...something...into berth 4.   Any idea what the 5 1/2 something is ?

Ref. "Pyrrhus Berthing. The large timber or metal doors on the dockside of the cargo sheds are referred to as Blinds. There may six or seven of these so the bow or stern of a vessel may be sited in a position relative to the blinds.

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CAN YOU HELP   The coaster "Salling" arrived at KG5 on 16th July 1958 from " G.at ? " (see the image)  Can anyone hazard a guess what the place "G....at" is ?

A Manson replies "Destination of "Salling" could possibly have Ghent, Belgium."

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CAN YOU HELP.   Princes Dock logbook shows these vessels arriving, but the writing is hard to read.   Can you make out the names?

          

Click on these images to enlarge them

First is maybe.... Cruzeiro Do Sul

Below it is maybe.... Templar

Further down is maybe... Kaduna ...or Kadura

Further down maybe... La Manche

Just below that ......Barbanihalis (or something)

Still further down..... Prins W J or G Frerderick

And also on that page for 28th June at 2045 arrives "Somme" at berth 65 annexe.   I had never heard of "65 annexe"     Can anyone enlighten me? 

A Manson replies "berth 65 Plantation was an Annex abutting on the West end of Mavisbank Quay."    and Kaduna was owned by Paddy Henderson, vessels trading to Burma and associated areas.

Prinz Willem 1V and Prinz W J Fredrick were owned by Dutch Company Oranje Lijn and traded to, and spent some time in the Great Lakes.

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CAN YOU HELP   What is the name of this ship?  Is it Sunnarhav or Sunnanhav.  She arrived in Glasgow on 6th July 1965.  Just to allow continuity of entering details, the ship is listed in events as being "Sunnanhav" unless otherwise corrected.

A Manson replies : "Sunnanhan" could possibly have been owned by Saguenay Terminals who prefixed several of their ships names by "Sun"

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CAN YOU HELP   The vessel "Mango" or "Manyo" arrived at Princes Dock from Ardrossan on 14th July 1965, draft 5' 10" forard and 12' 8" aft, which would be the draft of a coaster.  But the logbook shows her sailing on 18th July for Three Rivers (Canada) draft forard 17' 07" and aft 19' 06"   Any thoughts or information on this vessel would be welcome. 

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THANKS FOR THE MEMORY   Mrs  Margaret Buckner e-mails from Canada.

"I was browsing and chanced on your website, and was astonished to discover mention of the Donaldson ships taking passengers from Princes Dock to Montreal.   I was a little girl in 1960 when my folks emigrated from Kirkintilloch to Canada on Laurentia, and it was a very rough crossing, but was calm when we passed Newfoundland.  The mention of "Laurentia" brought the memories flooding back, having been forgotten for 50 years. Thanks for bringing back the memory.

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CAN YOU HELP   : This interesting little advert was in the 23rd June 1906 issue of "Largs and Millport Weekly News"   Note the early start for the days sailing, and the unusual name "Bute 4"     Any information on the firm or the vessels?   Click on the image to enlarge it to full size.

     

A Manson replies: For full history on SS Bute suggest Logging on" SS Bute at Greenock" With information regarding builders of same and SS Kyle then follow Princess Alice Disaster where all will be revealed re ultimate fate of Vessel. 

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CAN YOU HELP  : The vessel "Cedric" arrived at KG5 on 10th October 1967. It's difficult to decipher where she came from.  Any suggestions?  Click on the image to enlarge it.

A Manson writes : 
The "Cedric" which arrived at KG5 dock 10th October 1967 would have come from Napier, New Zealand, where she would have loaded refrigerated cargo, e.g. lamb, butter, etc. This was a regular run for vessels belonging to the New Zealand Shipping Company.

A Manson writes :

Ref. the "Cedric" The port referred to is Napier New Zealand.

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CAN YOU HELP   This vessel "Stern" or "Stein" arrived KG5.   Is the name "Stern" or "Stein"    Click on the image to enlarge it.

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CAN YOU HELP   : What is the name of this 1967 arrival.  Click on the image to enlarge it.

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CAN YOU HELP  : Falcon Reefer arrived from USA and Newfoundland.   Which was the USA port concerned?   Click on the image to enlarge it.

A MANSON replies: Gloucester Massachusetts USA is on of America's oldest Ports.

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CAN YOU HELP  : Harrison's "Statesman" in Jan 1968 at Shieldhall Riverside Quay conducted an engine test.   What is the word after the test.  Click on the image to enlarge it.

A Manson writes :

Ref. the engine test on "Statesman" at Riverside Shieldhall . The engines would have been run on slow speed. Vessels having such must be securely moored probably with insurance wires as an added precaution .

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