sam boats

[Les Woodard]

Sunk head tower, Naval sea fort.
Tower Radio and Tower TV Sept 65 to 28th April 66.

Knock John Naval sea fort.
Radio Essex from 7th Nov 65 to 30th Nov 66.
B.B.M.S. Britains Better Music Station 30th Nov 66 to 25th Dec 66.

Shivering Sands Army Sea Fort.
Radio Sutch from 27th May to Sept 64.
Radio City from Sept 64 to 8th Feb 67.

Red Sands Army Fort.
Radio Invicta from 17th July 64 to mid Feb 65.
King Radio from 25th Feb 65 to 22nd Sept 65.
Radion 390 from 25th Sept to 28th July 67.

Hope that I got them all and remember that Radio Sutch (Lord Sutch of the raving looney party) used to broadcast in serial form the book Lady Chatterly's Lover which at the time was ribald but with todays standards very boring.

[Les Woodard]

Hope I got this right.Think it looks like the walkways where allowed to just rust away and fall do not think they where interested in safety for the stations.



Red Sands.jpg

[Captain Kong]

Some , but not all of the walkways were still there in the 90s when I used to sail in and out of the Thames, Not seen them since.
Brian.

[Tony Wilding]

it states walkways were removed to deter people going on them, for safety reasons.maunsell28.jpgmaunsell30.jpgmaunsell31.jpgmaunsell38.jpgmaunsell32.jpg

[Don Rafferty]

Not sure if it is still there, but the Ross Revenge - ex Caroline, was moored in the Blackwater near Bradwell and used to broadcast on a limited frequency for the Burnham Festival - nearly replaced a section of aerial mast on her

[Captain Kong]

She was scrapped at Cairnryan near Stranraer about 18 months ago.
.
..The Government had been trying to blow the ship out of the water for four decades, but it was the elements that dealt the final blow

The Ross Revenge a Short History & Specification

The Ross Revenge was built in 1960 by AG Weser' Werk, Seebeck, Bremerhaven, West Germany

Named M.V Freyr owned by the Icelandic Fishing Company Isbjorninn the trawler M.V Freyr could accommodate a crew of up to seventy

The ocean going ship has a range of around 12,000 miles suitable for the worlds seas

Sold to Ross Fisheries in 1963 she was converted & ice strengthened as a side trawler: Fishing No GY718 & renamed Ross Revenge she saw action during the 'Cod Wars' with Iceland during 1978

The Ross Revenge was sold on to Silas Victor Oates in 1979 to be converted to a motor salvage ship registered in Guernsey Channel Islands working until 1981

Destined for the scrap heap she was found languishing in Cairn ryan breakers yard West Coast six miles from Stranraer, Scotland

31/12/10 - The breakers yard at Cairnryan

[John Gill]

always believed these ships were called after Uncle Sam since they were built in the US to assist in the war effort.

[Captain Kong]

I have found some more of my photos on a Sam Boat, Jeremiah OBrien in San Francisco,
On the wheelhouse and in the Engine room, triple expansion Steam engine.
The engine was shown in the film TITANIC.
Cheers
Brian

[j.sabourn]

John as I just recently put up a list of ships I was on in the mistaken belief I hadnt done previously. One of those listed was the Sunprincess, this jogged my memory and to my recollection she was classed as a C one A (Not C.I.A.) She was built in U.S. during the war and had I believe originally a speed of about 18 knots, so may have been built with the idea of conversion to an armed merchant cruiser. However on my time there she carried General Cargo one way and Bauxite the way back. She did at my time there do about 15 knots. She also carried 12/15 passengers. Extra accomodation was built above the wheelhouse for a passenger bar. Anyone with a knowledge of wartime built ships may know, unless someone was having me on re. CIA. Cheers John Sabourn

[Les Woodard]

tony thank you for that as I was not aware that they took that precaution in dismantling the catwalks. Another bloody thing to remember now LOL.

As for cargo ships carrying passengers was it not something to do with insurance that if they had up to 12 paying passengers that they where still classed as cargo ships and anything above that incured extra insurance?