river tyne and offing

[cappy]

..on ashort visit to the tyneside yesterday i was not again surprised by the lack of shipping in the tyne and the usual anchoring places off the river ....although idid see three big bulkers way out at sea heading north ...there was two picturesqe fishing boats just of the main beaches with nets out and a couple of small yachts ......it appears as the container ships get larger we see less of shipping in general .....looking back to my youth you could almost walk acrosss the tyne from ship to ship perhaps two or three main ports now ...gone are the dozens of colliers small coastal tankers baltic boats and of course the docks in general.....i have read oin various domains of the silk road from china ..that will be the next stage in the loss .of shipping in general......not a good site to see from what we had in our time ...as for ships crewless run by computer ...it is hard to believe ...many disasters can be forecast there...well a small post and not a polly statement in sight .....regards cappy

[Keith Tindell]

Much the same in the Solent Cappy, we see a few tankers bound to and fro for Fawley, box boats plenty of, and i hesitate to call them ships, but cruise boats. `very rarely what we are used to, the good old cargo ships. I bet there are virtually no trampers now, which was always my preference, kt

[cappy]

##keith i sit on a sunny day and think oh to be on a old trampship ...but the world has changed too much since then i me with it ..but thoughts are very comforting sometimes of days long gone...cappy...love the saying when the world was our lobster....

[John F Collier]

When the crew less ships do one day become operational, I wonder what measures will be put in place to combat piracy,
I'm sure that will be well thought out, I'm just wondering how that will work, as there would be no living quarters maybe the hull will have extra high bulkheads locked down with no access once she has sailed?, just a thought. JF

[vic mcclymont]

Gents, same on the Clyde, you get the small coastal feeder container ships. In the summer the passenger ships. From Greenock to Glasgow the river is dead.
Like most of you I can remember wall to wall shipping, now all gone.
Regards
Vic

[John F Collier]

The Thames is nothing like it was but there is still a fair amount of traffic, there is Gas and Oil terminals and the London Gateway super port at Tilbury, riverside quays for smaller ships plus cruise liners, there's usually something to see. cheers JF

[John Pruden]

at one time dock road Liverpool a forest of masts now hardly any can be seen shame? jp

[Lewis McColl]

I think when I was shipping out of Liverpool/Birkenhead in 1969>73 there was still something like 50 deep sea vessels a day arriving and departing from the Mersey. Friday afternoon and early evening you would see Blue funnel & Clan Line ships moving out of Vittoria dockdone to the East /West Float getting ready for locking out on the tide. I can remember getting sent over to round up the stragglers who were having a last pint in the Duke& usually I would be Forced into having a pint or two myself. You knew it was time to sup up and ship out when you heard the gear being tested as in a couple of prolonged blasts of the ships whistle.

[Keith at Tregenna]

History of the Liverpool Docks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KONQrlux_4A

[j.sabourn]

That's M Lewis in the international code means I have a Doctor on board, maybe they were trying to entice you back with a bottle of penfolds. JWS