Trip down the Manchester ship canal

[John Arton]

Nice video of a trip from Runcorn to eastham on a coaster, bet it looks a bit different to how many of you will remember it.
Rgds
J.A.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=I...ature=youtu.be

[Keith Tindell]

Nice old film, i never went to that area on the coast, but enjoyed my time on coasters, especially the old green peril, the Cattaro, one of Wilsons, kt

[Graham Shaw]

Nice old film, i never went to that area on the coast, but enjoyed my time on coasters, especially the old green peril, the Cattaro, one of Wilsons, kt

Here we are Keith!

CATTARO (ON 180460) (Courtesy Coll'n Richard Cox,TeesBuilt Ships site.jpg

INFOLINK

[About her fate as the VRACHOS,Lloyds says :
' 10/1/1971-While at Galatz ,the 26 year old Panamanian steamship Vrachos,owned by Manovas Sg.Co SA;Panama ,and loading aluminium nitrate for Alexandria,Egypt,was seriously damaged by fire in her engine room.She was then beached in the Sulina Canal by the Roumanian authorities,to whom she was abandoned by her owners .The wreck was subsequently broken up.']

[Keith Tindell]

Thanks or that Graham. always nice to know what happened to our old ships, even if a sad ending, i was on her most of 62, so went on a little longer, kt

[Ivan Cloherty]

Nice old film, i never went to that area on the coast, but enjoyed my time on coasters, especially the old green peril, the Cattaro, one of Wilsons, kt

Don't think you could class the 'Cattaro' as a coaster Keith, she was a Skandi, Baltic and Medi trader I did relieving job for Wilsons on the 'Teano' another deadman's shoes kind of company in the 50's and 60's also proper uniform at all times with exaggerated ideas of grandeur, as ships could carry, 6, 10, or 12 passengers. The passenger accommodation in all fairness was good for short sea traders.

[Keith Tindell]

When i was on her Ivan, we only worked the coast 4 on 4off, we had a good crew and some great times. several months and many ports, i recall being knackered with lots of overtime.We certainly didn't have any passengers, and i don't recall the officers in uniform, or not that could be recognised, but i could be wrong, it was a long time ago. She looks bigger than i seem to recall with 10 sticks to work.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John A.
Great little movie, really enjoyed watching it. I was only on one ship up the Canal to Salford, they took our funnel off and laid it alongside many others on the bank, then we had to drop our masts. If you come across any pictures of funnels on the bank could you post them, as I lost mine many years ago.
Cheers Des

[Graham Shaw]

Don't think you could class the 'Cattaro' as a coaster Keith, she was a Skandi, Baltic and Medi trader I did relieving job for Wilsons on the 'Teano' another deadman's shoes kind of company in the 50's and 60's also proper uniform at all times with exaggerated ideas of grandeur, as ships could carry, 6, 10, or 12 passengers. The passenger accommodation in all fairness was good for short sea traders.

...and here is Ivan's TEANO-I wonder if her crews nicknamed her "the Beano " ? INFOLINK


Her eventual fate as the Ocean Duchess: extract from a Lloyds report.

[ 'On June 13th,1976,while berthed at Bahrain with a cargo of tea that had been loaded at Colombo,the Maldivian steamship Ocean Duchess was seriously damaged by a fire that started in the engine room area before spreading to the cargo hatches .She was towed out three days later after the fire had been extinguished and beached on the southern side of Sitra Anchorage,her amidships and poop structures gutted and her engine room flooded.After being declared a Constructive Total Loss ,the wrecked vessel was towed to Gadani Beach in February 1977 ,having been sold to Pakistani shipbreakers for scrap.']

TEANO (ON 186675).jpg
Courtesy of Charlie Hill,Scottish Shipbuiling History Site

[Noel Kelly]

Unfortunately my memories are rather vague and not good with details but I do remember a voyage on the RMS Balantia going to the Salford docks via the Manchester ship canal circa 1954. I seem to remember that we couldn't travel at night so we tied up at Warrington waiting for daylight. Remember going ashore in Warrington and noticed a lot of American air-force personnel walking around. I think I went through the canal again in 1957 on the RMS Essequibo. Being down below as an engineer I didn't see much of the canal so enjoyed seeing this video.Manchester Dock Gate.jpg