Bank Line ( taken from British Tramps)

[j.sabourn]

The Final Company-Bank Line Ltd.
For many years Bank Line cargoes were loaded homeward bound from the Pacific Islands to the UKand Europe usually Hull
or Hamburg , particularly Copra initially in bags later in bulk, then other cargoes from the area, as Copra declined. In 1960
They inaugurated an outward service , with vessels sailing every 6 weeks from Rotterdam via Panama , also Tahiti and New
Caledonia . Then in 1980 they entered in to an agreement with Columbus Line ,Hamburg with whom they had been competing
to rationalise their sailings with a regular service every 24 days. Bank Line contributed four from their meadow bank class.
Corabank, forthbank,Ivybank,Meadowbank,Moraybank, Clydebank.
Also in 1980 Bankline came back to the US- South Africa route between Houston, New Orleans,Savannah, Charlestown,Newport
News, Baltimore ,New York to Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.
There is much more to the history of Bankline and for those who sailed will have first hand history of our merchant navy as was
Which today is only history, they can at the most say “ been there done that” and think where did all those massive amounts of shipping go,
Which is another story.
JS

[John Arton]

My pal from college, who came from north Shields where his family had a whole sale fish business along with fish and chips shops in north shields, joined bank line after serving his time with she met his wife whilst in Australia on a bank line ship and later emigrated to NSW with her where they live to this day.
Rgds
J.A

[j.sabourn]

Had family lived at the top of Howard Street Aunt , Uncle in Law, and Cousin , Cousin went to sea with Palm Line and was 2 engineer for years there. My Aunt lived in the flat above the Oxford School of motoring and lived there all their married life no kitchen and the loo in the backyard. Cousin was Albert Kempster, although anyone who sailed with him was better known as Tommy Kempster, believe he had a reputation down the west coast of Africa. Was later drowned off one of the ports in the Thames estuary about 1980.His father worked in the North Shields wholesale fruit and veg. Warehouse. As regards the flat think they paid 5/- a week rent all their years there, so there must be good landlords around. Cheers JS .

[Neil Morris]

Would that be Mick Strasshine? Sailed with him on Birchbank (I think! )

[John Arton]

Neil
No he was ken duff and one of the last time I met up with him he was standing by a new build bank line job in Sunderland and we went on the pizza with one of the cadets on the ship, who came from the east end of London where he said the hardest people came from, had to change his mind when one of the girls in the ferry tavern in shields threatened him with a knife if he didn't put her choice on the jukebox and later in the jungle in north shields , when he asked the disc jockey to play some rod Stewart song, the disc jockey threatened him with a shotgun, saying, "you were in here last night causing trouble, piss off" which led to a very rapid exit.
Rgds
J.A

[J Gowers]

#4 Mick Strasshine, I knew a rig mechanic with that name on M G Hulme drilling rig in the early 2000s wonder if it was the same guy or his son, many offshore rig mechs were ex MN engineers, think he came from Shields or that area.

[David Scothern]

Sailed with the Bank Line for several years mainly on the SOUTH PACIFIC routes where money making cargo was the coconut oil, which was a tough cargo to carry because of the temperature restraints. Had a great time & many good memories with Bank Line

[j.sabourn]

The younger brother of a school chum of mine served his time and rose to the dizzy heights of master with them.Must have left them just before the Falklands war " a Captain Young . The next thing I heard he was en route with the invasion fleet with another bunch of merchant mariners who went encounter with the fleet, I assumed they were spares for the expected casualitys , about a year after he died up the Persian Gulf on the deck of a supply vessel in the offshore industry he was mate there, he died well before his time. JS

[Fred Saunders]

The Bank Line had a name for being tight money wise. In the 1970's I think it was I and another Customs Officer over saw a crew change on two Bank Line ships that just happened to be in Newcastle ( N.S.W ), one was due for crew change the other was loading for India, so the crew that were on the India bound ship changed with the other ship, which was not bound for India, so it saved the Bank Line a lot of money for air fares to get the Indian crew home to India.

[j.sabourn]

A bit more about Bankline. In 1885 Andrew Weir fulfilled his ambition to become a shipowner, opening
an office in Glasgow and purchasing the iron barque Willow Bank , through skilfull management , he had
35 sailing ships trading for him.By the end of the first decade he ultimately came to control the largest
fleet of sailing ships to fly the British Flag.
JS