Silver Lines Shipping Company!

[cappy]

did 2 or three trips in the Aldersgate she was ore carrier signed on in shields running articles paid off all hands Christmas eve from 7 islands in Newport about 4 in afternoon 0nly about 2 weeks trip didn't have enough money to go to shields could havegot a rail warrant but lived with granny and couldn't go home with no bucks asked if I could stay till next tripold man said yes stayed aboard only awatchmanand mate aboard had turkey sandwiches from bar on xmas day no heating but wasn't a problem signed on about 6 or 7 days later old man was frm shields signed me on from xmas day that was in my book never saw another signed on xmas day must have been people who signed on other ships xmas day saled with a good welsh crowdi think down to Victoria went on the pop sold some wrangler bjeans for the local plonk then flaked out one lad took my bottle when flaked out back aboard I broke his nose got caked up to tne old man who gave us both a bollokinsent himbelow then said he would have done the same no loggin that was a good ship and started to appreciate these ore carriers good food single accom I think her and the mabel warwick best ships of all regards cappy ps that was xmas eve 1960

[Peter Gibson]

Hi
I have recently come across this Company
What kind of Ships were they! Cargo \ Tankers ??

They seemed to have a very large Fleet!

Cheers

I sailed with Silver line between 69 & 74
Mainly on the eagle osprey falcon did maiden voyage on the main and fjord
Remover faces not names only one I really remember was Alf Gibson at head office
Started as deck boy and finished as gp1
Remover bosun Tom and there was also a Irish donkeyman also a kiwi and poncho from shields

[Ian Malcolm]

Doc

Details of the eleven Silver Line ships sunk are given in SHIPPING COMPANY LOSSES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Used to see Silver Line ships tied up in the Royal Docks (think it was the Royals) discharging sugar for Tate and Lyle in the 50's, think there was also a river berth for Tate and Lyle in the Thames.

[cappy]

did a few trips in the aldersgate.....believe she was silverline .....best job i ever had at sea paid of xmas eve 1960 couldnt go home didnt have bucks old mansaid i could stay but the ship was closed downxmas day 2 turkey sanwiches in a bar .....she signed on again new years day ...old man from shields signed me on xmas day was very proud of that one never saw anyone sighned on xmas day before did 2 or3 trips in her 2nd steward best feeder ever

[Dick Rees]

I was on company contract with Silver Line as 2nd Mate between 1971 and 1974. Excellent company to work for. I was on the Silvercove self discharging bulker on charter to Seaboard Timber of Vancouver on a triangular service carrying packaged timber to Puerto Rico and the US Gulf Ports thence up the east coast to load scrap iron for Vancouver. They also had two iron ore bulkers on long term charter to British Steel, the Silversand and the Silvershore. I sailed on both between UK ports and Murmansk, Sept Iles and Port Cartier in Canada, Vitoria in Brazil, Port Etienne (now Nouadhibou) and Monrovia in West Africa, Narvik. My last ship with them was the Silverdon, a 35,000 tonne self discharging bulker tramping. Other ships I remember at the time were the little stainless steel chemical tankers Silver Merlin, Osprey, Falcon and Eagle and the car carriers Silverfjord and large obos they managed for Seabridge. The Company was owned by the Barracloughs but the fleet was constantly changing as they bought and sold ships frequently.

A couple of earlier posts on this thread seem to have confused Silvertown Services aka Sugar Line with Silver Line.

[Geo Knight]

I was on company contract with Silver Line---bought and sold ships frequently.

A couple of earlier posts on this thread seem to have confused Silvertown Services aka Sugar Line with Silver Line.

yes i agree i sailed on the Silvergrag-silvermain-and the silveried and never heard of a silver ship carrying suger,but there again i only sailed on three of them one a ore carryer one car/general bulk/one a chemical tanker,grain from the U.S to Japan but no suger, now Athel is another story. geo.

[Ivan Cloherty]

A couple of earlier posts on this thread seem to have confused Silvertown Services aka Sugar Line with Silver Line.

You're probably right, I stand guilty as charged!!

[Dennis Robinson]

Hi,

I have been meaning to respond to this thread for some time.

Silver Line was started in 1925 , I think, when Stanley and John Thompson lost an order. Thompsons were shipbuilders and shipbrokers, I cannot remember which one was which, however, they quickly became well known ship owners and formed alliances with Hoegh, and Kerr Shipping.

Pre war ships were fast and prestigious operating a liner trade, mainly in the Pacific.

They lost many ships during the war and were handed over to receivers who put them in the hands of Dene Shipping who incorporated what was left into their tramping trade.

Then the Barracloughs were involved, and become quite innovative, having the very first purpose built bulk carrier, the first purpose built car carriers and starting the trend for purpose built chemical carriers, largely due to the younger of the Barraclough family, David.

Like many other British shipping Companies, they also had their quota of Ore Carriers chartered to British Steel. These were the Aldersgate, Bishopsgate, Silvercrag and Silversand.

In the early days, Silver Line ships were named after trees, Silveroak, Silverash etc and their interiors were panelled in the wood of the tree that their names bore.

There were also the twin funnel ships plying the Pacific routes, but the For'd funnel was not a real funnel, but housed the Master's accommodation, Sparky and the Radio Office. It was more prestigious to have 2 funnels in those days.

I began my career with them, as a cadet, joining Silverweir ( the first bulk carrier ) in Belfast, June 1964, serving for a year on her. My fellow cadets were Ogilvy, Smith and Davies. The Master was Johnny Walker from Llangranog in Wales, C/O Mike Gower, 2/0?, 3/0 Smiler Harrison from Hull.
Ch.Eng Matty Jack from Glasgow.

I then later served on the maiden voyage of Tower Bridge, Aldersgate, Silverweir again as 3rd Off, Silversand, Silvercove & Silvermain as 2nd Off, Silverdon, Silvermain as Ch.Off and as Master on Silvermain, Amsterdam, Spey Bridge, Erskine Bridge Alva Sea, Alva Bay, Algol, Alkes, Almak and Alvega.

I accepted redundancy when V ships had taken over the Silver Line operation and were running down the fleet especially with British Officers.

There are far better accounts of the Silver Line History around, notably one by Mike Coker, a Silver Line Apprentice ( before my time) who eventually became Personnel Director of Buries Markes and later their Managing Director.

The Barraclough Family, I believe are still active in shipping today.

[Geo Knight]

Dennis, were you on the Silvermain when it went into dry dock in south wales, was there for about three weeks,then the yard was told to just make it seaworthy,we then sailed in ballast to japan where it was repaired in two days, loaded with cars for the U.S arrived to find a dock strike on went into a navy birth for a couple of days,then did a runner leaving a very expensive mooring line.on to vancouver and took forever unloading on to lorry transporters,the story goes on. I seem to remember the skip came from around Madley in the west mids,but i may be wrong.