1st container ship

[Michael Black]

On this day 26.4 1956 the first purpose built container ship sailed from Port Newark N.J.to Houston TX.
The IDEAL X carried 58.. containers.
Beginning of the end for real cargo ships. She was scrapped in 1964
Regards Michael

[Des Taff Jenkins]

HI Micheal.
She didn't even last ten years; and she would have had no tarps or hatch boards to wear out. Not like some of the ships I was on anything up to and over thirty years, no wonder prices went up instead of down.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

Looking at some of them when they come into Port Melbourne with containers almost hanging off the side one wonders just how good they are.
But they have survived and cut all other ships out.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

John.
I'd love to have the money for all the containers at the bottom of the sea, just the ones that broke free would do.
Des

[j.sabourn]

Not a container ship but we used to carry a lot in the lower hold when I worked for Saguenay Terminals of Montreal. Whilst loading in Quebec one time I looked down the hold and saw the dockers breaking into one l I had every intentions of going down the hold and putting a new lock on, but I was stopped by another docker who took me aside identified himself as an undercover RCMP officer. Sure enough they were arrested at the end of the shift. Quebec was well known for its deep cover police and customs officers JS

[happy daze john in oz]

Containers we were told would reduce theft from cargo being loaded, it would reduce costs to exporters as they could fill their own containers.
So many benefits we were told, but never told the truth.
The container would end shipping as we knew just as the jumbo did for the liners.

But with so many being lost at sea, broken into when in some docks just how much was the savings as wages for the average seaman now are no better than in our times.
Is shipping so expensive or is it the way in which shipping companies operate?

[Keith Tindell]

Containers are a gift for drug running, impossible to check every single one. I remember the story of the Scorch whiskey exporters, and i remember the wooden crates and steel bands around the crate, and the company knew and allowed for a certain loss due to theft, once containers were used, they were shipped in cardboard boxes, with zilch loss from theft.

[j.sabourn]

When we used to load Whiskey in cardboard boxes in the tonnage hatch. The dockers used to thump them on the steel decks any dripping box , and off would come the tin mugs attached to their belts to catch the drainings, who cared about the cardboard flavour. Glasgow dockers have little or no dietary restrictions . JS

pilferage of Cargo such as wine beer and spirits was ok with the shipowner as long as the empties could be recovered as then insurance could be claimed , no empties , no insurance , as they would counterclaim that they had never been loaded in the first place . JS .

#6 Also ideal for illegal immigrants . JS

[Ivan Cloherty]

The first container ships were the British Cross Channel Ferries, they carried steel framed wooden containers 8' x 8' x 8' in the 1930's/40's and 50's preloaded in a depot near Cricklewood. I feel sure one of our experts will find a photo somehow, (beyond my capabilities)

[John Arton]

It took a long time for the container trade to become properly regulated regarding true weight and contents of individual containers. I remember the first ever 20 foot container I ever saw,it was in 1969 and we were in Rotterdam on the Beaverfir and we had one container to load for deck cargo. No shore crane so our 30 ton jumbo was rigged to load the stated 20 ton loaded container. Our jumbo was unable to load the thing as it eventually turned out that the actual weight of it was nearer 40 tons. Eventually had to get a mobile shore crane to get it on board.
Incorrect stated weights was common for many years as well as incorrectly declared contents.
JS
Re #5 did you load at the container Terminal in Quebec underneath the heights of Abraham?
That was owned by C.P and I was on the ship when we officially opened it.
Rgds
J.A