WW2 Tyne Colliers

[j.sabourn]

Mainly to carry missiles and to counteract enemy warships. To carry aircraft and landing barges , submarines were the big thing at one time , with the advent of drone aircraft they will be the next leading contender for first place.
Submarines lose their attraction when they lose their hiding capabilities , with satellite observation and heat seeking capabilities their visibility is slowly becoming more revealed as science marches on. No hiding place the same as the title for that old Scotland Yard series on BBC tv, will at sometime in the future will be the cry. JS

[cappy]

Was always reminded by both grandas .....why yer bugger man ......hev ye seen them blue jackets tying up if the forrard lot get on the focsol furst thaers that many of them .....the ships doon by the heed......semm to recall and old poem ......may have it wrong but its something like ....a collier coming north .....ist the dudgeon .......then the dowsin...then the spurn is next in turn .......whitby light is shining bright......all being well its the tyne tonight .....where i lived in shields i could see the piers ...from my bedroom as a boy ....the colliers lights would be seen coming out the piers on some horrendous nights .....the women folk in my family would say god bless the collier men on a night like this as the ships lights disappeared altogether.... as she was in the troughs well known for on the north east coast R683532.....cappy

[cappy]

my gran in shields was in a gathering of womenfolk whose collier men husbands when down south ......would gather together to keep company ....they were i believe called the watch ashore which i know she enjoyed.....she was a strong churchgoer also for years ...until the vicar of the church was caught hawking his mutton in a public toilet ...old gran was never the same again .....lol R683532

[j.sabourn]

That was a well known system for the crews as well Cappy , usually a mixed crew some from SE and some from the NE, and they used the watch ashore and watch onboard system as well, so your Granny would of known your Granda was safely on board and not getting into mischief in the big smoke. Cheers JS
Think it was known as the NE coast Agreement. JS
How this works today with the manning levels wouldn’t know.

[cappy]

there was a small book i bought many years ago about the tyne colliers ....titled THE COAL SCUTTLE BRIGADE .....nothing mind blowing but a decent portrait of the convoys in WW11....R683532

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Whether true or not I don't know. But I remember someone saying many years ago, that for every so many tankers built by BTC they had to pay for a warship. True or False anyone.
Des

[j.sabourn]

Same as what I heard Des. Merchant ships were still being fitted with de-gaussing long after the war and it was said to the Admiraltys Advice , so it was public conjecture that they were paying for it in that instance. A good source of revenue when the ships went to scrap. JS

Another source of wealth for navy divers were the likes of old conning tower hatches off U-Boats they must have also had a lot of brass in their make up. JS

[cappy]

Whether true or not I don't know. But I remember someone saying many years ago, that for every so many tankers built by BTC they had to pay for a warship. True or False anyone.
Des

i can remember that story as well des .....did you hear of a guy in catering who had no nationality known and was moved from ship to ship in BTC without being accepted ashore in many countries i believe he was looking phillipeno type and was known as manny R683532 cappy

[j.sabourn]

Didn’t finish up as Barry Manilow did he ? We had a stowaway when I was mate from west Africa Australia wouldn’t accept him and the ship had to pay for his repatriation back to Africa. The old man blamed me for not searching the holds properly.I couldn’t care less who he blamed , a stowaway didn’t want to be found until well at sea and is easy to stay hidden among a general cargo in 6 hatches JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Can't recall that one Cappy, but some of the chief stewards I sailed with should have joined him in the Philippines. with oophagies to Chief stewards that did their job properly.
Des