The Lower Reaches at Work

[Deepol]

Two more memories from the Lower Reaches

[Deepol]

Carrier HMS PERSEUS at Smith and Houston's where she arrived on May 6th 1958 for scrapping. Vickers Armstrongs built her at Walker in 1945.

[Deepol]

Vigilant in 1977.

Royal Mail's Escalante in 1967.

From John Young a 1959 view of the Dock

Some more from the past at the Watt Dock.

[Dennis Maccoy]

Hapag Lloyd's Regenstein, from Kiel in 1960, leaving Greenock on 15 November 1971.

[Portonian]

I see LNG Port Harcourt at Inverkip Power Station upthread, here is a view of the same scene, but from the land.

LNG Port Harcourt at Inverkip Power Station

[Dennis Maccoy]

Macbrayne's Lochdunvegan, from Lindholmen at Gothenburg as Ornen in 1946, at Greenock on 5 March 1972.

[Dennis Maccoy]

Canadian Pacific's CP Ambassador, completed as Beaveroak by Vickers at Walker in 1965, at Greenock on 21 May 1972.

[Dennis Maccoy]

The gas turbine powered Euroliner, from Emden in 1971, after leaving Greenock on 16 April 1979.

[Dennis Maccoy]

The Jack-Up drill rig Penrod 81 off Rosneath Point on 29 July 1979.

[Dennis Maccoy]

Completed in 1979 by Smith's Docks on the Tees for Ellerman Wilson but not accepted, the RoRo Cavallo laid-up at Greenock on 29 July 1979.

[Deepol]

Two sugar boats in the Watt Dock in 1979.

[Deepol]

ASIAFREIGHTER was one of the 4 gas turbine powered container ships built in Germany 1971/1972. Her sisters were ASIALINER, EUROLINER and EUROFREIGHTER.
They were managed by Denholm's in Glasgow and were regular visitors to Greenock Container Terminal where I took this in April 1973.
Their machinery gave a fast turn of speed-in excess of 30 knots when on full power. In later years after being sold on I think they were re-engined to diesel.
All are now scrapped but were pioneers in the early container days.

[Deepol]

Two more from Finnart.

[Dennis Maccoy]

Fisheries Patrol Vessel Jura, from Hall Russell at Aberdeen in 1973 and the progenitor of the RN's Island Class OPVs, in James Watt Dock on 5 August 1980.

[Dennis Maccoy]

Hapag Lloyd's converted container ship Erlangen Express, from Howaldtswerke-DW at Ross in 1970, heading upriver on 19 October 1980.

[Dennis Maccoy]

Fisheries Cruiser Vigilant, from Denny in 1936, in James Watt Dock on 19 October 1980.

[Dennis Maccoy]

Columba approaching Gourock on a blustery 31 December 1980.

[Dennis Maccoy]

A slightly brighter view of Jura, in the same location as above, on 30 July 1982.

[Dennis Maccoy]

Glenlight's Glenetive and Polarlight in Victoria Harbour on 22 April 1984.

[Dennis Maccoy]

Seaforth Clansman, from Cochrane at Selby in 1977, off the northern tip of Arran on 30 July 1984.

[Deepol]

CASTLEDORE was built in 1956 by William Gray/s yard at West Hartlepool for Michalinos and Co. of London. This shot of her was taken in the Watt Dock in 1973. She was broken up in 1974 having stayed with Michalinos for all of her life as far as I know.
Berthed alongside is a Greek built SD14, REA coming from the Hellenic Yard at Skaramanga in 1971. She had many owners in her life and went to breakers in 2000 as NORTH STAR II

[Deepol]

CGM's SOUFFLOT which was a regular Clyde visitor at one time taken off Gourock in June 1978.
Named after Jacques Germain Soufflot the renowned French 18th century architect she was built at Yokohama by Mitsubishi in 1977.
In 1989 she became LONDON BRIDGE on sale and after a few other names as ILLAPEL she was broken up at Alang where she arrived on 28th February 2002.

[Deepol]

Royal Mail Lines' EDEN built at Harland And Wolff at Belfast in 1956 which I took in 1964 as she departed from the Watt Dock..
As NEPTUNE GARNET she was broken up at Kaohsiung in July 1979.

[Deepol]

FRANKFURT EXPRESS, one of the Second Generation (G2) series of container ships she was built by HDW at Kiel in 1981.
This was taken at Greenock when she was diverted there because of labour disputes at Southampton.
At 53000dwt she was small fry compared with today's new ships!
She later became MSC ATHINA and was scrapped in 2007.

[Deepol]

GOWANBANK anchored off Greenock in August 1976 waiting for a berth with a sugar cargo. Belfast built, she was delivered in January 1968.
She was scrapped in 1985 as KAVO GROSSOS..


Also in the Watt Dock again in 1976 is AVONBANK which came from Belfast also in 1961.
She was sold the following year becoming FORTUNE STAR and eventually went under the breakers' torch in China in 1984.

[Deepol]

One of the first generation of container ships, MANCHESTER CHALLENGE was built in 1968 at South Bank by Smith's Dock for Manchester Liners and could negotiate the Manchester Ship Canal on service to Canada.
This was taken off Greenock in March 1975 as she waited a berth at Greenock's Container Terminal sharing with the Cory ore carrier QUEENSGARTH just starting to move for upriver passage to Glasgow.
As SWAN I she was beached at Alang on 25th February 1993 for breaking.