Empire Dombey

[Whickham]

Kevin sent me this photo of EMPIRE DOMBEY (ON 169415) at South Shields. She was built by A & J Inglis Ltd at Glasgow in 1944, renamed ALLURITY in 1947 and broken up at Bruges in 1965. See full details at: http://clydeships.co.uk/view.php?year_b ... IRE+DOMBEY

It looks as though the photo has been taken from the Commissioners Staiths at South Shields with the North Shields High Light in the background.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Blair

[northeast]

Great photo, should be dated 1946 as ED was then under Everard management and has clearly gained their funnel colours ... or maybe in 1947 and in process of having her name changed. Was this the jetty used by Esso as a base for bunkering supplies? ALLURITY became the regular bunker vessel, Tyne to Tees around 1959 (and maybe earlier), being replaced by ESSO TYNEMOUTH in 1960. An old favourite from trips the Gare.

[Whickham]

This is a map of the area dated 1945 (copyright of Ordnance Survey). The staiths are shown and the gap between the words Commissioners' and Southern Wave Trap would be the old pilot jetty. Presumably the Commissioners' Staiths and the oil storage tanks shared the same jetty.

Map is copyright of Ordnance Survay

[northeast]

You can see a pipeline running to the ED in this photo, and up on the staiths sits an incredibly old looking wagon, maybe long since abandoned there. Was it used for coal exports pre-war? Note the railway line coming up from along the shore-side of Shields.

[Whickham]

I understand that the CS were used to load stone from the Trow Rocks Quarry during the building of the Groyne and the South Pier.

[Hornbeam]

The Son in Laws vessel ( Seven Pacific) is due in the Tyne on Friday for a Crew change any idea where she would be Docking? The Daughter has her list of works that needs to be done just like her Mum did when I was on 'Leave'
I would rather have had "The Key" than "The List"

[Dennis Maccoy]

If my memories from over 60 years ago are reliable (a big “if”) the jetty shown just beneath the S of Staiths was the one most directly associated with the oil tank farm, although moorings ran to the other jetties. (There is still a substantial mooring bollard on the remains of the old pilot jetty). I think that the upperworks of the Commissioners Staiths, where the rail wagon is positioned, had gone by the late fifties. The rail track along the shoreline extended only to the Trow Rocks Quarry.

[Hornbeam]

Although I may have put my request for info in regards to Docking on the Tyne on the this forum surely some members remember that wonderful film called "The Key" about Wartime Rescue Tugs starring William Holden and the lovely Sophia Loren?
The 'arrangement' featured was not unusual in the shipping world, I sailed with a chap who was on a regular run from Australia to Japan and had a Wife in Australia and a Wifelet in Japan for which he had "The Key"
Closer to home a Chief E with the TCC which was usually working Mon-Fri ( except for mtce at the weekend) had a Town Wife in the Boro during the week and a Country Wife out by Danby way, any guesses Ron M who it was he would still be there when you were I would think?

[northeast]

Likewise United Baltic Corporation crew, reputed to have family in UK and another in Finland ... of course, these were the times when ship might be 4 days in port each end.

[Hornbeam]

See the World, join the Merchant Navy doesn't seem to have the same attraction these days, ships running on tight timetables like United buses only to end up at some Godforsaken Port miles from anywhere and costing a fortune in taxi fares only to find that by the time you get into town it was time to get back to the ship. Never fancied Tankers for that reason that and in the 1960's you could find yourself in orbit as they were frequently blowing up!