Richard Welford

[tynebuoy]

1907 Palmers, Jarrow (799).

[Tynesider]

1907 Palmers, Jarrow (799).

Richard Welford (1907) _.jpg

Is it me or has she got a list to port!!

Mike

[tynebuoy]

Been like that a few times myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[magoonigal]

Its all the people standing on one side trying to escape..............

[magoonigal]

But you might have a point, Mike.

Ship Number 15 in the Tyne-Tees List.

1908; Completed by Palmer's Shipbuilding and Iron Co Ltd., Jarrow.
2nd August 1923; Capsized at Newcastle Quay. Refloated and rebuilt as HETHPOOL.
Gross tonnage increased from 1,411 Tons to 1,712 Tons.
September 1925; Sold to Farquhar & Co Ltd. (Later Farquhar SS Co. Ltd.) Halifax NS and renamed FARNORTH.
1936; Sold to Margaree SS Co Ltd. (W. N. MacDonald Mgr.) Halifax NS.
1937; Sold to Fraser SS Line Ltd., Halifax NS and renamed SOUTHERN LADY.
1942; Sold to O. C. Webster (J.S. Webster & Sons. Mgrs.) Georgetown, Cayman Islands and renamed COLISTER.
1948; Registered under Cayman Islands Co. Ltd.
1949; Reverted to O. C. Webster.
1950; Sold to Emp resa Dominicana de Nav. C.X.A., Dominican Republic and renamed CIUDAD TRUJILLO.
1952; Sold to McCormack Steamship Corp., Honduras and renamed LEWIS FRAZER.
12th July 1957; Arrived at Baltimore for breaking up by Patapsco Scrap Co.

[tynebuoy]

I remember Hebburn/Wallsend ferry was like that every night, i'm sure it went over at 45 degree angle some nights.

[magoonigal]

Well apart from wanting to be first off to catch the bus, it could have been due to the extra weight of certain items liberated from the Yards and hidden under coats and down trouser legs..............

[teesships]

A heck of a list to port as the following pictures show!!

As I commented on my TEESSHIPS website back in 2003:
So, what's going on here? Given that the images gave me the name of the ship as the RICHARD WELFORD I knew exactly where to look! Back in the annuls of the TEES PACKET, journal of the Teesside Ship Society/Teesside Branch of the World Ship Society. Back in issue no. 12 for January 1965 (two months after I joined the society) the late Jim Layton wrote all about this ship - and I think he may have elaborated in some later issue over the years.
*****
THE UNFORTUNATE RICHARD WELFORD (by James Layton)

On 25 February 1908 the steamer RICHARD WELFORD left the Tyne on her maiden voyage, replacing the TYNESIDER on the Tyne-Tees Steam Shipping Co's Newcastle to London passenger and cargo service. A ship of 1349 gross tons she was built at Palmers shipyard on the Tyne and named after a director of the company.
The RICHARD WELFORD continued in the London trade until January 1915 when she was taken over by the Admiralty for service as a patrol ship and stationed for most ofthe remaining war years at Gibraltar. During this period ... she was torpedoed by a U-boat. Fortunately the torpedo did not explode and she was able to make port under her own steam. After temporary repairs she was able to proceed to Southampton for drydocking.
Early in 1919 she was released by the Admiralty and after a refit she returned to the Newcastle-London trade. Her passenger accommodation after refitting was 94 1st class and 316 2nd class and her reappearance reopened the passenger service between the two ports.
.... in June 1923. The RICHARD WELFORD was then transfered to the service for which she had been built, Newcastle to Rotterdam but after only a few voyages came the incident by which she is best remembered.
At 5.00am on 2 August 1923 she arrived off Newcastle Quay, swung head to the flood tide and moored at the quayside. While moving alongside, a door in her port side was opened ready to be used in the operation of discharging cargo. When she was moored at the quay it was found that this door was still below the level of the quay so it was left unattended while cargo was discharged through the hatchway. Whe she arrived at the quay she had a slight port list, this being normal to the ship but it seems that the movement of cargo from the ship increased this list and caused water to pass through the open side door into the ship. A last minute order to work cargo from the starboard side of the hold failed to correct the list in time to save the ship and at 6 o'clock she heeled over and lay on the quay. [Presume 6.00am - only one hour after arrival? RM]
She lay alongside Newcastle Quay until 23 October 1923 when she was refloated and taken to Smith's Dock North Shields for repairs. ..... On 19 December 1923 the RICHARD WELFORD was towed from the Tyne bound for Rotterdam (for repair). She returned to the Tyne in February 1924 as the HETHPOOL and was once again placed on the Newcastle-Rotterdam serive. .... she was sold to Canadian buyers in September 1925.
She crossed the Atlantic and began a new career trading between Canadian and US ports as the FARNORTH. In 1937 she changed hands again becoming the SOUTHERN LADY and in 1942 she was acquired by a Jamaican company and renamed CONISTER. She remained under the Canadian flag with these owners but in 1950 she came under the Dominican flag as the CIUDAD TRUJILYO. She changed hands for the last time in 1952 when she was bought by the McCormack Shipping Corporation of Honduras and renamed LEWIS FRASER. For the next five years she served these owners but in 1957 she was sold to the Patapsco Scrap Company for breaking up. She was delivered at Baltimore and this sale realised $55,000, probably more than she cost when new.
An unfortunate ship in that she was never able to prove herself in the trade for which she was built, she nevertheless served her owners on the other side of the Atlantic long enough to prove that her accident of August 1923 was a freak and should not be held against her.
*****
Summary, did I say?! I've left out about one third of the interesting incidental data provided by Jim all those years ago.

Ron

[magoonigal]

I knew I'd seen that somewhere........

Interesting difference in the spelling of her names though.......

Lloyds, Mirimar and Me. COLISTER. Jim CONISTER.

Ditto. CIUDAD TRUJILLO. Jim TRUJILYO.

Me FRAZER............The rest FRASER.