William Doxford & Sons Ltd, Pallion Yard Number 826 in 1958 for the Ruthin SS Co. Ltd. Liverpool.

8,627 Gross. 11,455 Dwt. 15 knots.

Subsequent History:

78 TYNE - 78 ORIENTAL SEA

Disposal Data:

BU Chittagong 29.12.78 [Trans Overseas]

50 YEARS AGO TODAY!

Middlesbrough Dock, 15 June 1965: Ron

New scan from original negative of view shown above

Middlesbrough Dock - 15 June 1965: Ron M

That's not the original 'super gun' on her main deck is it Ron?
Regards
Graham

It then took 25 years to be discovered tucked away in a shed in Tees Dock!!

River Tees - ship anything, anywhere!!!

Ron M

How true Teesships, fortunately the Customs were very alert in those days to spot that the pipe bore was machined a bit too smooth and precise for moving Oil, they did have other successes on the Import side with Pistols in Tranist from Eastern Europe for the IRA and the seizure of a Ton of Cannabis hidden in a bulk Guinness Flask which I witnessed on an Elder Dempster vessel along with a couple of Scousers who turned up with a Truck to take the Flask to Liverpool where the vessel had been diverted from.

The Elder Dempster vessel concerned was the 'Sokoto' whose normal first Port of call after a trip to Africa was Liverpool, unfortunately for the Drugs Gang the Dockers were on strike and the vessel was diverted to Tees Dock. I was onboard during the operation when it all went pear shaped for the two Scouser's, there was a discussion in regards to letting them take what was now an empty Flask to see where the Flask would be taken to in the Liverpool area but it was decided that two jailbirds in the hand were better than an unknown number in the bush on this occasion.