AIRMAN, RIFLEMAN & GUARDSMAN

[Dennis Maccoy]

Airman, Rifleman and Guardsman laid up in Hull docks on 21 May 1967. (Which dock George?)

[Patrick Hill]

Has to be the west end of Railway dock, the building to the right of Guardsmans funnel is the Whittington & Cat! The Mrs was at wotk there this Thursday last when the tidal surge decided to pop in - result now is the pub is closed until at least the new year...

[northeast]

Yes that was indeed the lay-up berth for United, saw several there on my early visits from 1964.
Your Mrs gets about a bit, hope she had her willies. Sorry, wellies.
Were all the boats OK in the Marina, it was not clear whether the water had overflowed into there and so out to the road, or whether it had all come via Albert Dock area and round via the roads. Where exactly was the weak spot that led to the flooding?

[Patrick Hill]

The marina was ok, just a little overtopping of the gates, however the electrics for them has been affected. I'm afraid to say the reports I've heard are that the outer gates at Albert dock weren't pinned shut (or that the pinning failed). The gates were forced open and from there it is downhill to Commercial Road and Ferensway, down from the back of the cinema/Chiquito's and the retail park/English Street. Further along it came over and deluged Smith & Nephew and the flow from William Wright dock cascaded over the A63 and down all the back streets to Hessle Road. I wonder if it was ABP or the EA's responsiblilty?

I'd been down to the car park at KG earlier that night, with 1 and a 1/2 hours to got to high water half the car park was flooded, didn't stay there long as the 'chavs' turned up so left them to it...

Earlier in the day I had suspected another weak spot in the defences could be a problem. When they dredged the old CDD they removed the seal from the road gates on Humber Street - as I was going home from work they were busily replacing them so High Street survived.

[teesships]

And still together, but in a different sequence, when I saw them a month and a half later on 4 July 1967:

All owned by United Towing Co Ltd.
*****
RIFLEMAN, 333gt, completed Cochrane & Sons, Selby, 12-1945
1945 EMPIRE VERA - 1947 RIFLEMAN - BU Blyth 11.67
*****
AIRMAN, 333gt, completed Cochrane & Sons, Selby, 10-1945
1945 EMPIRE CLARA - 1947 AIRMAN - BU Blyth 11.67
*****
GUARDSMAN, 329gt, completed Cochrane & Sons, Selby, 2-1946
1946 EMPIRE NINA - 1947 GUARDSMAN - BU Blyth 10.67 [Hughes Bolckow & Co]
*****
Hull .... Selby .... Blyth .... take your pick!

Ron

[northeast]

Thanks Patrick, I suspected the gates might be the answer but they clearly should not have been. ABP was always told there would be an early warning system, at least 3-6 hours notice of needing to pin the gates as tide level checked from Tyne downwards so this extra 2m should not have been a surprise, seems people were caught off guard. Of course there may have been a mechanical failure as you mention. I don't read the local rag, nothing said about blame yet?

[teesships]

RIFLEMAN. See also: viewtopic.php?f=75&t=14490

R.

[teesships]

AIRMAN. See also: viewtopic.php?f=75&t=14511

R.

[teesships]

Completing the trio!
GUARDSMAN - see also: viewtopic.php?f=75&t=14622

R.

[Hornbeam]

I wonder how much United paid for each of them or were they on Lend/Lease bearing in mind the tricky relationship with Russia around that time
Cochrane built Tugs and Trawlers had that nice 'Rake' about them, not too severe like the American built Tugs.