PLANKTON was built for the PLA in 1965 as YN 807
1991: BURMA
1994: LANGLAND
1998: LADY JOAN
2001: JOAN

as PLANKTON

As BURMA at Swansea 1995 ish.

It is my long held belief that there has been a confusion between PLANKTON and PLASMA possibly going back to the WSS yard list for Dunston.
WSS list
806 PLATOON launch 10/64 ON.306215
807 PLANKTON launch 01/65 ON.307825
808 PLASMA launch 12/64 ON.306353
809 PLACARD launch 02/65 ON.308049
and while it's not impossible to launch out of sequence with yard numbers, it's one clue
What alerted me to an error is that LINFORD still carried her builder plate showing 808 but on her engine-room casing was tattooed PLANKTON. OK so engine casings could have been switched but together with the launch sequence, two discrepancies?

Postings on TugTalk vary, today's listing of JOAN ex BURMA etc. says she is ex PLANKTON yn807 but gives the ON.306353 which the WSS list attributed to PLASMA yn808.Unfortunately I have not seen any ON's painted on these tugs and the only other builder plate I have seen was 809 on ORSETT ex PLACARD which is not in dispute, nor is LADY ex PLATOON yn.806.

Confused?

My own conclusion is that PLASMA was yn.807 and is now JOAN, and PLANKTON was yn.808 and is now LINFORD.

As a suggestion, I understand that John Dean is a very approachable sort of guy and unless he is part of the cover up, I would think he would be happy for an inspection of LINFORD. Don't know anything about the lads at Grimsby, but I'm sure they would be up for it as well. (He says)

Gents,

I have had this doubt for some time during my research into Howard smith/ Adsteam etc for my CD book. As a result, I reverted to the original shipbuilding record cards held at the time at Lloyd's Register, in London.

What I posted on TT was what was detailed thereon. I believe I may still have scans of the cards in my back ups somewhere. If not I can request LR to re-scan them for me, if still available to so do.

AL.32. PLANKTON /
BURMA (3) (1991 - 1994)
LANGLAND (2) (1994 - 1996)
O.N. 306353. 122g. 25.90 x 7.78 x 3.96 metres.
16-cyl. 4 S.C.S.A. (8¾" x 11½") Blackstone ESS16M vee type by Blackstone & Company Ltd., Stamford, geared to a single forward mounted Voith-Schneider type multi-directional propulsion unit. 1,600bhp. 10 kts. 16 tons bollard pull.
6.3.1964: Keel laid as PLANKTON by R. Dunston (Hessle) Ltd., Hessle (Yard No. S807) for the Port of London Authority.
19.1.1965: Launched.
18.8.1965: Completed.
1.1.1991: Purchased by Alexandra Towing Co. (London) Ltd.
2.1991: Renamed BURMA during refit.
1994: Transferred to Swansea and renamed LANGLAND.
1.1.1996: Owners restyled as Howard Smith (London) Ltd.
23.1.1998: Towed out of Swansea by LADY DEBBIE bound to Grimsby.
4.1998: Renamed LADY JOAN by Humber Tugs Ltd.
2001: Sold to Survey and Supply Ltd, (Capt I.B.Harvey), Grimsby and renamed JOAN.
2001: Sold to R. J. Harvey, Cleethorpes (Marine Services Grimsby Ltd, Cleethorpes managers).
12.2012: Reported as being sold to unspecified owner.
3.2016: Believed to be still in existence.

AL.33. PLATOON /
DHULIA (2) (1991 - 1994)
CASWELL (2) (1994 - 1996)
O.N. 306215. 122g. 25.90 x 7.78 x 3.96 metres.
16-cyl. 4 S.C.S.A. (8¾" x 11½") Blackstone ESS16M vee type by Blackstone & Company Ltd., Stamford, geared to a single forward mounted Voith-Schneider type multi-directional propulsion unit. 1,600bhp. 10 kts. 16 tons bollard pull.
8.1.1964: Keel laid as PLATOON by R. Dunston (Hessle) Ltd., Hessle (Yard No. S806) for the Port of London Authority.
22.10.1964: Launched.
4.2.1965: Completed.
1.1.1991: Purchased by Alexandra Towing Company (London) Ltd.
2.1991: Renamed DHULIA during refit. 1994: Transferred to Swansea and renamed CASWELL.
1.1.1996: Owners restyled as Howard Smith (London) Ltd.
23.1.1998: Towed out of Swansea by LADY DEBBIE bound to Grimsby.
4.1998: Renamed LADY THERESA by Humber Tugs Ltd.
2001: Sold to Survey and Supply Ltd, (Capt I. B. Harvey), Grimsby and renamed THERESA.
2001: Reported (unconfirmed) as sold to Captain George Parschaver, Oldenburg, Germany.
2001: Sold to R. J. Harvey, Cleethorpes (Marine Services Grimsby Ltd, Cleethorpes, managers) and renamed LADY.
3.2016: Still in service


Bill

Bill, there is still a discrepancy in that you give 807 PLANKTON as ON.306353 while whoever researched the WSS yard list had that ON for 808 PLASMA.
Does anyone have MNL of other source to show the ON's for PLANKTON and PLASMA under original names?
Together with the mis-match of launch dates and the 'PLANKTON' on the casing of LINFORD, I remain sceptical!

Hi George,

As you will note via your e-mail, I have cc'd you into my submission to LR for clarification from their records.

Anne has since responded and I've forwarded her reply and cc'd David A.

Thanks, I have the answer, but still no definitive resolution!

I received, on 11th November 2016 at 7am, a telephone call from Mr Harvey at Grimsby in response to my enquiry letter.

He confirmed that the JOAN has PLASMA on her engine casing and also Plate 807.

Additionally he has stated that both JOAN and LADY were de-registered about ten years ago and reverted to the full names LADY JOAN and LADY THERESA