Coasting

The trade is only a shadow of what it once was, I believe. Not so much loose bulk cargo like cement etc: but a lot of the old time cargoes gets put into containers, shifted in bulk and loaded onto road/rail transport. Quicker and cheaper I suppose. I can remember loading tomatoes by the ton at a place called Delfshaven? memory is a bit wonkey but on the way up to Rotterdam. I was in the M.V Luminence, London Rochester Trading Company, later named Crescent Shipping. I think a lot of the Tomatoes go into containers now and end up in Felixstowe in the blink of an eye. We would still be swinging slings of crates aboard and stowing them in the hold..:giggle:
 
veshengro said:
The trade is only a shadow of what it once was, I believe. Not so much loose bulk cargo like cement etc: but a lot of the old time cargoes gets put into containers, shifted in bulk and loaded onto road/rail transport. Quicker and cheaper I suppose. I can remember loading tomatoes by the ton at a place called Delfshaven? memory is a bit wonkey but on the way up to Rotterdam. I was in the M.V Luminence, London Rochester Trading Company, later named Crescent Shipping. I think a lot of the Tomatoes go into containers now and end up in Felixstowe in the blink of an eye. We would still be swinging slings of crates aboard and stowing them in the hold..:giggle:
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Yes every year the coaster I worked on delivered coal to Gweek…….the trade went to road haulage
 
Yes, road and rail and the end of the Coal Trade wiped out and lot of coastal shipping requirements. I was in the Hudson Sound, Hudson Steamship Company for a summer. Continuous between Blyth Northumberland or Methil in Fifeshire down to Sammy Williams Dock on the Thames with coal for the Ford Motors plant at Dagenham. All gone now..

We used to top the Derricks up like that when we loaded under the Coal Chutes. Wagons used to roll down a trackway and tip up and dump the coal from about 20 feet up...:LOL: Anyone on deck needed to be to windward otherwise they would eat coal dust and definitely needed an urgent shower. :ROFLMAO:



I Think that photo was taken on the way into Methil, light ship with the derricks topped ready to load.
 
veshengro said:
Yes, road and rail and the end of the Coal Trade wiped out and lot of coastal shipping requirements. I was in the Hudson Sound, Hudson Steamship Company for a summer. Continuous between Blyth Northumberland or Methil in Fifeshire down to Sammy Williams Dock on the Thames with coal for the Ford Motors plant at Dagenham. All gone now..

We used to top the Derricks up like that when we loaded under the Coal Chutes. Wagons used to roll down a trackway and tip up and dump the coal from about 20 feet up...:LOL: Anyone on deck needed to be to windward otherwise they would eat coal dust and definitely needed an urgent shower. :ROFLMAO:



I Think that photo was taken on the way into Methil, light ship with the derricks topped ready to load.
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Any coal that fell on the deck was immediately the property of the coaster and we shoveled into sacks for the central heating boiler.The tipping of wagons of coal was dramatic 🙂
 
veshengro said:
Yes, road and rail and the end of the Coal Trade wiped out and lot of coastal shipping requirements. I was in the Hudson Sound, Hudson Steamship Company for a summer. Continuous between Blyth Northumberland or Methil in Fifeshire down to Sammy Williams Dock on the Thames with coal for the Ford Motors plant at Dagenham. All gone now..

We used to top the Derricks up like that when we loaded under the Coal Chutes. Wagons used to roll down a trackway and tip up and dump the coal from about 20 feet up...:LOL: Anyone on deck needed to be to windward otherwise they would eat coal dust and definitely needed an urgent shower. :ROFLMAO:



I Think that photo was taken on the way into Methil, light ship with the derricks topped ready to load.
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Did you guys ever know my barge owning mate Des. I'm sure he worked for Crescent Line. Probably in the 70's. Polish surname, lived with parents on Neljan Dutch Steel Barge (Tjalk) in Bradwell. Moving stuff from Essex to Thames? All sounds familiar.
I believe they owned a Thames Barge that he skippered as well. Actually know this guy but getting any info out of him is painful. Think its called 'one of a kind' ?
 
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No, I was in the Luminence when the owning company were still London-Rochester Trading Co. That was in the mid 1960's Spring of 63 or 64 and only for 3 months. After signing off her I joined Blue Star Line, before the summer on the South America run, so I didn't know your friend I'm afraid.
 
Wansworth said:
Yes,how observant of you🙂……never found my place🤷‍♂️
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Don't worry you are not alone there are many in life me included that have taken the path of least resistance and coasted in life.

I find it both fascinating and interesting to read the stories and experiences of those that worked on ships merchant and navy, you Veshengro even captain sensible all have good stories to tell for those like me that never had connection either personal or family to the sea.
 
Fr J Hackett said:
Don't worry you are not alone there are many in life me included that have taken the path of least resistance and coasted in life.

I find it both fascinating and interesting to read the stories and experiences of those that worked on ships merchant and navy, you Veshengro even captain sensible all have good stories to tell for those like me that never had connection either personal or family to the sea.
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It’s along time since I was working on a coaster but then there was room for all kinds of men and shipowners were always on the look out for someone with two arms and two legs.Showing a modicum of intelligence and keenness one could go far if the life suited you.I think I learn a lot in my brief time mainly about other people
 
:giggle: People often comment about Seafarers, " Ah! they're always telling yarns " The thing is, the ship is your home. There's no tying up in the Marina at the end of the weekend and going home. Once ship's Articles were signed, that was it, she was your home, except in some cases on Coasting vessels where you got home more often.

No doubt at all Capt'n Sensible was the same, stuck below whether he liked it or not. Living in some ships 2 sometimes even more to a cabin for months on end was a lot different from going home from the office at 5pm everyday, so stories and yarns about events were generated 24 hours a day. As stated above, all sorts of people were encountered but we all had one thing in common, the ship was home and crew basically family, until the end of the voyage. (y)
 
Wansworth said:
Unless you are lucky and have a childhood burning desire to be. Fireman or nuclear scientist Coasting is all that’s availableuntilyoufind your niche in life…..Or it finds you,sometimes people are good at things they never dreamed of
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You didn't follow the link, did you?
 
Wansworth might remember - What was the little coaster that went up the Medina to Newport Quay IOW?
Man & Boy only, no reverse gear just slow her right down and let the boy jump off with stern line to bring her alongside.
 
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