Suez blocked.

[Resolution]

Can I say what a good thread this has become? The contributions from you guys in the big tin can industry have been informative and , in a sense, educational. Special thanks to Kukri.

And no heated disagreements, pedantic nit-picks or other insults!

 

[westhinder]

The owners of this salvage tug, a long established family company with the reputation (entirely justified) of being the nicest people in Dutch shipping, and who would not dream of sitting down to a meal without saying grace, have a tradition of nicking something from each ship they bring in safely, which is why on the wall of their lovely house on an island in North Holland you will find a Picasso that once belonged to Aristotle Onassis. Mind you, they did put the fire out and save the ship, the crew and the cargo, and it was a big ship and a big fire.



Having been in the business for quite a long time, long before L. Smit & Co’s Sliepdienst got started with their new fangled steam tugs, they also had one of these, from a rather earlier salvage. I’ve never seen another. Useful on a sailing ship if your officer of the watch is illiterate:

View attachment 112449

Did you actually work for Doeksen? If you did, you can proudly say that you are part of ‘Holland’s Glorie’
By the way ‘Hollands Glorie’ was also the title of a famous novel by the Dutch author Jan De Hartogh, that gave a fascinating account of the Dutch high seas towage and salvage business. There is no Dutchman who grew up in the 50s and 60s who did not read it. I confess I must have read it 5 or 6 times as a boy. My fascination with tugs has never stopped.
It is great that the ‘Holland’ has been preserved and is still in working condition. The Dutch cherish their maritime traditions.

 

[Kukri]

Did you actually work for Doeksen? If you did, you can proudly say that you are part of ‘Holland’s Glorie’
By the way ‘Hollands Glorie’ was also the title of a famous novel by the Dutch author Jan De Hartogh, that gave a fascinating account of the Dutch high seas towage and salvage business. There is no Dutchman who grew up in the 50s and 60s who did not read it. I confess I must have read it 5 or 6 times as a boy. My fascination with tugs has never stopped.
It is great that the ‘Holland’ has been preserved and is still in working condition. The Dutch cherish their maritime traditions.

Only at one remove. I worked for their London lawyers - who were also the salvage lawyers for Nippon Salvage, Malayan Towage and Salvage, Vernicos, Matsas, Tsavliris, Smit, Bugsier (also extremely nice people) Unterweser and Foundation Maritime/ Eastern Canada Towing.

But not for Wijsmuller, Selco, Les Abeilles, Mullers of Terneuzen or United Towing.

I read it in English as a boy.

Piet Doeksen told me that the “Holland” was built out of belated reparations from Britain for bombing and sinking her predecessor, which had been requisitioned by the Germans. She had been built to compete with Bugsier, with the then unheard-of 3,000 hp installed.

 

[Kukri]

Just got this from my CEO:

 

[penfold]

They were very proud of Maersk Air. I wasn’t there for this one, but I certainly heard about it:

There was a BIMCO conference at the Blue Kremlin and all attendees got a showing of the Blue Movie, including the line, “We are the only shipping company that owns an airline!” Andy Williams who was Swires’ Northern Irish insurance manager said loudly: “Heard of Cathay Pacific?”

But at least, unlike Evergreen in the days of Chang RungFa, they did not stand by their desks and sing the Company Song twice a day!

There were others, shortlived as they were; Court Line's air activities in particular finished the parent.

 

[Rappey]

 

[Charlie Boy]

Now THAT is very funny!

 

[Frank Holden]

There were others, shortlived as they were; Court Line's air activities in particular finished the parent.

Hunting Air Travel was formed in 1946, became Hunting-Clan in '56. This in turn became British United (BUA) until 1970 at which time I believe the Cayzers sold their rather substantial shareholding.
The very short lived one was 'British and Commonwealth Airways' -owned by British and Commonwealth Shipping. Over the years I have only found one photo of a Britannia (?) 'somewhere in Africa' in their colours. Nada mas.

 

[Uricanejack]

CP, At one time, Rail, Hotels, Ships, and an airline. I Think correctly a rail company which opened both a shipping company and an airline rather than a shipping company which owned an airline.
Still a rail company, The rest sold off or taken over by others.
I always preferred CP through Skiphole to AC or BA at Heathrow.

 

[Pirx]

May I add my thanks to the contributors to this thread, and particularly to Kukri; it has been a fascinating insight into container shipping, Felixstowe approach will never be the same again.

I have just come across an NTSB report into a collision in the Houston Ship Canal where loss of control due to excess speed and hydrodynamic effects are determined to be he cause.
News release: NTSB Finds Speed an Issue in 2019 Houston Ship Channel Collision
Full report: https://go.usa.gov/xHq2X

 

[Frank Holden]

Totally off topic..

History of Hunting-Clan and the 'British and Commonwealth Shipping' Britannias.
Hunting-Clan Air Transport – 1950s military personnel contracts between HK and the UK – The Industrial History of Hong Kong Group

And a photo,not the one I had seen previously.
Bristol 175 Britannia 317 (G-APNA) Aircraft Pictures & Photos - AirTeamImages.com

 

[Bajansailor]

By the way ‘Hollands Glorie’ was also the title of a famous novel by the Dutch author Jan De Hartogh, that gave a fascinating account of the Dutch high seas towage and salvage business.

There are no copies of 'Hollands Glorie' currently available on Amazon UK (in either English or Dutch), however there is one English version available on Amazon USA, for the princely sum of US$46.99.
Hollands Glorie: De Hartog, Jan: Amazon.com: Books

Alternatively one can get a Dutch version (I think this is the same book?) for US$17.68 (and free shipping within the USA).
Hollands Glorie: 9789058976888: Amazon.com: Books

Re Frank's photo of the Brittania, I cannot remember this, but I flew on one from here to England in late 1962 as a wee babe - I think it took a long time, maybe 20+ hours, as we had to do a big circuit around the North Atlantic, stopping in (I think) Newfoundland (Gander?) to re-fuel - in contrast, 'modern' jets do it non stop in about 8 hours now.

 

[Kukri]

I think Amazon own AbeBooks; their prices are a bit different, though:
Hollands Glorie by Hartog Jan, Used - AbeBooks

 

[Kukri]

A couple of non-fiction but quite dramatic books about the Canadian salvage company Foundation Maritime by Farley Mowat also sold well - “The Grey Seas Under” and “The Serpent’s Coil”.

 

[fisherman]

This book is a fascinating look at another side of 'saving' ships. And more than a bit piratical
Seized

 

[Frank Holden]

A truly excellent piece in Splash, Andrew...!!

 

[Concerto]

There are no copies of 'Hollands Glorie' currently available on Amazon UK (in either English or Dutch), however there is one English version available on Amazon USA, for the princely sum of US$46.99.
Hollands Glorie: De Hartog, Jan: Amazon.com: Books

Alternatively one can get a Dutch version (I think this is the same book?) for US$17.68 (and free shipping within the USA).
Hollands Glorie: 9789058976888: Amazon.com: Books

Re Frank's photo of the Brittania, I cannot remember this, but I flew on one from here to England in late 1962 as a wee babe - I think it took a long time, maybe 20+ hours, as we had to do a big circuit around the North Atlantic, stopping in (I think) Newfoundland (Gander?) to re-fuel - in contrast, 'modern' jets do it non stop in about 8 hours now.

Hollands Glorie by Hartog Jan - AbeBooks

 

[Kukri]

A truly excellent piece in Splash, Andrew...!!

The best lines were nicked shamelessly from @newtothis , right here!

Wijsmuller got a Lloyd’s Form salvage award of $4.2 million for the “Elwood Mead”, iirc, and Jan Wijsmuller said it paid off his previous three years of accumulated losses and put the company back into the black. Smit said he was mad to take the job on on LOF; this was largely because they had been fishing for a day rate contract.

The “Elwood Mead” was one of four sisters (two other ore carriers and an O/B/O) and the sisters all led blameless lives (even the O/B/O!) but she was dogged with bad luck. After she made it into port (in Holland I think) on her tank tops and the cargo was discharged she was dry docked and the underwriters paid a CTL. Although she was a new ship the cost of rebuilding the bottom was more than her insured value. I remember seeing pictures taken in the dry dock; her bottom looked like a WW1 battlefield with added boulders still embedded. Frangos bought her cheap and patched her up but she had one mishap after another.

 

[Adios]

The best lines were nicked shamelessly from @newtothis , right here!

Wijsmuller got a Lloyd’s Form salvage award of $4.2 million for the “Elwood Mead”, iirc, and Jan Wijsmuller said it paid off his previous three years of accumulated losses and put the company back into the black. Smit said he was mad to take the job on on LOF; this was largely because they had been fishing for a day rate contract.

Interesting film on them here

 

[Adios]

The “Elwood Mead” was one of four sisters (two other ore carriers and an O/B/O) and the sisters all led blameless lives (even the O/B/O!) but she was dogged with bad luck. After she made it into port (in Holland I think) on her tank tops and the cargo was discharged she was dry docked and the underwriters paid a CTL. Although she was a new ship the cost of rebuilding the bottom was more than her insured value. I remember seeing pictures taken in the dry dock; her bottom looked like a WW1 battlefield with added boulders still embedded. Frangos bought her cheap and patched her up but she had one mishap after another.

And this one about the Elwood Mead salvage specifically. Amazing what is on youtube!