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Seeing the new Stena Hollandica at Parkeston Quay, Harwich, which was featured last month, I thought I would contrast her with this ‘flotilla’ at the same quay from early last century.

It is interesting to draw out the detail and maybe date the image reasonably precisely.

The shapely ship’s stern in the foreground bears the name Berlin seen ahead of the twin funnelled Colchester, both products of Earles of Hull of 1745grt in1894 and 1160grt in 1889 respectively. In February 1907 with 91 passengers and 52 crew aboard Berlin stranded in a storm on the North Mole off The Hook with few survivors, the route’s worst disaster.

Also seen here in the Stour is a grey hulled vessel thought to be the Great Eastern Railway Co’s first freighter, Cromer, 812 gt built by Gourlays of Dundee in 1902 which if so means the image must date from between ’02 and ‘07. The other two funnelled vessels are tricky to identify at a distance but the one on the right could be the Colchester’s sister Cambridge from 1886 while that on the left looks to be Norwich or Ipswich of 1037gt also from Earles in 1883. These two were both sold in 1905, the former going West to a New York company trading in South America and the latter going East to India. If it is either of these it may explain why she is on the buoys and could date the image to late 1904 or early 1905? Norwich was reported sunk in 1921 while Ipswich was scrapped in 1909. Colchester was captured in 1916 only to be torpedoed by the RN when mine laying for the Kriegsmarine. Cromer lasted until 1934 being towed from Parkeston for scrapping.

In the middle background is the navy training hulk off Shotley and just visible at the far end of the quay is a grey hulled DFDS vessel presumably on the Esbjerg run. The view of Stena Hollandica was taken by John Collins arriving from Esbjerg aboard DFDS’s fine Dana Sirena over 100 years later.

More on this and other news in Sea Breezes Magazine - August 2010 Issue
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