And A Radar Assisted Collision....

I had just turned 16 and completed 9 months as a deck boy on the RASC coaster “Sir Evelyn Wood”. I joined the “Beechwood” in North Shields on February 1st, 1952 having signed four year indentures as a deck apprentice with tanker owners John I Jacobs. I had quite a bit of trepidation mixed with excitement when I travelled down from my home near Dunoon in Scotland.

Read more: Apprentice on “Beechwood”

VIC 32 was built by Dunston’s of Thorne, Yorkshire in November 1943. (Peter Redshaw maintains she was launched on July 3rd. Ask him where he got this information from!). This was a busy time for the Clyde Ship building yards and the Admiralty needed 50, (later 100) Victualling boats in a hurry. So they were built in groups of 3 by various different yards in England. For instance ‘VIC 27’ (Auld Heekie) was built at Howhedge. The Admiralty didn’t need to design a new craft for this purpose as the perfect boat existed in a Clyde Puffer. Presumably these little sea going craft fitted the bill perfectly.

Read more: History of Steam Lighter (Clyde Puffer) “VIC 32”

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On the morning of 15th August 2006 a ship named “Blue Lady” was taken from her offshore anchorage and towed onto the gently shelving beach at Alang on India’s Gujarat coast. The beach was littered with half dismembered vessels, a veritable ship’s graveyard where these massive structures are scrapped by hand. A new arrival rarely conjures much interest, yet the beaching of Blue Lady was monitored by thousands located half a world away. This however was no ordinary ship. She was the former ss France; final flagship of the French Line.

Read more: “France” – Afloat

Yachting is non-stop on the Cote D’Azur in the South of France for craft of all types. If you are unfamiliar with the term ‘super yacht’ as I was three years ago, you are in for a big surprise if you visit the Cote D’Azur.

Read more: Super Yachts on the Cote D’Azur