Guest appearance on Feile FM
Lagan Legacy invited to Afternoon Delight.
Féile FM first broadcast in July 1996 and became an instant hit with the local west Belfast community. Charlie Warmington appeared today as a guest on the "Afternoon Delight" programme.
To mark the occasion he outlined some of the Belfast-built vessels that were launched or handed over today, down the years, and some other snippets of the Lagan's maritime history.
Elaine. Launched. Ship No. 59. Coaster. 544 Tons. F. Lervick and Co.Little or nothing is known about Elaine, and she seems to have disappeared without trace long ago. Unlike our second vessel that set sail today after being built on the Lagan.
SS Runic. Handed Over. Ship No. 211. Livestock carrier. 4,649 tons. Oceanic Steam Navigation.As World War I raged in Europe merchant ships were commandeered by their home navies and used for the war effort. Similarly, the world’s seaports were used predominantly for war traffic and supplies. In 1917 the port city of Halifax, like most other harbours was bustling with ships carrying troops, relief supplies and munitions across the Atlantic Ocean. One of these vessels was a South Pacific Whaling Company ship called Imo, formerly the Runic handed over today, 120 years ago in 1889. She’d changed hands twice before being converted to a whaling company vessel and renamed Imo. She was to become a key player in the most devastating manmade explosion in the pre-atomic age. On the morning of December 6th 1917 the Belfast built Imo left its mooring in Halifax harbour bound for New York City. At the same time, the French freighter Mont Blanc, its cargo hold packed to capacity with highly explosive munitions, 2,300 tons of liquid explosives, 200 tons of TNT, 35 tons of high-octane gasoline, and 10 tons of gun cotton, was forging through the harbour's narrows to join a military convoy that would escort it across the Atlantic. Imo collided with Mont Blanc, propelling the floating time bomb towards the shore. The impact caused Mont Blanc’s liquid explosive to catch fire. Mont Blanc’s crew rapidly abandoned the ship, attempting without success to alert the harbour of the peril of the burning ship. Curious spectators, unaware of the danger, gathered along the waterfront to witness the spectacle of a blazing ship, and minutes later it brushed by a harbour pier, setting the pier ablaze. At 9.05 am the Halifax Fire Department arrived and was positioning a fire engine on the quayside beside a water hydrant when the Mont Blanc exploded in an enormous deafening blinding white flash. The massive explosion killed more than 1,800 people in an instant, injured another 9,000 including blinding 200, and destroyed almost the entire north end of the city of Halifax, including more than 1,600 homes. The resulting shock wave shattered windows 50 miles away, and the sound of the explosion could be heard hundreds of miles away. All this devastation because of a ship built in Belfast, formerly called the Runic, renamed Imo, and handed over to her proud new owners today in 1889. After triggering the Great Halifax Explosion Imo was repaired and renamed Gouvernoren. In 1921 she went aground on rocks off Port Stanley on the Falkland Islands and was declared a total loss.
SS Gaul. Launched. Ship No. 261. Passenger ship. 4,745 tons. Union Steamship Company. She was quite an innovative little vessel, due to her specialised hull design. Fortunately the Gaul had a less explosive career than SS Runic. With a length of 400ft 6in, a beam of 47ft 2in and a service speed of 11.5 knots she operated the Southampton - Cape Town- Port Elizabeth route, undertaking the first leg to Cape Town in 21 days. One of four similar vessels, their design was based on recommendations made by William Pirrie, Harland and Wolff’s world-renowned leader. They were given shallow draughts for the shallower ports beyond Cape Town. They were comfortable, good cargo carriers and although on the slow side, were very successful ocean going work horses. The dark coloured Gaul served under a number of different names for a number of acclaimed shipping lines, from the Union Steamship Company to Union-Castle on its formation in 1900, then she was sold to the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co. for their Southampton to Cuba and Mexico service in 1906 and renamed Sabor. In 1908 the service was transferred to Jenkin's Shire Line, when she was renamed Carmarthenshire, given a red funnel with black top and operated on the London-Far East service. She reverted back to Royal Mail for their Montreal - Quebec - West Indies – Georgetown- Demerara service in 1913, when the route was acquired from Pickford & Black ,and she was renamed Chaleur. When, in 1927, the Canada - West Indies mail contract was awarded to Canadian National Steamships she was withdrawn, sold for £9000 and broken up in Holland. The Gaul, launched 116 years ago today in 1893 saw ports and harbours in every corner of the world.
Bayern. Launched. Ship No. 416. Passenger/Cargo ship. 7,986 tons. Hamburg Amerika Line. Not much known about her I’m afraid.But also 1911 Belfast built Themistocles began her maiden voyage. She was built for the Aberdeen Line and at 11,231 tons, with a length of 500ft 7 in and a beam of 62ft 4in, she had a service speed of 15 knots. She had accommodation for 103 1st Class, 400 3rd Class passengers with further capability of carrying 500 emigrants in the 'tween decks. So more history here – the great emigration to Australia. Many of Belfast’s ships were designed and built with this is mind. And more history was to come. During the First World War Themistocles was requisitioned as a troopship and steamed some 222,000 miles, carrying 51,500 troops. During the Second World War she remained on commercial service as part of many heroic convoy routes, and in 1946, after 79 more voyages to Australia, she was laid up in the River Blackwater. On 24th August 1947 she arrived back in the UK to be broken up and was the very last ship to bear the famous “Aberdeen Line” name.
The cruise liner SS Rotterdam was built in Belfast in 1914 and was famous for another aspect of the River Lagan’s world-renowned maritime craftsmanship. She was sheer, absolute and unadulterated luxury. Today, 95 years ago on the 16th February 1914 Rotterdam headed off on her first Mediterranean cruise. She was specially chartered for "Clark's 16th Annual Cruise to the Mediterranean and the Orient" – an awesomely expensive yearly holiday afloat for high society – for the rich and famous. Hello magazine would have loved it! Rotterdam left New York on a tour of 64 or 70 days. She was advertised as "sumptuous" with 56 rooms, and many were rooms, not traditional ships cabins, each with brass bedsteads and private baths. There were also 150 single rooms and "no overcrowding". It was first class throughout. For $400 and up, your cruise would include shore excursions, guides, fees, hotels and inland tours. Special features included stops at Madeira, Cadiz, Seville, Athens, Constantinople, 16 days in Palestine and Egypt, and 4 days in Rome, Monte Carlo, as well as other ports of call. You had an optional week in London for $30 or Holland for $20. The S. S. Rotterdam at 24,170 tons belonged to the Holland America Line and in her day was regarded as one the finest, largest and most popular ships crossing the Atlantic and had cost about $5 Million to build. She has become famous because of her exceptionally attractive features, so that many discriminating travellers choose her in preference to any other Atlantic steamer. The rich and famous loved her luxurious cabins of extraordinary size, much larger than on any of our ships, as well as her extreme steadiness, almost eliminating seasickness. She was unsurpassed with 56 suites and rooms with brass bedsteads and private baths, and over 100 single rooms, together with a beautiful Palm Court, Veranda Cafe, Elevators, Social Hall, Library, 3 Smoke Rooms, a glass enclosed Promenade Deck, electrically powered ventilation with hot and cold air. Most of the outside staterooms had two, and in some cases three, windows or portholes, some being fitted with a Belfast invented device that admitted fresh air freely, even when the porthole was closed. One of her most attractive features was an immense Dining Saloon, seating nearly 500 people at a time, with an orchestra and a host of top artists performing during lunch and dinner, as well as in the huge Social Hall in the evening. The cuisine was strictly French, all meals served a la carte (not table d'hote), with passengers ordering what they liked, without extra charge, from an elaborate bill of fare. The stewards and stewardesses on the Rotterdam all spoke English. The cruise liners publicity stated – “Time never drags on board of the steamer on our Cruises, as the social life is enjoyable and informal to an extraordinary degree. There is a constant round of attractive features: namely, lectures, dances, concerts, card games with expensive prizes, gymkhana, games on deck also with quality prizes, meetings of Travelers' Clubs and societies, a Camera Club, Musical Club, and church services with musical features and brief sermons by prominent clergymen will be held on Sundays, except when in port.” The ship that carried all this opulence on the oceans was designed and built – every single part of her, from rivets to card tables, from kitchens to luxurious cabins – in Belfast. Rotterdam’s first cruise left New York, today in 1914.
King John Handed over today Ship No. 760 cargo ship 5.228
Not a lot on the records about King John, one of 16 Kings built by Belfast for the King Line Ltd. But she had a tragic end. On 13th July 1940 King John was sunk by gunfire from the German raider Widder. Badly damaged, and with her bridge in ruins, her radio operator broadcast an alert but made a 150 mile mistake in her position. Three died, and 59 prisoners were taken by the Germans.
Kenya Castle. Handed over. Ship no. 1432 Passenger/Cargo ship. 17,041 tons for the Union Castle Mail Steamship Company. Again – H&W built many ships for the Castle fleet. She was later renamed as the SS Amerikanis. She had two Belfast built sister ships: The Rhodesia Castle and the Braemar Castle. The Kenya Castle sailed the around Africa service for some years before being purchased by the Chandris shipping family (now Celebrity Cruises) in 1967. She was refitted and her passenger capacity was increased to approximately 920 (one class). She became somewhat famous for being the first passenger ship to have a television in every cabin. The Amerikanis sailed trans-Atlantic cruises for several years before moving to the Caribbean, Bermuda, New York routes. She was leased to Costa Cruises (ship was still owned by Chandris) from 1980-1984. After regaining the distinctive Chandris "X" on her funnel, she went on to serve for another 12 years.
Today in 1961the commissioning warrant was read by Capt P S Mahindroo, the Commanding Officer designate of Vikrant, at a gathering of Indian officers and sailors and officials of Harland and Wolf. Vikrant had been sold to India, after extensive modernisation in Harland and Wolff. She was originally known as HMS Hercules, one of the six Majestic-class light fleet aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy. Her keel was laid down November 12, 1943 by Vickers-Armstrong, of Tyne, England, and she was launched September 22, 1945. Until 1955, the British Navy had not been able to spare a light fleet carrier for India, nor could the naval budget have been able to afford one. In 1955, Admiral Mountbatten succeeded in convincing Prime Minister Nehru that the Indian Navy should have a carrier. Formal approval was accorded soon thereafter. In April 1957, Vikrant commenced an extensive refit cum modernisation in Belfast scheduled for completion in 1961. Almost all the electronic and electrical equipment was to be replaced. The ship was to be fitted with an angled deck, a steam catapult and a mirror landing sight. Essential spaces were to be air-conditioned. Additional accommodation and facilities were to be provided to enable Vikrant to function as the Fleet Commander's flagship. Reconstruction and modernisation of Vikrant took about four years. She was brought to Bombay on November 3, 1961 and later formed part of the Indian Fleet as a fully operational carrier. Her initial airwing consisted of British Hawker Seahawk fighter-bombers and a French Alize anti-submarine aircraft. On May 18, 1961, the first jet landed on board, piloted by Lieutenant (later Admiral) R H Tahiliani.
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