BMW Motorbike Club.
Riders of the road hear about riders of the sea!
FROM KEELS TO WHEELS!
Lagan Legacy makes a guest appearance at Belfast's Corrs Corner Hotel, packed with motorbike enthusiasts. The event, as usual, is marked with much maritime heritage and many ships' launch and handover dates.
MV Worcestershire Launched today in 1904 Ship No. 359, a passenger vessel of 7,160 tons for the Bibby Line. During 1914 - 16 she was used for trooping duties. Heroically. On 17th February 1917 she ran into a minefield which had been laid by the German Armed Merchant Cruiser Wolf ten miles southwest of Colombo, struck a mine and sank. Two lives were lost. She was Bibby's only WW1 loss. Does Belfast know of her, never mind remember her? Absolutely not it seems. Yet her fame was recorded on a Will’s Cigarette card in the 20s.One of her skippers, Rowland Charles Marshall, recounts her heroics in his book….. “Luck was My Companion”, a harrowing tale of the Worcestershire bringing home POWs from Japan after the Japanese surrender following the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs. Two of the worlds most defining moments of history. The plucky little Belfast ship, launched on the Lagan was there. Another ship launched today on the Lagan in 1908, had a vital part in a major piece of world history. She was The Rotterdam, Ship No. 390, a passenger vessel of 23,980 tons. Built for Holland-America Line. From 1908 until 1938 she was regarded as the largest and most luxurious ship in The Netherlands.But it wasn’t all fun and feasting on luxury cruises. She also carried emigrants via France and Plymouth to New York. Historic, if tragic times. The Captain’s list or manifesto of 3 July 1920 to the Port Authorities of New York tells the story – 12 passengers aged between 16 and 58 eight male and four female, died of illness on the voyage.
Also, today in 1920, the Inverleith was handed over. She was Harland and Wolff ship No 589, an ‘N’ Type Oil Tanker of 6,957 tons owned by British Mexican Petroleum Company. During WW1 British shipyards built hundreds of standard design dry cargo ships constructed from prefabricated parts manufactured throughout the length and breadth of Britain. It was Harland and Wolff that came up with an innovative design for a prefabricated dry cargo ship that could be adapted as a tanker, which became known as the National Type, or “N” Type.So we have four vessels that we know of, launched or handed over today, somewhere down the years, on the Lagan. Can I remind you that there’s at least one vessel for every day of the year, often many many more. And today’s date has further historical significance for the Lagan.The Belfast built Stirling Castle, launched in 1936, made her maiden voyage to Cape Town on the 7th of February. In 1937 the new mail contract commenced reducing the required voyage time to 14 days. She was employed as a Troopship from 1940 and in 1943 carried American Troops to the UK for the invasion of Europe. At War's end Stirling Castle had steamed 500,000 miles and carried 128,000 troops. She was released from Trooping Duties in 1946 and returned to Belfast for refit and refurbishment emerging the following year with passenger capacity of 245 First Class, 540 Tourist. She was sold for scrap in 1965 but the deal fell through and it wasn't until the 1st of February 1966 that she finally sailed from Southampton arrived in Japan for breaking up - today, 3rd March, 1966!