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Thursday 14 August 2008

HMS Dauntless

Dauntless about to start her short journey to wet dock,she was taken downriver first to be turned at King George V dock,then it was back up river to the wet dock for her fitting out.








































The caisson was manoeuvred into place by Battler.








The fifth and current ship to bear the name Dauntless, and the Royal Navy’s second Type 45 destroyer, was launched on 23 January 2007 by the Ship’s Sponsor, Lady Mary Burnell-Nugent, and is currently in dock at BAE Systems, Scotstoun, Glasgow, undergoing extensive fitting out.

Dauntless is due to start her first sea trials in November 2008.


This collection of photographs was taken on the 24 January 2007,the day after her launch,after the launch she spent the night at the deep water facility at Scotstoun,the following day she was manoeuvred into the wet dock at the Scotstoun yard.

Largs

Monday 11 August 2008

Caledonian Isles



Caledonian Isles leaving Ardrossan Harbour.

Passengers: 1000
Cars: 110
Crew: 26
Lifeboats: 3 rigid boats, 1 RIB fast rescue craft and inflatable liferafts

TECHNICAL DETAILS:
Builders: Richards Shipbuilders, Lowestoft
Yard No: 589
Engine Builders: Mirlees Blackstone Ltd, Stockport
Machinery: Bow Thruster: Caterpillar Diesels approx 700HP

Sunday 10 August 2008

Saturday 9 August 2008

A.B. VALENCIA







A.B. VALENCIA arriving in Glasgow to collect scrap metal from Shieldhall.

Friday 8 August 2008

Ocean Majesty









The Ocean Majesty was built in 1966 in Spain as a Ro-Ro ferry and was converted to a cruise ship in 1994. She is 135.3 metres in length, and is 10,417 gross tons. She carries a maximum of 621 passengers.

The ship was involved in a collision in August 2007,when the ship slipped her anchor and collided with the cruise liner Thomson Spirit,the Thomson spirit was undamaged and was able to continue but the passengers on-board Ocean Majesty had to be evacuated.

MV Jupiter

Wednesday 6 August 2008

Brunei Navy?






This is the strange story of the Brunei Offshore Patrol Vessels built on the Clyde between 2001 and 2004 at a cost of £600 million pounds.

The ships were equipped with Exocet missiles and a rapid fire gun able to launch shells as far as ten miles,the ships were completed on time at BAE Scotstoun yard.

When the time came to hand the ships over,the Bruneians claimed that the vessels were not up to specification and refused to make the final payment.

It was generally considered by those in the know that the Brunei navy was not able to handle the sophisticated equipment on board the ships,they probably felt it was better not to accept the ships rather than lose face in being unable to use or even crew the ships.

At present the Bruneians operate a small fleet of basic vessels which are 20 years old or more.

The issue was finally resolved by arbitration,the outcome was that the three ships should be sold to the highest bidder.

One of the interesting designs of the ships is that they were built to accommodate Bruneian sailors who have an average height of 5ft 6in ,all the bunks and hatches and everything else on board is designed for people that tall.

One other problem which will hamper their sale is that they were built without central heating,being built to operate in the Sulawesi Straits you don't require a heating system,so the ships wont be much use in the north sea in a gale or the South Atlantic during the winter.



Tuesday 5 August 2008

Saturday 2 August 2008

Friday 1 August 2008

James Watt Dock


James Watt Dock with the Waverley minus a paddle wheel which was being repaired at the beginning of her 2008 summer season, in the background is SFPA Norna .

Gourock


Gourock esplanade with St Johns Church towering above the town.