| Archive for silversurfers.myfreeforum.org The Premier Forum for the Over Fifties! |
| marieann |
Tall Ships 2005Thie is the first time we have been able to see the tall ships. We went three days altogether and this is my favourite picture, taken at South Shields on the Sunday, of the ships coming in to the mouth of the Tyne.
this is an American warship of the early 1800's with cannon. 
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| Sandie Seward |
 I adore Sailing Ships. They look so lovely. I also like old paddle steamers like Waverley.
I live quite near Southend, and about five years ago I paid a visit to Radio Caroline when she moored alongside for a few days. I was working as a Presenter for our local community radio station and managed to get an exchange visit arranged with Caroline. We visited each others studios, and generally enjoyed ourselves.
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| marieann |
That sounds like a really good exchange admin. I can't remember ever seeing a picture of Radio Caroline but she was an institution wasn't she?
I wish you could have seen the Tall Ships it was really a wonderful sight. I have pictures at the quayside I will add tomorrow. The atmosphere was wonderful. |
| Ken R |
Fantastic pictures Marie, the one of the American brig is great. I also noticed in the backgound, my old stomping ground as a kid ! Many a happy day spent scrambling around on those banks behind. The white painted houses in the background are the ones where the detective in the TV programme 55 Degrees North lives. They are the old Coastguard cottages and one of my schoolfriends used to live there in the 60s.
Ken R |
| marieann |
I love South Shields, we both do, we go very often and walk along the pier. I hadn't been to North Shields on the ferry until late last year, isn't that strange, I did enjoy it though.
Tynemouth we do go to occasionally. They have a wonderful antique and collectors fair in the station yard on a Saturday. If it's a match day the noise coming from the passing trains is unbelievable. 
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| Sandie Seward |
Radio CarolineBuilt in Bremerhaven in Germany in 1960 for an Icelandic company, she was named Freyr (Icelandic for revenge) before being sold to Ross Fisheries and renamed Ross Revenge. At almost 1000 tons, she is one of the largest trawlers ever built and is the largest side trawler ever to operate out of a British port. She was involved in the Cod Wars and carried on trawling until the bottom dropped out of the fishing market. She spent a few years as an oil rig support vessel and then was sent for scrap, but was bought by the Caroline organisation. She was fitted out at Santander in Spain as a radio ship with a 300 ft mast and commenced broadcasting in 1983. The main broadcast studio is behind the letters "CAR". The mast fell down in a storm in 1988, so the ship had two new masts fitted at sea with an aerial strung between them. She ran aground after breaking her anchor chain in 1991, and was salvaged and towed to Dover. She is now moored off the Isle of Sheppey near Queenborough.
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| marieann |
I really enjoyed 55 degrees North. I have just had a really good look at those cottages. I will show Tony tomorrow.
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| marieann |
Thank you for that admin it looks bigger than I had expected somehow. I stopped off to get this one it is the paddle steamer we ate lunch on the day we went to see the Trincomalee at Hartlepool quayside. It was a huge paddle steamer.
You can just see the old warships masts on the right. |
| Ken R |
The cottages, I think there are 3 or 4 of them are wooden construction and face out to sea through the piers. In front of them is now all grass and apublic car park but when I was a kid, it was the remains of the Spanish Battery, a multiple gun emplacement dating from WW2. we used to play in and out of the concrete blockhouses and up and down the underground tunnels, great fun
During the early part of the war, Harry Secombe was posted there with his artillery regiment and he was billeted on my Nan who lived at the top of Front Street for about 6 months! Behind the houses in your picture, where the new concrete Coast guard station is by the castle, there used to be 2 huge 14inch naval guns in emplacements, just like the Guns of Navarone. My mum remembers the sirens sounding and everybody in Tynemouth rushing to open their windows before the guns fired and blew them out with the shock wave ! The good old days eh ! |
| Ken R |
Great pic of Caroline admin, and thanks for the bio on it as well !
I worked on the trawlers when I left school, my dad was on them for years as well. we used to go alongside an pirate radio ship somewhere in the North Sea and swap fresh fish for booze and cigs ! I was on a stern trawler, a big freezer girl, and we fished up around Iceland and even as far west as Greenland once ! We were part of a large fleet fleet called Ben boats as all the names began Ben ..... I remember it being very wet, very cold and everything smelling of fish and diesel, it nearly put me off fish for life 
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| marieann |
That was interesting there is no sign of guns or fortifications on that side of the river now is there Ken?
It must have been very necessary to guard the mouth of the river, shipyards, possibly munitions works. That has never occurred to me before. There was only one bomb dropped anywhere near us and that was a few miles away but they thought someone had just lost his bearings in the dark. No one has ever said much to me about civilian life then, I was just two when the war finished and my father came home, but living in a small village about 25 miles inland there wouldn't be any danger. Maywalk has more than one veteran's web-site I think and went through the blitz. Kenneth has written about his childhood and I think that will include the war years. I like this site very much I am going to learn things. 
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| Ken R |
The Spanish Battery was mainly anti aircraft guns to deter low level raiders from zooming up the Tyne. The guns were housed under ground and came up on platforms when the alarm sounded. I think they filled it all in in the 70s as the council thought it was a hazard and kids would end up getting injured, or worse ! The big guns behind the castle were actually set into the cliffs and pointed out to sea in case the Germans ever attacked the river by sea or tried to lay off shore and bombard it with their capital ships based in Norway. I believe most of the air attacks came from Germans based in Norway as it was only a few hours flying time away. My Mum told me she remembers a Messerschmitt flying low up Front street one day and straffing all the shops and shoppers ! She said it was so low, she could see the pilot looking out at them ! |
| Frank |
I'm sitting here at the front of the class drinking in every word. A smashing thread. Thanks.
I remember the Tall Ships coming into Liverpool in 1984 at the time of our Festival. A magnificent sight 'if ever.' alas all my pics in those days were 35mm transp. and I won't buy a scanner for a one-off for quite a large collection of pics of one type or another. |
| marieann |
I'm learning as well Frank and I'm enjoying it. Amazement also that admin could come up with a picture of the Radio Caroline ship on demand. That is as much a coincidence as Ken coming from the North-east and being a sailor.
These were taken at the quayside. They just give an impression of the scene though. It was really special. 
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| Sandie Seward |
Paddle Steamer 'Waverley'
Driven by a 2,100 horse power triple expansion diagonal steam engine, this ship has two bars, dining saloon and accomodates up to 800 passengers. |
| Ken R |
They don't make them like that anymore Admin ! More's the pity 
I know you and certain others on this site are very much into steam trains but it's steam ships that "float my boat" I just love the "feel" of a steam engine doing its business away beneath the decks and the smell of coal, steam, hot oil and a touch of ozone........ahhhhh !
You just can't beat standing in a marine engine room amidst those smells and the noise and just drink it all in ! It's like being in a different world
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| Sandie Seward |
Here's another man who loved steam engines. The late Fred Dibnah. What a great charecter, and a genuinly nice man.
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| Ken R |
The trouble with guys like Fred Admin, is that are literally, a dying breed. who in this modern day and age can possilbly walk in their footsteps ?
Computer modelling, CAD design, who will be able to set a rivet by hand in a few years time ? Whatever anybody says, we need people like Fred Dibnah to keep the wheels turning ! |
| Sandie Seward |
I agree, Ken, although most of the Preserved/Heritage Railways have schemes whereby young people can get 'hands on' experience working on the loco's and stock. The Severn Valley in particular runs an 'Apprenticeship' Course for the most promising, and I believe it's very successful. It would be tragic if, having restored and kept all these old steam and diesel locos, that when our generation dies, there was nobody to carry on the work.
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| Ken R |
I think the apprentice schemes are great but when will the government of the day wake and realise that this needs to be extended to cover a much wider audience and more skills as well. I applaud any youngster today who wants to learn "hands on" about steam engines and suchlike, but apart from using it in their hobby, where else can they put this great knowledge to good use ?
No matter how hard anyone tries to convince me, I will never believe that a degree in media studies will enable someon to restore a clinker built boat or operate a steam capstan ! |
| marieann |
UK history has been showing Fred Dibnah repeats practically all day today and they are still on now. Early ones as well as his later ones. Tony has been watching them but he did watch the originals as well.
He was a very nice man. |
| Ken R |
I will have to make friends with someone who has satellite telly or a freeview box Marieann, I only have 4 terrestrial channels here, can't even get channel 5 where I am
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| marieann |
This is from the third day of the Tall Ships on the Tyne. HMS Invincible she went straight to Portsmouth afterwards to be de-commisioned. We were on the North Shields side first and then went through the Tyne tunnel to get a picture from the other side of the river. It is the first and only time I have looked up and seen a rifle pointed at me.
This is her from the other side with her guns pointed at the ferry. I was fascinated because the ferry turned round in the middle of the river I kept saying to Tony it's going to crash into the bank. I didn't see how it could do that without a three-point turn. I took photos of it turning. 
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| Ken R |
Those ferries can turn on a sixpence Marieann, they have bow and stern thrusters, propellers that face sideways, and they just put them into opposite directions and the ferry virtually turns in its own length 1
Very nice photos by the way. Another amazing coincidence here, my cousin Gary was a Chief Petty Officer on the Invincible on her last voyage !
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| marieann |
Doesn't your area have freeview Ken or are you not really bothered about it. We have two boxes the first was bought about three years ago and they were £99.00 then but now they are just £25.00.
I've got it on the pc also and if I watch one hour a week that is it.
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| Ken R |
I'm not sure if they have it around here or not Marieann. To be honest, i only watch a verysmall amount of TV anyway, I bet my set hasn't been on for more than 3 hours this week so far ! I much prefer listening to music (it's even playing on the PC as I write this) and I do like to read a fair bit as well. |
| marieann |
It certainly is a coincidence. So he was at Newcastle. We went because they had been giving tours of the ship but that was the wrong day. Tony had very much wanted to go on.
Thank you for explaining about the ferry, I saw it but couldn't believe it.
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| kenneth |
RE the tall ship-s heres a tiny video taken in my daughter`s pub----(The Marine) of the big Russian 4 master I painted
FOR HER-----Kenneth http://saturn.walagata.com/w/kennethb/DSCF1680.AVI |
| kenneth |
YES THE TALL SHIPS WERE MAJESTIC---HERTE`S ONE JUST6 OVER THE BAR AT THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER TYNE
http://saturn.walagata.com/w/kennethb/OVER_THE_BAR.GIF |
| kenkeys |
lIVING ONLY 15 MINS DRIVE FROM THE COAST---I`M STILL IN AWE OF THE SAE ANDS ALL THAT`S CONNECTED WITH IT...ONE REASON WHY I DID THIS..KENNETH
http://saturn.walagata.com/w/kennethb/SEA_GULLS.wmv |
| kenkeys |
RIVERTOOK THIS THIS MORNING---MY BELOVED RIVER TYNE--http://saturn.walagata.com/w/kennethb/RIVER__TYNE_2.wmv |
| marieann |
I don't recognise that bit Kenneth where is it please.
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| Guest |
Re: RIVER[quote="kenkeys"]TOOK THIS THIS MORNING---MY BELOVED RIVER TYNE--SITUATED ON THE BANKS OF THE TYNE---AT BILLQUAY MARIEANN----HERE`S A STORYLINE I DID TODAY OF IT.. http://saturn.walagata.com/w/kennethb/RIVE__T.wmv |
| marieann |
That is really good Kenneth. You are managing so well now with the videos.
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| Sandie Seward |
Very interesting, Kenneth, I particularly liked the porch, or should I say boat? 
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| Topsey_Tumbleweed |
Yes Sylvia/adm. quaint is`nt it----Kenneth c/o Topsy |
| vailron |
tall ships was here in 1999 doesnt seem that long ago. they are thinking of coming back sometime in the next few years. apparently. |
| marieann |
Newcastle have had them more than once as well Vailron. We were fascinated last year, with working and other commitments we had never seen them before. It was spectacular.
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| kenkeys |
HAD A GO AT A STORYLINE-----AND ADDED A BIT OF MUSIC ESPECIALLY RECORDED TO FIT.....SO SEA BOOTS AND SOUND ON FRIENDS....KENNETH
http://saturn.walagata.com/w/kennethb/BOAT_SONG2.wmv |