Model Boat Mayhem

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Author Topic: Smiths Docks  (Read 20106 times)

derekwarner

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #75 on: October 12, 2011, 02:09:44 pm »

mmmmmmmm digressing just a little in the dockyard life {-)

Most members would not have experienced spending a night shift >>:-(  1800>0600 on the floor of a graving dock

Many many years ago  {-) one of my fellow Garden Island Naval Dockyard "below water weapons" foreman was needed to spend the all night dark hours looking after an FFG sonar dome repair

Needless to say  {:-{ he was ill & I copped the shift  >:-o &  @ 0200 not a sound........ but then......

scamper....scamper ....scamper......the dockyard RATS came out.......they were as big as cats .... not nice   %) ......

I am sure even the Smiths dockyards of earlier years had the same sized dockyard rats  O0................Derek
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Derek Warner

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Bryan Young

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #76 on: October 12, 2011, 03:52:12 pm »

Dockyard rats, as big as cats? Sounds like an old Boy Scouts song! I too have done the "Graveyard Shift" during a refit...although from a different perspective. (Any correlation between "Graving Dock" and "Graveyard Shift"?). Never saw any rats apart from the skivers sleeping off the evenings Brown Ale. The real rats probably found richer pickings elsewhere. BY.
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Xtian29

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #77 on: October 12, 2011, 04:17:24 pm »

Hello

Australia still strange for animals with Kangaroo, koala, crocodile ... sheeps, rabbits and  big rats in dockyard.  I've never seen rat in the dockyard here in France as in fact there is nothing to eat for them !  

I remenber a port of call close to sugar factory in some tropical countries (Indian ocean) . At night when coming back to the ship the floor was crispie and then in the morning it was like a line of birds from the harbour entrance up to the ship entrance. In fact the whole crew coming aboard at night has crushed giant cockroaches on this road and the morning was like a feast for the birds.  I've also seen giants rats in Djibouti harbour as it was a stock of food waiting for famine help in Ethiopia. It was a shame as the ethiopian autorities don't care about that food and don't want to pay for transport as the government was southern ethnic and the famine was with the northern ehnics and it was war between them. So the food rotted in the port and the rats became gigantic, pigeons too, and cats who hunted rats were impressive  :o

Xtian
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Bryan Young

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #78 on: October 12, 2011, 04:55:27 pm »

Xtian...I guess we're both a little off-topic here. but who cares. I agree with you about giant cockroaches. Biggest I ever saw were all over the place in Port Sudan. But the biggest rats I ever saw (and totally unfazed by us mere humans) were the ones living in the flour warehouse in Grytviken. Regards, Bryan.
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MikeK

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #79 on: October 13, 2011, 08:47:03 am »

Coming full circle, I'm sure you must have come across some pretty hefty dock rats in the Jungle just outside Smiths Docks, Bryan ?  O0 %)

Mike
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Bryan Young

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #80 on: October 14, 2011, 03:17:43 pm »

Coming full circle, I'm sure you must have come across some pretty hefty dock rats in the Jungle just outside Smiths Docks, Bryan ?  O0 %)

Mike
Mike, I really do hope you aren't alluding to may alleged parentage. Amazing such an apparently untrustworthy couple could have produced such a fine, upstanding citizen as myself. Bryan.
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MikeK

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #81 on: October 15, 2011, 09:08:22 am »

Who, moi ??  %)

Merde  %%

Mike
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Bryan Young

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #82 on: November 06, 2011, 04:27:23 pm »

There may well be a double posting here as the nit-picking site server is making life difficult again. So I'm sorry if that happens.

I'd like to try a little experiment and add some of the shorter job descriptions instead of just posting photos. If it's acceptable (or not) please let me know.
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Bryan Young

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #83 on: November 07, 2011, 11:49:18 am »

An aerial view of the yard.The ship alongside that's closest to the camera is on a side lifting pontoon.
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Bryan Young

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #84 on: November 07, 2011, 12:22:08 pm »

Still experimenting!
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Bryan Young

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #85 on: November 07, 2011, 01:31:19 pm »

Yes, I know this is supposed to be about Smiths, but I want to free up a bit of congestion and I don't really want a semi dedundant folio hanging around. So I'll continue with Swans for awhile.
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richtea

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #86 on: November 07, 2011, 01:38:08 pm »

Fascinating pictures Bryan,
nice to have some text to help put them into context.
Look forward to more posts.
Regards
Richard   :-))
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pugwash

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #87 on: November 07, 2011, 01:49:35 pm »

Great to see you back in history mode - so very interesting photos and a vey enjoyable post

Geoff
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Bryan Young

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #88 on: November 07, 2011, 02:12:02 pm »

Well, that's 2 positives! Now wait for the negatives.
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Bryan Young

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #89 on: November 07, 2011, 02:45:50 pm »

What a nice way to fill in a freezing cold afternoon.
Don't let the photo of "Nacella" fool you. What at first glance look like RAS booms aren't. We didn't have cuch things then. I'm pretty sure the booms were used to hang anti-torpedo nets from. At the same time, she looks like her design could have been used to build the "Wave" class RFAs.
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Bryan Young

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #90 on: November 07, 2011, 02:49:00 pm »

Oops! Hit the wrong button again. Sorry.
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Bryan Young

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #91 on: November 07, 2011, 03:24:27 pm »

This time it's just a pity that the resizing has made the 2nd pic (general view of the river) lose some of the originals detail.
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Bryan Young

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #92 on: November 07, 2011, 03:46:09 pm »

The last 4 of "Swans" (for awhile). Go back to Smiths next.
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Bryan Young

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #93 on: November 08, 2011, 01:27:58 pm »

"Repairs" to "British Chemist". More like a rebuild...personally I'm surprised they bothered. Probably could have built a new ship for the cost of this work.
I hope you can read the preamble.
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Bryan Young

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #94 on: November 08, 2011, 01:32:05 pm »

The 2nd half.
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Bryan Young

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #95 on: November 10, 2011, 02:26:56 pm »

The next 6 pics are mainly of "Aquitania". She didn't have much to do with the Tyne, but she was used in adverts in the journal extolling the benefits of protective coatings made by a Tyne based firm. I found them interesting anyway!
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Bryan Young

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #96 on: November 10, 2011, 02:55:36 pm »

This selection shows the new machinery and working conditions after a major modernisation of the N.Shields yard in the late 1920s.
I can't help but wonder who made a lot of this heavy engineering stuff...or did Smiths make some of their own "tooling"?
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Bryan Young

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #97 on: November 10, 2011, 03:10:38 pm »

Final selection for awhile:-
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grayone

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #98 on: May 06, 2012, 06:44:14 pm »

I have just found this and what an amazing collection of pictures - as  Smith's Dock apprentice in the 60's they bring back a lot of memories.

Graham
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Bryan Young

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Re: Smiths Docks
« Reply #99 on: May 06, 2012, 08:03:55 pm »

Well now. Just goes to show what you can come up with on this site!
Are you still a "local" on Tyneside?
We, in Tynemouth Model Boat Club, have a few members who were employed at Smiths back in the 1700s...or so it seems.
The photos you've seen are only a small part of the history of this famous dockyard. I've had access to a few (read "many") issues of the ancient "Smiths Docks Journals" of the 1920s.....and have put them all on CDs. Mainly because I would hate to see them "lost" forever. I offer copies of the CDs free to anyone interested. I only ask for a replacement CD (plus case) and a stamped self addressed envelope and it's yours. Runs to 4 Cds at the moment. Thanks for the interest. BY.
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