The Virginia was an oil tanker with a gross tonnage of 11930 and was built at Haverton Hill shipyard. It was owned by Neuva Vista Compania Naveria S.A. Panama. The keel was laid on 15th October 1955 and the ship was launched on 18th December 1956.
These photographs show the Virginia leaving the River Tees and also at sea.
The left hand side of the picture shows the new blast furnace developments at Dorman Long at its Clay Lane site. Only one blast furnace had been completed at this time, this being the structure just to the right of the second gas holder. The sloping pipe is the downcomer from the top of the blast furance which carries was te gases to be burnt in the Cowper Stoves. These blast furnaces had an output of molten pig of almost 2000 tons a day, which were very large for the time.