The Lindvang was (in 1966) a Norwegian registered ship that was built at Alameda, USA in 1943 and originally named the ‘Benjamin Tay’. It must have been spectacular seeing ships of this size at Stockton.
Photograph and details courtesy of MF Wilson.
The Lindvang, Corporation Quay, Stockton c1966
According to Lloyds Register this ship was 250 ft in length. How on earth could she turn around in the River Tees once she reached Stockton ? Did she turn around lower down the Tees and motor to Stockton stern first?
The Tees at Stockton evidently must have been wide enough at some points to allow ships like this to be turned around, I assume by means of tugs.
Ships larger than the Lindvang were built at Stockton and at Thornaby, indeed the paddle steamer ‘Talpore’ which was built at Thornaby in 1860 was 377 feet in length!
Just to correct myself for sake of accuracy, the Taplore was launched in 1860 but finished in 1861 and was built at Stockton not Thornaby.
Back in about 1957 I watched a large ship come up the middle of the river nearly to the end of the docks it turned hard left Into a V that was in the Thornaby side of the bank ,with the bows now in the muddy V it very slowly had the propeller turning and the rudder hard over to the left the back of the ship swung upriver until it had enough room to pull the bows of the ship clear of the bank and then it came alongside the Stockton wharf.
The ship was loaded with sacks from York. Never found out what was in the sacks.
Hi Cliff very likely my elder brother Curly Brown would have been unloading these ships as he was a Crane Driver on the Stockton quay all his working life from, a 14 years old junior to senior Crane Driver in his sixties. He had some amazing tales to tell about his experience with all the various ships from all over the world. They also had many perks such as liquor, tobacco products and other smuggled merchandise from these ships. He recalled one episode when he was called out in the middle of the night which was frosty and he had to lift the Skipper back on board his ship as he was too drunk to board unaided. The result was Curly slipped off the Crane ladder and became a virtual cripple in one leg due to his falling off the ladder. He refused to claim insurance as he said his boss would lose his job if did. Curly went on to retire and died at 86 years of age.
Yes was always amazing to see these large ships moored this far up the Tees.
A revisit to Stockton on Tees and viewing the river, it seems so much less intimidating as of all those years ago, a lot smaller, narrower.
I suppose the barrage at Leven is probably akin to Lustrum Beck.
J.