DART ATLANTIC

[MadMaxLab]

Built in 1971 By Swan's

Renamed: 81 CP AMBASSADOR - 86 CANMAR AMBASSADOR

Broken up at Alang 1995

November 1970

14/2/1971

[Whickham]

Great sequence of photos.

I worked in the Walker Yard office block on the left of the first photo from 1980-4 (ish). Huge building, built on the side of a hill. Coming into the building from Walker it looked like it was a single storey building but in fact you were coming into the top floor. The building had two huge internal vertical shafts that let light into the centre of the building, so that there were internal windows on each floor. I remember on the first day, still thinking that I was on the first floor looking through one of these windows and getting quite a shock when I realised how far up I was. Window had been left open and there were no safety rails etc. Health & Safety?. They were soon either nailed shut or had restricted opening facilities. We had our offices on the top floor and the view was superb. No shipbuilding at that time but the yard was still used as as the outfitting quay for the Wallsend Yard for a few of those years.

[magoonigal]

Mmmm we were allowed in a few times when we were on visits to the Yard and yes, it was a very impressive building.

Great shame it was pulled down.

[Whickham]

On the photo you can see some offices on the 2nd floor down had bay windows. Yes, you guessed it these were for the union reps (Ha Ha). No, (suprise, suprise) these were directors offices and the panelling inside them was magnificent. The sales directors office had wood from every different type of tree you could think of.

[Tony Frost]