SD14

[Tony Frost]

Often used in various publications and also on the front cover of the technical"Kandy" booklets Q&A,unfortunatly if you havea closer look at No.5 hatch covers they are the wrong way round (copied from No.3)Whoops!

[fitter]

In George Parker's book "Astern Business" (75 years of British shipbuilding), he makes the following comment about SD in SD14:
Incidentally, the designation SD14 is generally believed to stand for "Standard Design, 14,000 tons deadweight". This is not the case however. The SD represents the first and last letters of Sunderland, although 14 does refer to the tonnage." Page 56
He should know but it came as a surprise to me when I first read it.

[magoonigal]

That book by Parker was a strange one for the WSS to publish and he is wrong.

Quote from John Lingwood's SD14 the Full Story.

Pickersgill had been involved with the building of standard ships for some years with a range of bulk carrier designs, referred to as 'B' (for Bulk Carrier), followed by a numeral such as '26', denoting the deadweight capacity, e.g. 26,000 tons, already in service. For the Liberty Ship Replacement design, therefore, it was obvious that the identification should be 'SD' (for shelter-deck) '14' (14,000 tons deadweight.)

John Lingwood was one of the Original Design Team whose first meeting was held on the 21st January 1966.

[fitter]

Thank you
I would regard Lingwood as close to infallible as possible on SD14s. The book he wrote about them is an outstanding and authorative one that I have read a little when in Sunderland Library but don't possess. His work is accurate and detailed as you might expect from a man of his background. I was surprised by Parker's comment, hence the post. Some said Standard Design, but by far the most widely accepted was Shelter Deck. I think that Southwick Working Mens Club was, at one time, called "The Shelter Deck," justifiably I think, as it will have done very well out of the success of the SD14. I wonder what else Mr. Parker got wrong? I don't think he properly addressed the destructive effect of those trade unionist who exploited the workers for merely political and ideological reasons, though there is no doubt that our conditions would never have improved without them and Health & Saftey.
So now I have an authorative reply with evidence from an authorative source I can never be in doubt again !
Thanks again

[Tony Frost]

SD originaly stood for Shelter Deck but after its success it became a marketing tool and later with dirivitives such as SD9,SD18 and SD22 which was a semi-container ship,just like the ship yards intials were later used for ship repair(A&P) and lost its meaning.