River View

[Whickham]

Kevin sent me this undated photo of the River Wear in busy times.
View taken from next to the Echo offices on Bridge Crescent and looking across the top of Austin's yard towards the river mouth.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Blair

[northeast]

Splendid view with lots of memories especially that lane leading down from the bridge.
The double-banked pair are two of several built by John Crown for Olsen & Ugelstad, HEMSEFJELL, TERNEFJELL and MAKEFJELL in 1948 and GRINDEFJELL / RUTENFJELL in 1953. Built for the Great Lakes trade, the side lettering can be seen here
http://www.sunderlandships.com/view.php ... HEMSEFJELL

[Davenz]

Tanker at left is probably the Royal Crown built by Thomsons in 1953.

[Hornbeam]

Certainly can’t beat a B&W photo for detail even to the Shipspotter hanging over the wall on the right hand side or was he deciding which Yard to take employment at a time when there was ample choice, hopefully Winter had passed and outside employment beckoned as working in Winter in a Shipyard/ Shiprepair Yard was no picnic and the Toilets were manned by an attendant to make sure you did not spend too much time in Trap No3 or whatever Trap you could fined empty the occupied ones determined by the column of Woodbine smoke the cigarette end used used as a source of heat.
Still there was plenty of employment opportunities and a half pence an hour rise in your wages won by the Unions was considered a major victory ( Doctors take note), showing this photograph to the Youth aka Yoof of today they will not believe it is the same River.

[fitter]

Lovely reminder of what we had
How. much work must there have been going on at that moment?
Thanks for posting and for identifying
70 years ago. Parents moved into our house at the recently built Hylton Castle estate and I was a toddler. Wonder how many workng in the area of the photo are still alive?

[Hornbeam]

Working in a Shipyard was not all bad it was always with a great sense of pride to see a ship launched, fitted out and then sailed away with your handiwork aboard her it must have been with great sadness to hear during WW2 that some German U Boat sank her shortly afterwards or in one VIC vessel case rolling over off Flamborough Head and sinking on her maiden voyage, all that work wasted.