WEST HIKA

[teesships]

(Click on thumbnail images to enlarge.)
From TEES PACKET: February 1995, from the long-running series SHIPS OF THE TEES by James Layton:

From John Proud's book SEAHORSES OF THE TEES - the history of Tees Towing:

Obviously, from the information in the article, this photograph must actually have been taken in September 1936. I suspect the caption should have read: ....WEST HIKA into the River Tees. In January 1936 she had stranded .....

Ron

[teesships]

See also: viewtopic.php?f=219&t=11543&p=23241#p23241

Co-incidental to posting the above item about the WEST HIKA I heard from Kim Millwood whose grandfather was on board when she stranded, and has now sent me the following additional material.

Ron

[northeast]

This is a copy of my coverage of her on the former Riversea website:

From the Harry Owen collection, an American which became attached to N.E.England

1920, 5372grt
Los Angeles S.B. & Dry Dock Co. (19) for the U.S. Shipping Board
1931 Waterman Steamship Corporation, Mobile

The story of her loss was covered in 'Tees Packet' (W.S.S. Teesside) in issue 121, 1995
While bound for the Tyne, she ran aground on 15/1/1936 about 3 miles south of Seaham on the Durham coast, refloating attempts were unsuccessful and she was sold at the end of 2/1936 to the South Stockton Shipbreaking Company for demolition in situ, but they persisted with refloating attempts and eventually freed her on 4/9/1936, when she was towed into the Tees for expected demolition at Stockton. However, the owners had temporary repairs done and sold her late in the year to Moller Line of Shanghai .... but a late change of mind led her to being resold (at a profit) to breakers at Blyth, where she arrived on 25/5/1937.

Part of the cost to the Stockton company was the loss of the former Grimsby tug BARTON of 1891, which they had bought for scrapping in 2/1936 but pressed into service in the salvage operation, only to have her sunk alongside WEST HIKA on 14/3/1936.

And from Harold Appleyard, two fine views of her in the River Tees following the salvage operation ....

Someone is sure to ask about the tugs, as far as I can ascertain they are (left to right)
QUEENS CROSS 1921, 286grt by Nimmerzust, Lekkerkerk (83) as VLAANDEREN for Wijsmuller, to Tees Towing in 1933 and back to Dutch owners from 1948 as GOOS of Nederland Indische Steenkolen Handel Maats.
ATHLETE 1893, 119grt by J.Stewart & Sons, Blackwall for London owners, to the Tees from 1909 with Robinson Tug Company, later Tees Towing and sold to Lamey at Liverpool in 1947, broken up 1955.
and on her head, the fine old paddler LINGDALE, 1882, 174grt by Westwood Baillie, Poplar as LADY VITA for Dover Harbour Board, to Tees in 1914 and lasted right through to 1954