- Sygna
- Happy Dragon
I was mistaken, the photograph I thought was the Sygna, was in fact that of the Happy Dragon.
Both ships were 45,000 dwt bulk carriers built at Austin and Pickersgills, Southwick yard. They had to be built in half because they would be too long to negotiate the bend in the River Wear at Deptford where Sir James Laings yard is on the south side of the river, and where Robert Thompsons used to be on the north side of the river. Pickersgills was upriver of Deptford. Both ships were towed to the Tyne to be joined.
Whickham asked "Wonder how close to the original join that break was?" The pictures here answer the question and his suspicion is right the ship broke exactly where it was joined, just aft of number 5 hold, though it looks as though how and on what it grounded would be the explanation for it breaking as it did.
There were a good number of these almost identical ships built on the Wear at the time:
Pickergills built Sygna and Happy Dragon
Laings built Mylla, Orotava and Roslagen.
Thompsons built Fernriver, Fernspring, August Pacific, Amber Pacific, Argonaut, Sheaf Tyne, G.M.Livanos
The aft end of Sygna must have been left for some time, I have seen one photo of it almost entirely rusted.
Tom