Mention of the SOLEN in THE LONG REACH (viewtopic.php?f=11&t=3074) reminded me I had photographed her on 23 August 1961. Well, sort of ... SOLEN (5333402), Shell Tankers Ltd, 42162gt, completed Swan, Hunter & W.Richardson, Wallsend, 11-1961 BU Kaohsiung 22.12.82 [Sie Yung Steel Wire Co]
As far as I can remember (not very far!) I never ever saw her again, although her sister SERENIA became a regular visitor to the Tees in her later days as a shuttle tanker, my first sighting of her being in 1979.
When I looked back in my notebook I was initially confused as my first sighting of the SOLEN said on stocks - Wallsend. How had I photographed her afloat .... then I checked my dates, my first sighting on the stocks was 26 May 1961 and the photo was from August!
But that raised another interesting question. Given that I then recorded every ship in sight (hard going on river trips down the Tyne back in those halcyon days!!) where was the SERENIA on 26 May 1961? She was launched at Vickers-Armstrongs on 18.10.1960 and completed 7-1961 ... so she should have there ... but somehow I never saw her!
Ron