by E28 » Fri Jul 12, 2013 10:31 pm
Neither Rockbreaker 1 or 2 were ordered from Blyth S & D D Co Ltd.
They were ordered from Messrs Lobnitz & Co, Renfrew.
Their construction was supervised by Messrs J. Watt, Sandeman & Sons of Newcastle, engineers to the Blyth Harbour Commissioners.
Lobnitz record of building such or similar vessels is well known, World leaders of renown.
After orders were placed with Lobnitz, the construction of the barges was subcontracted to Blyth by the order of Lobnitz.
Lobnitz built all the specialised equipment to be fitted to the barges, being installed at Blyth.
Rockbreaker No 1 Lobnitz yno 624, Blyth yno 134 launched 19 July 1906
100' x 28' x 8' (moulded)
Rockbreaker No 2 Lobnitz yno 635, Blyth yno 138 launched 4 March 1907
No 1 was in service by the time No 2 was launched
Both were purpose designed for rock cutting in the river Blyth, although similar vessels existed elsewhere.
Rock cutting was introduced to eliminate the need for using explosives.
Thats all folks. Sean.