AYUTHIA (MY FIRST SHIP!)

[teesships]

Another one that had to come sooner or later!
AYUTHIA (5032113): 10,083gt. 15.1.1960: launched by A/S Nakskov Skibsvaerft, Naksov, yard no. 156. 5.1960: completed as AYUTHIA for A/S Det Ostasiatiske Kompagni, Copenhagen, Denmark. 1978: sold to Esplanade Maritime Inc., Greece, but not immediately renamed. 1981: renamed TORM JESSIE by these owners (photographic sources indicate name change actually occurred during 1980, now amended to 1980 in Miramar). 1.1983: sold to Akbarali & Sons for demolition at Darukhana, Bombay.
For those who have not heard the story before (with apologies to those who have!): Saturday, 19 November 1960 arrived and with it came a conscious decision to follow up a suggestion by a friend that I go down to the docks to see the ships. So, on my bike I went and climbed onto the footbridge approach into and overlooking Middlesbrough Dock. What the weather had seemed like on leaving home a couple of miles away I cannot now say - but I do know it was extremely foggy downtown at the dock! So my first ship-spotting trip was confined to sighting approximately half a ship looming out of the fog! Nevertheless, into my little note-book it went, and remains today number one in my ship sighting records.
Of course, it was quite a while longer before I was able to record her photographically:
AYUTHIA in Middlesbrough Dock on 12 June 1975

A pre-telephoto days panoramic view of Middlesbrough Dock with the AYUTHIA centre on 12.6.75.

Lloyd's Register recorded the AYUTHIA as renamed TORM JESSIE during 1981, but Mike Grima sent me these views of her in Malta under her new name before the end of 1980!

Ron

[northeast]

Ron, I have nothing recorded for 19 November 1960 but must have done the rounds on the next day, noting as first sightings ....
GULF SCOT which had been launched on 18th
FAVORITA 1959
JALADUHITA 1958
LANCASTRIAN PRINCE 1960
ANDALUSIAN 1950

[teesships]

Aye, George, it was probably even foggier at Redcar, so you just would not bother!
Straddling your Sunday, I walked round the dock in pouring rain on the evening of Monday, 21 November 1960 and logged:
JALADUHITA, KOHISTAN (on her maiden voyage), FAVORITA, CITY OF YORK, SIREFJELL. So quite a rapid turn round of ships over those three days (of course, I didn't even bother to see what other ships were there on the 19th!)

Ron

[northeast]

KOHISTAN .... I have a memory of seeing her come into M'bro Dock as a new ship, it seemed quite rare for me to be there just at the right time for movements in or out. So that must have been on 20th and she is not logged as I had seen her fitting out during a Tyne river excursion trip on 27 July.

[teesships]

Yes, didn't catch a lot of tidal movements myself. It did take only two weeks for me to watch my first ship actually sailing from the dock as the IMPERIAL STAR squeezed through the lock with about a foot to spare either side.

Ron

[northeast]

The only other one I remember seeing coming in was an NYK, one of these seen in 1960 when there seemed to be a run of them
ATAMI MARU 18/6
ARIMA MARU 23/7
HEIAN MARU 28/8
HIKONE MARU 21/10
and it sticks in my mind because a man standing next to me was ranting on about the Japanese and the war, as a young teenager I did not then understand how he could have such deep feelings but of course this was only 15 years after the defeat of Japan .... no further away than 1997 is to us today.

[teesships]

.... and EIROKU MARU was in on 28 December 1960!

Ron

[northeast]

Pay attention at the back, I said NYK ships!
I have an undated EIRAKU MARU 1051/57 an engines aft job, must have been at that time then as she is unlikely to have been more than once.
The other deepsea Japanese seen were from Iino KK
SAKISHIMA MARU seen 16/01/1960
AWOSHIMA MARU seen 26/05/1960
I think the company was only in the tanker section of the abc's and I had to write the names under it!

From DEAC to Strick to Blue Star to Japanese ... a good thread!

[teesships]

Oh, what's the difference? A MARU is a MARU isn't it?

I hope one of us didn't record the name wrongly for what was actually the same ship (and I'm sure my record is correct ... well I hope it is after so many years!!!!)

And the only other MARU I recall seeing in the Tees in those early days (until the car carrier MARUs started to appear) was the SHIKIHARU MARU at Tyne-Tees/Dents on 20 May 1961.

Ron

[TEESMAN]

Here she is in colour Ron in Middlesbrough Dock October 1975

Photo Michael Green