Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
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20 August 2010
23:5166418 I caught this ship leaving port late this afternoon, which turned and headed off down channel. It had Del Monte on the side, but I assume it wasn`t full of pineapple`s? Any info? (Ed).
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Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
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20 August 2010
23:5466419 Also, this cruise ship didn`t arrive till lunchtime today, but still left this evening. Was it running late, as they mostly seem to arrive in the morning?
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Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
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21 August 2010
07:4766428Yes Colin it has been coming into Dover some years now to unload works along side with Hammonds.
Guest 697- Registered: 13 Apr 2010
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21 August 2010
08:2366431Morning, Colin. The so-called reefer trade is an important part of Dover's shipping business. Reefers are refrigerated cargo ships which carry perishable goods (mainly fresh fruit) in the hold, and may also carry containers on the upper deck. This one could well have been delivering pineapples for distribution to the supermarket chains. Like the cruise business, Dover has to compete for this trade with the likes of Southampton and Portsmouth. As Vic says, the Dover Cargo Terminal in the Eastern Docks is operated by George Hammond.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
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21 August 2010
09:1866441i thought we were a major player in the fruit importation industry, considering we are not a fully fledged container port.
Guest 657- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
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21 August 2010
09:3166444Interesting, thanks Colin and Kevin.
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
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21 August 2010
15:0566504There is a constant stream of reefer vessels discharging into George Hammonds's cold storage facilities at the Dover Cargo Terminal (DCT) on the South Jetty in the Eastern Docks. They carry fruit stowed on pallets in the refrigerated holds and in refrigerated containers on deck. The vessel shown is the Star Pride which is one of a series of newbuildings belonging to Star Reefers. There are several of these on a long term time charter to Del Monte carrying bananas etc from Central America. This is one of her sister ships, the Star Standard, berthed on the DCT:
The other photo #2 is quite gobsmacking. That this ship should still be around beggars belief. Most ships are scrapped after not much more than twenty years. This vessel, the Athena, is over sixty years old, being built in 1948. What is even more extraordinary is that, in her former life as the passenger liner Stockholm belonging to the Swedish American Line, she was the vessel which collided with the Italian transatlantic liner Andrea Doria off Nantucket Island in 1956 resulting in one of the most dramatic maritime disasters in history. The collision happened in dense fog as a result of misinterpretation of radar information and is regarded as being the first example of the now frowned-upon expression "radar assisted collision."
The most poignant story of that dreadful episode is that of a fourteen year old girl who was asleep with her mother and sister in a cabin on the Andrea Doria when the bows of the Stockholm ripped into the side of the ship, killing her sister and depositing her onto the forecastle of the Stockholm. From going to sleep in a warm cabin in the Andrea Doria, she awoke to find herself lying amid the twisted wreckage and swirling fog on the crushed bows of the Stockholm, where a crewman heard her calling for her mama.
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
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21 August 2010
15:1666510Thank`s Ed, never reckoned on all that information above. Lot`s of interesting stuff, and I have to confess that I didn`t know we had anything like these ship`s coming here, believing that Del Monte were merely transporting aggregate or steel here. How often do these reefer`s run then Ed? And was I fortunate to be on the cliff top when this one departed? Thank`s again.
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Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
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21 August 2010
15:4866515There are a constant succession of reefers berthing on the DCT, Colin. Every couple of days. They have to be slotted in between the ferries to cause least disruption and berth with the assistance of both tugs. The aggregrate trade goes through the Western Docks.
Guest 657- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
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21 August 2010
15:5066516What an amazing story Ed.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
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21 August 2010
19:1566550always been a thursday when i have seen them arriving, never realised that they were that regular.
are the empty "del monte" containers still dumped on shakespeare beach?
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
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21 August 2010
20:2566568 A closer look at this fine old ship yesterday. (Thanks Ed).
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Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
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21 August 2010
21:3866574That "fine old ship" is the brand new reefer, Colin!
Howard: I would say there is one reefer every two or three days on average. Most of them are regulars and I only photograph them if there is one that I have not seen before. These are the last two which I photographed:
"Triton Reefer" of NYKCool on 7th August. Of interest because of the fog shrouding the top of the cliffs. A frequent occurrence with the port remaining completely clear. Also worth noting the "DFDS Transport" truck on the foc'sle of the Pride of Canterbury. Presumably in future DFDS trucks will all travel with DFDS Norfolkline!
"Hawk Bay" of Seatrade on 31st July. Entering via the Eastern Entrance to proceed up the Bay. You can see one of our captains, Adrian Plowes, on the bridge wing waiting to take the Maersk Dover (now Dover Seaways) out. This is the usual arrangement to cause minimum disruption to the ferries. The cargoship enters between ferry arrivals and departures and waits in the bay for the next gap, then goes astern with tug assistance to berth on the DCT.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
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21 August 2010
21:5466579that looks to me a ship from the land of the rising sun.
Guest 641- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
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21 August 2010
21:5466580Thanks for the full story on the Athena Ed, I knew that she was built back in 1948 and had only a brief history on her former life as the Stockholm with reference to the collision in '56, but had no details
Do you know what engines she has now?
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
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22 August 2010
20:0066745Barry: Have found a really good site on the Stockholm, now Athena, as below. Engines were replaced in 1989 during one of her many reincarnations, this time as the Italia Prima. She is due back in Dover again on 3rd and 7th September.
Main Engines:
2 x Gotaverken diesel engines, 2-stroke/single acting, 8-cylinders
Total power of 12.000 BHP (8,900 kW)
In 1989 she received - 2 x 8 Cylinder Wartsila Diesels
http://www.ssmaritime.com/Stockholm.htm
There are an excellent series of photos on Dover Ferry Photos Forum and Nigel Thornton (DoverT) is going to compose one of his superbly comprehensive "Past and Present" articles in the near future.
http://www.doverferryphotosforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1178Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
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22 August 2010
20:3466751 Interesting material again Ed. Reading about the Swedish American Line, I got my album out a short while ago, of a night time shot of another ship of that line, the MS `Gripsholm`. Not sure if I mentioned it before, but back in the early 60s, I used to write to shipping companies from all over the requesting post-cards and literature on their vessel`s, via the Lloyd`s List newspaper. I still have them all, one of my treasure`s and the one above was always a favourite.
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Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
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22 August 2010
20:4366755#13 Sorry Ed, I thought it didn`t look that old, lol. So many ships getting rebuild`s over the year`s, not always easy to guess their original age. I would have been even happier getting that `fine old ship` you got though mate.
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22 August 2010
20:4966761Colin, I used to do the same in the very early 1960's. My best responses were from P&O and Clan Line, both of whom sent me a postcard of every ship in their fleet and, in P&O's case, a travelogue about doing a world cruise. Terrific stuff and a great past time. I moved on eventually to airline timetables and used a Red Rover to get from Ilford to Heathrow on Saturdays'. Heathrow begin a super place for timetables of course. I remember seeing the Air France Caravelle make it's maiden flight too, all exhilarating stuff for boys of course.
Guest 690- Registered: 10 Oct 2009
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22 August 2010
21:0266768Great stuff Sid, my only regret being the letter`s I got from the shipping companies being dumped. My biggest catch was 8 post-cards from P&O and Manchester Liner`s. I got post cards sent from Japan, Sweden, France, Italy, Canada, USA, Israel, Norway, plus of course this country, Clan Line, Cunard, Everard, Blue Star, Elders Fyffes, Coast Lines, Pacific Steam Navigation, Shell Mex, BP, Esso... I could go on, but I`ve still got them all.
Tell them that I came, and no one answered.
