Swansea Docks-Ships page 2

Retired Section Swansea Docks

Ships on A & B Shed Wharf. also on C Shed Wharf in 1956 ( The small coaster in the foreground is the Ballygilbert )

Educational cruise ship 'Devonia' leaving Swansea in 1966. A former wartime troopship, the vessel was built in
Glasgow in 1939

Educational cruise ship 'Nevasa' leaving Swansea in 1967. Built in 1956, the vessel was 20,527 gross registered tons

The following is an extract from the West Wales Guardian dated Friday, 8^th January 1960:-

''Messrs Peter Hancock's trawler ‘Tenby Castle’, is dying hard. Condemned to the breaker's yard she was being towed to Messrs T W Ward's basin at Briton Ferry when she was swept aground by a twenty five foot tide on Sunday morning, two miles from her destination, at the entrance of the river Neath. With the tides dropping it is not expected that the ‘Tenby Castle’ will be refloated until the next twenty foot tide on January 28th.”

One of the famous ‘Castle’ trawlers, the Swansea-based ‘Tenby Castle’ was built for Consolidated Fisheries in 1928 by Cochrane & Sons of Selby. She was requisitioned for war service as the minesweeper HMS ‘Sawfly’ during the Second World War, after which she returned to her base at Swansea. The ‘Tenby Castle’ was sold to Peter Hancock & Sons of Milford in 1956, and scrapped at Briton Ferry in 1960.

The two ships shown below, the ‘Bolbec’ and the ‘Glanowen’, belonged to Harries Bros. & Co. of Pembroke Buildings, Swansea.

ss ‘Bolbec’, owned by Harries Bros. of Swansea

ss Bolbec entering the locks

Another view of the ss Bolbec

Another Harries Bros. ship, the ‘Glanowen’. She was the ex ‘Empire Peggotty’,
and worked most of her life carrying coal from the north east to the Thames

Mr. Ted Purcell, who used to work for Harries Bros., has kindly provided us with the following information:-

“I was a customs clerk at Harries Bros., Pembroke Buildings, between 1956 and 1959. At that time Harries Bros. owned the ‘Bolbec’ and the ‘Glanowen’. As well as Pembroke Buildings, Harris Bros. also owned L & G Tulloch & Co. and James Ship Stores, both of which were in Pier Street. Owen L. Harries was the owner and managing director, and the manager was Colonel H. L. Hyett, assisted by John M. Henry. The accountant and company secretary was Mr Ken Packe and the surveyor was Mr. Preece.”

“The ‘Bolbec’ was skippered by Captain Cleverly who, if I remember correctly, lived at Gwydr Crescent, Uplands, Swansea, and the master of the ‘Glanowen’ was Capt. Bie, but I cannot recall where he lived. Although Harries Bros. was a small firm, we were always very busy with agency work.”

Below are photos of the ‘Runnelstone’, the ‘Berystone’ and the ‘Menastone’,
all owned by Stone & Rolfe Ltd. of Swansea and Llanelly.

ss ‘Runnelstone’ in Kings Dock in the late 1930’s

ss ‘Runnelstone’ under way

The ‘Berylstone’

The ‘Menastone’

We would like to thank Dave Williams for providing us with photographs
of the ‘Berystone’, the ‘Menastone’, the ‘Bolbec’ and the ‘Glanowen’.

The Glen Hafod a local sand boat with the chain dredger David Davies in the background.

Pieter S approaching D Shed Wharf mid 1950s.

Mv Glassmaker heading for the locks in the 1960s.

Alexandra tugs guiding the Blue Funnel ship Dolius into the lock

Petrostranda in the locks ready to sail.