Ardrossan Waterfront

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Hughie
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Ardrossan Waterfront

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Kilmarnock Herald and Ayrshire Gazette
August 1, 1947

Ardrossan Waterfront

Berthed, almost unnoticed in a corner of the basin this week was a small insignificant looking craft of the trawler type. Barely decipherable on her bows was the name "Recruit" but, as I was soon to learn she was no "rooky" so far as her job was concerned. My interest was aroused by some 40 or 50 metal barrels on deck and casuai enquiry elicited the information that they were containers for shark's oil.

Shark's oil? Yes, that's what I wondered too! Little did i know that daily, within the confines of the Firth of Clyde, adventures that would make any boy's eyes pop out, were going on. Shark hunting-harpooning---being towed along in a 30 foot boat by a 30 foot monster -such were the tales I listened to as I chatted with member's of the "Recruit's" crew.

Based at Carradale on the Kintyre coast, the job of the "Recruit" is to catch basking sharks and from them extract oil. There are two 30 foot boats fitted with harpoon guns, the "Perseverance" and the "Paragon" and it is their function to do the actual catching of the sharks. They cruise around till the quarry is spotted then sail alongside. The harpoon is shot at point blank range into the shark's back behind the fin. Then the fun starts.

For half-an-hour — maybe longer--the shark tows the boat around, and losing blood all the time, it eventually weakens sufficiently to be brought alongside. The danger now is from the lashing tail which is the most powerful part of the fish. Once the tail is lassooed, however, the shark is helpless and it is then transferred to "Recruit" which has meantime been following at a discreet distance. There sharp knives get to work, the liver is removed and put into a boiler where the oil is extracted and eventually drained off into special storage tanks for'ard. From the liver of one shark an average of 100 gallons of oil is obtained while a large specimen may yield up to 160 gallons.

The final use to which the oil is put appears to be a hush hush affair. When the "Recruit" arrived at Ardrossan this week she had both her storage tanks full to capacity. some 2,000 gallons. This would be pumped into barrels and conveyed by rail to Coast Lines' berth at Glasgow docks; from there on it is a case of destination unknown. The "Recruit's crew, six in number, are from the Banffshire coast and they had some interesting side-lights to tell on basking sharks. The skipper tells me they caught seven last week and ten the week before. Among them was a full-grown male the first to be caught in the Clyde-which was nearly 30 feet long and when lying on its side was about 6 feet from the deck.

They are the cleanest fish in the sea-they are not man. eaters, nor are they even fish. eaters their food consists solely of "plankton," that reddish substance on which herring feed and the skipper knows, he has cut up and opened the stomach of many a one. One thing appealed to my fancy or should I say my hunger. A steak from the tail is practically indistinguishable from a beef-steak and makes a fine meal-so, if basic rations are getting you down, why not go and catch yourself a basking shark?- but should you go in a small boat, here's a warning. If the shark happens to be jumping, keep clear! It won't ea: you—but you'd have to be a heck of a good swimmer!

Discharging scrap from Belfast the "Saint Oran" looked what she is just an ordinary dirty little coaster, but it's not so long ago since she was one of the best equipped ships in the port. Fitted with the latest in patent winches and other gear, she was engaged during the war cable laying as part of the Clyde's anti submarine measures. At that time she came under the Admiralty though her crew were of the merchant navy. A number of local men served on her-Pat Tracy, Johnnie McGoogan and others; some who afterwards gave their lives-McCubbin, and Dodds, etc.

Her skipper Captain McLeod, held the rank of lieutenant commander. Chief engineer John Stewart, of Belfast, was and still is elsewhere."a very capable man." "He kept the finest engine-room that came into the dock" said my informant," and look at the terrible comparison now-a derelict!" However, derelict or no, she is doing good work yet and you can't keep your hands clean if your doing dirty work!

Announcements in the daily press this week that the Arctic supply vessel "Nascopie" was aground off Baffin Island recall to mind that this ship used to sail! on her Arctic trips from Ardrossan with her crew comprised, for the most part, of local men. At that time the Hudson Bay Company, who own her, had a depot in Ardrossan and in the recent Centenary Exhibition they had a model of her on display. Of the Ardrossan men who sailed on her many are still going about. I was in conversation with one of them, Sandy Morrison, the other night.

Sandy's sailing days are over only just-but his connection with shipping remains as he is at present night watchman on the Belfast steamer "Laird's Isle." Like many of his kind, Sandy could fill a book, never mind a column, with his experiences, but he's not one that talks much and many thrilling episodes are perforce locked and no doubt cherished in his memory. One thing I know is that Sandy played his part in the Merchant Navy throughout the war. He was on board the Ardrossan built "Dorset Coast" when she was bombed and sunk in Alglers Harbour, being the last man to leave the doomed vessel. However, I'd better leave Sandy alone now or I'll be getting my head knocked off next time I meet him-and, unless he has changed a lot from his younger days, Sandy is just the boy who could do it!
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Ardrossan Waterfront - 1937

Post by Hughie »

Kilmarnock Herald & Ayrshire Gazette

Ardrossan Waterfront

First man I spoke to was Jimmy Reid, mate of the "Karrier," one of those one-funnelled little craft so common on the Firth of Clyde. Jimmy is a Saltcoats fellow, and a most sociable one at that like most of the blokes who hail frae this sea-side town. The, "Karrier" is aptly named she is a fish carrying boat and since the middle of May has been sailing daily to and from Loch Fyne on such business. She leaves Ardrossan between 3 and 4 o'clock in the afternoon and arrives at Loch Fyne six hours later.

On her arrival at the fishing grounds she goes round the fleet gathered there and buys up catches. A sort of market at sea. This work needs no little skill and experience as great care must be taken so as not to foul any of the nets belonging to the various boats. After loading up it is full steam back to Ardrossan -the home port being reached about five o'clock the next morning, a full cargo of herring on board all boxed and ready for the Glasgow and other markets.
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Twenty years later, around 1957, my pal Billy (Cockie) Adams and I helped unload a trawler or two in Eglinton Dock. The catch at that time was mainly Haddock and a few Cod. The crew were pretty anxious to get into the mini bus waiting on the wharf to get home. So, in gratitude they rewarded us with enough fish to take home. My dad like most locals who came through the depression was brilliant at gutting fish. :D

The above newspaper story triggered that wee memory for me. Just wondering, is there any herring left?
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Re: Ardrossan Waterfront

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Kilmarnock Herald and Ayrshire Gazette
August 12, 1949

Ardrossan Waterfront

After colliding with the dock: side when she was in harbour on Saturday, the Glen Sannox went up the Clyde to Port Glasgow to have repair work carried out on her hull. Thus at the peak period there is one vessel less to cope with the traffic now keeping Ardrossan fairly busy.

Activity in the harbour is constant and scrap continues to be the main cargo. Slowly but steadily Ardrossan is making a name for itself as a scrap handling port. According to an official of the Harbour Company, the grab type of crane which is extensively used in scrap discharging is a very much better method than the one adopted at Grangemouth, Bo'ness and other East Coast ports where the pan method of discharging scrap is used. There is now little doubt about the quicker and therefore much more economic grabs being most advantageous. Indeed it is proving a worthwhile point at Ardrossan, for with Rotterdam now being used as a point for loading scrap from the Ruhr. speedy handling of ships coming into the harbour resulting in a quicker turn round is important

Perhaps it would be too much to hope for, but the efficiency reached in the discharging of the Dione recently should be aimed at all the time. In this instance, 2,933 tons of iron ore were taken off the Dione in two days. From all viewpoints, that is a workmanlike feat, and it says a lot for the men who were on the job.

Another testimony to the "buz" at the harbour is the official figure of 5,000 people embarking or disembarking in one hour. Of course, that was really a rush spell, but it demonstrated what can be done. Then, again, the summer season doesn't last all the year round. As winter approaches, so the passenger lists decrease, then one day we shall see only a trickle at Winton and Montgomerie Piers.

Work is proceeding steadily on the new dockgates, and though there will not be ready for some considerable time the builders are getting on with the job as fast as they can.

Nobody can know the facts of the organisation which caters for the Arran traffic without sympathising with the people who use this service. Of late there has been an unfortunate series of events which have exasperated quite a few people and raised tempers generally. Trouble is, of course, that there is limited shipping, and the Glasgow rush just overtaxed the resources available, and the result was that some aspects of the service were seized on by angry travellers and declared inefficient.

On Monday the Marchioness of Graham was storm-bound at Ayr, so that she was unable to take over the runs from Ardrossan normally made by the Glen Sannox (prior to her argument with the pier on Saturday). The Marchioness has been on the pleasure sailings from Ayr, but the cancellation of these was over shadowed by the folk who were stranded in Arran through the inability of the Marchioness to make the crossing. At Ardrossan too, there were many long faces when the information got round of the Marchioness's harbour hugging at Ayr. These unfortunates had to wait at Winton Pier from early in the morning to something near 6 in the evening

In the Dockyard, with the Lurio off the slip, the area seems somewhat deserted. However, is the way in the shipyards, progress is being made, though maybe not in spectacular fashion The fitting out of the Lurio is going ahead, with machinery and other equipment lying at the ready for the day when they are to be put on board.

Another cattle cargo ship is being built for McBraynes, but she is still a long way off as far as time goes. Conversion work is being carried out on the Meath No that she will sail now as an oil-burning vessel. That will be about the end of the month, so that the conversion from coal will altogether have taken about three months.

There is also a new ship for the Halal Shipping Co, on the frames. In the drydock, the St Mungo is being given a thorough overhaul. Owned by the Thomas Heaton firm of Dublin, St Mungo is not much to look at, but like most of these coaster types, gets through the work satisfactorily.

Steel continues to be in short supply in the yard, despite the fact that British steelworks are producing more steel than ever they did before Exports are again to blame for this shortage. Harbour Company employees who want to see how the steel makers are faring in their nonstop production efforts should take advantage of the offer of free transport to Colvilles Glengarnock Mills on the 24th of this month. A bus lond have already been this spectacle, and when they arrived back on Wednesday night had plenty to talk about.

Without attempting to scare any of you, it is apparent that the dangers from floating mines are still with us. Last Friday one was picked up in a fishing net off the Arran shore. It was taken in tow by fishermen and arrangements were made for it to be destroyed by gunfire from a 'destroyer which had come down from Garelochhead.
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