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A slide talk was given by John Harrison, chairman of London branch and also a Mid �Essex branch member at our October meeting. This featured ore carriers of the British Iron and Steel Corporation and its various successors. John has been working on this project for some years as time has allowed but it is now nearing its conclusion. Traditionally, ore had been imported in standard freighters, but in the early 1950�s, ships to a revolutionary new British design were used to bring iron ore to the UK. There were three main classes depending on the navigational restrictions of their intended destinations. The larger ships had engines and bridge aft and the smaller type had engines aft with bridge amidships. These were the forerunner of today�s bulk ore carrier. John described the features of these ships and their subsequent fates. These ships were owned by various consortia and chartered to BISCO, generally for ten or fifteen years. Many went on to further trade as bulk carriers under different names and nationalities with the majority lasting well into the 1980s. A few were converted for other use such as oil drilling ships, diving support vessels, chemical tankers and pipe-laying vessels. One of these pipe-laying conversions was scrapped as recently as 2001, close to fifty years old. Thank you, John, for sharing the fruits of your meticulous research. |
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