Calling all British Post-War Merchant Marine fans

[Caravellarella]

Dear Boys & Girls, in case my current topics

http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/vi ... 51&t=43638

http://www.shipmodels.info/mws_forum/vi ... 51&t=43656

are stultifyingly boring, here is a new topic on British Merchant Ships instead......

Let me start with my favourite British merchant ship design; the fabulous Glenlyon class of 1962/63. Glen Line Ltd (Glen & Shire Line) needed a new class of high-speed ships to modernise and remain competitive with new Japanese (Nippon Yusen Kaisha�s Y class and K class) and Scottish (Ben Lines� Benloyal class) ships on the London/East Coast to Far East routes. Designed by Harry Flett of the parent company Blue Funnel Line, the Glenlyon class are often considered to be the ultimate British break-bulk motorship design. They had bulbous bows, a high-speed hull-form and were powered by a 18,000bhp Sulzer diesel engine which allowed a minimum 21 knot speed with the reserves to go to 24 knots to maintain schedules.

Here is the first to be completed, the Scottish-built M.V. Glenogle of 1962......

M.V. Glenogle (i), � Glen Line Ltd.

M.V. Glenogle (ii), � Glen Line Ltd.

M.V. Glenogle (iii), � Jim Prentice.

M.V. GLENOGLE; first to be completed in a class of four motorships, Glenogle, Glenlyon, Flintshire and Glenfalloch.

Builder � Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. Ltd, Glasgow. Yard N�. 812.
IMO 5132078
Laid down � unknown.
Launched - 3rd May 1962.
Service (Glen Line) 19th October 1962 to 30th September 1977.

Length 165.75 metres, breadth 22.77 metres. 11,918Grt.


Hopefully these will inspire one of you modelmakers out there......

Terry (Caravellarella)

[Cliffy B]

What's that in the water in the upper right of the 3rd ship? Almost looks like a shell splash?!

[Caravellarella]

Dear CliffyB, I have been told the object is a small lighthouse or beacon on a rock in Scotland (Firth of Forth?).

Here is the name-ship of this class; the Dutch built M.V. Glenlyon......

M.V. Glenlyon (ii), � John Clarkson.

M.V. Glenlyon (iii), � unknown.

M.V. Glenlyon (iv), � World Ship Society.

M.V. GLENLYON; name-ship of a class of four motorships, Glenogle, Glenlyon, Flintshire and Glenfalloch.

Builder � Nederlandsche Dok en Scheepsbouw Maatschappij VOF, Amsterdam. Yard N�. 510.
IMO 5132028
Laid down � unknown.
Launched - 17th March 1962.
Service (Glen Line) 19th October 1962 to October 1976.

Length 165.75 metres, breadth 22.77 metres. 11,918Grt.


Terry (Caravellarella)

[Caravellarella]

Other members of the Glenlyon class......

M.V. Glenfalloch (i), � unknown.

M.V. GLENFALLOCH; last in a class of four motorships, Glenogle, Glenlyon, Flintshire and Glenfalloch.

Builder � Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. Ltd, Glasgow. Yard N�. 813.
IMO 5404550
Laid down � unknown.
Launched 3rd July 1962.
Service (Glen Line) 26th November 1963 to October 1976.

Length 165.75 metres, breadth 22.77 metres. 11,918Grt.

M.V. Flintshire (ii), � John Clarkson.

M.V. FLINTSHIRE; one of a class of four motorships, Glenogle, Glenlyon, Flintshire and Glenfalloch.

Builder � N.V. C. van der Giessen Scheepswerven, Krimpen. Yard N�. 809.
IMO 5116385
Laid down � unknown.
Launched - 18th June 1962.
Service (Glen Line) 12th December 1962 to 1977.

Length 165.75 metres, breadth 22.77 metres. 11,926Grt.


Terry (Caravellarella)

[Caravellarella]

Here is a P&O steamship that I like, the S.S. Patonga of 1953. She was larger than the normal P&O cargoship and doesn't really look like a P&O ship either. She looks much more like a British India Steam Navigation or New Zealand Line/Federal Line ship (all P&O subsidiaries)......

S.S. Patonga (i), � unknown.

S.S. Patonga (iv), John G. Callis postcard.

S.S. Patonga (iii), � unknown.

S.S. PATONGA; a one-off reefer steamship built for P&O�s London � Australia route. Named for the coastal village in New South Wales, Australia. She was renamed STRATHLAUDER on 28th May 1975.

Builder � Alexander Stephen and Sons Ltd, Glasgow. Yard N�. 637.
IMO 5271630
Ordered - May 1946.
Laid down - February 1947.
Launched -11th August 1953.
Service (P&O) 7th December 1953 to 19th September 1977.

Length 152.3 metres, breadth 19.7 metres. 10,071Grt.


Terry (Caravellarella)

[Caravellarella]

Some more pictures of S.S. Patonga......

in her original P&O livery......

S.S. Patonga (v), � unknown.

in post-1971 P&O livery, with a blue & white funnel......

S.S. Patonga (viii), � J. K. Byass.

S.S. PATONGA; a one-off reefer steamship built for P&O�s London � Australia route. Named for the coastal village in New South Wales, Australia. She was renamed Strathlauder on 28th May 1975.

Builder � Alexander Stephen and Sons Ltd, Glasgow. Yard N�. 637.
IMO 5271630
Ordered - May 1946.
Laid down - February 1947.
Launched -11th August 1953.
Service (P&O) 7th December 1953 to 19th September 1977.

Length 152.3 metres, breadth 19.7 metres. 10,071Grt.


Terry (Caravellarella)

[Caravellarella]

Here is a more typical P&O ship from the mid 1950s; M.V. Salmara......

M.V. Salmara (i), � unknown.

M.V. SALMARA; one of a class of two motorships for the London-India/Far East route, Salmara and Salsette. Named for a town in Bihar State in India, she transferred to a subsidiary as ARAKAWA of Eastern & Australian Steamship Co. Ltd in September 1966, and then to another as TEESTA of British India Steam Navigation Co. Ltd in October 1971. She returned to the parent company P&O in April 1973 and was renamed STRATHLOYAL in 1977.

Builder � John Brown and Company (Clydebank) Ltd. Yard N�. 687.
IMO 5307922
Launched - 25th June 1956.
Service (P&O Group) 15th November 1958 to January 1978.

Length 152.3 metres, breadth 19.7 metres. 8,199Grt.


Terry (Caravellarella)

[Pieter]

Hi Terry, we seem to share some favorite designs. Glenlyon was built about one klick from where I'm writing this and she is on my 'to do' list. If I ever finish Tjisaroea and Tjisadane that is. However, the Glenlyon class did have a high speed hull form but according to the launch picture of Glenogle in More Miniature Merchant Ships by John Bowen they did not have the big bulbous bows which were in fashion at the time but rather a more subtle widening forefoot, like the bow of the New Jersey class battleships.
[quote="Caravellarella"]Dear Boys & Girls, in case my current topics

They had bulbous bows, a high-speed hull-form and were powered by a 18,000bhp Sulzer diesel engine which allowed a minimum 21 knot speed with the reserves to go to 24 knots to maintain schedules.

[Caravellarella]

Thank you Pieter, I suppose the term "bulbous bow" was valid for 1962 in comparison to the usual bow forms of the time. Look forward to seeing your Tjisaroea and Tjisadane. Do you know where I can get plans for a Glenlyon class motorship? The drawings in the Bowen book aren't really suitable for anything bigger than 1/1200 scale......

Here's another image of M.V. Glenlyon for you......

M.V. Glenlyon (i), � Glen Line Ltd.

M.V. GLENLYON; name-ship of a class of four motorships, Glenogle, Glenlyon, Flintshire and Glenfalloch.

Builder � Nederlandsche Dok en Scheepsbouw Maatschappij VOF, Amsterdam. Yard N�. 510.
IMO 5132028
Laid down � unknown.
Launched - 17th March 1962.
Service (Glen Line) 19th October 1962 to October 1976.

Length 165.75 metres, breadth 22.77 metres. 11,918Grt.


Terry (Caravellarella)

[Pieter]

Bowen's drawings are good enough for 1/700 WL I think so I did not do much research myself. All three yards have ceased to exist. Model Shipwright (Conway?) may have some info concerning Fairfield's. NDSM closed in 1982 and NDSM's archives are currently with the Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum in Amsterdam. This will be closed until at least the summer of 2011. Van der Giessen - De Noord closed in 2003 and was bought up by SBM-Offshore. I'm not sure about the whereabouts of the old drawings archive. Maybe try to contact SBM directly?

[Pieter]

BTW, here's a small teaser for a project I've started recently based on drawings by H.A.Willemsen.
Kloosterkerk (no817) was built in 1964 to a very similar specification as Flintshire at the same yard but with a rather different design team (KNSM's technical bureau which designed all ships of the VNS). Their designs for VNS looked like yachts, not like freight liners. It seems that in the 1960's shipowner still had enough freedom from the shareholders en the economists to be able to afford different design styles.

[Caravellarella]

Dear Pieter, can't wait to see your Kloosterkerk model finished. I'm a big fan of this generation of fast motorship cargoliners......

M.V. Flintshire 3; � Glen Line Ltd.

M.V. FLINTSHIRE; one of a class of four motorships, Glenogle, Glenlyon, Flintshire and Glenfalloch.

Builder � N.V. C. van der Giessen Scheepswerven, Krimpen. Yard N�. 809.
IMO 5116385
Laid down � unknown.
Launched - 18th June 1962.
Service (Glen Line) 12th December 1962 to 1977.

Length 165.75 metres, breadth 22.77 metres. 11,926Grt.

M.V. Glenfalloch; � unknown.

M.V. GLENFALLOCH; last a class of four motorships, Glenogle, Glenlyon, Flintshire and Glenfalloch.

Builder � Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. Ltd, Glasgow. Yard N�. 813.
IMO 5404550
Laid down � unknown.
Launched 3rd July 1962.
Service (Glen Line) 26th November 1963 to October 1976.

Length 165.75 metres, breadth 22.77 metres. 11,918Grt.


Terry (Caravellarella)

[Pieter]

Last week I finally managed to spend an afternoon at the Rotterdam maritime museum library. I ran across some small (1/500 ish) GA drawings made by the NDSM shipyard in the magazine 'Schip en Werf" as well as some pictures. I copied and scanned these pictures bit I don't think I can post them here due to copyright restrictions. So I used them along with the Bowen plans and Terry's pictures for making a pen and ink artist impression of Glenlyon . I tried to show the beauty of this early high speed hull and not so much the deck details. Anyone serious about doing a Glenlyon can contact me and we should be able to work something out.

[Pieter]

By going to http://beeldbank.amsterdam.nl and putting 'glenlyon' in the search box ('Zoeken') you can find a nice picture of Glenlyon at launch. Pictures from the beeldbank can be scaled and navigated using arrow in the picture. These are not public domain pictures, all rights are with the Amsterdam city archives.

[Neptune]

Well actually the shipowners aren't really the problem. Back in those days, shipowners really sought for the "ideal" solution, the market was quite stable and ships were going on certain trades. Nowadays everybody buys the cheap Korean designs, so everybody has the same ships, yet the cargo requirements are very differing around the world, with a very volatile market. Instead of having optimal solutions, half the ships are sailing half loaded (burning still the same amount of fuel than fully loaded) and are doing operations for which they were never designed, so far for economic solutions. I can't really imagine that to be economically sound, as the one-time cheapness of the ship can't cope up with the losses caused by half cargoes and uneconomic hull designs. That is of course considering the long term life of the ship. Nowadays it looks like those ships won't really last for 20 years...

Nice pictures Terry, thank you for those! Pieter, I can't wait to see your ship advancing!

[Pieter]

Kloosterkerk/koudekerk is now down in priority to 1. Work and 2. Straat Clarence/Clement but she'll be finished this year I think.
Two times Straat Clarence

[Neptune]

Quite complicated superstructure as well as deck fittings in this scale! And they say I'm nuts with my gas carriers??? Good luck with this one Pieter!

[Pieter]

The bulwark support structures are actually very simple. Two bar railing from an old Tom's Modelworks set glued to the styrene bulwarks. Krystal Klear painted on the stanchions from the supports as it builds up at the verticals. I've now painted theme in chrome yellow and dry brushed with dark gray to bring out the 'stanchions'. Including painting it took me about 1,5 hrs for the whole ship.

bulwarks1.JPG (79.64 KiB) Viewed 5750 times

[NicoRos]

Good news for collectors of post WWII professional models of merchant ships.

Glenlyon.jpg

[Caravellarella]

S.S. Glenaffric; a Blue Funnel Line steamship in Glen Line service......

S.S. Glenaffric; provenance & � unknown......

S.S. GLENAFFRIC; a steamship built for OCEAN STEAM SHIP COMPANY LTD (BLUE FUNNEL LINE) as Nestor and transferred to subsidiary GLEN LINE as Glenaffric in 1968.

Builder � Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering, Dundee. Yard N�. 485.
IMO 5249596
Laid Down � unknown.
Launched � 23rd May 1952.
Service (Glen Line) December 1968 to 1972.

Length 149.1 metres, breadth 19.6 metres. 7,802Grt.


Terry (Caravellarella)