As we near the end of a very strange year we would like to think that things will get better in 2021
It's an old image but a good image, helps to remind that some have a real tough time of things at this time of year, we need to look after them.
Tuesday 22 December 2020
Thursday 3 December 2020
The New Flyer for Vol II, Leith Shipyards
Well they do say that a picture is worth a thousand words!
Saturday 17 October 2020
The Mountbatten Award for Best Book
Very happy to be able to tell you that my 1st book, Leith-Built Ships Vol., I They Once Were Shipbuilders was nominated for an award a while ago. The nomination category is for best book-maritime. Happy to say that the book is still on the list along with some very stiff competition, it is good to see the efforts to highlight the great maritime heritage of the old Port of Leith, is being recognised.
The Mountbatten Award for Best Book
https://www.maritimefoundation.uk/awards/nominations/
Sunday 11 October 2020
For model-makers-included in my new book
Leith-Built Ships, Vol. II, Leith Shipyards 1918 to 1939
I am pleased to let you know that included with the new Volume II, which forms part of my series of books on the history of the ships built at the Leith Shipyards.
You will find included many scale drawings which will be very useful for small ship modellers. The drawings can just be scaled up to reproduce a pretty close shape and size of the said ships, all from the period 1918 to 1935.
While there is no Body Plan I am sure that the capable modellers out there will find these scale General Arrangement drawings very useful.
You will also find this great 3 in 1 Document Camera from Amazon very useful.
OKIOCAM T Plus: The Unique 3-In-1 Document Camera
The above was a coaster built by Henry Robb Shipyards as Ship No 240 in 1937; she survived World War Two, being one of the many coasters used to supply cased petrol to the allies in both the North African landings and on the D-Day beaches.
She would end her days being sunk in the Suez Canal in 1979. Lochee was a tribute to her builders.
Sunday 4 October 2020
Leith Shipyards Vol II, 1918 to 1939
Very pleased to be able to tell you that the book is now being worked on by the publishers and is now available at a special pre-publication price.
This book continues the series on Leith-Built Ships, and will make a great Christmas present even if it may be available a couple of weeks after Xmas, it’s a fine way to start the New Year.
https://www.whittlespublishing.com/Leith-Built_Ships
Just quote the following promotional code at checkout, and you can purchase the book at the special price of £14.99 (plus p&p). WPLEITH2.
Look out for more information on the book soon.
Thursday 13 August 2020
Leith-Built Ships Volume 2, Leith Shipyards 1918 to 1939
Very pleased to be able to tell you that Volume 2 in the 4 book series on Leith-Built Ships will be published late 2020/early 2021, now featuring the brand new cover.
Just one of the many fine ships launched at Leith, featured in the new book.
Sunday 26 July 2020
The Loftsman Website
Hi all with any luck you will now be aware that the new website which replaces the old leithshipyards website is now well up and running. Please take some time to visit and should you have any input then don’t hesitate to get in touch. As we work along with our website partners at Lucid Media you should begin to see many improvements in the website, making it better, bigger and more informative than ever.
Monday 27 April 2020
New Shipyard shop
As the new website continues now at www.theloftsman.com
The Blog on the new website will be the main source of news from now on and this new Blog will be even better with all the news on Leith Built Ships and so much more, such as the new shipyard shop about to open over there.
Will be opening soon,
we have been working on this new concept for a wee while now, with the advent
of the virus pandemic this has presented some more unexpected challenges. No
more than anyone else has had to contend with but challenges just the same.
All under the logo
They Once Were Shipbuilders
(You will be able to
fill in the location with your own preference)
My own particular
preference was of course the Henry Robb Shipyard at Leith.
The aim of the shop
is to present the customer with unique purchases that you will not find
elsewhere. This will be a shop that will be a testament to a lost industry that
touched so many people.
The Shipyard Shop
will feature many fresh designs which cover an old concept, the concept of
building ships.
Powerful industrial
images now almost gone, but the memory lingers on, images that now sit very
well on every day things from caps, hats to t-shirts to wall coverings.
We are sure that once
the Shipyard Shop opens you will find what you are looking for, in a way that
no other shop can, as we are also from the industry, an industry that employed
so many people not only on this small island nation of ours but all around the
World.
We will feature
superb museum quality ship models covering many of the greatest ships ever to
grace the seven seas.
We feature the Ship
Beautiful above otherwise known as RMS Aquitania
Thes are not kits but
fully assembled models shipped in sturdy containers to your door and ready to
display. Some have LED lighting inside for a tremendous night-time effect.
Many of our original
designs can be personalised so that you can input your own personal favourite,
so please keep a look out for this happening, keep checking back here on the
Blog, and on the main website.
Thanks to all and
keep safe during these trying times.
They Once Were Shipbuilders
*LEITH*
We hope you like the
small taster of some of the many products that we shall soon be able to offer
on the “Brand New” Shipyard Shop.
Bear with us as I am sure we shall open this pretty soon.
Why not have a look at some of my Amazon stuff on the Blog while we wait on the shop opening, below you will find a really neat 3 in 1 Document Camera from Amazon.
Thursday 23 April 2020
Thank You NHS
As I recently posted on my main website
A mock-up of the new Hibernian home top
No further words required a picture
worth many thousands of words.
Sunday 29 March 2020
New Ships Photo Gallery
Ships Photo Gallery
As many of us struggle with this threat to life of Covid-19
(Coronavirus) we at the Loftsman website have decided to do our little bit to
help.
Starting today we shall endeavour to create a huge ships
photo library as we are aware that a great many people out there find this very
interesting. You may have someone who sailed or worked on one of the many
vessels, you may even find this part of the website of interest should you be
researching a family tree.
From classic old ships such as shown below
The library will take time to build up but it is intended
that we should have as many pictures of vessels on this part of the site that
we can manage to upload. They are doing no good being hoarded or hidden away
when many could enjoy seeing them at this very difficult time for us all.
So as you browse through the galleries please stay home and
keep safe.
You can access the ship photo page at https://www.theloftsman.com/ship-photo-s
Many types of ship will be added with some categories in a
general way while some are put on the gallery in no particular order and under
no particular heading.
You will just have to look through the many galleries to
find what you are looking for. Over time we hope to be able to add details such
as builder and size etc, but again this will take time, so keep checking back.
If you think you could help by adding your own photographs to the site them
please contact Ron@theloftsman.com
Both old and new ships will be added over time.
Thursday 30 January 2020
New website - theloftsman
As promised a brand new website to include some of the original and now some of the new.
Check it out at theloftsman.com
https://www.theloftsman.com/
For all things ships and shipbuilding at Leith.
You can now also contact me at
Ron@theloftsman.com
Please use this email to send comments and stories about the Leith Shipyards, along with any photographs you may wish to see on the website or perhaps even in one of my books in the Leith-Built Ships series.
The website and this Blog now have some wonderful goods from Amazon the worlds largest market place for all your goods, trusted and complete with guarantees, goods that you may well find very useful such as this 3 in 1 Document Camera from Amazon.
OKIOCAM T Plus: The Unique 3-In-1 Document Camera
Saturday 18 January 2020
Book Launch at Leith
Official book launch at Leith
Very pleased to annonce that their will be an official book launch for the new book about the shipyards of Leith.
Leith-Built Ships Vol I will be featured at a signing event at the Leith Theatre this 31st Jan 2020
Wednesday 1 January 2020
HAPPY & PROSPEROUS 2020 TO ALL
A busy scene at the
Leith Shipyards of Robb Caledon sometime around 1976
Well 2020 it is then,
bloody miracle if you ask me, puts me in mind of an old Jager & Evens song
“In the year 2525, if man is still alive”
Perhaps someone will
change the year around to show 2020 but I digress, I have been asked a few
questions many times about plans for 2020
I shall endeavour to
answer below, always a wee bit reluctant to make plans set in stone as we all
know what happens to plans (Ask around in any shipyard and you will find out,
but we will not mention anything about what has really happened with the two
Cal-Mac ferries being built or not built at Ferguson’s yard on the Clyde)
Will there be a new
website in 2020 – Most definitely, although it will take a slightly different
format as this website will also feature the many books that I have on the go
right now both Non-Fiction such as the recently published Leith-Built Ships
Vol. I
I have Fiction books
starting with a trilogy about two young shipwrights from Leith,
full of madcap adventures. Set around actual ships built at Leith
in the late 18th century, that I am writing with the first two books
finished but as yet unpublished.
The new website will
also in time feature a very large library of ships photographs.
Will Volume II of
Leith-Built Ships be published in 2020 – Most definitely although still to be
confirmed with the publishers, but this book is 99% complete and almost ready
to go, with Volume III well on as well it could be an exciting year on the
publishing front to feature more on the almost forgotten shipbuilding and
maritime heritage of the old port.
There is a lot more
in the pipeline but as ever I don’t count my chickens before they are hatched.
Remember the first
book is now out and can be purchased from most good bookshops, for anyone
overseas the publishers can post to anywhere.
or it can be
purchased from Amazon at the following link
So for now it is on
to 2020 may it be a good one for all.
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