New Zealand Cement Carriers-update

GOLDEN BAY departing Wellington, New Zealand
(Photograph is courtesy of the Fletcher challenge Trust Archive)

The Leith Shipyards of Henry Robb were to build a total of three Cement Carriers for work in New Zealand and these highly specialised ships were a common sight around the caost of New Zealand for many years.

A fourth ship was also built for New Zealand although this ship was built at the Dundee yard of what was then know as Robb Caledon following the takeover of the old Dundee yard by Henry Robb shipbuilders in 1968

All were to work for the Golden Bay cement company which was eventually taken over by Fletcher Challenge

One of the ships engineers Tony Skilton who sailed on all four of the vessels has been helping the archivists at Fletcher Challenge Trust to identify some of the many photographs which have been uncovered and with the kind help of Dorothy there at the trust they have found many old photographs of the three vessels built at the Leith Shipyards of Henry Robb

The original GOLDEN BAY Ship No 430 built and launched in 1953

The JOHN WILSON Ship No 478 built and launched in 1961 and

The Diesel Electric Vessel LIGAR BAY Ship No 488 built and launched in 1964

The Leith Shipyards website is pleased to be able to show the new photographs found and would like to thank Engineer Tony Skilton and the staff at the Fletcher Challenge Trust Archives (in particular Dorothy) for there time and help and of course for the permission to show them on the Leith Shipyards website.

M.V. GOLDEN BAY

M.V.GOLDEN BAY

Ship No 430

The motor vessel GOLDEN BAY was an order from New Zealand for the Golden Bay Cement Co of Wellington N.Z.

She was designed and built to carry bulk cement and as such she was the first of her design to carry out her work self-discharging her cement cargo in New Zealand waters.

With her twin screws driving her through all types of weather she plied her trade in New Zealand waters up until 1982. She was 1659 tons with a length of 230 feet and a beam of 42 feet along with a design draught of 18 feet.

She was launched from the Henry Robb shipyard on 27th of August 1953.

Another of the special ships built at the yard, the Golden Bay in fact required more power to run her discharging equipment than it took to power the vessel through the water.

(thanks to Tony Skilton ex-Chief Engineer M.V. Golden Bay for some of the above info.)


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