Expensive Grounding in the Solent

From our reporter on the spot Anni Ruecroft (Wightlink Steward)

The Car Carrier Hoegh Osaka on her Starboard side seen here last week aground in the Solent
photo by Anni Ruecroft

This is the Hoegh Osaka car carrier.
She developed a severe list very shortly after leaving Southampton on January 3rd and was deliberately grounded by her Southampton pilot on the Bramble bank just off Cowes as she was in imminent danger of capsizing.
She refloated herself a couple of days later and is currently being held firm(ish) by tugs until the weather improves.
This is an incredibly unusual sight in the Solent and nothing like this has ever happened here in my lifetime.
Happy to report that all crew were safely evacuated by local lifeboat and coastguard helicopter.
She is carrying 30 million pounds worth of BMW's, Mini's, Land Rovers and construction vehicles such as diggers.
Thankfully there has been no pollution so far but one of the tugs did crash into it in yesterday's high winds.
I thought I would share this as it's very unusual here.

This is the Hoegh Osaka car carrier.

She developed a severe list very shortly after leaving Southampton on January 3rd and was deliberately grounded by her Southampton pilot on the Bramble bank just off Cowes as she was in imminent danger of capsizing.

She refloated herself a couple of days later and is currently being held firm(ish) by tugs until the weather improves.

This is an incredibly unusual sight in the Solent and nothing like this has ever happened here in my lifetime.

Happy to report that all crew were safely evacuated by local lifeboat and coastguard helicopter.

She is carrying 30 million pounds worth of BMW's, Mini's, Land Rovers and construction vehicles such as diggers.

Thankfully there has been no pollution so far but one of the tugs did crash into it in yesterday's high winds.

I thought I would share this as it's very unusual here.

For more on the story see the BBC Website at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-30673439

More on ST HELEN

The WightLink Ferry ST HELEN seen here about a week ago in Portsmouth
photograph is copyright by Anni Ruecroft and shown here by permission



We now have a whole lot more information on the two St Class ships built at the Leith Shipyards of Henry Robb Ltd and these two fine ships where the last of a very long line of ships built at Leith in Scotland.
Thanks to Anni Ruecroft (Senior Steward) who began her working life with WightLink and started out working on the  ST HELEN is a mind full of information on the two ships and we will be featuring her story of working on the ships along with many great never see before photographs so please keep checking back on the website for further information and videos of the last ships built at Leith.

Update on ST HELEN

The ferry ST HELEN Ship No 535 turning on her own length as she had Fore and Aft props
seen in this photograph  by Tim Webb and shown on shipsnostalgia website first)

The final ship built and launched at the Leith Shipyards of Henry Robb in September 1983 and handed over 6 months later just before the shipyard was to close its gates for the last time, is about to reach the end of her career working in the South of England as we here that she is to be retired in a couple of weeks time bringing an end to a working life as a ferry used by many on her trips across the Solent.

At the time of writing we don’t know what her eventual fate will be, will she be scrapped or can a buyer be found for her just as her sister ship the ST CATHERINE has found a new lease of life working in the sunshine as a ferry out of Corsica/Sardinia.

Should further news about the ST HELEN be known we hope to bring you the news here first on the Blog and you can of course find out more about the last ship built in Leith on the website? 

Best wishes for 2015

To all our readers we wish the best for 2015 and thank you all for your support and interest, look out for much more news in the year to come with lots of interesting articles on this Blog and on the website at www.leithshipyards.com

MOD may now build Royal Navy ships overseas

Shipbuilding and Politics such unlikely and poor partners as ever, unless there is a war looming of course.

And so it begins with this latest story from the Scotsman newspaper, everyone knows that they can be got cheaper by buying overseas, just ask the Australian Navy (but don't mention the problems and cost over runs) they could even just buy a finished hull and tow  it to a U.K. yard for outfitting and weapons platform fitting but at what cost to this Island Nation which was built on ships and shipbuilding.
For more on this stupid story read here

 It is also not new as they (MOD) have already gone to South Korea for the build of three fleet tankers for the RFA as there is no longer the capacity or expertise to build vessels such as this any more in the U.K. (There words not mine)

850,000 Poppy's each one a life lost

We should never forget

 

Each ceramic poppy represents a life lost in World War I

We should be able to learn from History

 

 

The Arctic Convoys to Russia

 

 

 

 

The Arctic Convoys

 

As we approach the annual remembrance day ceremonies Worldwide (November 11^th) It is poignant at this time that some of the brave or should I say very brave sailors who were allocated to run the gauntlet of voyages from the U.K. to the Northern ports of Russia during the Second World War are at long last to receive some recognition some 70 years after they faced some of the harshest conditions of anyone who spent there wartime experiences at sea.

 

Dozens of veterans who braved freezing conditions to maintain a lifeline between the Soviet Union and the west during the Second World War will finally be honoured at a medal-giving ceremony today.

The Arctic convoys boasted crews of British and other allied navies who sailed vital supplies to soldiers battling against Hitler in the Eastern Front.

Fleets of merchant vessels were flanked by Royal Navy warships and dozens were lost as they were attacked from the air and sea.

The are to be honoured by the Russians at a ceremony which will see so few of the brave still left.

For more on the story from the local Edinburgh Evening News