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Geordie E-Zine #103 Sunday, 16 November 2003 |
Welcome to the 103rd Geordie E-Zine. I have some photos of the first American ship from the Ghost Fleet arriving at Teesside for you, but first of all I just have to say this:-
The first two ships of the Ghost Fleet have arrived on the River Tees at the Able UK yard at Graythorp. The above photo is of the first to arrive, the USS Caloosahatchee (AO 98). The Caloosahatchee (named after a river in Florida) was launched 2 June 1945 by Bethlehem-Sparrows Point Shipyard Inc.
A court order prevents Able UK from beginning dismantling work on the ships. The project has met with strong opposition from Hartlepool authorities, local residents and environmental groups. A judge will begin hearing legal challenges to the dismantling on 8th December, until then the Environment Agency has said it will be making regular checks on the vessels to make sure no dismantling takes place.
The Caloosahatchee at Able UK, Graythorp, Teesside (12 November 2003)
The second ship, USS Canisteo AO 99, a 10,700 tonne refuelling tanker, arrived at Able's yard at Graythorp on Thursday, 13th November. Dave Robinson took photos of the Canisteo arriving at Teesside - See: Arrival of the second 'Ghost Ship' Canisteo on the Tees - 13 November 2003.
Two other ships — the 1965-vintage submarine tender Canopus and the 50-year-old cargo ship Compass Island are still being towed toward Britain, it seems however, there was a little contretemps with a Portuguese warship! Navy spokesman Gouveia Melo said a tug towing the two controversial ships, feared to contain dangerous residues, strayed six nautical miles inside Portuguese waters around the mid-Atlantic Azores Islands. The captain of the Portuguese warship instructed the tug captain to leave Portuguese territorial waters immediately. Warship Forces Ghost Fleet Out of Portuguese Waters [The Scotsman - 12 November 2003]
The Ghost Fleet is maintained by the Maritime Administration, which falls under the Transportation Department in America. The agency has to meet a September 2006 deadline for disposing of the obsolete ships. The Santa Elena, a 1967-vintage cargo ship, was the fifth ship to leave the fleet since last month for Brownsville, Texas. Twenty-three others have been removed or are scheduled to be removed. Fifth 'Ghost Fleet' ship heads to Texas [Richmond Times Dispatch - 30 October 2003] The sixth ship to leave the James River Reserve Fleet was another 1945-vintage cargo ship, the Marine Fiddler and is to be dismantled at the Bay Bridge Enterprises in Chesapeake.
Hartlepool MP Peter Mandelson has lashed out at Friends of the Earth and accused them of spreading 'falsehoods' about the ghost ships. Mr Mandelson asked to see the ships after a House of Commons select committee asked him to appear at a hearing next week to discuss the detail surrounding the affair. The UK environment secretary, Margaret Beckett said last week "The Government agrees that the law requires the ships to be returned to the US." So, will they be returned or not? Apparently the ships were inspected in America and were assessed as seaworthy for their outward voyage to the UK, but there is some doubt if they are seaworthy enough to go back!! I don't know about you, but I had always thought that seaworthiness was omni-directional!
I thought I would check the definition of seaworthy in the concise Oxford dictionary, it says "in a fit state to put to sea, strong and well rigged." So, just last month at the beginning of October, these 50-year-old vessels were "strong and well rigged" but now, they are not??!! Apparently, prevailing winds from North America to the UK might make it harder for the vessels to return.
Have Friends of the Earth been scare-mongering as Mr Mandelson would have us believe? What exactly is on board the 13 vessels earmarked for Teesside? According to information on the BBC website, the 13 ships collectively have a total of 1402 tonnes of asbestos (fire proofing in the walls and floors); 698 tonnes of PCBs (mainly in wiring and circuitry); 14 tonnes of other electronic components, 650kg of biohazard; 345kg of ozone depleting substances; 8.8kg of mercury (in strip lighting); unknown quantities of cadmium, chromium and lead based paints. Hazardous materials on board the thirteen toxic ships [BBC - 10 November 2003]
I suppose the dangers of asbestos are well documented, but I have to admit that I don't know very much about PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) so I thought I would find out. An article I was reading in New Scientist magazine about the Ghost Ships called PCBs "gender-bending chemicals." Toxic US ghost ships should 'go home' [NewScientist.com - 6 November 2003]
Gender-bending chemicals!! I found this article written by Sharon Bricker about the James River in Virginia - which is the home of the Ghost Fleet. Gender-bender chemicals pollute the James and UK rivers. PCBs do not readily break down in the environment and thus may remain there for very long periods of time. PCBs can travel long distances in the air and be deposited in areas far away from where they were released. Worry on 'gender-bender' tests [BBC - 20 August 1999]
Meanwhile in Britain .... The Ministry of Defence is selling its own "ghost fleet" of unwanted ships to countries without the facilities to deal with the toxic substances on board - apparently in breach of international law. Representatives of a Turkish yard which breaks up unwanted ships on a beach 30 miles south of Izmir were in London earlier this week tendering to buy HMS Intrepid, a 12,000-tonne Falklands war veteran built in 1967 on the Clyde, which contains 40 tonnes of asbestos. Importing ships containing asbestos for scrapping is illegal under Turkish law.
Two years ago two other ships, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tankers Olwen and the Olna, built in 1965 and 1966, were sent to Turkey to be scrapped. The Turkish environment ministry turned back the ships as it was illegal to import hazardous waste in the form of asbestos and PCBs. The ships, then under a British flag, were sailed to Greece, registered under different names, the Kea and the Kos, and transferred to the Comoros, a flag of convenience. They were then sailed to Alang in India, where ships are beached and broken up by hand by workers with no access to protective clothing or face masks.
Exporting ships from developed countries to developing countries without removing all contaminants first is illegal under the Basle convention - to which the UK is a party. Britain offloads its own ghost fleet - Contaminated navy ships sent to India via Turkey [The Guardian - 14 November 2003]
| My personal opinion is
that all ships eventually reach the end of their life and have to be broken up
somewhere. In the North East of England we built plenty ships and so we should
take some responsibility for making sure obsolete ships are disposed of safely.
The thing that annoys me most about this Ghost Fleet situation is the double
standards of the British government. We are constantly being told that our
landfill sites are overflowing and we need to recycle more of our household
waste - which I agree with - but then our government thinks it is perfectly
alright to accept America's asbestos, PCBs etc. from these ships to put in
landfills here in the North East!! I think one of the local residents of
Hartlepool summed it up with a banner which read "This is our home, not
America's dump."
The Able UK yard is situated next to Hartlepool's Nuclear Power Station, as some would say - hardly a world heritage site. Teesside in general with its chemical works and heavy industry may be described by some as the zit on the backside of England, but a lot of money has been spent recently on trying to make things better. Able UK's site is also close to internationally important wildlife sites at Seal Sands and Teesmouth. The Tees estuary contains a wide range of internationally important wildlife habitats which are protected by tough UK and European directives. Nick Mason, conservation manager for the RSPB, said: "We would remind everyone involved in this issue that the wildlife and habitats of Teesmouth and the Cleveland coast are designated as a special protection area under the European Birds Directive." Wildlife warning over 'ghost fleet' [BBC - 13 October 2003] |
|
I think I have worked out
a solution to the problem, it won't keep everyone happy but it's the best I can
think of given the fact that two of the ships are already here: Immediately lift the
injunction preventing Able UK from breaking up the ships, employ the contractors
who are eagerly awaiting work to remove the asbestos, PCBs and other toxic waste
from the interiors of these ships as soon as possible. Then put it safely into
containers to be transported by road to Teesside Airport next Friday, where I
understand Air Force One will be parked while Bush visits the North East. Load the containers onto
the president's Boeing
747-200 (may have to remove a few seats and other fixtures, but never mind) load
on the Toxic Texan and his wife along with the toxic waste - and send it all
back to America! (We'll keep the steel here for recycling.) 
Ian Cooper emailed
from France to say he was told about the Geordie E-Zine by Gordon Wright in
Perth, Australia, Ian said "Gordon and I were at school together but lost touch when he left at the age
of sixteen. He is now retired and living in Australia while I am retired and live in France. We contacted each other via Friends
Reunited and he sent me the link for the last e-zine showing the Bonga. It certainly is a size and made me think back to a day, long ago,
I suppose I was about
fourteen when I stood on the Lawe Top and then The Groyne (bicycles were wonderful things) and watched the Velutina sail on her maiden voyage. At that time she was one of the biggest tankers in the world,
all of 28,000 tons deadweight - and as my father was then a tanker captain I had to be there. I saw her again a couple of years later lying off Mena-al-Ahmadi in the Persian Gulf having broken down - I think an engine - and waiting for spares to arrive. Lying alongside, not far away was the Tina Onassis - 45,000 tons deadweight - dwarfing everything else in sight. I was on my father's ship, only 18,000 tons so we felt very small.
It was good to see the photos of the Tall Ships as they left the Tyne. I was very sorry not to be there for that although there is a bit of sorrow in the event for my family, especially my aunt who lives in Cramlington. She went to watch
and took with her a pair of binoculars which were presented to my grandfather by the president of the USA,
Teddy Roosevelt - in recognition of him saving the crew of an American freighter, and she lost them
somewhere in the excitement. Still, these things happen but if anyone should have found them we'd be glad to have them back!"
Ian Cooper~
E-Zine 102 - Tall Ships & The Bonga
Thanks for emailing, Ian. Sorry to hear the story of the binoculars - but you never know, someone might know where they are - stranger things have happened! I haven't got any photos of Shell's SS Velutina but I did find one on the internet on this link: London and Overseas Freighters. I have however got another of Paul Mosley's photos of the Sedov on the Tyne during the Tall Ships Race, 1986 - amazing to see all the people lining the river bank on the north side of the Tyne.
The Sedov - Tall Ships Race 1986 (Photograph courtesy of Paul Mosley)
Jimmy Brymer emailed
to say "I sailed on the Norse
Viking as catering boy on her maiden voyage - great trip - Long Beach,
Oakland and then up to Vancover to load timber for Tilbury, it brought a lump to my throat to see the photos of
her. I wondered if you had any photos or information on the Wearfield, one of
Hunting's, built in Sunderland. I did my first trip on this ship in 1968 and have wondered what happened to her. Great website, I have spent hours going through the pages. I'm from Seaham so I don't know if I qualify to log on to this
Geordie site. 
Still sailing at present, I'm
with Maersk on the supply boats as cook - it's about the best job we can get now that the deep sea jobs have dried up. I can remember most of the lads on the Norse Viking, can you put me right on one thing, was the
Chief Engineer on there a bloke called Fatkin?" Jimmy Brymer~
Thanks for the email, Jimmy. I don't know if Mike Rose (who the photos of the Norse Viking belong to) can enlighten us as to the name of the Chief Engineer. With regard to the Wearfield, I don't have any photos of her, but from what I can gather, she was built by Austin & Pickersgill, Sunderland in 1964. She was purchased from Hunting & Son, Newcastle in 1973 and renamed Benhiant, in 1975 she was renamed Cramond, and in 1977 reverted to Benhiant. In 1978 she was sold to Panama and renamed Alexandra. - Quite a career! There is a photo and more information on the following website: http://www.shawsavillships.co.uk/gnje.htm
Keith Lambert, a former Navy lad now living in Felixstowe, Suffolk is the vocalist with the Led Zeppelin tribute band Simply Led . Keith has plans to write a mini-book portraying Zeppelin's concert at the Sunderland Locarno on November 12th 1971. He has recently produced a similar keepsake for fans of the band in Northern Ireland where Led Zeppelin first premiered their anthem to be, ‘Stairway To Heaven’ at the Ulster Hall in March 1971. Keith has been appealing for a recording of the concert at the Sunderland Locarno for a few years now, but with no luck. Even an interview on BBC Radio Newcastle failed to bring in a result. So the question is - do any readers of this e-zine happen to have an old bootleg copy of Zep's concert at the Locarno stashed away in their garden shed or attic? If so, please get in touch! Simply Led Website
Tyne
and Wear or Tyne and Weird? I always enjoy receiving
photographs in my email from Geordie readers, and I thought you might like to
see a couple of the more unusual photographs I've received recently.... They don't grow
on trees you know! Chris was wondering why are they there? A good question! I set to
work to find out.... "A shoe tree starts with one dreamer, tossing his or her
footwear-of-old high into the sky, to catch on an out-of-reach branch.
It usually ends there, unseen and neglected by others, but on rare
occasions, that first pair of shoes triggers a shoe tossing cascade...." Read more about the shoe tree phenomenon Shoe Trees - Roadside
America
Update on Dubya's Visit.... According to the Guardian newspaper, Air Force One will touch down at Newcastle
Airport during Bush's visit next week, and Mr Bush is expected to visit the
prime minister's constituency home, Myrobella, and possibly Washington Old Hall,
the ancestral home of the original George W. The 12th century manor was occupied
by Washington's family until 1613 and is replete with mementos from the American
War of Independence and a Jacobean-style garden. There is speculation that Blair and
Bush will hold a joint press conference at the Hardwick Hall hotel in Sedgefield.
Posses of up to 30 smartly dressed Americans have been stalking the streets of
Sedgefield, taking notes and photographing landmarks. Mr Bush will be following in the rather
unlikely footsteps of the former French Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin in 1998, and
visiting Mr Blair’s political roots of Sedgefield and Trimdon, where he will
experience some traditional northeastern hospitality. The Times reported
that President Bush has turned down a similar invitation to the local working
men’s club. Trimdon Labour Club, the location of the Prime Minister’s 50th
birthday party, has been rejected as a suitable location for the presidential
visit. Sedgefield Unruffled by Possible Bush Visit [The Scotsman - 14 November 2003] In London more than 100,000 protestors are expected to demonstrate against
the presence of the president, for a trip which was planned in the spring, just
before the Iraq war. London's mayor, Ken Livingstone, has already refused to
meet the president. Peace protestors are planning, among other actions, to
topple a fake statue of Mr Bush in Trafalgar Square, in mock homage to the
famous pictures of the collapse of Saddam Hussein's statue in Baghdad. Bush to visit Blair's backyard [The Guardian - 10 November 2003] I read in The Spectator "Downing Street suggested that a visit to
Myrobella, the Blair’s four-bedroom Sedgefield home, would get the President
out of London. The White House immediately conjured up images of a Blair country
estate comparable to the formidable Bush ranch in Crawford, Texas. The security
official who spoke to John Burton, the Sedgefield constituency agent, asked
‘how many acres’ the Prime Minister owned, to be told ‘well, he has a
backyard.’ A presidential suggestion that this northern trip should include a
visit to Durham Cathedral, with an accompanying prayer meeting, caused panic in
Downing Street." Hail to the Chief - George Bush needs to be pictured with the Queen to impress voters in the forthcoming presidential election... [The Spectator]
Bush takes leave of the
Queen on Friday morning at the end of the state part of his visit, then heads
north to Sedgefield where the Stop the War Coalition is planning "a very
big protest" - according to a report in the Financial Times.
The people that live
around Sedgefield / Trimdon are quite used to seeing protester on their streets, for example,
hunt protesters. Recently, members of a dozen hunts from the north-east of
England and Scotland gathered to show their opposition to the proposed law to
ban all hunting with dogs. Hunt protesters show united front [BBC - 1 November 2003]
The Fox & Hounds pub, Trimdon, County
Durham The Fox & Hounds
pub is just across the street from the Trimdon Labour Club as mentioned
above.
Rumour has it, however, that
the Dun Cow pub in Sedgefield is where Tony Blair wants to take the
president for a pub lunch. Bush won't be sampling its selection of local
beers and malt whiskies (the President is tee-total, so no
"photo-op" of him holding an English pint), but the lunchtime
menu consists of loin of pork with Bramley apple sauce and roast sirloin
of beef with fresh horseradish cream. Bush's preferred apéritif is
sparkling mineral water. Asked if he will be able to understand the accent in the
North East, Bush replied: "My Geordie is probably just about as bad
as my English." Bush brushes up on 'his Geordie'
[BBC - 14 November 2003] Sad isn't it? With all those people working for him you
would think at least one of them would have told him that people from
Sedgefield aren't Geordies. Incase anyone from the White House or Pentagon are
reading this - as a general rule of thumb, Geordie = Tyneside. N.B. Sedgefield is situated in between the rivers Wear and
Tees. Before anyone picks me up on the point, this website and e-zine
are called Geordie because I am a Geordie, not because of the
geographical area covered by it!! Fox
& Hounds pub sign, Trimdon You may recall in the last e-zine, John Dean's memories of Jimmy Carter's visit to the North
East in 1977,
well I thought I would mention to you a book written by John,
It's No Crime: To Change Your Mind
- a novel about a North East lad who went to Japan.
Click here to read a sample chapter from
It's No Crime: To Change Your Mind
HEROES.... California Bush Fires.... Two English volunteers are local heroes for helping to save the town of Julian in southern California.
Nick Rogers, a Cockney from Bethnal Green and Tony Elliott from Bishop
Auckland, County Durham, had never met before they moved to Julian, an old goldmining town in the mountains of southern California....
British expats fight the firestorm close to home [The Times - 3 November 2003]
Rugby World Cup 2003....
One more photo to finish off with,
another from Chris Davis which he took of the City of Sunderland on the River
Tyne recently. City of Sunderland
Gan Canny,
carol green 2003 ©
The photograph on the right was sent to me by Chris Davis
in South Shields. Chris said he was out walking near the Marine pub on
Ocean Road and the park when he saw several pairs of shoes hanging in a
tree - He didn't say if he had been in the Marine pub first.
Anyway, Chris took a photo, I've put a circle round one of the pairs for
you to see, but there are a few other pairs hanging there.
South Shields Shoe Tree 
Davey Colthorpe sent
me the photo on the left of a potato that his dad dug out of his garden
a few weeks ago. Well, what can I say, when we can grow spuds like that,
who needs GM?
England hero Jonny Wilkinson, was
literally the toast of Tyneside today. Dozens of
fans gathered for a champagne breakfast at the ground of his home club,
Newcastle Falcons, ahead of the match. In stark
contrast the sun was shining on Tyneside as the rain lashed down in Sydney where
the local hero steered England to victory. Fly-half
Wilkinson kicked every one of the team’s 24 points to secure their place in
the final against the Wallabies on Saturday. Wilkinson
is Toast of Tyneside, Prince Harry and England [The Scotsman - 16 November 2003]
Lions and Falcons: My Diary of a Remarkable Year (Jonny Wilkinson)
A list (with links) of all the previous e-zines that are still
accessible on the internet can be found on the Geordie Home Page as well as
details of how to join the mailing list - Click Here
Carol~
