This section is about specific vessels such as ships, shipwrecks, sailing barges and less obvious vessels such as concrete lighters and forts. Sailing vessels and Mason’s Barges at Waldringfield are a particular interest.
| Sailing Barges | Ships | Wrecks & Hulks | Barges, Lighters and FCBs |
A Floating Home and Born Afloat
This book, of local interest, is available online, A Floating Home. It was subsequently re-issued as a "A Floating Home and Born Afloat" by the son of the last residents ...
Abraham’s Bosom
Coasting Bargemaster In Coasting Bargemaster, Bob Roberts tells of taking refuge, whilst in the Martinet, in an offshore anchorage: "It is a desolate spot, many miles offshore, where the Maplin ...
APCM Handbook for Bargemen and Lightermen by Charles T. Perfect (extracts)
Whole book available on FB and here. Neither scan is good. A real copy would be very nice to have. Lights Ahead Meeting steamers do not dreadWhen you see three ...
Barges at Waldringfield
Visitors to the village now generally arrive by land rather than water so will be greeted by our village sign. At its centre is a sailing barge, mysteriously embraced by ...
Barges, Lighters and FCBs
Three types of vessels of roughly the same size can be confused: 'barges', metal 'lighters' and 'ferroconcrete barges' (FCBs). This is compounded by the term 'barge' sometimes being used to ...
Beaumont Quay & Cut
Beaumont-cum-Moze - Essex Sunshine Coast (essex-sunshine-coast.org.uk) Beaumont Quay | The Essex Coast (wordpress.com) Beaumont Cut - Wikipedia 32: Stones of Old London Bridge at Beaumont Quay – Building London – ...
Books Sailing Barges
Here are some good poetic extracts: The Singing Swan by Sir A.P. Herbert extracts APCM Handbook for Bargemen and Lightermen by Charles T. Perfect extracts Books on Sailing Barges Carr, ...
Breakwater Lighters at Sales Point Bradwell
These are dumb barges or lighters and not be confused with sailing barges, although they are included in the barge section for convenience. Eleven of them, probably of the same ...
Breakwater Lighters in Walton Backwaters
A group of twenty dumb barges or lighters has protected the northeast of Horsey Island, by the entrance to Walton Channel, since 1988History of the scheme see 126 - Horsey ...
Cement Works, Mud Digging
In the latter part of the nineteenth century, Portland Cement was made at Masons Cement Works in Waldringfield on the Deben. The ingredients were coke (a form of coal), chalk ...
Collision Regulations
Great Britain has led the World in many things, mostly good: maritime safety is but one example. Before the mid nineteenth century, local rules and customs were different and there ...
Confused helm instructions
Robert Fitzroy had overcome the confusion caused by "Larboard" and led the change to using "Port". However, all was still not well. Until 1930 helm orders were tiller not oriented ...
Coprolite from Waldringfield – SB Ammonite, Fossil, Nautilus
What is Coprolite? Coprolite is a phosphate-rich clay containing fossil bones and teeth of mammals and fishes. Some coprolites were fossilised excrement. The term comes from Greek Kopros for dung ...
Cork Light Ship
A light ship to the north of Cork Ridge is marked on the 1852 Washington Chart and also appears on a 1903 Meesum Chart. It was replaced by a large ...
D-Day Deception Fleet – Deben
The Allied invasion of France in 1944 was perhaps the largest, most complex project ever attempted. One of the many elements, Operation Fortitude, begun in early 1943, was a grand ...
D-Day Deception Fleet – Orwell
There is a full account of this topic at Woolverstone, D-Day at 80 Exhibition. This RAF photograph, 26th March 1944 - 3054 - shows what must be real landing craft ...
Edward Fitzgerald and Yacht Scandal
Edward Fitzgerald (1809-1883) was from a wealthy family and a gentleman of leisure. Known primarily for his translation of a Persian poem he was of a bohemian disposition and lived ...
European Gateway
Capsized on the sand near Cork Spit, this is on the south side of the channel opposite Wadgate Ledge. See RNLI report Raising of the European Gateway 1983 ...
Extract from Dicken’s Dictionary – Barges
In the 1885 Dickens Thames Dictionary 'Barges' entry, he covers both dumb and sailing barges, his assessment of dumb barges and Thames Watermen is interesting and not complimentary. Here is ...
Ferro Concrete Barges in Walton Backwaters
There are several Ferro Concrete Barges (FCB) in the Backwaters. These are described moving with floodwards, the convention of right/left bank to seawards is used. The Open Barges forming the ...
Ferro Concrete Barges on the Orwell
There are at least two Ferro Concrete Barges at Pin Mill on the Orwell. One is a stem head, used as a houseboat, and one an open swim head. Stem ...
Ferro Concrete Barges on the Stour
There is a Ferro Concrete Petrol Barge (closed, PCB type) at Harwich. These were originally built for use on D-Day but were found to be unsuitable. Harwich on Google Earth ...
From Deptford to the Deben by barge
For literary reasons, we will take our imaginary trip in 1881. It is mid-November and fortunately the weather is set fair; this has been a year of dramatic weather extremes ...
H.M.S Arethusa
Arethusa was a Royal Navy Light Cruiser stationed at Harwich under Admiral Tyrwhitt during the Great War. She served as his flagship at the Battle of Heligoland Bight (1914). On ...
HMS Beagle
See Robert Fitzroy Paglesham HMS Beagle | Rochford Council Rare 19th century Ship Dock Where Darwin’s Beagle Spent Her Final Days Gains Heritage Protection | Historic England ...
HMS Blazer and Captain Owen Stanley
In early 1843 gunboat paddle steamer HMS Blazer replaced Shearwater which was being used by Captain John Washington, to survey the East Coast. By 1845, Captain Washington had taken on ...
HMS Kingfisher
The 46 gun fourth rate H.M.S. Kingfisher was built by Phineas Pett IIIBuilder may have been Edward Munday at the Common Quay, according to George Arnott at Woodbridge in 1675 ...
House Barges at Waldringfield
After the First World War, the Haig family, who had once lived on a converted sailing barge, the Ark Royal, in Essex, moved to the village and built Broomstubbs (now burned down). The ...
Lady Alice Kenlis
The iron hulk on the left bank of the Deben opposite Lime Kiln Quay has an interesting story. It was thought that she was a dredger but recent research shows ...
LBK6 – Landing Barge Kitchen at Harwich
The fighting men who landed on D-Day needed to be fed so ten Landing Barge Kitchen (LBK) were built for the task. These were adapted from steel Thames Lighters by ...
Lightships and Lighthouses
1830 Chart of Lighthouses & Lightships Website with a wealth of information on lightships. Men of the lightship – Friends of LV50 East Oaze, sunk 1 November 1940 The National ...
Loder’s Cut and John Loder, Troublesome Reach, Bloody Point and Kyson Point.
The 1845 Deben Survey shows an oxbow bend with Troublesome Reach to the south and Kingston Reach to the west. 'Troublesome' relates to the difficulty experienced by sailing vessels in ...
Masons (Cement) Barges
Having been surprised to discover that the Cement Works existed in Waldringfield and that there was a fleet of barges, it seemed reasonable to find out more about them and ...
Medusa Buoy, HMS Medusa, Medusa Channel and Lord Nelson
The green starboard hand buoy, off Walton on the Naze in Essex, is named after HMS Medusa and is the only female buoy in our area. In Greek Mythology, Medusa ...
Metal Lighter Hulk on the Stour
A hulk (69'x20' ) sits on the mud in Bathside Bay (drying height 3.8m CD) and has been there since at least 2000. This looks very much like an old ...
Muck and Straw Barges at Waldringfield
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, London was the largest city in the world and road transport was powered by horse: fifty-thousand horses were required just to keep Victorian ...
Oriana Wreck in the Wallet
The Oriana Buoy This Starboard Hand Mark with the legend 'Oriana' opposite Wallet No.4 should logically be Wallet No.1: oddly, it is un-named on charts. The buoy has been in ...
Port and Starboard
Once we've realised that Port is on the left only when facing the pointy end (not Italians - see later) we take these terms for granted. However, those of a ...
Roughs Collection
“the descent, although perfectly safe, was not graceful”. John Posford There are quite a few items on this fascinating structure, so it gets its own section ...
Saling Barges Lost in World War Two
Many were requisitioned for mine watching or storage. At least two served as De-gaussing vessels. Not allowed to move by night. Bob Roberts account of Martinet. Jim Uglow's account of ...
SB Augusta
Augusta was Masons' first barge built at their own yard at Stoke, Ipswich in 1874 and named for George Mason's daughter Augusta. Along with the rest of the Masons' fleet, ...
SB Dover Castle
Built in 1872, Dover Castle was operated on the Deben by Robert Skinner from 1923, this was the twilight period of barge traffic on the Deben: she was in her ...
SB Elsie Bertha
Naming Frank Mason ordered Elsie Bertha in 1878 from Miltons, a Kent builder. This was Masons' third vessel and was named for his daughter who had died aged five months. Skatty Her ...
SB Excelsior
History Masons bought Excelsior second-hand in 1888 as their fourth vessel. Along with the remainder of the fleet she was sold to Cranfields in 1912 eventually being used for training ...
SB Kingfisher
We know from Walter Tye's book that Kingfisher was used in the mud digging for the cement works. His information was firsthand from the crew. Robert Simper says that Kingfisher ...
SB Martinet in Hollesley Bay
Bob Roberts, in Coasting Bargemaster, tells a compelling tale of how his ship, the 'boomie' bargeA boomie has a boom at the base of the sail, rather than a sprit ...
SB Mystery or K.C. at Melton
The position of Mystery is wrong in the SB Compendium, being near Easton, but the description as a walkway fits. Perhaps this was the K.C., both remain to be resolved ...
SB Orinoco
As Elsie Bertha was lost in 1894 it is probable that Orinoco, bought new in 1895, was her replacement. At some point, she was fitted with a deckhouse and, conceivably ...
SB Three Sisters at Kirton Creek
There is little activity at Kirton Creek nowadays. However, it was once the mouth of the Mill River and, after enclosure, boasted a brickworks. This was dependent upon barge transport ...
SB Westall at Melton
SB Westall on Bing According to a FaceBook post That's the remains of the Sailing Barge Westhall of Rochester Off. No. 127259 built by the London and Rochester Barge Co ...
Sheerness Minesweepers – HMS Wildfire
This site has a wealth of information about the HMS Wildfire shore base at Sheerness in World War Two. There is a ship and wreck database as well as an ...
SS Prinses Juliana
The cross-Channel steamer Prinses Juliana (1909) was wrecked off Felixstowe. On 1 February 1916, she struck a mine from UC-5 while on a voyage with passengers from Vlissingen (Flushing) to ...
SS Richard Montgomery
SS Richard Montgomery on youtube. Beware the shallow water to the east at LW. There is a plan to remove the masts. SS Richard Montgomery mast in 2017 See SS Richard ...
Sunk Head Tower – what remains?
Commissioning 1942 H.M. Fort Sunk Head (U2) was the second Maunsell Navy Tower to be installed during World War Two in the Thames Estuary for Air Defence. After her commissioning ...
Thames River
These items are for the London River rather than the Estuary. 1790 Bowles's new map of the River Thames, from it's spring in Gloucester-shire, to it's influx into the sea ...
The Singing Swan by Sir A.P. Herbert
Published in 1968 this is a fictional story contrived to tell of life on a sailing barge. Set in the 1930s and going, via Dunkirk, through the War much of ...
Notes
Questions
Sources
Footnotes
Image Sources and Credits
Image Credits and Sources
- Mersea Museum RG05_081: Courtesy Ron Green
- Nautilus-from-1934-Yachting-Monthly-article-by-W.M.Blake_: 1934 Yachting Monthy article by W.M.Blake.
- 1899-Cork-Lightship-: Pen and pencil sketches of shipping and craft all round the world. Pritchett, Robert Taylor. London : Arnold, 1899 | Public Domain Mark 1.0
- masons_logo-: cementkilns.co.uk
- The remains of SB Dover Castle on July 28th 2023 at LW looking towards the Tide Mill Yacht Harbour: Photograph by Eamonn O'Byrne
Image Credits and Sources
- Mersea Museum RG05_081: Courtesy Ron Green
- Nautilus-from-1934-Yachting-Monthly-article-by-W.M.Blake_: 1934 Yachting Monthy article by W.M.Blake.
- 1899-Cork-Lightship-: Pen and pencil sketches of shipping and craft all round the world. Pritchett, Robert Taylor. London : Arnold, 1899 | Public Domain Mark 1.0
- masons_logo-: cementkilns.co.uk
- The remains of SB Dover Castle on July 28th 2023 at LW looking towards the Tide Mill Yacht Harbour: Photograph by Eamonn O'Byrne