Manchester Ship Canal

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17 October 2018 at 19:40 #79391
Paul T
Participant
@pault84577
Dear All

I am continuing my research into the history of the 'Big Ditch' and I am specifically looking for information on a cashiers launch called Dispatch that was kept at Manchester.

This launch made the once a week trip along the canal to pay the lock and bridge keepers.

Last sighting of the boat was at Hesfords boatyard in Agden during the mid 1970s when it was called Minerva.

Any help would be appreciated

Paul
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17 October 2018 at 19:40 #9515
Paul T
Participant
@pault84577
18 October 2018 at 13:27 #79400
The Long Build
Participant
@thelongbuild
Will Ask My Father In Law., he was a Skipper on the Volant, he might know.
18 October 2018 at 13:30 #79401
Telstar
Participant
@telstar
Paul, Not an answer to your specific question. Did you know the song 'The big ship sails through the ally ally oh' was commissioned and written for the opening of The Manchester Ship Canal

Tom
18 October 2018 at 15:44 #79403
Paul T
Participant
@pault84577
Thanks Larry

Hi Tom

Yes I did know about the song but did you know that schools local to the canal were asked to enter a competition to see which school sang the best version. This is how the song became a popular play ground song that was even being sung when I was at Junior School in the late 60s

Paul
18 October 2018 at 17:54 #79404
Paul T
Participant
@pault84577
A little more info about the launch.

The launch is approx 30ft long with a high vertical bow, forward cabin with portholes directly in front of an enclosed bridge, open rear that originally contained a steam engine [later converted to diesel] with a distinctive torpedo stern.

White hull with varnished uppers the boat is built from teak on oak frames.

Last seen it was being converted into a cabin cruiser with a pile of wood reclaimed from a dance floor, sadly the new owner decided to fit an outboard motor and cut a 2ft hole through the bottom of the hull [near the stern] to accommodate it.

Its a long shot but if it still exists then it is very possible that it is still on the Bridgewater.

The stern looks like the one on this launch [the stern can also be called Dovetail or Draketail]
19 October 2018 at 00:09 #79406
Martin Field 1
Participant
@martinfield1
Also called fantail.

I once had to take a replica Manchester Ship Canal Tug home to its winter moorings from down on the Shroppie to the Welsh Canal. It was superficially a nice job, but had been built assymetric to quite a degree and that meant that if you got closer to moored craft than 15" it sucked itself onto them! The swim was horribly cockeyed. You could sleep on a bunk on the left hand one but the right side one would have you on the floor in a wink. But it was a fascinating boat to drive. It had a 4 cylinder Kelvin up for'ard, a petrol/ diesel. Magnificent beast that drove a surprisingly small hydraulic pump which went back to drive a hydraulic motor on the prop shaft. The Kelvin had a 12 point start-up procedure which never failed. That engine was flat out at 750 rpm and blew perfect smoke rings. Happy days.

It was called Frodsham.

Cheers,

Martin
20 October 2018 at 16:14 #79431
Paul T
Participant
@pault84577
Hello Martin

Sorry to say that it isn't called a fantail

As can be seen from this image, even though the stern is curved it has a completely different geometry.

Your trip in the tug sounds like great fun, as you can tell I am very keen on anything 'ship canal' related and would love to see any photos that you might have. Some years ago I built a very similar tug called Lymm, both from the same stable these tugs were known as Dukers

These tugs were originally steam powered with a funnel fitted on the forward cabin but when converted to diesel the funnels were moved to the middle of the boat

Paul

Edited By Paul T on 20/10/2018 16:27:10
20 October 2018 at 17:39 #79433
Martin Field 1
Participant
@martinfield1
Paul, since I have seen many an American boat with your torpedo stern described as fantail, we'll have to agree to differ.

Frodsham as in your pictures is the very boat we moved. I have no pictures as I didn't have a working camera in those days. It was owned at Whitchurch by a lovely couple.I did some work on the boat for him. Poor chap was trying to fix and seal a port with silicon and I had to demonstrate how silicon sticks to nothing but itself, whereas, Marineflex, a very inexpensive replacement for the way overpriced Sikaflex, would both glue and seal at the same time. He was so impressed, he bought a box of cartridges! I do hope he and his wife are still well.

A German tourist stopped at a lift bridge to watch us go through and opined, "I love also ze funny noise off ze engine". Which was making its usual Kelvin Gerdoonk sound whilst blowing smoke rings at him. Thanks for the pictures, we have none ourselves

Cheers,

Martin
21 October 2018 at 14:10 #79442
Paul T
Participant
@pault84577
Martin

Here is a link just for you LINK and here LINK … LINK

The Frodsham is a popular boat

Paul

Edited By Paul T on 21/10/2018 14:16:07
21 October 2018 at 15:46 #79443
Martin Field 1
Participant
@martinfield1
Thanks, Paul. It looks like Frodsham has been sold away to the Wey! That appears to be a domestic mooring.

Thanks for the links.

Martin
21 October 2018 at 22:26 #79459
The Long Build
Participant
@thelongbuild
Hi
Have asked the question about the boat, he vaguely remembers it but does not remember anything else.
8 November 2018 at 09:53 #79767
Paul T
Participant
@pault84577
Thanks to everyone who has helped with this thread, unfortunately I am still no further on with my specific research but I have accumulated a huge amount of information about the Manchester Ship and Bridgewater canals.

Paul
20 November 2018 at 18:56 #79972
Paul T
Participant
@pault84577
My trip into the past has taken a slight turn as I am now researching two more boats from the Bridgewater Canal, these are:

The packet boat 'Duchess Countess' and the Bridgewater canal tug 'Lymm,' whilst I have a lot of information on the 'Lymm' I am struggling to locate a clean set of drawings for the 'Duchess Countess' there is a single sheet drawing on the interweb but as you can see the details are very indistinct.

even after enhancing the image the details are still unreadable

There is a clean copy out there somewhere, I hoped that the Duchess Countess Trust might be able to help but the trust closed in 2015.

I appreciate that this is a long shot but has any forum member ever had any dealings with or knows who to contact regarding the 'Duchess Countess'

Paul
21 November 2018 at 13:34 #79980
Paul T
Participant
@pault84577
This is a photo of the tug 'Lymm' before its upgrade from steam to diesel

The colour scheme was the same throughout the fleet, this image shows the 'Latchford' again with the forward mounted funnel which indicates that it was steam driven at the time the image was drawn.

Paul

Edited By Paul T on 21/11/2018 13:40:29
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