The Great Mystery Of The Bedlington

[Adam Hogg]

What ever happened to the Bedlington?
http://www.circlecity.co.uk/oldpics/bedlington_ship.php

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

When I read the article

 

What ever happened to the Bedlington?
http://www.circlecity.co.uk/oldpics/bedlington_ship.php

When I read the article I had this thought that the Bedlington was probably scrapped, by me dad, at Bolkos. That name was definitely wrong so did some did some searching and the breakers yard at Cambois/North Blyth was Hugues Bolckow.

This search brought up a site  http://www.davidheyscollection.com/page83.htm and in

 COWPEN & BLYTH 1 PHILIP HODGETTS REFLECTS ON BLYTH'S HISTORY

PART ONE - POWER STATION, HUGHES BOLCKOW, NORTH BLYTH SHED, BATES PIT, C&C STAITH and WEST STAITH. 

                                                                       Introduction by David Hey

When there are the following paragraphs:-

 It is noted that the first shipment of coal from Netherton Colliery via this particular waggonway was in 1819; the coals as mentioned being transferred to waiting keels on the River Blyth and thence to colliers waiting downstream in deeper water. With the opening of the Bedlington Colliery in 1837, Netherton had to remain competitive, so a brand new twin screw steamer of 'special' construction was ordered in 1842. The vessel was named 'BEDLINGTON', she could carry a total of 40 chaldron wagons (each of 53 cwt equating to approximatley 95 tons) which were put directly on board the vessel at the Netherton Staith on the river, and the 'Bedlington' then took the shipment down to the Tyne where the chaldrons were hoisted by on-board steam powered derricks and the coal tipped into a waiting collier. It sounds like quite a vessel! I wish I could find a photo of her…

The 'Bedlington' must have had a shallow draft as the river was not dredged so high up pre-1853, and I expect that the vessel could only access the Netherton Staith at high water. The 'Bedlington' did not stay on the river for many years though. In April of 1851 the vessel was sold as a ferry boat between Granton and Burntisland on the Firth of Forth! She was basically a roll on roll off ferry carrying coal and passengers across the mouth of the river. Bear in mind that the Forth Bridge was not built at that time, so trains used to go to Granton and offload passengers who would use the ferry to cross the Forth and join a train again on the other side.

Sadly, I do not know what name 'Bedlington' held whilst in service on the Firth of Forth. However her service there was short-lived as she was acquired during the Crimean War (October 1853 - Feb 1856) as a transport ship in the Baltic. She would have crossed the German Ocean as it was called then (today's North Sea) to access the Baltic via the Straits of Copenhagen or Denmark. Alas her service for the war effort was cut short because  she was among 29 British vessels lost in a terrific storm in November of 1854, no doubt carrying essential supplies to the armed forces caught up in the dreadful freezing winter weather of that year. Thus far I have been unable to find anything else about her since she was lost, such as where she lies or whether she has been found and identified. I expect that the lack of information answers that question.

 

  

[keith lockey]

It can't be the same ship, not by those dates, and it certainly can't be if it was lost in 1854. The photograph doesn't look as if it has a shallow draft, either.

[Alan Edgar (Eggy1948)]

It can't be the same ship, not by those dates, and it certainly can't be if it was lost in 1854. The photograph doesn't look as if it has a shallow draft, either.

Sorry Keith - I was assuming the one in the article was was the predecessor to the one lost in 1854. We just can't look after our ships.  

Edited June 6, 2014 by Eggy1948

[keith lockey]

It's like Bedlington town, Eggy, vanishing without a trace, might as well have a sinking ship sale!!

[pilgrim]

hughes bolkows was at cambois opposite the ferry -- I seem to recall it was called battleship wharf -- last two ships I saw there being dismantled were two Russian subs with glass panels in the conning tower. they had a big shed there full of magic stuff - like life rafts etc you could pick up for next to nowt -- I had a Cpl of raf single man rafts as a child to play with.

on the subject of waggonways there are still the remains of the wooden way from Plessey to the staithes at blyth -- have a look between the dual carriageways traveling east just before the 3 horse shoes and behind bog houses - once you spot it you can trace it right back. (on that subject - there are still adits from the north bank at Plessey and when the opencast was there (now the site of MSD aside the windmills and afore the airfield) they found wooden shovels in the old workings (sorry if I digressed over a few threads there) and forgot to add blyth was a major sub base - ideal due to the large deep turning area

Edited January 17, 2015 by pilgrim

[tonyg]

Plessey Wagonway closed in 1813. only one year later George Staphenson. successfully ran his locomotive the Blucher, on the Killingworth wagonway.

[John Fox (foxy)]

hughes bolkows was at cambois opposite the ferry -- I seem to recall it was called battleship wharf -- last two ships I saw there being dismantled were two Russian subs with glass panels in the conning tower.

Bolcows yard 1990

 

[pilgrim]

there were def two 'cold war' subs before those two in he pic as the silos for alcan were def not built then an the staithes were still standing

[pilgrim]

eeeee I have just looked at the pic again and spotted the ridley arms -- or the willick as we knew it -- used get there on the m/bike but the cambois bends outside the power station could be a bit 'sideways' if you had too many

[John Fox (foxy)]

Those silos in the pic were not Alcans pilgrim, they were the Grain Plants

[pilgrim]

ah right - forgive me for being old and senile -- but I recall fishing of the staithes which were still being used and after a night in the willick you could remember nowt anyway!!! - the other pub we used was the one at east sleekburn  -- canny juke box - and the shoes afore they got artsy and banned bikers -- although I recall the vicar from blyth being refused beer when he turned up on his bike and was a diff story when he had his dog collar on underneath his leathers !!!!! ((ffs the bikers kept that pub going at one time as no one else drank there)