Ship Spotter Steve
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Liverpool Notes - 29 MAy 2014

30/5/2014

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I added ten new ships to the list in the last week or so. Sadly the weather has not been great and almost every time I have been into Liverpool it has been raining, I did manage to take a few photographs but these have been against a grey wet background and looking at them yesterday they are not great. I will still be putting some of them on my site though at some point in the future as you never know if you will actually get to see or photograph a ship again.

On the 20 May 2014 I saw Bulk Carriers Darya Devi (IMO 9627760, GT 44325, 2013) and Spitha (IMO 9290153, GT 41059, 2005) nose to tail in the basin opposite the main container terminal at Seaforth. Spitha is at the time of
writing still in port but Darya Devi has since left for Murmansk. Further down
the docks was the offshore construction vessel Wind (IMO 9107851,GT 1501, 1996), this is another vessel that I have not seen before which is now working on the on the new wind farm off the North Wales coast, currently she is in an area
known as Rhyl Flats.

22 May 2014 was quiet as far as new ships were concerned but I did on a very early morning run past the docks see the bulk carrier Marvelette (IMO 9163491, GT 26028,1998). She was being loaded with scrap metal from the Norton facility before heading off to Gibraltar.

On 27 May 2014 the offshore supply ship Highland Eagle (IMO 9249465, GT 2244, 2003) was in port and in a good position for having her picture taken. This is probably one of the best pictures I have taken in the last week and I am  researching her at the moment to put on my blog. Not far from her was the Chemical /Oil Products Tanker Atlantis Andaman (IMO 9508079, GT 4263, 2009), she left port shortly after I saw her and I'm not sure where she went although I do note that at the moment she is anchored in Liverpool Bay and may be waiting to get back into port.

Yesterday (29 May 2014) was a good day for ships, Princess Cruises Ruby Princess (IMO 9378462, GT 113561, 2008) was in port and as I walked down the river front I took her photograph, I was there quite early and a steady stream of passengers were heading out into the City or to a mass of coaches ready to take them on trips. 

Veteran Bulk Carrier Temptation (IMO 9111931, GT 25074, 1995) had also arrived since my last visit and was berthed along the river wall close to the Seaforth Container terminal. During the day I managed to get to the river briefly and from a location almost opposite the Cammel Laird Facility I saw the General  Cargo Ship Wilson Harrier (IMO 9064891, GT 2811, 1993) leaving the Mersey bound for Belfast before a planned onward journey to Rotterdam, she is one of a few new Wilson ships I have seen this year that are visiting Eastham further down the River Mersey. In the Cammel Laird basin was the Falklands, Port Stanley registered research vessel Ernest Shackleton (IMO 9114256, GT 4028,1995). She was certainly a long way from her usual South Atlantic haunt, there are plenty of pictures of her on the internet off the coast of  Antarctica and in other exotic locations.

I plan to be back in Liverpool for a few hours on Tuesday morning so hopefuly a few new ships will be in port.
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HMS SMITER (P272)

29/5/2014

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HMS Smiter (P272) photographed in the Albert Dock Liverpool on 24 May 2013. 

She is an Archer Class patrol vessel built by Watercraft Marine and was commissioned into the fleet on 4 September 1986.

She is 20.8m long with a 5.8m beam and 1.8m draught. Powered by Rolls Royce M800T Diesel Engines (1590bhp) she has a top speed of 18 knots and a range of 550 nm at 15 knots.

Armament consists of 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Guns
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AVEL STERENN (DF 46)

28/5/2014

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The Avel Sterenn (DF 46) is a patrol boat used by the French Customs, I photographed her on 14 April 2014 when we visited the City.

She is a Haize Hegoa type patrol boat used by French Customs service, Haize Hegoa means Southern wind in Basque language.

She was built in 1997 by Couach Yard in Arcachon and is 28.7m long with a 6.41m beam and 1.6m draught.

GT = 75T.

Top speed is 28 Knots and she has a range of 500nm.

In 2007 she moved from Lezardrieux to St.Malo replacing fellow customs boat Noroit (DF 12) which was redeployed to Corsica.

Complement is 8 personnel.
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SVITZER SARAH

27/5/2014

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Svitzer Sarah heading down the Solent on 2 November 2013. I took the picture from the deck of the Red Funnel ferry as we were coming into Southampton.

Up to May 2006 she was called Lady Sarah and then Adsteam Sarah until May 2007 when most of the Adsteam fleet was acquired by Svitzer. 

Registered in Grimsby she has a length of 30m with a 12m beam and 5m draught, bollard pull is 53 tons.

MMSI - 232003121
REG -  UK, Grimsby
IMO - 8919192 
Call Sign - MNCR5
Tug
Built - McTay Marine, Bromborough, UK
Yard No. - 92
L 30m W 11m
GT 364
Year - 1991
Solent, 2 November 2013
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Fort on PETIT BE - st.malo

26/5/2014

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During our visit to S.Malo on 14 April 2014 we also visited the island of Petit Bé. Unfortunately the tide was on its way in and to avoid getting trapped we did not have time to climb up the rocks to gain access to the fort.

The fort was completed in 1707 and replaced a smaller fort which was constructed in 1667.

When St Malo was attacked by the English fleet in 1693 the fort was still under construction but in 1695 at the time of a second attack this time by an Anglo-Dutch fleet the fort played an active role in defending the city.

The fort had a semi-circular battery capable of accommodating 19 guns facing the sea and providing overlapping fields of fire with two other forts resulting in controlled access to the Fort Harbour and River Rance. In 1695 it held nine guns, two years later it was armed with 15 guns, including four 48-pounders and six 36-pounders, as well as two mortars. 

A garrison of 177 men manned the fort.

The rear of the fort is protected by two bastions with the entrance gate situated between them, the gate is located a few meters above ground level to assist in defence. The bastions are also loopholed for muskets. Further works were planned to protect the entrance but these were never constructed. 

The fort belonged to the French Army until 1885, in 1921 it was declared a national monument.
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The path from St.Malo to Petit Be, this is cut into the rock which forms the sea bed when the tide is in. The City walls are visible in the distance.
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Small boat moored just off the island.
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Looking East as we walked to the Island. St.Malo's walls are visible to the right.
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manaNNan

23/5/2014

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96m Wave Piercing Catamaran (WPC 96)  Manannan photographed in Liverpool late afternoon on 11 April 2014, she was approaching the Steam Packet Companies terminal following an Irish Sea crossing from Douglas on the Isle of Man.

She was built in 1998 by Incat Tasmania PTY Ltd as Yard Number 50 and is 96m long with a 26m beam and 4m maximum draught. 

Powered by 4  x resiliently mounted Caterpillar 3618 marine diesel engines (28,800 KW Total Power @ 1050 RPM) and Water Jets ( 4 x 150D Wartsila LIPS - steering and reversing) she has a top speed of 37.5 knots with a full load although this can increase to 50 Knots when running light.

In 1998 as Devil Cat she worked for a short time for the TT LIne and then for a couple of years crossing the Cook Straits for a local ferry company.

In 2001 she was commissioned into the US Navy on a five year charter as the USS Joint Venture (HSV-X1). Reconfigered with the addition of a  helicopter flight deck and internal modifications she was able to carry 400t of cargo and 325 combat personnel up to 3000nm. In 2003 she operated with the US Navy as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in a variety of roles. 
 
She was bought by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company in May 2008 and was fitted out in Portsmouth for her new role following a 11,868mile journey from Hobart which she did in 27 days. Arriving in Douglas on 11 May 2009 her maiden voyage for the Company was on 22 May 2009.

GRT = 5473 and NRT = 2057

She can carry 850 passengers and crew in addition to 200 vehicles and makes the crossing across the Irish Sea in 94 minutes.

Accommodation on board includes a variety of seating areas  including two cinema lounges, a large bar area at the stern and a cafe. There are also a number of lounges on the upper deck for reserved, premium and executive club passengers.

Manannan is named after the Celtic God of the Irish Sea.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company began operations in 1830, they
currently carry approximately 600,000 passengers and  170,000 vehicles per year  (cars and motorcycles) between Liverpool and the Isle of Man.

MMSI - 235070199 
REG - UK
IMO - 9176072
Call Sign - 2BXK7
Passenger / Ro-Ro Cargo Ship
Built - Incat Tasmania , Hobart, AU
Yard No - 50
L 96m W 26m
GT - 5473
Year - 1998
Liverpool, 11 April 2014
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cannon  & GrANDE BE -  st. malo 

22/5/2014

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A French cannon dating to the mid 18th Century looks North from St.Malo's City Wall towards the English Channel.

We visited  the City on the 14 April 2014 and spent the whole day exploring the city, harbour, walls, beaches and islands.

To the right of the cannon can be seen the island of Grand Be which is the final resting place of the French politician and writer Chateaubriand. On his own instructions he was buried here in 1848 under a simple cross facing out to sea.

Grande Be is the closest of a number of Island to the City. It was first fortified in 1555 in the form of a small redoubt which was was later expanded in 1652 into a curved stone clad battery with its guns facing out to sea. In 1689 the fortifications were improved again and the guns of the fort fired on the English Fleet that attacked the town in 1693 and 1695.

The fort was heavily fortified by the German Army during World War II and  completely destroyed during the Battle of St.Malo in August 1944. We visited the island during our visit and apart from fragment of concrete sticking out of the ground nothing remains of any fortifications.

Photograph taken 14 April 2014.
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FS Antares (M770)

20/5/2014

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Picture
French Navy Minesweeper / Mine Survey Vessel FS Antares (M770) photographed in St.Malo on 14 April 2014. It looked like she was taking in stores from a number of vans on the quayside.

She was built by SOCARENAM, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France and was launched on 30 August 1993 before being comissioned into the feet on 15 December 1993.

With a displacement of  250t she is 28.3m long with a 7.7m beam and 3.8m draught.

Powered by a Baudouin 12P15-2SR ( 800 hp ) engine via a single propeller she can make 10 knots and has a range of 3,600nm at this speed.

Complement is 24 personnel.

IMO 6131948

She is the lead vessel in the Antares Class, her sister ships are Altair & Aldebaran.

Armament consists of a single 12.7mm machine gun.
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THOR independence

19/5/2014

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Bulk Carrier Thor Independence photographed early morning on my way into work on 9 April 2014.

She was built by Tsuneishi Heavy Industries in Balamban, Philippines as Yard Number sc-029 in 2001.

Powered by a B&W S6S50MC (7,800kW)  engine she has a service speed of 14.5 Knots and a top speed of 16 Knots.
 
GT = 30303 and DWT = 52407.

She is owned by Thoresen Thai Agencies which is one of Thailand’s largest owners of Handymax and Supramax dry bulk vessels. The Company operates Worldwide.

MMSI  - 564731000
REG - SG, Singapore
IMO -  9222510
Call Sign -  9V9088
Bulk Carrier
Built - Tsuneishi Heavi Industries, Balamban. PH
Yard No. - sc-029
L 190m W 32m
GT 30303
Year - 2001
Liverpool, 9 April 2014
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LIVERPOOL NOTES - 16 May 2014

16/5/2014

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I have been to Liverpool three times in the last week and although I did perhaps inevitably see quite a number of ships and vessels I had seen before I was lucky enough to add eight new ships to my list.

Whilst driving into work on the 9 May 2014 I saw Off Shore Supply Ship Toisa
Vigilant (IMO 9282132) hiding at the back of the docks against the river wall,  like many other vessels she is currently working on the new wind farm off the
North Wales coast. Further down the docks closer to the City centre was the
tanker CPO Singapore (IMO 9434230) which has since left for Stavanger and as I  was driving past Tranmere I saw the Crude Oil Tanker Turris (IMO 9266750) which was discharging before a planned voyage to Latvia.

The following day I saw two container ships as I was heading home along the dock  road, these were Navigator (IMO 9121871) which had just entered the dock system from the River Mersey and Independent Voyager (IMO 9481532) which was in the River and just about to enter the docks. Both these ships have since left Liverpool bound for Amsterdam and Chester Pennsylvania respectively.

On the 12 May 2014 I saw Bulk Carrier Zhong Hai Chang Yun 6 (IMO 9617179) loading scrap metal in the main dock complex. Unfortunately she was postioned such that I could not get a good picture from the road due to  obstructions which meant I could not get the full ship into the picture. She has since left port and is heading to Aliaga in Turkey.  Work vessel Forth  Constructor (IMO 8890592) was also moord up in the docks, she has been brought in to help with the new Liverpool 2 berth. Finally on my way home I saw General Cargo Ship Wilson Lista (IMO 9117208) and Tanker Amur Star (IMO 9480368) near Bromborough. Both vessels have since left the Mersey, Wilson Lista for Corpach and Amur Star for Amsterdam.
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    My interest in ships and the sea started back in 2006 when I worked for a couple of years  on the banks of the River Mersey. I have since been on a couple of cruises around the Med and in the Far East and have started to take more interest in researching and photographing some of the ships and other vessels seen on my travels.

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