Holyhead Towing Tug Afon Alaw seen catching the early morning sun in Liverpool Docks on 29 August 2013. She was built in the UK in 2004 by the Hepworth Shipyard at Paull on the River Humber.

She has a length of 25.5m, 9.5m beam with a 2.4m minimum working draft and is powered by two Cumins KTA38-M2 engines (total 2600bhp) each driving fixed pitch propellers in fixed Kort nozzles through ZF gearboxes fitted with box coolers.

Maximum speed is 11.2 knots and bollard pull is 34 tonnes. Equipment on board includes a split drum anchor handling and towing winch, 500m of towing wire, 14 tonne tugger winch, 3.5m wide stern roller with hydraulic guide pins and a 90t Heila HLRM 90/55 hydraulic crane, 

Heated and air conditioned accommodation is provided on board for 12 personnel.

She is owned and operated by Holyhead Towing which was founded in the early 1960's as a subsidiary to the Holyhead Boatyard. Holyhead Towing started with one small coastal tug and has since developed into an operator of larger coastal and deep sea tugs. Since the late 1980's the company has focused on shallow draught multipurpose tugs and workboats in support of the dredging and marine civil engineering industries.

As well as using proven vessel designs, Holyhead Towing has successfully
developed and built its own vessels. As a result, the company now works on large and varied projects in a wide range of locations.

The company is also involved in a number of joint ventures with other companies working throughout the Mediterranean, Caspian Sea and Falkland Islands. 

MMSI - 235090202
REG -  UK, Beaumaris
IMO - 9298935
Call Sign - 2FCZ7
Tug
Built - Hepworth, Paull, UK
Yard No. - 157
L 25m W 9m
GT 157
Year - 2004
LIverpool, 29 August 2013

A full day in Liverpool yesterday resutled in three new vessels all seen together in the main basin at Seaforth. These consisted of the General Cargo Ships Fraserborg (IMO 9419319, GT 8911, 2011) and Rene A (IMO 9508653, GT 3556, 2011) together with Panama registered Bulk Carrier Jin Zhou Hai (IMO 9546083, GT 32957, 2009). Both Jin Zhou Hai and Rene A are still in port but Fraserborg has since left for Tilbury.

I also saw Salvage Vessel Forth Trojan at a distance where she appears to be working with the recently arrived Dutch dredgers and other vessels on the new dock wall container facility. 

The above picture shows her leaving Pierhead, Liverpool on 3 September 2013.

She has a length of 25.37m, 10.2m beam and maximum draft of 2.25m. Gross Tonnage is 197T. There is accommodation on board with 8 berths.

Propulsion is via two 578kW engines giving a speed of 9.8 knots and bollard pull of 23.5T

She is owned by Briggs Marine and Environmental Services who are based in Burntisland in Fife, Scotland. The company supplies services across a range of industries working offshore in the marine sector ranging from vessel charter to marine civil engineering projects to renewable energy, emergency response and salvage.

MMSI -  235095311
REG - UK, Leith
IMO - 9126948
Call Sign - 2FYM4
Salvage Vessel
Built - Damen Bergum, Bergum, NL
Yard No. 9937
L 25.37m W 10.2m
GT 197
Year - 1995
Liverpool, 3 September 2013

The Chateau at Drancourt seen in the late evening. 

Sadly I cannot find any information on the house but I imagine it is 19th possibly even 18th Century. The timber porch across the front looks out of place and may be a later addition. 

Could the center of the house be the original structure with the 'ends' added later? Possible I suppose, the windows and other details around the roof are certainly different.

The house is at the main entrance to the site and looks West over a lawn towards the village, the village itself was very small comprising just a few houses.

Our tent. 

We were located in a good place,arguably one of the best places on the site with a large well defined area, hedges on three sides and sheltered from the East by trees. 

I woke up on more than one occasion in the night to hear owls hooting at each other in the trees.

A Sparrow - One of many to visit our campsite, together with a couple of Chaffinches they made short work of any bread thrown to them.

A farm track heading into the fields near the entrance to the camp site, we had a couple of good evening walks up this track which for a while bordered the campsite on one side with a large field full of potato's on the other. The track soon changes into a stony path which runs out into the countryside. 

Looking across the potato fields, we followed the track to the small wood in the far distance on the left. Due to a lot of harvesters and other vehicles  working in the fields we turned back at this point and headed back.

This is typical of the landscape around where we were staying.

A poppy growing among lumps of flint at the edge of a field.

Seen on 10 July 2013 is the Jack up Rig JB-114 which was being towed towards Cammell Lairds facility on the River Mersey. This vessel is currently employed working on the new wind farms off the North Wales coast.

She is operated by the Van Es Group who supply, maintain and operate marine and construction equipment worldwide through a group of companies. JB-114 is run by one of these companies, Jack-Up Barge bv which is based in Sliedrecht, The Netherlands. This part of the Van Es Group can supply two types of self elevating platforms, the Modular Jack-Up and the Monohull Jack-Up.

The Modular Jack-Up is a self elevating platform with pay loads ranging from 250 to 400 tons. They are built of units equal in size to ISO freight containers. This enables them to be transported easily and cheaply around the world. The modular Jack-Ups can be transported by rail, road, or ship to any location both offshore or inland. The barge can easily be mounted together on the site.

The monohulls are larger platforms than the Modulars, with payloads starting at 1,000 tons up to 2,500 tons. These are built and equipped to ensure any specific marine or offshore project can be executed. They also have a 
heli-deck and crane capacity ranging from 300 to 1,000 tons.

JB-114  has a length of 55.5m, breadth of 32.2m and maximum draft of 3.6m. Leg length is 73.15m and each of the legs have a diameter of 3m. In total she has a deck area of approximatly 1000m2 and can accommodate a maximum payload of 1250 tons.

She is able to operate in a maximum water depth of approximatly 40m with a wave height of 2m and wind speed of 20m/s.

Survival Conditions! are noted as being (based on a 40m water depth) 15m waves/12.5 seconds and wind speed of 39m/s. 

Standard accommodation is up to 64 personnel in 32 twin rooms.

MMSI - 311011900
REG - BS, Nassau
IMO -  8770728
Call Sign - C6XJ9
Jack Up Rig
Built - Nanindah Mutiara SY, Batam, ID
Yard No. - 
L 55.5m W 32.2m
GT 3621
Year - 2009
Liverpool, 10 July 2013

Seen in Liverpool on 13 June 2013 Polar Prince is a multi-functional Construction Support Vessel that is able to perform operations in severe sea and weather conditions. She can provide a wide range of services including light construction activities and cable laying as well as inspections, maintenance and repair operations.

Like many similar vessels she is working on the wind turbine facility off the North Wales coast and has been a regular visitor to Liverpool Docks this year.

Her overall length is 94.10m with a beam of 22m and maximum draught of 7.1m.

Propulsion machinery comprises 2 x 4320 kW medium speed and two  controllable pitch main drive propellers (CPP) in nozzles giving a service speed of 11 knots.

Her helicopter pad is designed for a Sikorsky S-92, Super Puma EC225/ AS332 or equivalent.

Accommodation is available for 31 persons in single cabins and other facilities include a galley, mess room, lounges, instrument rooms, fitness suite, sauna, solarium and a laundry.

Two moon pools are available for subsea operations, a large moonpool 7.02m x 6.50m and a smaller ROV moon pool measuring 4.90m x 5.20m

MMSI - 257381000
REG - NO, Bergen
IMO - 9181481
Call Sign - LALX5
Off-shore vessel
Built - Fekkerfjord Slip, Flekkerfjord, NO
Yard No. -155
L 94.1m W 22m
GT - 9651
Year -1999
Liverpool, 13 June 2013

I spent the day in Liverpool again on Friday, the weather was been pretty good with only the odd brief rain shower and a temperature of 15 Deg.C. 

First new ship I saw was the Crude Oil Tanker Stena Posidon (IMO 9334698, GT 42810, 2006) which was moored at Tranmere. It was then quiet until mid-day and high tide when the tanker Sichem Hong Kong ( IMO 9397054, GT 8537, 2007) passed me heading up river to Eastham.

Almost opposite where I was working there was a small sailing vessel holding station mid-channel which AIS identified as the Leader, an ex-Brixham Trawler built in 1892 by A.W.Gibbs at Galmpton. She worked in UK waters until 1910 when she was sold to Swedish owners where she operated into the 1970's, she is now a sail training vessel.  

At lunch I went for a walk and another but much larger sail training vessel in the form of the Norwegian registered Christian Radich (IMO 5071729, GT 676, 1937) was moored at Pier head. Unfortunately she was directly behind the cruise liner terminal so the view of her was limited, she is a large sailing vessel and it was good to see her in Liverpool. I also saw a RIB full of Royal Marines speeding down the river before grabbing a drink in the Albert Dock and heading back to work.

Heading home I passed the newly arrived Bulk Carrier Maribella (IMO 9316672, GT 39736, 2004) berthed opposite the Seaforth container terminal.

A couple of pictures taken 16 April 2011 from the deck of the Costa Classica as we left Singapore on route to Kuantan, Malaysia. Its difficult to take night shots from a moving ship so I was quite pleased with the results.

A bit of sun across the River Mersey.

After a week that started with some intense rain showers followed by rainbows the weather looks like it is improving a bit. The fact it is not even 4pm and the sun is well on its way to setting confirms that Autumn is here whch is justified by the leaves falling from the tree in my front garden. 

So far today I have seen four new vessels.

Bulk Carrier Intrepid Eagle (IMO 9467615, GT 23426, 2013) was in the main basin at Seaforth this morning whilst around lunch time I saw the veteran ferry now acting as an accommodation ship Wind Solution (IMO 6918560, GT 8893, 1969) leaving the docks and heading out to sea.

General Cargo Ship Fri Stream (IMO 9115896, GT 2051, 1995) also passed me heading upstream to Garston Docks making use of the high tide and finally from a distance I saw the Container Ship Manfred (IMO 9433444, GT 7464, 2008) leaving the docks and heading to Dublin.

Earlier today I was reading about the Destroyer HMS Cobra which sank on this day in 1901. Built in 1901 by Armstrong Whitworth and Co. she was 350 tons and measured 210ft x 21 ft x 7ft. She was fitted with steam turbines which were at the time new and the both the Navy and her builders were interested in their performance.

Leaving port for trials with a crew of 54 officers and men in addition to 25 contractors which included Mr Barnard the Manager of the Parsons Turbine Company the vessel became caught in deteriorating weather and a full gale.

Due to her slim design she had a tendancy to ride upon the bow and stern waves putting immense strain on the mid-section of the ship. At about 7.30am the ship simply broke in two and sank. Of the 79 on board only 12 survived in a single small lifeboat. Her commanding officer Lieut Bosworth-Smith and Mr Barnard were amongst the casulaties.

Seen in Liverpool on 4 September 2013 Sarinda was built as Harbour Defence Launch (HDML) ML 1392 by Berthon Boats, Lymington. She was ordered on 11 September 1942 and completed on 20 December 1943.

She has a length of 21.95m, 4.57m beam, 1.40m draft with Gross Tonnage of 59.

The HDML was designed by W J Holt at the Admiralty in early 1939 and ML 1392 is one of 486 HDMLs constructed mainly by yacht builders in the UK as well as other Allied countries.

Originally her complement would have been 10 personel and she would have typically been armed with a QF-2 pdr main gun, 20mm Oerlikon AA Cannon and 0.303 vickers machine guns located either side of the bridge. She would have also carried 6 to 8 depth charges on her aft deck. As the QF-2-pounder guns were not particularly accurate, possibly because of the boats' tendency to roll many were replaced by another 20 mm Oerlikon gun.

Engines on this type of vessel varied but her diesel engine and single propeller would make between 11 and 12.5 knots.

As part of the 149th ML Flotilla she was a navigation leader at Gold Beach during the D-day landings in June 1944. On 6 March 1945, she captured a Biber type German midget submarine off Breskens in the Scheldt estuary.

After the war, she continued in service as the fast despatch boat FDB 73.

In October 1947, she was transferred to HM Customs & Excise and renamed  
Valiant.

In the 1960's she was sold and became the motor yacht Frol-Pejo and by the mid 1970's she had been renamed Sarinda.

A total rebuild as a luxury motor yacht was started in 1979 and completed by a new owner after she was sold in 1987.

Photographed in the Albert Dock in Liverpool on a warm and sunny 
4 September 2013 Snowbird (ex HLD 6807 ex D25) is a wooden hulled ex Royal Navy Harbour Launch once used to ferry officers and crew around the Navy dockyards. Originally this particular vessel was based in Portsmouth.

HLD denotes Harbour Launch Diesel and the numbering scheme 6807 indicates that she was the seventh launch ordered in 1968.

Quite a number of this type of vessel were built and constructed to a design originating in the 1890's, apart from small profile changes and the introduction of diesel engines instead of steam the design remained largey unchanged. Most were built close to their intended homeport as the Admiralty sent out the plans to the RN naval bases who had them built locally.

They were operated by the Port Auxiliary Service which in 1976 was merged with the RMAS.

Starting from the closest to the camera can be seen the steel-hulled New Zealand or Kiwi class launch named Indefatigable which is now I believe used as a training ship, this type were used as crew boats in the 1982 Falklands Conflict.

Next in line is Rainbird (ex HLD 6507, ex D23) a Harbour Launch built in 1965 by Groves and Gutteridge at Cowes.

Furthest from the camera is Stormbird (ex H.L.D. 6512, ex D12) which was built in 1965 by the Dorset Yacht Co, Poole.

Stern view of three of the vessels photographed above.

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