Built by James W.Cook & Co. at Wivenhoe in 1954 Alice was originally built as a lighter, to be rowed, or towed, to and from the River Lea to the Lower Pool of London.

In 1994 Alice was removed from trade and over the next few years completely reconstructed and converted to a Thames sailing barge, this reconstruction was completed in 1998. 

In 2005 she had a new 125hp Ford diesel fitted.

She is now moored and available for charter near the Gun Wharf Marina complex in Portsmouth where I took the above photograph.

She has a length of 23.5m with 5.5m beam and 1.1m draft. Sails consist of  the mainsail, topsail, mizzen; foresail, plus stays and total approximately 3,500 sq.ft.

Accommodation is now provided below deck in a main saloon which includes a galley/bar and dining for 20 seated guests. She also has four 2-berth cabins and a single 3-berth cabin in addition to separate crew quarters.

Photographed Portsmouth, 30 October 2013.

It has taken a couple of months but my ship list has now finally been updated to include the ships I saw whilst on holiday on the Isle of Wight and the small number of ships I have seen on a couple of trips into Liverpool. 

Sadly I have had to lose the flags as the spreadsheet was taking too long to update. 

In keeping with the festive spirit the 1900 built three masted top sail schooner Kathleen and May and sail training ship Stavros S Niarchos (IMO 9222314) GT 493 2000 adorn their masts and rigging with LED lighting.

Photographed in Liverpool on 10 December 2012. 

Class 45 destroyer HMS Diamond photographed in Portsmouth Naval base on 30 October 2013.

She is the third of her class to be built and was commissioned on 6 May 2011.

Diamonds main armamant comprises a 4.5 in / 55 Mk 8 Mod 1 gun capable of firing 25 rounds/min up to 27000m in an anti-surface role and 6000m in an anti-aircraft role.       

One of two Raytheon 20mm Phalanx Block 1B Mk15 CIWS Phalanx Block 1B Close In Weapon Systems. 

This is the latest upgrade for this weapon and uses a thermal imager Automatic Acquisition Video Tracker (AAVT) and stablilization system that allow the CIWS to engage small surface targets, slow-moving air targets, and hovering helicopters.

The rate of fire is up to 4500 rounds / min.

This type of weapon was first deployed on the USS America in 1980.

Henty Oil's river barge Aston photographed moored near Pierhead, Liverpool on 18 December 2013. 

Shortly after I took the picture gale force winds, hail and driving rain hit the North West coast resulting in me getting soaked through walking back to the car and a slow journey home along partially flooded roads.  

Following some research which basically involved getting in touch with the owners I have now found out more about the above vessel. 

The vessel was built by J.S Watson, Gainsborough on the River Trent in
1939 as a non-propelled salvage lighter , her yard number was 1512, and she was measured as 84grt, 48nrt, 72ft x  22ft. O.N. 166890

She was built on behalf of the Kings Lynn Conservancy Board and was named “K.L.C.B. No.  7” and when built she did not have an engine and was moved around by tug.

She was later motorised in 1955 following the installaton of a Gardner 8L33 diesel engine of 152bhp.

The KLCB disposed of her at some time in the late 1980's and her history following sale is uncertain, she was however bought by her current owners in Fort William in 2002 and then moved to Bembridge on the Isle Of Wight where she is being converted.
 
The owners have told me that the Gardiner engine is still in working and that they intend to keep her as a working vessel.  

Her red oxide hull is also going to be painted blue (to match her original working colours) at some point in the future, 

My special thanks to the local harbour board and Sirius's owners for their kind assistance in the progression of this blog.

Photographed 28 October 2013.

Photograph of Portsmouth Naval Base Wall taken 30 October 2013 close to the main gate.

The inscription reads 

'This wall was begun the 4th June 1711 and finish'd ye 13 December 1711'.

The wall generally follows the line of Sir Bernard de Gomme's earth-rampart town defence's which were constructed from 1665. It is constructed of red brick with some blue headers in English bond. 

The wall varies in height from approximately 4m to approximately 7m and at various points it is now incorporated in the buildings which have been built up against it.

Just visible to the left of the photograph is one of the large piers that form Victory Gate, it is constructed of two large ashlar piers with moulded plinths, cornices, and golden ball-on-cushion finials. 

The plaque sits above a pedestrian gate to one side of the main gate with a segmental-arched top, it is framed by a royal cipher and crown. 

Photographed in Liverpool Union Diamond is an offshore vessel and anchor handling tug operated by Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V.

She is powered by two aBc 8 MdZc diesel engines, has three generators (2 x 150 Kw, 1 x 75 Kw) and a Schottel SST 100cP 200 bow thruster. 

Service speed is 13 kts and Bollard pull is 70 t. 

With accommodation for up to 9 personnel she has a cruising range of approximately 17 days.

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. is a global maritime services company operating in the dredging, offshore energy and inland infrastructure sectors and through Smit they are also active in the towage and salvage sectors.

They operate in over 75 countries and across six continents

Boskalis commenced operation in 1910 Sliedrecht when a group of families set up a new dredging company operating three bucket dredgers, a suction dredger, a jacob’s ladder, two bottom dischargers, two house boats and ten barges.

After the First World War they were involved in the construction of dykes, land reclamation and other work that protected the Dutch coastline. During the 1930's the company grew at home and overseas and in 1931 the company won a contract for the dredging of Bromborough Docks. In 1933 they established the Westminster Dredging Company in London which led to major land reclamation projects in West Africa.

During the 1950's Boskalis and Westminster Dredging Company collaborated on projects all over the world, including Australia, Canada and the Middle East. Following the 1953 flood disaster in the Netherlands they were involved in the construction of the storm surge barrier in the Eastern Scheldt as well as developing coastal defense techniques.

In 1953 Boskalis took the trailer suction hopper dredger James 47 into service, making it at the time the first in Europe to introduce this type of dredger. Boskalis became a public company in the early 1970's and received the designation ‘Royal’ in 1978.  

During this period they were also involved in the construction of artificial islands in the Arctic to accommodate oil industry equipment as conventional oil platforms in the sea were unable to withstand the enormous forces of the polar ice. 

From the 1980's the company had acquired quite a number of other companies both in Europe and overseas.  

At the beginning of 2010 Boskalis merged with Dutch maritime services provider SMIT Internationale.
 
MMSI - 205349000
REG - BE, Antwerp
IMO - 9220548
Call Sign - ORLK
Tug
Built - Armon, Navia,ES
Yard No. - 511
L 33m W 12m
GT - 497
Year - 2001
Liverpool, 2 July 2013

Sirius photographed late afternoon in Bembridge on the Isle of Wight. 

I cannot find anything about this vessel although she does look like a salvage vessel.

This is a bit unusual as from her hull construction she does look to be of some age. Sirius may be a modern name and her bow arrangement may be a retrofit but I do find it strange that there does not seem to be any information about her.

Photographed 28 October 2013. 

Photographed in Yarmouth on the Isle Of Wight on 29 October 2013 Gralian is a Motor Cruiser built in 1937. 

She has a length of 13.12m with a 3.35m beam and 1.52m draft, Gross Tonnage is 21.00. 

Gralian was the fifth of eight Medina Class 45' motor yachts built by Saunders-Roe in Cowes on the Isle of Wight between 1935 and 1939. Originally named Jeakelard she is of carvel construction with teak planks on oak frames. 

She was originally a gift from Joyce Sherren to her husband Wing Commander PC Sherren, a First World War flying ace who was killed in the King's Cup Race in 1937.  

During World War 2 she was requisitioned as a patrol vessel, serving on the East Coast and taking part in the D-Day landings in 1944.  Her ship's bell is inscribed 'War Service Admiralty 1940-1946'. 

She was renamed Gralian after the war and has cruised extensively in British and European waters.

In 1969 her two Chrysler petrol engines were replaced by Mercedes Benz OM314s.  

Gralian is on the UK Historic Ships Register.