Tyne pictures

[anna]

ive been on a couple of them ferry trips Sless,,is that the ones that has the bar and the disco on as well ...
had a brilliant night both times ,it looks nice at night time ..

[Pilot]

Rig at Readheads Quay, McNulty's to younger people like Mr A



RoRo Terminal

[Pilot]

Mill dam, Customs House


Albert Edward Dock Entrance.....now a marina


South Shields Ferry landing

[Pilot]

north Shields ferry landing and the famous "Jungle"


Whats left of Smiths drydocks


New call centre

[anna]

more great photos Pilot ......brings back memorys of the times i worked at Smiths ,for my father-in-law.......freezing cold mornings ,about 12 of us walking some gang plank that wouldnt pass the health and safty checks of today ,with our half filled buckets of warm water [as there was no water on the ship] to clean the ships.....it was one of my worst jobs in my life ,i hated it , i dont like water [sea] i dont like hights[gangplanks] and i dont like the cold ,,,so i hated it with a passion
....the best part about it ,was a job and knock ... ,loved them days ,but we did have some laughs .

[Pilot]

Marine school lifeboats


yuppy flats


harbourmasters office

[Pilot]

High light


Old pilot office



Fish quay and high and low lights

[Jarrow Pete]

Is it true Pilot that ships lined up the high and low lights when entering between the piers so that they were in correct channel.

[Pilot]

The short answer is yes Pete, but these days they are switched off and there is a directional beam on the groyne instead.

[Pilot]

The Pilot Jetty now unused


Littlehaven Hotel


The groyne

[Pilot]

Knotts flats


Lord Collingwood



tynemouth Priory and ex coastguard station

[Pilot]

South Pier


North Pier



Pilot Cutter

[comeonthen]

Brilliant photos pilot. I was on one of those cruises on the river but when I went it was freezing cold, raining and foggy so I did not get many photos. It was nice looking at yours to see what I missed.
comeonthen

[captain beefheart]

Great photos and it brings back memories, i used to work at Swans and would have to go to the neptune or wallsend yard dependant what we were doing, i am sure many on here will remember the bone yard alongside the neptune ferry landing, it was awful in the summer and if i was doing something on the type 42's berthed at the neptune you had the smell all day.

[captain beefheart]

Pilot
you mentioned in the photos that the river looked empty without the ships of yesteryear, is it true however that the port of tyne authority handles more cargo now than ever before, i would imagine it is the size of the ships and cargo's that have increased, the largest ever cargo to arrive by ship was just recently, 67,000 tons of coal in one ship. It must be the decline of ship repair / building that gives the impression of not much happening.

Also memories, did anyone go to the little yard at Bill Quay, I am sure the old Jarrow ferry was their for a while, was it Harrisons, whatever happened to them

[Pilot]

Harrisons slipway closed quite a few years ago in the 1990s i think, and its not true the POT handles more cargo these days, it handles more car imports and exports and more passengers than ever and makes more profit but its business is on a much smaller scale. In the past many ships came to the Tyne for repair rather than with cargo and these ship have mostly been lost also no new builds these days. When I was first back as a pilot in 1975 the river would have typically 40 or 50 ships in port and about 18 movements per 24 hours, on my trip down river last September I saw 7 ships in total. Also remember that in 1975 the river was quiet compared with earlier in the century. People get confused with the difference between the Port of Tyne Authority and the River Tyne.

[Pilot]

these are the only cuttings i have on harrison's slipway, I know i have a good colour photo somewhere but can't find it at the moment.

[denis]

PILOT
Did you ever come across a RALF MACDERMOT i think he worked on the pilot launches in the 50 ?

[Pilot]

No I don't know the name, its a bit before my time I started my apprenticeship in 1964.

[curly]

Keep an eye on South Shields Daily Photo over the next week, I have one or two beauties waiting to go on.