Bonga

hotrodngaz · Post by **hotrodngaz** » Sun Oct 19, 2003 11:37 am

If anyone missed the Bonga going out this morning because they had a lie-in (lazy gits) I was there taking some photos, and don't say I'm sad because I bet you'll have a look at them. Anyway, I wouldn't have been there myself if it wasn't for my sister banging on my door this morning at 6.50am, I would have had a lie-in myself. 3 photo's, quite big, but so was this ship. 300,000 tones.

http://www.robertolley.co.uk/Bonga/Bonga.jpg
http://www.robertolley.co.uk/Bonga/Bonga2.jpg
http://www.robertolley.co.uk/Bonga/Bonga3.jpg

mariner · Post by **mariner** » Sun Oct 19, 2003 12:32 pm

She's a cracker of a ship gaz, what is she plz ?

hotrodngaz · Post by **hotrodngaz** » Sun Oct 19, 2003 1:06 pm

Hi, the Bonga is a floating oil production & storage vessel. I searched for Bonga on the net and found this.

http://www.mg002b3988.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/bonga1.htm

It took about 2 hours for it to come along the Tyne from the AMEC yard at Wallsend and I would imagine it would normally take a small vessel about 20 minutes to do the same journey. As it came by, pulled by a very large tug, the Bonga hardly made a ripple in the water. What a sight!

jimmywizz · Post by **jimmywizz** » Sun Oct 19, 2003 3:31 pm

here is some more of the bonga which i put on the site last week

http://www.southshields-sanddancers.co. ... otos_2.htm

i would also like to thank the people who sent photos of her leaving today and will do my best to have them on our site by mon night
jimmy

sherri · Post by **sherri** » Sun Oct 19, 2003 9:59 pm

It is a really unusual shape, isn't it. The fact it is in oil production makes sense. What was it doing in south shields-dropping off or collecting?

Rattler · Post by **Rattler** » Sun Oct 19, 2003 10:14 pm

Nice to see a ship coming down the Tyne again. Question is will it ever return.

In picture 1 are the houses built where a shipyard used to be?

jimmywizz · Post by **jimmywizz** » Mon Oct 20, 2003 2:22 am

the ship had been on the River for months now having a refit so we might never see it again, rattler the houses down by the river have been built over the old docks but the old docks have been kept in the design and the place looks very nice now

Rattler · Post by **Rattler** » Mon Oct 20, 2003 5:13 am

Thanks for the info jimmywiz and many thanks for the avatar--looked all over the web for a picture of the old MARSDEN RATTLER yours isnt it but it will do admirably.

Last ship i saw go down the TYNE i believe was the Supertanker called NORTHUMBRIA that was big.

mariner · Post by **mariner** » Mon Oct 20, 2003 7:20 am

last time i saw a ship of that size was an iron ore bulker that ran from Port Headland to Newcastle ( in aus ) to japan called the Iron Pacific and her sister ship the Iron Newcastle both behemoths of the sea.

a little known fact about why you don't see super tankers around anymore is that in the late 70's and early 80's a lot of them of 500,000 gwt and more disappeared en route without a trace. it transpired that the holding tanks had insufficant baffles and the movement of the oil inside the enclosed space created it's weather system and hence an electric charge.....then BOOM !!!! no more ship so thats why there are no longer any of them plying their trade. and thnx for the info gaz and jimmy.

Rattler · Post by **Rattler** » Mon Oct 20, 2003 8:16 am

Mariner--------I didnt realise they exploded I thought they suffered massive stress fractures.

jimmywizz · Post by **jimmywizz** » Mon Oct 20, 2003 3:55 pm

mariner 2 people from shields lost thier lives a few years back when a massive ship called the derbyshire broke up at sea

http://www.shipstructure.org/derby.shtml

rattler i remember watching the northumbria leave the tyne when i was a kid

jimmywizz · Post by **jimmywizz** » Tue Oct 21, 2003 12:23 am

more bonga photos

http://www.southshields-sanddancers.co. ... otos_3.htm

nowt to do with the above
tgs calor gas heaters
http://www.calorgas-heaters.co.uk/