South Shields Sanddancers Forum

I can Gob with the best of them My favourite subjects are The River Tyne, Sunderland AFC, and just about any other subject you can think of.

The story of the Tyne-Norway ferries 1864-2001 is told in Ferry Tales by Dick Keys and Ken Smith, a nice little book published by Newcastle Libraries (Tyne Bridge Publishing) in 1999. £5-99. It may be in other libraries local studies departments.

There were two Vegas, two Ledas, two Jupiters etc. There are lots of pictures of the vessels, which until 1928 docked at the Quayside in central Newcastle - thereafter at the Tyne Commission quay in North Shields.

Tyne Bridge have done other good books including one on Palmer's, The Lost Shipyards of the Tyne, Turbinia, Mauretania, from Walker to the World, Black Diamonds etc.


Jerry

For years Tyne Commision Quay was know as Bergen Quay as the mail boats to Bergen berthed there, Tyne commision Quay extension was known as Oslo quay for the same reason. When the RoRo terminal was opened in 1966 it meant the begining of the end for the old ferrys and the new RoRo ships began to take over, I did a trip to Bergen on the old Leda in 1970 she was then near the end. She ended up in the Far East.

Sunderland AFC. Welcome to another true believer.

Pilot, were you in the Merchant Navy? Wait till Gassa(full of wind) or Rockhard spies your profile. Saudi Shields indeed. Is it that bad?

Whey aye hinny 7 years deep sea and 30 years on the river and a season ticket holder for the last 30 years at Sunderland. Whats wrong with Saudi Shields anyway? Best place on Earth

And yes I have already renewed my season ticket.

what company did you work for. I come from a seafaring family and my hubby too.

Pilot wrote:Thanks for the welcome hope to join in more when I get the hang of the site

I used to work with a guy in Toronto who's family had something to do with the pilots on the Tyne.
His name was Eddie Velen.
Ring any bells?

I've renewed my season ticket as well. That makes at least two of us.

Cushie, while at sea my company was Common Brothers of Newcastle.
Beachbum, never heard of Eddie Velen, but lots of people are related to pilot families I guess, I have a cousin in Toronto and I was over there in 2003 in the middle of that little health scare you had back then.
Delilahcat, Are you the real thing? I've never known a celebrity before, but if you have to buy a ticket I guess you are not the real thing as I'm sure they let Delilah in for free.

OMG Pilot my Dad used to work for Common brothers he was a Captain.
you must have been deck side? My husband worked for Hunting &Son engine side. Which ships in Common Bros did you sail on?

Cushie PM me with his name maybe I know him. Ships I sailed on were Afghanistan, Border Fusilier, Border Laird, Border Lass, Warbah, Al Sabbiyah, Caribbean Endeavour, Cheshire Venture, Vento Di Maestrale, Cheshire Endeavour. Between 1968 and 1975. Sadly Commons are no more they were always good to me.

Found those snaps of the Venus coming in the Tyne.

Also a couple of the Bolero.

Does anyone want me to try and get the pictures on here?

Of course we want to see them. If you have a problem posting them, email them to jimmywizz and tell him where you want them posted and he will do it for you.

Well I had a go at posting them here:-

http://gallery.southshields-sanddancers ... ppuser=814

Not very good qualiy but HEY I was young.

You were young and I had left Shields a few years before they were taken.
I was not familiar with the Bolero but I thought the Venus was a black and white ship. I remember her and her sister ship (forgot the name) tying up on the north side of the river. At least I think it was the Venus, they used to run from North Shields to Oslo. I remember when the Blenheim first came on the scene, I think she replaced the black and white ship I am thinking of. Some one will probably put me right on it. I'm sure they had a large painting of the same ship in the public library many years ago painted by Vasey.

In the early 60s when I was doing my apprentiship at Whitburn Pit I had a mate called Billy Taylor, he was nicknamed donkey c**k for obvious reasons. He got friendly with a stewerdess on one of the mail boats and she took him on board, he stayed for about 4 weeks and she shared him with her mates. Heaven for a 17/18 year old.It came to an end when the pit engineer had the apprentices in his office and told us to get in touch with him as he would sack him if he did not come back to work by the following week, Billy came back a hero and about 2 stone lighter.

In the 60s the Leda (one funnel) and the Venus (two funnels) ran from the Tyne to Bergen, the Blenheim and the Bramaer ran from the Tyne to Oslo, the Venus was black and white like the Leda most of the time but once in a while she came in painted a lighter sort of sandy colour this was after she had been on a more tropical run for a while.

I asked a while back, are there still ferries running to Scandanavia? I know the ones going to Holland, but as far as I know, thats it from the Tyne these days? Had a lovely meal on the Prince.