A sad ending to my old ship...

[.comsaint]

Spent 3 years of my life on HMS Cardiff back in the mid-80's & have many great memories of my time in her - including two 6-month deployments on Armilla Patrol (the Royal Navy's permanent presence in the Persian Gulf) in '84 and '86 during the Iran-Iraq war.

 

So it's sad to see a few photos of the 'old girl' herself just prior to becoming razor blades!

 

Here's Cardiff and sister-ship the Newcastle moored awaiting disposal at Fareham Creek in 2008:

 

Looking weathered and tatty:

 

Here she is anchored-off the Turkish coast at Aliaga awaiting demolition:

 

And here she is about to enter the 'chop shop' itself:

 

So much for 'Turkish delight'...

 

Edited 16 March, 2010 by .comsaint

[Minsk]

I completely empathise with you. This is what happened to my first ship:

 

 

 

 

 

After the outrage of these pics they now remove the penant number from ships before using them as target practice. (The irony of this particular one being that Lowestoft was an ASW trials ship and was then subsequently 'taken out' by a torpedo.)

[Thedelldays]

Pfffft

 

underpaid skimmer

[Minsk]

Pfffft

 

underpaid skimmer

 

I could smell your presence on this thread before I even checked back here!

 

And it is underpensioned ex-skimmer!!

 

Anyway, isn't it about time you went away in your little tin can doing 6 on 6 off for weeks on end? I am sure that would help out with your sleep problems!

[Whitey Grandad]

Sic transit gloria mundi.

 

I always find it sad when any ship reaches the end of her career and I'm not sure which is the more noble end. Rotting away up some creek is always unpleasant. The upper reaches of the Hamble and other rivers are full of old hulls sunk into the mud with just a few ribs left poking above the silt, and when you read of their history trading along the west coast of France and Ireland it is depressing to see their current sorrry state. At least those that have been used for target practice have given useful information that may help to save the lives of future sailors.

 

What was the name of that old wooden warship that was scuttled off Portsmouth (in the 1960s?) ?

[Deeps]

I could smell your presence on this thread before I even checked back here!

 

And it is underpensioned ex-skimmer!!

 

Anyway, isn't it about time you went away in your little tin can doing 6 on 6 off for weeks on end? I am sure that would help out with your sleep problems!

 

Did 32 years on those little tin cans. The best time of my life.

[Whitey Grandad]

The salvage of the German High Seas Fleet by Cox & Danks is an incredible story for those interested in such exploits:

 

 

http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyBritish-Shipbreak.htm

 

And of course, HMS Vanguard:

 

http://battleshiphmsvanguard.homestead.com/DeathofaBattleship.html

 

There's a comment at the bottom about the steel being used for a whole-body scanner in Sweden.

[Minsk]

Did 32 years on those little tin cans. The best time of my life.

 

I would never have guessed from your username.

 

I'm just a sprog, I only did 25 years looking for those little tin cans.

[View From The Top]

My old ships have also been scrapped. I find it very sad, especially F42, who was a wonderful old girl.

[Block 18]

My old ships have also been scrapped. I find it very sad, especially F42, who was a wonderful old girl.

 

Ahh the Pheobe or also known as HMS Hero for a short while I do believe or was it the Juno.

[tpbury]

Would be interesting to hear how many 'proper' seafarers remain fans of the Saints. We could even work out the proportion of such compared to the Naval stronghold down the road - don't think 'I'm saltier than you' has been done before?

 

My seafaring revolves around going crabbing once or twice I hasten to add.

[Jillyanne]

Another very sad sight.

 

[Whitey Grandad]

Ahh the Pheobe or also known as HMS Hero for a short while I do believe or was it the Juno.

I loved that TV series. I saw a couple of episodes recently and I wish I'd stayed with the memories.

[Thedelldays]

so many ships and subs have been scrapped in my 10 years in...with very few being replaced..

 

booooooooooooooo

[View From The Top]

Ahh the Pheobe or also known as HMS Hero for a short while I do believe or was it the Juno.

 

You are correct, she did become HMS Hero.

 

She was a lovely ship.

[.comsaint]

Another very sad sight.

 

 

Ah - the Canberra. Here she is being dismantled - like so many other lovely liners were - on the beaches of Alang, India:

 

[Viking Warrior]

Being an ex pongo I had two excursions on HMS Cardiff Once to deliver medical drugs when it was in water off Cyprus. I still have my lapel badge that

was given to me. Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh

[Chin Strain]

Another very sad sight.

 

 

My mum and dad met whilst working on Canberra (mum was a telephonist and dad was an assistant purser)....45th wedding anniversary coming up next month.

[dune]

this thread is good now post a tune in the tune thread and i;ll rate your style

[View From The Top]

My mum and dad met whilst working on Canberra (mum was a telephonist and dad was an assistant purser)....45th wedding anniversary coming up next month.

 

I met my wife when we were both working on the QE2.

[.comsaint]

On the subject of scrapped/wrecked ships - a few images of well-known vessels:

 

HMS Intrepid being dismantled in Liverpool last year:

 

Her sister ship HMS Fearless (another old ship of mine) at the breakers in Belgium 2009:

 

The once-beautiful P&O liner Oriana at Wayou scrap yard in Zhangiagang, China:

 

The famous SS America as she was in her heyday...and how she is today - wrecked off the coast of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands when her tow-line snapped on 18 January, 1994:

[Chin Strain]

On the subject of scrapped/wrecked ships - a few images of well-known vessels:

 

 

 

The once-beautiful P&O liner Oriana at Wayou scrap yard in Zhangiagang, China:

 

 

 

 

I didn't know Oriana had now been scrapped. It was on the Huangpu River in Shanghai when I was there in 2001 - I think it was a floating hotel

[.comsaint]

I didn't know Oriana had now been scrapped. It was on the Huangpu River in Shanghai when I was there in 2001 - I think it was a floating hotel

 

On June 16, 2004, SS oriana was struck by a vicious storm in which she was badly damaged. She took on a great deal of water due to her being holed at bow that saw her lower decks flooded, and soon she listed to port. Attempts were made to right her and the owners even considered restoring her, however the cost proved to be too great:

 

 

On May 13, 2005 SS Oriana departed Dalian and was towed to Wayou scrap yard in Zhangiagang China where she was broken up:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Whitey Grandad]

I want to cry :smt022

[.comsaint]

I want to cry :smt022

 

Indeed - it does get to you somewhat - seeing these once-great 'queens of the ocean' suffering such a cruel and very sad ending. As an antiques dealer in old maritime/shipping items however - I have had the great pleasure of many wonderful old items from numerous ocean liners passing through my hands - including the Oriana, Canberra, Union-Castle Line, all the famous Cunarders and of course the White Star Line - to name a few. I have kept the odd artifact too as I am loathe to part with it - but just owning them for the short space of a few weeks even is very special. I have many reference books & old records which I often sit down with in the evening - with a cup of tea - and view lovingly! Today's ships (to me) are very luxurious inside of course - but they are not a patch on the liners of yesterday & the golden age of the ocean travel - the 1920s through to the 50s - when the vast majority of liners just looked so much more...majestic!

[ART]

A truly moving and sad thread seeing how these grand ladies of the seas end their days. I shall never forget living in Hong Kong and seeing the Queen Elizabeth arriving for a major refit. Throughout all my childhood, like so many of us Saints fans from back then, I'd lie in bed and listen to her arriving and departing from the States. I shed tears several weeks later as she caught fire during the refit and tragically sunk right there in Hong Kong harbour, never more to be seen and worshiped.

 

[Redondo Saint]

very sad indeed.

 

My dad used to work as a nav systems service engineer in Oxford street for most of these ships.

I went with him many times on these ships when away from school, etc.

 

It's a good thing the Queen Mary is still complete and only a few miles from me.

My dad's signature is one of the last names in the ships log and on view ot the public - spooky!!!

 

http://www.queenmary.com/index.php Worth a visit if in Los Angeles

[hamster]

Not sure that I want to know the answer to this, but here goes. Does any one know what the fate of HMS Tiger was please? My Dad served on her when in the Marines and did a world tour before i was born (pre-'64). He has some great old b/w photos of his travels plus a lovely old musly official 'Tiger World Tour' book, I love it whenever it gets dusted off.

[Saint in Paradise]

HMS Tiger lingered on tied to a mooring buoy in Portsmouth Harbour. Tiger existed in a slowly deteriorating condition until mid-1986, when she was sold for scrap. She was towed to Spain and scrapping started in October 1986.

[Thedelldays]

I remember when you used to gover over into pompey on the M275 and over to your right was 3 diesel subs litterallt stacked on top of each other..

 

then you have a handful of old type 22 frigates tied up and rusting away

[.comsaint]

I remember when you used to gover over into pompey on the M275 and over to your right was 3 diesel subs litterallt stacked on top of each other..

 

then you have a handful of old type 22 frigates tied up and rusting away

 

That's old Harry Pounds' yard. He's had numerous bits & pieces of military equipment over the years - some of it very interesting indeed - including much WWII hardware. I remember several years ago driving over the M275 - looking to my left as you drove into Pompey - and there were a dozen or so Cheiftan tanks all lined up in a row!

 

There are some interesting photos of his yard here:

 

http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=5126

[.comsaint]

I remember when you used to gover over into pompey on the M275 and over to your right was 3 diesel subs litterallt stacked on top of each other..

 

then you have a handful of old type 22 frigates tied up and rusting away

 

Oh - and I found this for you TDD

 

[Sheaf Saint]

On June 16, 2004, SS oriana was struck by a vicious storm in which she was badly damaged. She took on a great deal of water due to her being holed at bow that saw her lower decks flooded, and soon she listed to port. Attempts were made to right her and the owners even considered restoring her, however the cost proved to be too great:

 

 

On May 13, 2005 SS Oriana departed Dalian and was towed to Wayou scrap yard in Zhangiagang China where she was broken up:

 

Crikey - didn't know that. She didn't last very long at all. I remember doing some agency temp work loading her up ready for a world cruise, must have been about 1998, and she was quite new then if I remember rightly.

[Sheaf Saint]

Actually - ignore my last post. I've just done some digging and realised it was a completely different Oriana I was thinking of. The pictures should have given it away really.

[View From The Top]

When the 1st Queen burnt in HK harbour both my mum and dad cried when they saw the film on the 6 o'clock news.

 

Like many young Southampton seaman my late dad sailed on her as crew and loved her dearly.

[.comsaint]

Crikey - didn't know that. She didn't last very long at all. I remember doing some agency temp work loading her up ready for a world cruise, must have been about 1998, and she was quite new then if I remember rightly.

 

It is a real shame. I always loved the Oriana - a real lovely looking ship - and I actually own a scarce launch brochure from the year she was originally commissioned & the year I was born - 1960 (probably why I feel an affinity with her!). Anyway - in 1995 she was sold to Chinese interests and then towed to Chinwangtao, China where she served as a Government owned accommodation center and hotel. The liner was purchased once more for $6 million in November 1998 by Qinhuangdao in North China's Hebei Province. Under tow again, ORIANA arrived in Shanghai October 1998, and was refitted in ZingHua Harbour as a floating tourist attraction funded by Hangzhou West Lake International Tourism Culture Development Co Ltd. After a US$3.5 million renovation, ORIANA opened to the public in the Pudong business district of Shanghai, February of 1999.

 

 

Above and below are photos of Oriana moored at the quay on the Huang Pu River at Shanghai in 2002 before going to Dalian. She's looks pretty sad.

 

 

Hangzhou West Lake International (which held a 85% stake in the ship), announced on the 15th August, 2000 that it would auction its stake in the liner. The remaining 15% was held by Hangzhou Jiebai Group Co Ltd, a major department store operator. During ORIANA's 18 months of operation and despite more than 500,000 visitors, the attraction did not procure the desired profits. The auction took place on the 28th September, 2000. Since that time she was closed and remained moored on Shanghai's water front.

 

On the 30th June, 2002 ORIANA was seen arriving under tow at the Chinese port of Dalian. Looking freshly painted and dressed over all the event was covered on local television. She underwent a refit before opening to the public in her new static role at the resort area.

 

Oriana at Dalian before the 2004 Cyclone hit:

 

Unfortunately during the storm in June 2004 her hull was holed and she began taking in water:

 

 

 

 

 

And a couple more shots of Oriana laid up at the Zhangiagang shipyard in China awaiting her fate, 2005:

 

 

[Deeps]

I would never have guessed from your username.

 

I'm just a sprog, I only did 25 years looking for those little tin cans.

 

The Submarine graveyard at Harry Pounds. http://www.cyberheritage.com/sub_graveyard_portsmouth/index.html

[.comsaint]

The Submarine graveyard at Harry Pounds. http://www.cyberheritage.com/sub_graveyard_portsmouth/index.html

 

Interesting to see the RN sub HMS Artemis in those shots. She was the submarine (of course) that sank whilst refuelling alongside the dock at HMS Dolphin submarine base in Gosport way back in July 1971. At the time my dad was stationed at Dolphin (he spent 26 years on subs) and I remember the commotion it caused at the time!

 

She was raised 5 days later & sold the following year to Pounds for scrapping.

[sotonjoe]

it's not the P&O Oriana ... everyone does know that right?

http://www.pocruises.com/Cruise-Ships/Oriana/Ship-Overview/

[.comsaint]

it's not the P&O Oriana ... everyone does know that right?

http://www.pocruises.com/Cruise-Ships/Oriana/Ship-Overview/

 

Of course...

 

http://www.maritimematters.com/oriana.html

[Joensuu]

it's not the P&O Oriana ... everyone does know that right?

http://www.pocruises.com/Cruise-Ships/Oriana/Ship-Overview/

 

Thing is there were two P&O ships called Oriana; the SS Oriana (1959) and the MV Oriana (1995). The SS Oriana sailed from Southampton in the 60s and 70s.

[Minsk]

very sad indeed.

 

My dad used to work as a nav systems service engineer in Oxford street for most of these ships.

I went with him many times on these ships when away from school, etc.

 

It's a good thing the Queen Mary is still complete and only a few miles from me.

My dad's signature is one of the last names in the ships log and on view ot the public - spooky!!!

 

http://www.queenmary.com/index.php Worth a visit if in Los Angeles

 

I was berthed quite close to her when visiting Long Beach on HMS Lancaster, which was quite cool as my grandfather worked as head chef on the Queen Mary for a few years (in the 1940's).

[moonraker]

I remember when you used to gover over into pompey on the M275 and over to your right was 3 diesel subs litterallt stacked on top of each other..

 

then you have a handful of old type 22 frigates tied up and rusting away

 

One of those was my last of 6 P&O boats, HMS OTUS, she was saved by the Germans and is now a museum, http://www.hms-otus.com/, still havnt managed visit.

 

I well remember HMS Phoebe F42, aka HMS Hero, my brother was serving in her at the time.