< July 2012 >

All content copyright © David Richerby, 2012

Contents

Monday, 2nd July Ships
Tuesday, 3rd July Saga Sapphire
Ships
Wednesday, 4th July Ships and a helicopter
Thursday, 5th July Ships
Saturday, 7th July Ships
RFA Wave Knight
Sunday, 8th July Birkenhead Docks
Canada geese
Wednesday, 11th July Bletchley Park
Friday, 13th July Trains at Rugby
Saturday, 14th July Ships
Sunday, 15th July Ships
Monday, 16th July Whalsa Lass and a rainbow
Tuesday, 17th July Ships
Wednesday, 18th July Ships
Thursday, 19th July Ships
Canada geese
Friday, 20th July Prinsendam
USTS Empire State
Saturday, 21st July Ships
Fireworks
Sunday, 22nd July Ships
Derelict dockside buildings
I thought...
Monday, 23rd July Tugs and USTS Empire State
Tuesday, 24th July Tugs
Friday, 27th July Ships
Saturday, 28th July Quest for Adventure
Ships
A rainbow
Sunday, 29th July Ships
Monday, 30th July Ships
Tuesday, 31st July Ships

Monday, 2nd July

Alina Tulana Overseas Fran assisted by Svitzer Nari (bow), Svitzer Maltby (amidships) and Svitzer Stanlow (stern)

Tuesday, 3rd July

Saga Sapphire

Saga Sapphire assisted by Smit Sandon (bow) and Smit Barbados (stern) Saga Sapphire assisted by Smit Sandon (bow) and Smit Barbados (stern) Saga Sapphire assisted by Smit Sandon (bow) and Smit Barbados (stern) Saga Sapphire assisted by Smit Sandon (bow) and Smit Barbados (stern)
Smit Sandon assisting Saga Sapphire Saga Sapphire assisted by Smit Sandon (bow) and Smit Barbados (stern) Saga Sapphire Saga Sapphire assisted by Smit Sandon (bow) and Smit Barbados (stern)
Saga Sapphire assisted by Smit Sandon (bow) and Smit Barbados (stern) Saga Sapphire assisted by Smit Sandon (bow) and Smit Barbados (stern) Saga Sapphire Saga Sapphire

Ships

Ben Maye Steersman Arklow Fame

Wednesday, 4th July

RIB Helene Knutsen Torm Valborg and Svitzer Stanlow Cheshire Police helicopter

Thursday, 5th July

Bente and Joerg N Birgit Knutsen

Saturday, 7th July

Ships

Svitzer Stanlow and Bravo Stena Lagan being bunkered by Henty Progress Jana Fesco Ilyinsky
Bro Atland Pewsum Lady Elena

RFA Wave Knight

RFA Wave Knight has now left Cammell Laird, where she's been since April. Given the number of tugs assisting (Smit Barbados at the stern, Smit Sandon on the near side, Smit Donau at the bow and Smit Collingwood on the far side), she's obviously not under power so I suspect she's been taken to Liverpool Docks for further fitting out.

RFA Wave Knight (A389) assisted by Smit Barbados, Smit Sandon, Smit Donau and Smit Collingwood RFA Wave Knight (A389) assisted by Smit Barbados, Smit Sandon, Smit Donau and Smit Collingwood RFA Wave Knight (A389) assisted by Smit Barbados, Smit Sandon, Smit Donau and Smit Collingwood RFA Wave Knight (A389) assisted by Smit Barbados, Smit Sandon, Smit Donau and Smit Collingwood

Sunday, 8th July

Birkenhead Docks

Bravo being turned by Svitzer Stanlow SD Nimble Verity Verity
Verity Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) Whalsa Lass Whalsa Lass
MCS Ailsa MCS Ailsa MCS Ailsa and Whalsa Lass Whalsa Lass
Whalsa Lass Most Sky Most Sky Arrow
Kastor Kastor

Canada geese

The youngsters have most of their adult plumage now, though you can still see some of the fluffy yellow feathers among the black on their heads and necks.

Canada geese (Branta canadensis) Canada geese (Branta canadensis) Canada geese (Branta canadensis) Canada geese (Branta canadensis) Canada geese (Branta canadensis)
Canada geese (Branta canadensis) Canada geese (Branta canadensis) Canada geese (Branta canadensis) Canada geese (Branta canadensis)

Wednesday, 11th July

I'm at the ICALP conference at the University of Warwick and the excursion as to the WWII codebreaking centre at Bletchley Park. The guided tour was excellent — our guide, Martin Atherton, was extremely knowledgeable and pitched his talk at the perfect level for a bunch of computer scientists. And he clearly understood what he was talking about, too.

Bletchley Park Gryphon statue Pigeon loft Hut 1 Bombe replica
Huts Tunny decrypter Tunny decrypter Listening station Rebuilt Colossus

Friday, 13th July

I ended up waiting for a train at Rugby for an hour so I passed the time taking photos.

Class 90 no. 90048 Class 66 no. 66589 and class 86 no. 86613 Class 66 no. 66589 Class 66 no. 66589
Class 86s nos. 86613 and 86627 Virgin 'Pendolino' no. 390004 Class 92 no. 92038 Class 92 no. 92038

Saturday, 14th July

Baltic Sailor Sentinel Alfa Britannia assisted by Svitzer Maltby (bow), Ashgarth (amidships) and Svitzer Stanlow (stern)

Sunday, 15th July

Stena Mersey Stena Mersey Stena Mersey
Frank Progress Stena Lagan

Monday, 16th July

Whalsa Lass Rainbow

Tuesday, 17th July

Clipper Pennant Clipper Pennant assited by Smit Barbados
Saargas LS Eva Mohegan

Wednesday, 18th July

Nina 1 Venom MSC Ailsa
Unnamed Hurricane 1400 Unnamed Hurricane 1400

Thursday, 19th July

Ships

Smit Beluga Three of Smit's tugs towing a barge Skua Shoalway
Sentinel Sentinel Sentinel

Canada geese

The local geese at the grottier end of their domain: the remains of the old wooden landing stage.

Canada geese (Branta canadensis) Canada geese (Branta canadensis) Canada geese (Branta canadensis) Canada geese (Branta canadensis)
Canada geese (Branta canadensis) Canada geese (Branta canadensis) Canada geese (Branta canadensis) Canada geese (Branta canadensis)

Friday, 20th July

Prinsendam

Prindendam Prindendam Prindendam Prindendam
Prindendam Prindendam Prindendam

USTS Empire State

USTS Empire State (AP-1001) assisted by Ashgarth (bow) and Svitzer Nari (stern) USTS Empire State (AP-1001) assisted by Ashgarth (bow) and Svitzer Nari (stern) USTS Empire State (AP-1001) assisted by Ashgarth (bow) and Svitzer Nari (stern) USTS Empire State (AP-1001) assisted by Ashgarth (bow) and Svitzer Nari (stern)
USTS Empire State (AP-1001) assisted by Ashgarth (bow) and Svitzer Nari (stern) USTS Empire State assisted by Ashgarth (bow) and Svitzer Nari (stern) USTS Empire State (AP-1001)

Saturday, 21st July

Ships

You can tell that USTS Empire State is fifty years old, from the high freeboard, sharply pointed bow, lack of bulbous bow and the small cargo hatches. They don't make 'em like that, any more!

USTS Empire State (AP-1001) Nova Cura Stolt Shearwater
Omegagas Sichem Paris

Fireworks

Fireworks at the end of the Music on the Waterfront event.

Fireworks Fireworks Fireworks Fireworks Fireworks
Fireworks Fireworks Fireworks Fireworks

Sunday, 22nd July

Ships

Stolt Shearwater Bro Nordby RFA Wave Knight (A389)

Derelict dockside buildings

I walked down the dock road to get the shot of RFA Wave Knight and was a bit annoyed that she was the only visible ship and the light was poor. On the way back, I took photos of the buildings instead. The road's quite busy, as it leads from central Liverpool to the ferry terminal. There are a surprising number of pubs (three, that I recall), a modern industrial estate, a tank farm and a couple of haulage companies but almost all the old buildings are now out of use and falling apart.

Former Merseyside Food Products building Former United Mersey Supply building Gable-end statue The Sandon Lion and B+M Racing D. M. R. Engineering Services
Former Robert Smith (Steels) building Stanley Dock warehouses Stanley Dock warehouses Stanley Dock warehouses
Stanley Dock warehouses Stanley dock windows Stanley dock window Former IBS Office Furniture building Derelict building Music practice rooms

I thought...

Clarence Graving Docks sign BMW Mini

Monday, 23rd July

Audrey En Avant 1 Smit Sandon (l) and Smit Waterloo (r) towing Viking Barge 3 Smit Sandon (l) and Smit Waterloo (r) towing Viking Barge 3
USTS Empire State (AP-1001) USTS Empire State (AP-1001)

Tuesday, 24th July

Union Boxer (l) and Smit Barbados (r) towing Viking Barge 5, with Smit Sandon standing by

Friday, 27th July

Giessenborg Giessenborg Arklow Brook Bro Goliath
Stolt Tern Monica Manannan

Saturday, 28th July

Quest for Adventure

It turns out that the visit of Saga Pearl II in April was her last voyage not because she was being retired but because she was being renamed.

Quest for Adventure Svitzer Stanlow assisting Quest for Adventure Quest for Adventure assisted by Svitzer Stanlow Quest for Adventure assisted by Svitzer Stanlow
Quest for Adventure assisted by Svitzer Stanlow Quest for Adventure assisted by Svitzer Stanlow Svitzer Stanlow Svitzer Stanlow
Svitzer Stanlow Quest for Adventure Quest for Adventure Quest for Adventure
Quest for Adventure

Ships
Flying Swiss V Stena Mersey Sea Lion
Bro Goliath Arklow Rainbow

Rainbow
Rainbow

Sunday, 29th July

Monica Marlene Marlene Black Star and Smit Collingwood
Black Star Black Star Black Star assisted by Smit Collingwood (bow) and Smit Sandon (stern) Black Star
Cembay Cemluna

Monday, 30th July

Today's shipping is brought to you by the colour red.

Lady Shana Marlene Marlene Anneliese Essberger

Tuesday, 31st July

Royal Charter Sea Lion Lady Elena

Copyright © David Richerby, 2012.