Halcyon Skies

From SN Guides

Halcyon_Skies

Introduction

Halcyon Skies was in service from 1971 until 1981 so had a working life of 10 years during which time she had two serious mishaps - the last of which led to her being broken up in 1985.

Basic Data

• Type: Tanker
• Registered owners,managers and operators: Court Line Ltd - Managers Haldin & Co. Ltd.
• Builders: Astilleros Espanoles S.A
• Yard: Matagorda
• Country: Spain
• Yard number: 157
• Registry: N/K
• Official number: 341266
• Signal letters: N/K
• Call sign: GOTR
• Classification society: N/K
• Gross tonnage: 27,502
• Net tonnage: 15,782
• Deadweight: N/K
• Length: 696.5 ft
• Breadth: 95.16 ft
• Depth: 52.5 ft
• Draught: N/K
• Engines: 2 SA 6 cylinder Sulzer type
• Engine builders: Astilleros Espanoles S.A
• Works: Seatao
• Country: Spain
• Power: N/K
• Propulsion: Single screw
• Speed: 15 knots
• Capacity: N/K
• Crew: N/K

Career Highlights

• 31 Oct 1970: Launched
• Mar 1971: Completed
• 1974: Sold to Open Seas Cia.Nav. S.A. Monrovia, Liberia - Managers A Halcoussis & Co. Piraeus - and renamed Patianna
• 11 Oct 1977: Stranded on Coatzalcoalcos Breakwater
• 1980: Sold to Manunited Cia. Nav. S.A., Piraeus, Greece - Managers A. Halcoussis & Co. - and renamed Annaxyla
• 20 May 1981: Beached near Jebel Dhanna after explosion and fire in pump room while loading.
• 5 Jan 1985: Hulked and broken up at Gadani Beach

Service History

During her Court Line ownership she carried Crude from the Gulf to various destinations. On her last trip under Court Line management she loaded at Ras Tannurah and sailed via the Cape to Dunkirk. After unloading, as bankrupcy proceedings against Court Line were taking place she was anchored off in Mersey bay for two weeks until British Government intervention allowed her to take basic supplies and unload most of the crew.

There is no specific information about her service history until she was stranded on Coatzalcoalcos breakwater while inward bound from Tampico and badly damaged. She was beached nearby with heavy bottom damage.

Examination after refloating following the beaching in 1981 found her uneconomical to repair so she was broken up.

External resources

1. Miramar Ship Index: [1]
2. Information extracted from Lloyds Registers
3. Norman Middlemiss: Travel of the Tramps - Twenty Tramp Fleets ISBN: 1871128021

Images

Photo supplied by Petroc of Halcyon Skies anchored at the Mersey Bar after the collapse of Court Line.

Main contributors

1. Basic research and construction of entry by Benjidog
2. History and basic details by John Powell and Clive Ketley