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James Dredging Company.

55K views 112 replies 32 participants last post by  malcolm ward 
#1 ·
Hi all. Has anyone heard of a past company owned by Robert Ernest Victor James of Southampton, England? The company name may have been "James Dredging, Haulage and Transport Company Limited". It would have existed in the 1930's or there abouts. Many thanks.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I was on the "James No.95" during the summer of 1967, she was a hopper barge which had been converted to a gravel finding vessel, we pottered along the South Coast taking gravel samples from the seabed and below the seabed using a large fancy air lift type gizmo (the name of which will come back to me, in the middle of the night !) It consisted of sections of approx 24" pipe, with inner pipes through which high pressure water and compressed air were pumped, in the centre was a discharge pipe, the theory was that the air/HP water mix altered the density of the product at the bottom if the pipe, and up through the centre came a steady flow of whatever material was on the bottom. It worked very well, we took samples, and bagged them every few feet of penetration, when the hold was getting a bit full, the wedges were knocked out, the bottom opened, and we started again. We also went up to the Mersey and did a lot of testing in the entrance channel, there it was a lot hairier, we had to moor fore and aft, using wires down aft, with tug assistance, quite exciting in the strong tidal currents up there. We also went to Denmark, sourcing good load bearing sand for Copenhagen Airport. I was also on the "Rockstone" for a while. James Dredging at that time, was part of Westminster Dredging, which in turn was part of the Bos & Kalis Group, hence the Dutchmen mentioned earlier. It was certainly an eye opener for me on the 95, we all, including the Master, lived in the forecastle. If you wanted the engine to go astern, you had to give plenty of notice, something like one to two minutes, this made the trip through the Kiel Canal doubly interesting, we managed not to hit anything, but, on occasions it was a close run thing. Also had to pay for your grub in those days, something like 30/- each man to the cook, if he could'nt manage on that, the skipper would sack him. Happy Days !!!
 
#9 ·
Hi, OceansAway, yes knew this company very well. My younger brother worked for them after leaving deep sea. James dredging was a well known employer in Southampton. As john mac 068 says they were taken over by Westminster Dredging Co. ( I believe in the '60s ). I know my brother made a lot of friends while with them. 'Fraid he's no longer with us now, gone to the upper ocean (last year).
 
#10 ·
Me, my dad, and his father all worked at james's shipyard me for a short while just before the yard closed as a marine fitter. my dad worked their all his working life as a skipper, right up to about 2004 and his father too. either for james shipping or westminster dredging (Bos Kalis)
 
#11 ·
The James 46 or 47 was conerted by Westminster Dredging Co to a Trailer Dredger and was the first trailer Dredger in Europe and we were given a book,produced by the American Corp of Engineers who had a number of trailers, to help us breaking this new ground, things have gone a long way since those days. Archway.
 
#13 ·
good day
I joined the Rockstone in Shoreham 1968 Master B Tanner 2nd Mate D Cook
i was in her for a few weeks reliveing the spent a few weeks in the Seastone
Master H Force i think the i got sent the James 95 i joined in Le Havre and
took sample of the coasts of france .Belgium.the arround Harwich Harbour then round to Dublin also to take samples of the bottom for dredging
then left what a wonderfull vessel as said before accomadation fwrd 1 tiolet aft flush with a bucket
before joining James`s i was a boatman at shore and new alot of the men in them F James B Tanner H Force Knocker White D Cook there was a mate in the Whightstone who came from the Syechelles another mate who was an American another who hab been 2nd mate in the Crystal Jewel which was in a collosion of Beach Head With A Tanker British Aviator i think
a lot of memorys for me in this thread
regards
Granty
 
#14 ·
Hi Granty, B Tanner (or H tanner to give his correct initial ) was master of the Deepstone and D. Cook was master of the Marinestone in the 1970s when I was Marine Supt. for Westminster Gravels. I had heard that Doug Cook had been a cook at one time, he was a very good Master and both he and Bob Tanner became good friends of mine. Archway.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Sailed in the 'Bankstone' as 2nd Mate 1968, Master Robert McCartney Kane.Later sailed as Mate in the 'Deepstone' with Bob Tanner and also as Mate / Relief Master in the 'Wightstone' with Frank James. I found them to be a very good company to work for. I also spent time in Gothenburg in the 'Foremost 102'. Happy Days !!!!!
Granty, the Mate on the 'Wightstone ' from the Seychelles was Jimmy Ferrari. I believe he returned there to take up a Harbour Masters position.. Regards
 
#16 ·
HI AWATEAH2
thanks for reminding me of him in the 6os when he was mate of the whightstone and relieving mr white he came into shoreham 1 morning and went
ashore alondside the training wall opposite the middle pier and stayed there over the low water i had jack uppertons motor boat and attendended all day took out the superintendent was his name rakstrow or something like that
cheers
granty
 
#20 ·
I did a couple of trips as mate on the 'Bankstone' The skipper was a little Welsh chap called "Firey John" I think his surname was Francis but I couldn't be sure, he had a bit of a reputation as being a hard taskmaster but I got on with him fine. I remember him suffering really bad with sciatica and being carried ashore at Zeebruge in absolute agony. Story has it that his relief was skipper of a coaster that got raided by the IRA whilst in Belfast. It may have been a Metcalf vessel.
I also did a couple of trips on the 'Sand Weaver' the old man on her was called Reg and could speak very good Dutch having sailed in the Dutch MN for a number of years.
Does anyone remember an old shipmate of mine called Brian Chapman? He was engineer with United Towing but left to go on the dredgers, I believe he was C/E on the 'Deepstone' then ended up in the office in Southampton.
 
#21 ·
I remember Brian Chapman he certainly was C/E on the Deepstone but was never in Westminster Gravels office.Wether he came ashore to another office I don't know. I left W.G.Gravels when ARC took them over in 1982, as far as I canremember Brian was still in the Deepstone so may have gone ashore with ARC. Archawy
 
#22 ·
Westminster Gravels were taken over by ARC Marine, & Brian Chapman moved in due course into the office of ARC Marine, (later Hanson Aggregates) in Southampton as an Engineering Manager. Subsequently Hansons were in turn taken over by Heidleberg, which made a change because Hansons at one time took over everyone else! Their vessels still retained their former ARCO names however.
 
#25 ·
Very interesting reading about Westminster Dredging and the various characters within, but nobody mentioned the Norestone, which, I believe, eventually went out to Pakistan. We ran for a long time into Dunkirk and then into the new docks they were building at the opposite end. Dick Phillips was second mate then.

Glyn Howell
 
#26 ·
Re.Norstone @ Dunkirk

The berth at Dunkirk the Norstone ran into for a while, was at Gravelines, although it frequently ran into Emile Naves berth nearer the town centre on its regular trips.
I seem to remember Brian Chapman was the Chief Engineer on her around that time, & Bob Tanner was Master.
 
#27 ·
Re: Norestone

Hi Stoneleigh,
I do not think that Bob Tanner was ever on the Norestone, except perhaps for a short relief. B.Couch, myself, Dick Phillips and maybe the second mate who used to be with Frank James on the Wighstone, though I am very hazy about him, we were attending the transformation from a German Cargo ship to dredger, almost from the beginning at Birkenhead.

We dredged at the Norfolk Bank and then a bank somewhere between the Tongue and North Goodwin Lighvessel. Brian Couch and myself where fortnight about, but I always had Dick Phillips with me. We also had a Radio Officer, who I am certain was one of the Danish Superintendents son's, the other was an actor who appeared in Black Beauty on the TV. When we started on the latter bank, the aforementioned Superintendent sent (ordered) me down whilst he took over the dredging, why I did not put my foot down I don't know, 'cause he lost the Californian Draghead, what a fuss there was about that. I think, repeat think, that Capt Francis also relieved on the Norestone.

I spent a lot of time on the Rockstone at the Isle of Grain, when they were building the power station chimney.

I left Westminster's in 75, and went to James Fishers of Barrow, and messed about with Nuclear Waste, quite a difference.

Glyn
 
#28 ·
Hi Glyn, You may be correct, but I distinctly remember the two gentlemen I mentioned being aboard, just before the vessel was sold. I believe Charlie White, & possibly Ken Lymn (Engineer) were also there, & an AB I believe named Wilson? He came from Southampton, as did Charlie. However as you say, they may only have been aboard for a short while before it was sold. I could mention several other facts, but they are irrelevant now, & time can dim the memory.
 
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