Ferro concrete ships

[52D]

Hi if you are interested in following up the chat regarding concrete brake vans look here for concrete ships
http://www.mareud.com/Ferro-Concrete/fc_historygbr.htm

[60041]

I have attached a picture of the Cretehauser which is lying in the River Wear in Sunderland, adjacent to the old Coles Cranes factory.
It was the first concrete ship to be built by The Wear Concrete Building Co. Ltd in 1919. It survived until 1935 when it was stripped out for use as an emergency breakwater. During WW2 it was damaged in an air raid and, despite attempts to tow it to safety, it sank and has remained there ever since.

[StoneRoad]

if I recall correctly, the wrecked remains of another two of these barges are located at, firstly, the "creteblock" is on the scar at Saltwick Nab (Whitby)
and secondly the "cretewheel" is in a lot of smaller peices at Church Point, Newbiggin by the Sea.

I think there are several more on the coast of East Anglia, being used as defense against the sea! but I don't remember exactly where they are. If I find the details I'll post them.

There are several yachts made from this stuff. I kid you not!

[52D]

On the Forgotten Berwick facebook page there are a few pics of a concrete yacht.

[52A]

I always thought that salt caused concrete to break down and crumble.

[52D]

I think that only happens when you are mixing it Terry, I dont think its a problem with finished articles.

[Bryan]

Unless you build a motorway bridge out of it, ignore the cracks from the overloading and use rock salt.
Too be seen on most motorways in the UK.

[52A]

That's what I thought, and I was under the impression that road engineers knew what they were doing. Similarly with the Forth Road Bridge, surprise surprise, salt also corrodes steel!

[third-rail]

thats why they are going to build a replacement ,as at the rate the small wires in the main suspension bundles are snapping it only has an estimated life left of only 15 years.likewise with the humber bridge.the main cables are fitted with small sensors to record sound of indevidual wires snapping

[52D]

Concrete ship launching at Amble http://www.fusilier.co.uk/old_photos_am ... _amble.htm

[Boris]

There is a concrete ship or barge in Gloucester docks which by the way are well worth a visit if you are in the area

[manna]

G'Day Gents

There is still a part of a 'Mulberry harbor' visible at low tide off Southend on Sea (Kent side of the Estuary)

But to change the subject a tad, during the Second world war, there was experiments to build ships out of 'ICE' a ship was built out of ice on a lake in Canada, the refrigeration plant, is still in the lake. The idea was to build aircraft carriers up to 150,000 tons to escort the convoys across the Atlantic, and if they were torpedoed, they could just freeze the hole ??

manna

[mr B]

page 31 Sunday Post newspaper, Sun 30 Jan there was mention about subject.

mr B

[Dave]

Further to ice ships....
Geoffrey Pyke was behind this project known as Project Habakkuk.
He wanted to build an aircraft carrier out of Pykrete (wood pulp & ice) which was stronger than ice, slower melting as it formed an insulating layer of wet wood pulp in water and of course would float. Pykrete could also be cast or machined.
A large scale model was built at Jasper National Park in Canada and a small prototype built on Patricia Lake Alberta.

[Ocean Swell]

There is a concrete ship the "Mollyette" sunk off East Mersea Essex and another couple off Bradwell their final use was as targets for firing exercices for the RAF. The mollyette was one of five concrete sailing barges all with names ending in "ette". One off bradwell can be located on google earth as well as several lighters used as sea defences.

A couple of concrete barges and lighters were buried in land fill near Hoo in Kent in the 90s along with about 40 Thames sailing barge wrecks and wooden lighters.

I belive there was/is a concrete lighter at Pin Mill in Suffolk and another at the Hollow shore in Kent.