Open Writing

There were no indoor buildings for the construction of ships in the 1950s. Once the hull of the ship had been launched, the engine which had been built in the fitting shop, had to be taken and assembled on board, in the area alongside the quay, known as the'Gut'.

I soon found out that a shipyard is a very dangerous place to work. In an age before Health and Safety regulations, accidents were common and no protective headgear was provided. A friend of mine, named Norman Catley, was working on the propeller shaft not far from me when I heard a loud bang. Someone "up top" had dropped a spanner which hit Norman on the head. He was off work for weeks but fortunately recovered. Not so lucky was the foreman who was tragically killed when a large metal plate fell from the deck into the engine room.

Then there was the danger from asbestos lagging. Asbestos dust spread throughout the shipyard and in the 1950's its danger to health was unknown. It's now banned, but former workers are still dying from its effect on Tyneside.

If a falling object or asbestos didn't get you it was likely a welder's flash or red hot rivet might. We all had to protect our eyes from the former which gave a sensation of having a lot of sand in your eyes. Also, riveters used to sling red hot rivets around the deck.

Then there was the noise. Many workers had to use sign language to communicate with each other, as the noise from the caulkers and riveters was deafening.

Workers at Redheads also had to be fit; up and down ladders were part of the job. During the summer it wasn't too bad, but in the winter it was very dangerous. Also during the winter, with thousands of tonnes of steel around the yard, it was bitterly cold. I remember using the riveters' fires to get warmed on many occasions.

During my apprenticeship I learnt a great deal and grew to admire the many skilled workers at Redheads - and there were many. How they turned out a large tapered propeller shaft on a huge lathe from a piece of solid steel amazed me. Also how the many thousands of parts and equipment came together to build a ship. It required a great deal of skill in planning and teamwork. To see a new ship launched and later to see it sail away on its own power must rank high on the satisfaction list of any worker.

It takes numerous different trades to build a ship and looking back one of the main job of management at the time must have been the co-ordination of the different skills. I can't remember many demarcation disputes or union problems at Readheads, but they did exist. To the management's credit, these minor disputes never grew into a major strike. The one strike I do remember was a national one day stoppage when everyone in the yard stayed away, except the apprentices who weren't allowed to strike. We were supervised by an occasional manager as we spent the day cleaning the place up.

There was always something going on at Redheads. If it wasn't a periodic launch, it was the movement of ships into and out of the dry-dock or the arrival of another vessel for repair. There was one launch which I remember in particular. It was the launching of the 11,400 ton cargo steamer, 'The Georgidore' in 1954. The hull was released from the ramps that go into the river as usual, so that the tugs could fasten onto the bows and stern of the ship ready to be launched. The aim then was to bring 'The Georgidore' back into the 'Gut' ready for fitting out. The problem this time was the strengthening wind which caught hold of the ship before the tugs could make contact. Most of us were watching the launch from another recently launched ship alongside an adjacent quay. Suddenly 'The Georgidore' veered bow side and came straight on at speed heading for our vantage point. We all ran like hell, as the two vessels hit each other with an almighty bang. Much damage was caused and it was talked about in the yard for months.

How I survived the five years at accident-prone Redheads I shall never know. The local coal pits were known to be dangerous places but the shipyards were a close second.