Video transcript
IN THE LIFE OF THE SHIPYARDS, LAUNCH DAY WAS A BIG EVENT, NOT ONLY
DID THE MEN WHO WORKED IN THE SHEDS GIVEN TIME TO GO AND WATCH
THE LAUNCH, THE MEN WHO WORKED ON THE BERTH WERE GIVEN TIME OFF
TOO, TO EITHER GO HOME OR TO STAY AND WATCH THE LAUNCH, THAT IS,
ONCE THEY HAD STOWED THEIR GEAR ON BOARD THE SHIP.
THERE WAS ALOT OF ACTIVITY ON THE BERTH AND AROUND THE SHIP PRIOR
TO ITS LAUNCH, AND I SUPPOSE FOR THOSE WHO WERE NOT EMPLOYED IN
THE YARDS A BRIEF EXPLANATION IS CALLED FOR.
THE BERTH WHERE THE SHIP IS BUILT IS NOT ON LEVEL GROUND, ITS ON A
SLIGHT ANGLE TILTING TOWARDS THE RIVER, THE FLOOR AND THE SIDES OF
THE BERTH WERE MADE OF THICK CONCRETE, AND THE SHIP STARTED ITS
LIFE WHEN THE KEEL PLATES WERE LAID ON THE FIXED WAYS, AND AS THE
NAME SUGGESTS THESE WERE FIXED TO THE CONCRETE BASE OF THE
BERTH, ON TOP OF THESE WERE THE SLIDING WAYS AND AS THE DAY OF THE
LAUNCH APPROACHED THESE WAYS WERE SECURED TO THE HULL OF THE
SHP BY HEAVY STEEL CABLES, SO THAT WHEN THE SHIP ENTERS THE WATER,
THESE SLIDING WAYS WOULD FLOAT OUT FROM BENETH THE SHIP,TO BE
RETRIEVED AND USED AGAIN.
ON EITHER SIDE OF THE SHIP THERE WAS NUMEROUS PILES OF HEAVY DUTY
CHAINS, LAID DOWN IN SUCH A WAY THAT WHEN THE SHIP LAUNCHED, AND
MOVING TOWARDS THE WATER, THESE CHAINS WOULD ROLL UP INTO A BALL
WEIGHING ABOUT TWENTY TONNES EACH, AND USED TO SLOW THE
PROGRESS OF THE SHIP AS SHE HEADED INTO THE RIVER, THESE WERE
KNOWN AS THE DRAG CHAINS.
MY WORK MATE COLLIN AND I WERE FREQUENTLY MEMBERS OF THE SAFETY
SQUAD, AND AT FIRST I MUST ADMIT THAT WE DID IT OUT OF GREED, THE
CHANCE OF SOME EXTRA OVERTIME, AND A FREE LUNCH OR TEA THROWN IN.
ON BOARD THE SHIP THERE WAS A NUMBER OF SAFETY CHECKS TO BE
CARRIED OUT BOTH PRIOR TO, AND AFTER THE LAUNCH. EACH SQUAD OF
MEN HAD THEIR OWN AREA TO CHECK, WHEN THE CHECKS WERE DONE, IT
WAS THE DONE THING TO HELP THE MEN IN THE NEXT AREA.
AT THE TIME OF THE LAUNCH, YOU COULD PICK YOUR OWN PLACE ON THE
SHIP TO WATCH THE LAUNCH FROM, SOME LIKED TO GO TO THE AFT END AND
TRY AND GUESS HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD CAUGHT OUT BY THE SHIP'S
BOW WAVE AS IT ENTERED THE WATER, OR AT THE FORE END TO WATCH THE
DIGNITARIES TRY TO PUSH AN EIGHTY TWO THOUSAND TONNE SHIP DOWN
THE WAYS, I TRIED THEM BOTH, AND A GOOD LAUGH AT THE ANTICS BELOW
US.
FOR ME THE MOST MEMORABLE TIME STARTED AFTER THE CHECKS WERE
MADE, AND AS THE LAST BLOCK WAS KNOCKED OUT BY THE SHIPWRIGHT,
YOU COULD FEEL THE WHOLE SHIP DROP, IT WAS EXAGGERATED BECAUSE
OF THE HEIGHT, IT WAS ONLY ABOUT A QUARTER OF AN INCH BUT FELT LIKE
ALOT MORE, BUT THE THING THAT FASCINATED ME WAS TO WATCH AN
EIGHTY TWO THOUSAND TONNE SHIP BEND, AND TO SEE THAT BEND RUN
ALMOST TWO THIRDS THE LENGTH OF THE SHIP AS SHE ENTERED THE
WATER IT WAS AMAZING SIGHT. AFTER A LITTLE RESEARCH I FOUND THAT A
SHIP, ANY SIZE OF SHIP, THAT WAS LAUNCHED STERN FIRST DID THE SAME
THING, AS THE STERN PLOUGHED INTO THE WATER, IT WOULD START TO GO
UNDER, BUT AS IT DISPLACED ITS OWN WEIGHT, THE STERN WOULD START
TO FLOAT, SO THE WHOLE OF THE STREN WOULD RISE AND AT THAT POINT
THIS IS WHERE THE BEND WOULD START, THEN RUN UP THE LENGTH OF THE
SHIP.
IT WAS AMAZING, A FOUR HUNDRED FOOT SHIP GROANING AND CREAKING,
THEN TO SEE IT BEND, AMAZINGLY NOTHING EVER SNAPPED, BROKE OR
FRACTURED; I KNEW THAT A SUNDERLAND BUILT SHIP WAS HELD IN GREAT
RESPECT AND GREATLY ADMIRED, AT LEAST NOW I KNOW WHY.
