Part of the
Acorn Archive
Hearts of Oak
CRETEHILL and
CRETABODE
The Concrete
Barges at each end of Cornwall.
CONCRETE
BARGES
Concrete
built barges were built as part of the Shipping Controller’s programme from 1918.
As designed, each barge had three holds for cargo, while forward were store
rooms, chain locker and the foc'sle deck above carried the steam winch,
bollards, etc. Aft of the holds were the steam boiler, pumps, tanks and coal
bunkers. Deck houses aft included quarters for the Captain, Mate and crew as
well as lamp and paint rooms and the boiler room housing. An open bridge
straddled the deck housing and one lifeboat was carried. Many of these vessels
were taken in the 1920s as hulks, depot ships, breakwaters, etc and some were
sold to foreign owners. Following Britains first commercial venture in 1910, by
Cubbitts, the first of the Shipping Controller’s barges was launched August
1918 by Hill, Richards & Co., of Poole, named CRETEACRE. By October 1918, towards
the end of the First World War, there were some 220 ferro-concrete vessels
totalling 200,000 tons under construction in 21 shipyards around Britain. Most
were steam tugs 750 hp and dumb barges of 1000 dwt; A cargo steamer of 1,500 tons was launched by Ferro-Concrete Ship
Construction Co., at Barrow-in-Furness in 1919, the aptly named ARMISTICE.
By way of
illustration
Two pictures taken at Brentford Dock, 1918.
Both barges built 1918
J&W Stewart, Brentford, U.K.
ACW.10 : ON 143650
357 grt; 150ft x 24ft 6ins x 13ft 6ins; Draft 11ft 6ins
ACW.11 : ON 143651
378 grt; 151ft x 24ft 6ins x 13ft 6ins; Draft 12ft
Construction details and method
on Paul Benyon’s website at
http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/Concret_ships/Concret_ships.html
Raymond
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