I served my time as a caullker/burner at swans from 1979.....we trainees were walked along from the training centre and into wallsend yard at 16 years old..... .We walked under newly laid keel plates which were for the Ark Royal and told "the ship is built here".....We couldn't imagine how massive it was to be at that time...I was at south shields college on the launch day and we were given the afternoon off to go and see the launch.....we took the metro up and just got to the church on the hebburn side as it slid down the slipway......A great sight...everyone on the riverbank at hebburn usually got soaked from the wave from the ships as they pushed the river onto the south bank...Ark Royals sister ship The Illustrious was also built at swans....
Great video Colin. Served my time at Swan Hunter from 1983 to 1987 as a Pipefitter. Best job I’ve had to date. The lads made it that way though. So many great characters and lifelong friendships made. I’m surprised there hadn’t been a comedy drama written about the place. There’s tons of mileage in it!
Hi Vintage thank you for your comment. So sad to know it has all gone like most industry up here. Lets hope someone does a drama in the future. Take Care
Great video. The pic of the 4 kids in the street then as adults is very evocative. Presume those streets were built on the Roman fort or have I got that wrong?
Went to see the launch of Atlantic conveyor 2 was in the yard as my dad was working on it was only about 6 at the time can still remember it going down the slipway amazed at the size of it so sad to see all this great industry gone
Bad management and Unions destroyed the ship building on the Tyne. My grandfather died coming out of work as he walked up the slipway. I lived in 12th Street and my father also worked at Hunters. I am a Wallsend lad, ex SAS/Paratrooper and call a spade a spade.
I’m from West Yorkshire myself but I remember the closing of the pits (Grandad was a miner) and the despair it created. Your memories here had me sobbing ❤️🩹
I was in the Royal Navy and in 1967 I joined my first ship. a brand new HMS Fife, we were there for the commissioning ceremony, her first crew. after a couple days on board while still at Clydeside docks the joiners went on strike because a steel worker had drilled through a steel bulkhead and into a piece of timber! apparently, he should have drilled TO the wood a called a joiner to continue.
Love these pictures so much every one knew some one who worked in the ship yards back in the day ,music should have been Jimmy Nail singing Big River most fitting
So sad, Swan Hunter yard built many a good RN ship. Last visited Newcastle in my last ship HMS Norfolk in 1970 which was completed there in 1969, HMS Bristol was being fitted out at Swan Hunter at the time.
What a different life wallsend had, and the Newcastle & Gateshead Area had back then, not so long ago, when this country made all manner of things for itself, and employed everyone locally to make them. All of Britain was once like this, now all our industries are gone except car making for foreign owned companies. And everything else comes from abroad. This cannot be a good thing for any country.
New Royal navy type 26 frigates should be been built in these shipyards keel down and rolling down those slipways to thanks to thatcher she ruined the lot 😡😡
This country sold off ,given away ,NO !! One asked the people who's backs this city /country was built on ,this country is finished for ever we are second class citizens now, sad day it is
Its a great shame that it all ended with the botched contract to build the RFA Lyme Bay and RFA Largs Bay. The final tragedy and humiliation of a very sad ending.
In the 1970's if you went in any pub or club in the North East, you'd hear the lads who worked at the docks talking about their distrust & fears of nationalising with British Shipbuilders, as they could smell it spelt the end of shipbuilding on the Tyne, & they were right, as only a few years later they all found themselves unemployed, & the government sold the entire Industry, including the Scottish ship builders, to foreign companies, & all the work went abroad, & ship building in the UK was no more. All those skills wasted & all those families betrayed.
Brilliant video but sad too.
Very Sad Wifey
Some great photos that I haven't seen before.
thanks Political love it when you see something new
I served my time as a caullker/burner at swans from 1979.....we trainees were walked along from the training centre and into wallsend yard at 16 years old..... .We walked under newly laid keel plates which were for the Ark Royal and told "the ship is built here".....We couldn't imagine how massive it was to be at that time...I was at south shields college on the launch day and we were given the afternoon off to go and see the launch.....we took the metro up and just got to the church on the hebburn side as it slid down the slipway......A great sight...everyone on the riverbank at hebburn usually got soaked from the wave from the ships as they pushed the river onto the south bank...Ark Royals sister ship The Illustrious was also built at swans....
Thank you for that wonderful Comment Ted. Take care Mate
I played in the Swan Hunter band at the Ark Royal launch
Great video Colin. Served my time at Swan Hunter from 1983 to 1987 as a Pipefitter. Best job I’ve had to date. The lads made it that way though. So many great characters and lifelong friendships made. I’m surprised there hadn’t been a comedy drama written about the place. There’s tons of mileage in it!
Hi Vintage thank you for your comment. So sad to know it has all gone like most industry up here. Lets hope someone does a drama in the future. Take Care
I'm with you on that, spot on pipefitter there between 76 and early 90s
Thanks for putting this on here
Your welcome Mark glad you enjoyed
Awesome video.
Great video. The pic of the 4 kids in the street then as adults is very evocative. Presume those streets were built on the Roman fort or have I got that wrong?
Went to see the launch of Atlantic conveyor 2 was in the yard as my dad was working on it was only about 6 at the time can still remember it going down the slipway amazed at the size of it so sad to see all this great industry gone
I bet that was great to see Barry only ever seen one on TV
Me too, my older brother worked on it
Bad management and Unions destroyed the ship building on the Tyne. My grandfather died coming out of work as he walked up the slipway. I lived in 12th Street and my father also worked at Hunters. I am a Wallsend lad, ex SAS/Paratrooper and call a spade a spade.
Great collection of the moments from the golden past. Many thanks for sharing.
A very fascinating, but poignant video. Well done Mate.
cheers Andrew
I’m from West Yorkshire myself but I remember the closing of the pits (Grandad was a miner) and the despair it created. Your memories here had me sobbing ❤️🩹
As Fred Dibnah once said"We can't even make a tin of beans now"
That is so true 👍 what has become of our once prosperas country and city gone down the swanny literally
I was in the Royal Navy and in 1967 I joined my first ship. a brand new HMS Fife, we were there for the commissioning ceremony, her first crew. after a couple days on board while still at Clydeside docks the joiners went on strike because a steel worker had drilled through a steel bulkhead and into a piece of timber! apparently, he should have drilled TO the wood a called a joiner to continue.
Nice video 👍
Love these pictures so much every one knew some one who worked in the ship yards back in the day ,music should have been Jimmy Nail singing Big River most fitting
Would love to have used that music Jean but You Tube not happy when you use Copyright music.
@@colinthegeordiehistorian10 forgot about that 😳
My Grandfather Reg Hayes used to work there.
So sad, Swan Hunter yard built many a good RN ship. Last visited Newcastle in my last ship HMS Norfolk in 1970 which was completed there in 1969, HMS Bristol was being fitted out at Swan Hunter at the time.
I was on the launch and sea trials of both at Swans
great clips
Cheers Chris
What a different life wallsend had, and the Newcastle & Gateshead Area had back then, not so long ago, when this country made all manner of things for itself, and employed everyone locally to make them. All of Britain was once like this, now all our industries are gone except car making for foreign owned companies. And everything else comes from abroad. This cannot be a good thing for any country.
So sad now, the Great has certainly left Britain. We were a Powerhouse of a Country.
New Royal navy type 26 frigates should be been built in these shipyards keel down and rolling down those slipways to thanks to thatcher she ruined the lot 😡😡
This country sold off ,given away ,NO !! One asked the people who's backs this city /country was built on ,this country is finished for ever we are second class citizens now, sad day it is
Nice 👍
Just read Sting's auto, never knew he was from Wallsend and so close to the shipyard .
It’s a good read that
Shocking that the majority of heavy industry has gone
Its a great shame that it all ended with the botched contract to build the RFA Lyme Bay and RFA Largs Bay. The final tragedy and humiliation of a very sad ending.
The skills had left before that Naval work is exacting, these were the result of employing Oil rig yard workers from Hartlepool
In the 1970's if you went in any pub or club in the North East, you'd hear the lads who worked at the docks talking about their distrust & fears of nationalising with British Shipbuilders, as they could smell it spelt the end of shipbuilding on the Tyne, & they were right, as only a few years later they all found themselves unemployed, & the government sold the entire Industry, including the Scottish ship builders, to foreign companies, & all the work went abroad, & ship building in the UK was no more. All those skills wasted & all those families betrayed.
signs of decline
Took to India now derelict and rotting ,cranes never assembled floating dock sunk pure waste
As a lad I used to think it was awesome seeing ships built on the Tyne and the Wear at Sunderland. Sad that the jobs all went abroad. 🛳⛴🚢🙁