This week I take another look at some of the vessels built at the Doxford yard at Sunderland.
One that particularly interests me was one of the most unusual looking vessels to have been owned in New Zealand and registered at Dunedin.
The vessel was the Union Company's first Koromiko, a 2497gt turret deck steamer completed at the Pallion yard in 1907.
In this type of vessel the hull was rounded and stepped inwards above the waterline.
It gave some advantages in strength and allowed it on the basis of net tonnage to pay lower Suez Canal tolls under the tonnage measurement rules then in effect.
Doxford's built the first of this design, the aptly-named 1970gt Turret, in 1892 for Newcastle owners.
All told, it built 176 of these ships over the next 19 years.
And under licence three were built by Swan, Hunters, two by Vickers and one by Hawthorn, Leslie.
The 182 steamers were all fitted with triple-expansion machinery.
Some controversy surrounded the patent taken out by Doxford's for the design of these ships.
It was actually the work of Arthur Havers, a chief draughtsman employed at the shipyard.
Having presented the design to these builders he proposed to apply for patent rights, only to find that on the following day Doxford's had already done so in its name.
In a court case that followed, Havers was awarded 1250 for the loss of his patent.
Although this design was primarily aimed at the tramp shipping field, it was also taken up by liner operators.
One of these was the Clan Line Steamers of Glasgow.
They originally chartered two of these vessels from the builders in 1896, and then went on to build others over the next 11 years.
In fact, the Clan Line operated the largest fleet of these vessels, about 30 all told.
The largest turret deck ship was the 7703gt Queda.
Launched on April 4, 1905, it was the first of three sister ships completed that year for the British India Steam Navigation Company.
As for the oddity in the Union Company fleet, Koromiko was taken out of service at Wellington in 1927.
The following year, it was sold to Williamson & Company and registered at Hong Kong without change of name.
In 1936, it was sold to a Shanghai company and renamed Yu Ping.
Its end came in 1941, when it capsized at Hankow on the Yangtse River.
By that time, although it was the war years, several ships in service were known as the Doxford "economy" type, vessels of 5100gt fitted with three-cylinder engines of 2500bhp.
From these, a larger series of vessels of about 7200gt, fitted with four-cylinder 3000bhp, were developed.
Some of these appeared here in the post-war years.
All bring back memories of British companies that have been consigned to the history books.
Most were units of the Bank Line.
The last of its Doxford-built ships to berth, in 1977, was the 7355gt, 1965-built Ernebank.
The 11,452gt Beaverbank built at the yard in 1974, was the largest of its ships to call here, in 1977.
There were others, like Hain Steam Ship's Trelyon and several other sisters, built in 1949.
Dartmoor, built in 1950, was one of the Runciman's Moor Line ships that used to call.
Other companies occasionally represented here by Doxford-built ships were British India (Pundua, 1947), Buries Markes (La Cordillera, 1947), J.&C.
Harrison's 9114gt sister ships Harpagus and Harpalyce built in 1958, the Prince Line (English Prince, 1943), and the Reardon Smith Line (King City, 1950).
In those days, we also saw British and foreign-flag tankers and tramps owned by foreign interests that started life in that yard.
The largest Doxford-built and engined vessel to call here, in 1975, was the 15,100gt, 25,605dwt tanker Laurelwood.
Delivered to John I.
Jacobs, London, in December 1969, the 15.5 knot vessel was propelled by a six-cylinder, 12,000bhp unit.
