Captain took ship on its last crossing under British flag
PHOTO No 1. M V Senlac arriving at Newhaven, sometime between 1973 and 1987.
When I took this picture all was well and Sealink would last forever.
But as many of our ex crewmen would tell you there were increasing disputes culminating in a sit in strike.
Much sympathy was shown by the local public and all sorts of schemes exploited to ease the discomforts caused by restrictions imposed to aggravate the crews requirements. The general opinion seemed to suggest that Sealink had been sold 'down the line'.
This is not the place to discuss matters, but the final twist of the blade occurred when she passed into French hands.
After all, the crossing had always been one third English, to the two thirds French, supposedly arrived at by the relative distances between the ports and their Capitals.
Within the last two days, I was watching a video I recorded from the tele news at the time of this sad occasion. Captain John Payne, senior master, took her on this last crossing under the British flag, a great man and popular skipper.
It was emotionally disturbing to hear, as the vessel passed the entrance pier, Rule Britannia shakenly rendered on the vessels tannoy system.
It seemed an unnecessary hurt, when she berthed that the band of the Dieppe Fire Brigade, should march aboard as if they had captured the vessel. She survived like this with red replacing the buff it had been.
She left for a second life in Grecian waters and some moths ago I learned she was still there.
Time must catch with her eventually and the name connected with the site of the 1066 Battle of Hastings but a distant memory. Quite some of the interior decoration concerned the famous battle. I wondered what the Greeks could have made of that.
I well remember taking this photo. One, where was the tug Meeching coming from? She may well have taken a freighter out. In this period the harbour was quite busy, and two, the lovely spread of dwarf flowers amongst the short grass. I think we used to call them Shoes and Stockings. Pleasant days.
Picture No 2 features a strange building, involved in perhaps the stranger story. Many walkers along the east beach from Tidemills towards Newhaven's Eastside beach will have noticed a strange stretch of concrete with metal runners embedded, suggesting of course that at some time some large metal doors must have slid along there and so they really did.
Erected there had been a very large metal aircraft hanger.
We rather over aged survivors remember it well.
I have a photo of the interior of that building with long reinforced concrete piles.
In 1928 the East Pier was rebuilt from wood to these concrete ones and the building remained there until at least May 1931.
I have a large framed air view of this site taken by Airpic on May 25, picture Ref N3 with a USA connection, charge over 34.
The Southern Railway was then the owner of this port, but were about to electrify much of their system leading out from the Capital.
A site at Wimbledon was suitable for the storage of equipment required, so the hanger at Newhaven was dismantled.
The railway had the means of transport, so that is why it was moved there – and no surprise it is a protected listed structure.
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Weather for Lewes
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -6 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: -5 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
