Berwindlea

[alanmmh]

Hello, I have just joined this site. I discovered it whilst searching for information on the three UK built 'Berwind' ships. Berwindvale (1910) Berwindmoor (1911) both built by Raylton Dixon Middlesborough and thirdly the Berwindlea 1929 Blythswood Scotstoun. I'm interested in the Berwindlea because she burned pulverised coal and must have been one of the first ships so equipped. She was wrecked in the St Lawrence in 1935.
Any information gratefully received.

[yorkieman]

We have BERWINDLEA's main details in our new Clyde-built database here, though suspect you will already have the info shown
http://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?ye ... dater_1=12

The others can be found on the Tees-built site under Raylton Dixon
http://www.teesbuiltships.co.uk/raylton ... or1910.htm
http://www.teesbuiltships.co.uk/raylton ... le1911.htm
Photos of any of these would be welcome, for adding to these sites

[alanmmh]

yorkieman

Thanks, Like you I have already found these sites. The PRO at Kew has information on the Berwindlea but is closed until the New Year. When I've had sight of the records will post any info here.
I stumbled across the 'Berwindvale ships in P N Thomas's 'British Ocean Tramps Vol 1' and was intrigued by how advanced she was for the time (1911) Engines aft, topside ballast, steel hatches and yet I'd never heard of her or John Esplen her designer(?) and owner.
As far as I know) all five(?) 'Berwind' ships were colliers and either on charter to or owned by the Berwind-White Coal Mining Company Pa. The Ships were Berwindmoor(1910) Berwindvale(1911) both UK built and sold in 1917 to Shell.

http://www.helderline.nl/tanker/1266/buccinum/
http://www.helderline.nl/tanker/2027/berwindvale/

There are some good pics in the above links.

In 1929 three more 'Berwinds' were built, Berwindvale (2) and Berwindglen (both at the The Fore River Shipyard Quincy, Massachusetts) . The third ship Berwindlea being built on the Clyde by Blythswood Shipbuilding Company Scotstoun.

I am curious about the connection between John Esplen and Berwind-White and wonder if the US built ships also used pulverised coal and how similar they were to the Berwindlea.

[Angus Mac Kinnon]

S.S. BERWINDLEA : Official Number - 161108 : GRT - 5,276 tons : Type - Cargo / Collier

Built in 1929 by The Blythswood Shipbuilding Company Limited, Scotstoun, for the Berwindmoor Steamship Company Limited - Yard Number 25

18-09-1928 : Date of Contract between Owner/Manager and Shipbuilder
23-05-1929 : Date of Launching

Vessel completed in August 1929

LPP - 119.2 metres : Beam - 15.9 metres

Main propulsion : Triple Expansion Steam Reciprocating Engine (Single Screw) by D. Rowan & Coy of Glasgow

Main claim to fame was that she was probably the world's first vessel to use pulverised fuel as a propulsion fuel.

23-10-1935 : Vessel was wrecked when she ran ashore on Deadman Isle (Magdalen Islands) in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

(At time of her loss she was on passage from Dalhousie to Glasgow with a cargo of paper)

The main 'pulverised fuel plant' player in the early 20th century was Clarke, Chapman & Company of Tyne & Wear. Their archives are in the care of the Tyne and Wear Archives Service and the relevant packet references DS.CC1/164/55 and DS.CC1/164/56 with the former providing the complete record of the 14 month's work of monitoring the performance of the Plant.

Article from the Strait Times dated 05-09-1931

Powdered Fuel - Unusual Method of Drive by Steam Engines

Messrs Clarke, Chapman & Company Limited of Gateshead-on-Tyne, whose powdered fuel plant in the steamer S.S. BERWINDLEA has evoked such interest in the result of the publication of the figures of the first 14 months performance of this vessel, have just received an Order for a Pulveriser Plant for a Japanese cargo/passenger ship for Harima Dockyard.

The steamer to be equipped will be fitted with three Single-Ended Scotch Marine Boilers, each Boiler having three furnaces. The heating surface for each Boiler will be 2,850 sq. ft. and a working pressure of 225 lbs. sq. ins.

The powdered fuel plant will consist of three Clarke, Chapman 'RESOLUTOR' Pulverisers, each capable of dealing with approximately 15 cwts. of coal per hour.

Each Pulveriser will fire one Boiler by means of three 'WOODESON' patent turbulent flame burners. The Clarke, Chapman patent ring-main system of distribution will be used. The PULVERISERS will be steam engine driven. Although this method of drive is unusual in the case of powered fuel installations, Clarke, Chapman & Company Ltd have already equipped a vessel which is successfully operating Pulverisers driven by high-speed steam engines.

When this installation is complete, there will be eight vessels in commission with 'RESOLUTOR' Pulverisers on board, namely BERWINDLEA, two vessels owned by a Liverpool Firm, the steamers DONAU and STASSFURT, the tug-boat METZ, the dredger BASSURE de BASS and the above-referenced Japanese vessel.

[alanmmh]

S.S. BERWINDLEA : Official Number - 161108 : GRT - 5,276 tons : Type - Cargo / Collier
Built in 1929 by The Blythswood Shipbuilding Company Limited, Scotstoun, for the Berwindmoor Steamship Company Limited - Yard Number 25

Yes the Berwindmoor S.S. Co. Ltd. (J. Esplen) Liverpool seems to have been a subsidiary (?) of J Esplen for owning the Berwind ships.

The US built Berwindvale and Berwindglen were owned by the Wilmore SS Co Boston Mass. Wilmore was a subsiduary of Berwind White Coal.

[valeman]

Robertson Postcard of Berwindlea, presumably as new built.