63


The Philip & Son works at Noss, at about the time the Mersey ferries were built. Credit: Philip & Son c1946


weather (her planned service speed being 13 knots). Te two ferries were soon said to be contributing much needed reductions in Wallasey Ferries’ running costs. Although across both vessels


Philip & Son made only a very small profit, such orders meant work for around 450 people, most of whom were from Dartmouth, the rest coming from Brixham, Paignton and Torquay. A newspaper estimated that Philips employed one in every ten people in Dartmouth, making them the town’s most important employer. In 1957, it was Birkenhead Corpo-


ration’s turn to replace their near-ob- solete ferries. Once again Graham and Woolnough were the designers; and again offering the lowest tender (reported at £482,278) Philip & Son got the contract to build two. Alderman Hugh Platt, leader


of Birkenhead Council, told the Liverpool Echo (15 November): “All things being equal we would have liked Cammell Lairds, the Birkenhead shipbuilders, to have done the job for us but they find themselves unable to tender owing to their commitments”. However,


according to another account, Birkenhead councillors also looked forward to regular visits to Dartmouth to check on progress! Te Birkenhead twins, though


slightly larger, were designed on similar lines to Leasowe and Egre- mont, with high levels of passenger


Mountwood was duly named and


launched by Mrs Platt in Dartmouth on 6 July 1959, followed on 29 October by Woodchurch, launched by Mrs McRonald, wife of the Chair of Birkenhead Council’s Municipal Transport Committee, which ran the ferries. A large delegation of Birkenhead councillors arrived for both ceremonies! On 14 January 1960 Mountwood


Philip and Son’s builder’s plate, Mountwood Credit: Nautipedia


comfort. A new tapered design replaced the straight-sided funnel of the Wallasey twins. Traditionally Birkenhead’s ferries


had been named aſter local places ending in “ton”, but since these were mostly Conservative wards, the La- bour council named these new vessels aſter two Birkenhead council estates, Mountwood and Woodchurch.


leſt the Dart for the Mersey. As a pre- caution against possible stormy seas, she was heavily timbered with all cabin windows covered with wood. Despite delay due to rough weath- er, she arrived intact. Woodchurch followed in somewhat better weather four months later, handed over on 2 May 1960 and soon in service. Te Birkenhead twins were more


profitable for Philip & Son, but against expectations they did not win Birkenhead’s third and final new ferry order. Paring overheads to the bone, Cammell Laird submitted a lower tender. Despite Philips’ experience and the attractions of visits to Dart- mouth, Birkenhead Council could not reject the lowest bid from a local shipbuilder and put local jobs at risk.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100