Geordstoree

There were more than 100 ships commissioned by the Royal Navy, but this in no way diminished his shipbuilding for other sources. Amongst his inventory were a number of ferries built for cross-Tyne duties. These particular ferries were built to work between Jarrow on the south side of the Tyne and Howdon on the north-side. [...]

Sir Charles Mark Palmer and his brother George set up a shipyard at Jarrow on the south bank of the River Tyne. Jarrow lies between Hebburn and South Shields. The year was 1851 and the new company was opened on the site of an earlier yard, that had built wooden warships for the Napoleonic Wars. [...]

Come the 1900′s Palmer workforce would be in excess of 9,000 men and boys. Charles Palmer also held major interests in the local Coal Mining industry. With this in mind Charles wanted to ferry coal to London, from the Durham coal fields, using his own steam collier ships. This is were the John Bowes, named [...]

The ‘John Bowes’ had a long life span. Some 81 years in which she served as a stores vessel in the Crimean War, under went several name changes, survived many collisions and carried general cargo instead of coal. While under one of her many name changes ‘Villa Selgas’ sadly the ‘John Bowes’ sank after developing [...]

1860 was the year ‘Port Mulgrave’ was launched. This was to be the first vessel, off the assembly lines so to speak, launched from the Howdon yard, which had been acquired by Palmers the year before, (1859) on the north bank of the Tyne. This yard went on to build many more ships. The picture [...]