Exeter Ship Canal - HMS Dark Intruder and HMAFV2772E

[davidwheeler]

Well, it is a bit of a dreary day today, so I will put up another photo in case it is of interest.

This is the Dutch motor coaster 'Jenjo'. Built in 1939 as the 'Jozo' by Geb. Nierstern, Delfzihl, operated by Wagenborg, the major Dutch ship managers, for the owner. From May 1940 to June 1945, sailed under the Red Ensign, based on London, before returned to her owner. 200 grt. 96 nrt. Powered by a 3 cylinder, 2-stroke single acting oil engine manufactured by NV Appingedammer Bronsmotorenfabriek, Appingedam. Of 150 bhp, this engine remained in the ship throughout.

In 1955, with a change in ownership but not of management, she became the 'Jenjo'. Of 37.4m loa, and 6.55m beam, she suited the Ship Canal sea lock at Turf very well. That lock was and is 112'5" in length between cills, and 29'2.5" wide. She made 47 visits to the Canal and to Exeter Basin, 45 of which with timber from the Baltic, Sweden or Finland, and 2 with oyster shell from Fredriksund. She was by far the most frequent foreign visitor. On the occasion of this photo, taken 11th August 1966, she was eight days out of Ala, Finland, and had come up the Canal with another Dutch coaster. By this time quite a rare event. Both ships sailed down the Canal on the 16th August 1966 during the afternoon, both bound for South Cornish ports to load china clay.

A stay in Exeter of five days or so was quite normal. Timber cargos were unloaded by the crew, length by length. Although the timber yard was a mile or so down the Canal from the Basin, every ship had to come into the Basin to turn, as you see the 'Jenjo' is doing. Either before or after unloading the 'Jenjo' might lie for a while in the Basin, close to the city's facilities. And its pubs.

This was a family ship. One of the youngsters became partial to the local beer, and sometimes his exuberance carried him into the arms of the police and a night in the cells. A short appearance before the Justices the next morning, a mild ticking off and delivered into the hands of his Captain/ parent in time to catch the tide. Or to start work with one of the two derricks, one of which was of 1.5 ton capacity and the other, 1 ton. 

Why is any of this of interest to some of us?  Because the 'Jenjo' was the last dry cargo ship to trade to Exeter Basin. On the 17th December 1973 the last departure of any foreign carrier. The end of an era spanning hundreds of years. What, ostensibly brought this about was the building of the M5 viaduct over the River Exe and the Exeter Canal. But that was not the reality. The Ship Canal was too narrow, too shallow and too slow. Turf Lock was too small. It became increasingly difficult for charterers to find ships small enough to navigate it. The loads were uneconomical. It was more efficient to load prepackaged timber for Topsham or Exmouth, and transport them on by train or lorry to Exeter. But within a few years even that was uneconomical.

The 'Jenjo' did not long outlast the effective closure of the Canal to commercial shipping. In September the next year she was sold to Syria as the 'Fairuz' and ended broken up by unknown wreckers at Jableh in 1989.

[MtB]

This seems to be an echo of this:

 

 

 

[davidwheeler]

I have done something wrong here. I will try again. 

[MtB]

11 hours ago, davidwheeler said:

I have done something wrong here. I will try again. 

 

Looking forward to it. I enjoyed your original Jenjo thread! 

 

 

[davidwheeler]

I cannot fix it.  Sorry about this. I will stick something on the end of my Jenjo story. I will rework it.

[BEngo]

You could just start a new post, then report this one so the mods can hide or lock it.

 

N