The Hammerhead Crane in view again at Walker. The Hammerhead Crane on fixed foundations. Not like most of the cranes we had on Railway tracks, now most of them in India including the Floating Dock and Titan. Still there today the Hammerhead Crane and still being used across from Hebburn Marina. Mind never been down Hebburn Marina in over 10 years but see Hebbun Marina regularly when I visit my daughters in Walker. When I used to lean on the handrail on ships being fitted out at the Walker yard between 1965 and 1971 (and the top of the Hammerhead Crane in 1968) where the Hebburn Marina now is was nowt but 'Claggy Clarts'
ps just remembered when I worked on the second last ship built at the Walker Yard part of Swan Hunters then (forgot its name but it was a Refrigeration container ship but got the info somewhere) in 1980. The Dunedin the last ship built was on the stocks then (slipway) I was with a contractors Hall Thermotank Eng who I had worked for previously in 1978 on the New Zealand Star the last ship built at Haverton Hill, Teeside which had its final finishing off work has to be at Brigham Cowans South Shields. 1980 the Shipyards of the Tyne, Wear and Tees where getting mercilessly butchered then. Some say not Thatcher to blame but she was PM then. Trying to remember the name of the Canadian assassin she used at the time as no Brit would do it? And did he not receive a knighthood? That long ago going by memory. And yes I ended up in my time at the death nell of many Industries. Cmon you cannot blame me just one bonny lad for their failure. I never worked in the pits or the Steel you can't blame me for that. But at the helm of government was Margaret Thatcher. Shame innit some of the world's most skilled men ended up filling shelves in supermarkets after that...
