Busy little ships

“For many years, little ships inhabited King William IV Dock in Dundee, as was shown in the recent illustration provided by Jim Howie,” says a Montrose reader. “Over time,

the enclosed dock became unsuitable for more modern seaborne traffic.

“Later, it was filled in together with its neighbours the West Graving Dock, Earl Grey Dock and the tidal basin and was latterly included in the landfill area for the construction of the Tay Road Bridge approaches in the 1960s.

“The small flock of ships appearing in the Craigie illustration would appear to include modest steam lighters which frequented the numerous small harbours and quays of the Tay and Forth estuaries from the period of the 1870s until the first two decades of the 20th Century.

“These locations are almost nonexistent nowadays, many having been ‘redeveloped’ into housing, retail or leisure facilities. Others of a more rural nature have become silted up and their quaysides and adjoining creeks overgrown or allowed to decay through lack of use. Close inspection, however, sometimes shows clues as to past commercial activity including agriculture, quarrying and other industries.

“Cargoes were loaded and discharged at these basic landing places under conditions which would make present-day shipowners

and road haulage operators hold up their hands in horror. Nevertheless, the Tay would certainly have been an important transport artery for the fertile Carselands.”

“Having visited Port Allen and Inchyra recently,” emails a regular reader, “the type and size of vessel in the photograph would appear to have masts, derricks and tall, slender ‘woodbine’ funnels and would more than likely have frequented such landings.

“Perth Harbour records show vessels named Active, Bee, Edwards, Wave and Will o’ the Wisp trading with Tayport, Newburgh, Balmerino, Inchyra, and Port Allen ranging from 16 to 84 tons. Others ventured round to St Andrews and Guardbridge, Alloa, Charlestown, Dysart, Kennetpans, Morrison’s Haven and Wemyss, with many engaged in the coal trade.

“King William IV Dock, which was opened in 1825, was for long periods filled with a mix of sloops, schooners and other sailing craft until superseded by steam coasters. Nowadays, Dundee is similar to a number of locations round the UK coast where cargo handling has moved away from city centres, requiring access to deeper water to accommodate much larger ships.”

“I was delighted to see that we have five new ‘bairns’ at the Swannie Ponds in Dundee,” says Dougie Smith, who sent in the photograph.