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SOUTH AFRICAN SHIPPER - IMO 5334999

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Image Copyright © Malcolm Cranfield
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Photo
details

Photographer:
Malcolm Cranfield [ View profile ]
Title:
South African Shipper
Location:
Durban, South Africa
Photo Category:
General Cargo Ships Built 1950-1959 (over 3000gt)
Added:
Aug 20, 2023
Views:
1,619
Image Resolution:
4,325 x 2,941

Description:

One of the ships which had passed Portishead on 20th August 1963 was South African Marine Corporation's 1954 Greenock built SOUTH AFRICAN SHIPPER, here seen at Durban.

Ex - CLAN ROBERTSON - 59 UMZINTO - 60 ROOIBOK - 61

Later: 1964: S.A.SHIPPER

She finally arrived at Kaohsiung 26.11.75 for scrapping

scanned from a negative in my collection by the late David Shackleton

Vessel
particulars

IMO:
5334999
Photos:
5 photos by 4 photographers

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This ship exists in the following categories:

General cargo ships built 1950-1959 (Over 3000gt) - 5 photos

Photographers
of this ship

(4)

PWR

1 photos

Alastair Sutherland

1 photos

Malcolm Cranfield

2 photos

ponty

1 photos

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this ship(4)

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S.A. SHIPPER

 
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S.A. SHIPPER

 
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SOUTH AFRICAN SHIPPER

 
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Clan Robertson

 

COMMENT THIS PHOTO(13)

Newest First
person
Interesting. I see there is one other photo of her with the black extending down from the cowl to halfway down that ventilator grill on the face of the funnel. https://www.shipspotting.com/photos/1939207
Later shots of her show that the top is grey except for the cowl. https://www.shipspotting.com/photos/2273669
None of the other ex Clan boats had this deep black top, not even her sister - South African Scientist. https://www.shipspotting.com/photos/3411414

I've never been wrong in my life but have often been mistaken.

Edit
comment

person
It is very obvious that in this photograph the ship is carrying the funnel colours of Safmarine.
The funnel has a black top, below it is grey, the next darker band must be blue then, looking at the aft end of the bridge structure one can just see a tiny sliver of white - which means that below that but out of our view would be the orange and then grey of Safmarine colours.

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comment

person
I agree that the funnel markings look rather odd, perhaps Clan Line, but Durban photographer Trevor Jones is convinced that they were Safmarine's own colours. He will study them and revert with his final conclusions in due course.

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comment

person
Definitely Saf's own colours.

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comment

person
Sorry but while the hull colour is Safmarine grey and she is obviously in Safmarine ownership at the time of the photo - note the lack of a courtesy ensign - she obviously does not have Safmarine funnel colours in this photo. Safmarine funnels were grey with the 3 blue/white/orange bands.
Photo is from the first three years of Safmarine ownership before the fleet naming went from the 'South African' prefix to 'SA' for political reasons.

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comment

person
Could it be because we can't see the remaining stripes behind the top of the superstructure ??

tropic

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comment

person
No. Because these ships - when with Safmarine - kept the black cowl while the grey started at the top of the actual funnel and would be in plain view in this shot.
This is in fact a rare and unique shot of this ship with a charterer's funnel.
Side note. . This was one of the last four steamers built for Clan Line. Clan Robertson - this ship - and Clan Ross were built with first class 12 passenger accomodation for the express service from Liverpool direct to Durban - getting there faster than the U-C mailboat. The other two were the semi - refridge Scottish Shire Line pair - Ayrshire and Argyllshire built for the Australian service also with 12 passo accomodation.
I had the good fortune to sail on three of them. This ship as SA Shipper, Clan Ross as Kinnaird Castle, and Argyllshire. Along with the mail boats I sailed on they were the 'best feeders' I sailed in 42 years at sea.
This is South African Shipper with a charterer's funnel colours.

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comment

person
You cannot see the bottom stripes in tnis photo.

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comment

person
What stripes would those be?
It isn't Clan Line as it is too high. The vent was totally covered in black as Clan Robertson.
It isn't Safmarine as you would be seeing lots of grey below the cowl.
There are photos on site of her with both funnels for comparison.

VNSM on the other hand had a single red band quite high on the funnels of their ships.
https://www.shipspotting.com/photos/47121

Edit
comment

person
Half of the funnell is hidden behind the dark windshield on top of the bridge, so the bottom stripes of Safmarine is hidden. In Harvey's book about Safmarine there is a broadside photo of this vessel, where we clearly see the whole Safmarine funnel. The black top and top grey of the funnel is exactly the same as on this photo.

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comment

person
If you go here http://safmarinemariners.blogspot.com/2010/07/s-class.html and go through the many photos of the Clan Line steamers that were bought by Safmarine you will see that only 3 shots of South African Shipper and two of South African Statesman have that deep black band below the cowl. I think it was a short lived colour scheme abandoned within a year or so and thereafter the grey top was standard - hence the confusion. Note that the the 'blue-white-orange' was also moved further up the funnel.

Edit
comment

person
Not Clan Line. Top red band was a lot lower than this one when 'Clan Robertson'. Top of the red band was in line with that black 'seam' you can see.
Compare this funnel with shots of VNSM 'xxxxkerke' ships, single red band very high up.
Often , in the 60's , Safmarine would take a ship on charter and if only for a single round trip from Europe to SA they would always put Safmarine funnel colours on the chartered ship. This I would suggest is just the reverse.

Edit
comment

person
The funnel is interesting, it looks like a single red(?) band on a black funnel.
She appears to have been on charter to VNSM/Vereenigde Nederlandsche Scheepvaartmaatschapppij / United Netherlands Navigation Company when the photo was taken.

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