This photograph of the tanker POLYSTAR was taken on 24th February 1974, on the same tide as ARCHON CHERUBIM, exactly fifty years ago today.

POLYSTAR was built at Gothenburg in 1962 for Einar Rasmussen of Kristiansand S.,Norway. She was sold in 1978 to Shell Argentina to trade locally as ESTRELLA FUEGINA.

In 1990 she returned to Norwegian ownership as CAROLINE COB, owned by Arnt. J.Morland of Arendal and later by Harry Borthen of Oslo. Then employed shuttling between Okrika oil refinery on the Bonny River and Apapa or Port Harcourt, she eventually sailed from Apapa on 16 December 1994 bound for Alang to be scrapped.

A similar photograph and text can be seen in my recently published book on the Manchester Ship Canal, published by Kelsey (Ships Monthly magazine).