The 250ft long, four masted cargo schooner GLORIA was designed and built in America during the 1914-18 war as one of many similar ships constructed for transatlantic cargo carrying in wartime, paying for themselves in a few voyages, with wartime freight rates.
During 1919, the GLORIA arrived at the Wivenhoe shipyard of Rennie, Forrestt Ship, Engine and Dry Dock Company for the installation of win diesel engine auxliaries, to join in the short-lived post war cargo carrying boom, which ended befoe she was completed.
About 1921 the GLORIA was bought by James Edgar and Son, the Deal, Kent fish processors who at that time opened a cannery at Colchester Hythe to handle locally caught sprats. The big schooner had her masts removed and a fishmeal plant was installed. Derricks were fitted around her bulwarks and she lay anchored in the Colne, off Brightlingsea, and smacks which could not sell their sprats to curers or canners ashore laid alongside and discharged into GLORIA's plant. This is a deck view at that time, when she was also used as starting line for the Brightlingsea sailing clubs, whose officers are standing on her broad deck.
A spritsail barge is fetching up Colne under foresail and mizzen, preparing to anchor with others, further upstream. [JL]
Plate.121 in SWW
Used in The Sailor's Coast, page 43.
There was a GLORIA built 1917 McEachern, Astoria, USA, 1,723 tons as ASTRI I for Norwegian owners. Renamed FJELTIND-1919, GLORIA-1920. Engine removed 1927. [Miramar]
See PA1_TMP_AB1_FRANK37 for a picture of her at Heybridge.