Mersea Island Museum - Blackwater Ships


Ship:      ORCHIDEA
Arrived:9 July 1976
Departed:29 October 1976
Career:Sold to Cunard becoming one of their S Class reefers from IFR after bankruptcy.
Built as ORCHIDEA. Renamed SERVIA 1976, CASTOR 1985, KASTORA 1988, MARWAN XI 1990.
Fire 15.08N/74.20W 26 Apr 1989 & broken up Gadani Beach Mar 1990

From ShipsNostalgia:
ORCHIDEA arrived at Dover 26 June 1976 from Long Beach and was arrested. She discharged the whole cargo of oranges there. Some crew paid off, some stayed. According to my discharge book I paid off on the 8 July in Dover, and she sailed that evening and so she would have been in the Blackwater the next day the 9th.

"She was towed round to the Blackwater over a weekend as she sailed on a Friday evening. She had a Royal Navy riding crew put aboard, to make sure the Merchant crew that was still on board did not try and slip the tow and make a run to the Baltic. If I remember rightly it was a Dover tug that did the tow".

Departure date from Guildhall Library records.
Mid Essex WSS - Lloyds List; Arrived 9 July 1976 in tow KNIGHTON and DILIGENT.

Tonnage:12,059 gross
Built:1972
Type:Reefer
LR/IMO Number:7121657
ID7121657

ORCHIDEA laid up in River Blackwater following the bankruptcy of her owners IFR. She was sold to Cunard and became SERVIA. Date: 12 September 1976.

Above:  ORCHIDEA laid up in River Blackwater following the bankruptcy of her owners IFR. She was sold to Cunard and became SERVIA. Date: 12 September 1976.
Source: Mersea Museum / Martin Klingsick

Refrigerated cargo ship ORCHIDEA laid up in the River Blackwater. It is one of the three ships that came to the river when the owners IFR were bankrupt in 1976 - GLADIOLA is astern.
ORCHIDEA was in the River 9 July 1976 to 29 October 1976. All three ships were sold to Cunard, the ORCHIDEA being renamed SERVIA. She was broken up in 1990. Date: cAugust 1976.

Above:  Refrigerated cargo ship ORCHIDEA laid up in the River Blackwater. It is one of the three ships that came to the river when the owners IFR were bankrupt in 1976 - GLADIOLA is astern. ORCHIDEA was in the River 9 July 1976 to 29 October 1976. All three ships were sold to Cunard, the ORCHIDEA being renamed SERVIA. She was broken up in 1990. Date: cAugust 1976.
Source: Mersea Museum / Geoff Mole


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