Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past History Information Request Did anyone go to any Lairds launches?

pm me the year and month that you went to the launch and i will be able to tell you which ship it was

The ship which was launched without ceremony was 'C.P.Trader', one of 3 container ships built for Canadian Pacific. I think it was yard no. 1344.
I watched that launch ,as I worked in the Ship Drawing Office at the time & we got time off to watch. As i remember there was a problem with the launchway & as she went down the slip there were lumps of wood flying off it!

Bob.

I went with my school in early 70s to see the launch of H.M.S. Ajax.
Cant remeber who the offical dignatory was... but it was wonderful to go to Lairds. I remember being impressed by the size of the buildings and of course the ship herself.

Nienna, 1962 the Ajax, stop trying to knock years off yourself.

Bob thanks for name of ship, At the time ships were launched by the use of hydraulic rams, because of the strike they were not available.So back to the old ways
A list of ship yard numbers is on the following site
http://www.mikekemble.com/mside/wirralindex.html

Saw HMS Renown launched from a distance - watched it from Rock Ferry (was it 1968?). The only ship I saw launched from inside the yard was HMS Birmingham in 1976 (I think). Got the invite from a mates Dad who worked at Lairds. I've still got the ticket somewhere...

There was one ship launched and i can't remember the name of it by an American or Canadian lady, her nerves got the better of her and she said "i name this sheep" and quickly corrected herself and said "ship". As the ship slid down the slipway, all you could hear from the lads on the launchsquad was Bar, bar, bar. A lot of red faces on the launch platform that day.

HA HA ...lol..found out eh!!

No honestly it was in the very early seventies..70/71 max cos it was during my primary school years and we were the experimental year that didnt move up to secondary school till age 12...so that would be in 72 for me. I thought it was the Ajax... the name stuck in my mind because it sounded like a detergent we used to use.. but maybe it was called some thing similar..OMO..perhaps!!

It was a magnificent ship anyways.. and a wonderful experience.. I remember us all clapping and cheering as it slid into the water!

Now I'll be scratching my head to try and remember.... so long ago now!

I went to see a ship called "Naworth" (think that was it's name) in the seventy's.

I worked at lairds from 1974 - 82 and watched the launch of both type 42 destroyers , .
the first was in 1974 when i was still an apprentice, HMS Coventry (the one sunk in the falklands) and again in 1980 the lauch of HMS Liverpool

I saw the RMS Windsor Castle being launched in June 1959 - we got tickets because my Dad worked at Laird's. It was a massive occasion for Birkenhead, as many of those big launches were, and there seemed to be thousands of people there. I can't remember who performed the ceremony. Was it the Queen Mother? But I do remember the ship sliding down the slipway into the Mersey with huge bunches of chains dragging alongside it, presumably to slow it down. When you were only eight years old, it was a very impressive sight.

They where the recovery chains for the slidding ways you saw been dragged down the slipway. Drag chains where never used at Lairds due to the Mersey been wide and fast flowing

launch at lairds [youtube]WwAFoZWDqlM[/youtube]

Thanks for that, jimbob - I always wondered what those chains were for.

Remember going to Lairds with my Dad to see Queen Mother launch "Ark Royal" in 1950,.Film of it on Pathe News site which is great.