The following listing is for branches and Representatives outside the U.K. There is a separate listing for branches in the United Kingdom. This listing is created in alphabetical order of Country, so Australian branches are listed firstly, while U.S.A. branches are listed near the bottom of the list.
Meets: St. George's Church Hall, Mount Street, Burnie, Tasmania on the 4th Thursday of the month at 7:30 pm. Contact Marianne Whybrow, 52 Oonah Street, Burnie, Tasmania 7320 Tel: 61 3 6433 3926. E-mail: whymar2005@yahoo.com.au [02.2009]
Incorporated as the "World Ship Society (New South Wales) Inc."
Meets: Uniting Church Complex, Lord Street, Roseville, on the 3rd Thursday of the month, January to November, and the 2nd Thursday in December, at 8:00 pm. Contact: Peter Vasey, PO Box 495, Grosvenor Place, NSW, 1220. [02.2009]
On the Horizon - forthcoming NSW Branch meetings:
check with the branch representatives
Recent Meeting Highlights:
The AGM was again deferred to the October meeting. The entertainment was supplied by member Bob Clarke, who showed a fascinating variety of photographs taken on a recent overseas trip that included ships seen in Hong Kong, several British ports, a cruise to Norway aboard OCEANA, and Singapore on the way home, which was greatly enjoyed by all in attendance.
For December 2008, the entertainment for the evening was a presentation by Peter Plowman, showing pictures taken during a trip to Fremantle and Albany during March 2008, a cruise on MURRAY RIVER QUEEN in October, and a quick look at ships that made the news during the year. This was followed by our Christmas party, which was an extended time for members to meet socially, and was greatly enjoyed by all.
Branch History:
'New South Wales Branch celebrating 50 years, Fifty Years of the NSW Branch, by Alan Travers, 2007
In 1947 in the United Kingdom a young ship enthusiast named Michael Crowdy founded the Ship News Club which was renamed the World Ship Society during 1949 and from this small beginning it has grown during the past 60 years to encompass branches and members in many parts of the world. Australia was an early source of members and by 1952 a local WSS agent had been appointed to look after membership matters in this part of the world and New Zealand. In 1954 a local WSS Australian Section produced a magazine named The Log first appeared on a quarterly basis and was part of the Australia / New Zealand WSS subscription rate in addition to the UK produced house journal of the WSS -- Marine News.
By 1956 moves were in place to start up local WSS branches in different states and the first branch commenced during that year in Hobart. In Sydney a meeting was held on 20 March 1956 at the home of Ron Parsons in Waverton for the eight WSS members then residing in Sydney in order for them to meet each other and generally catch up with the local shipping scene. At this meeting it was decided to hold informal gatherings at different members' homes on a monthly basis. The second meeting, which was held on 24 April at the home of Kitty Dick at Balgowlah, saw attendance swell to 14 and agreement reached that a proper meeting venue should be found. Another decision was to hold meetings on the 4th Tuesday of each month and the third meeting occured on 22 May. Also during May the first outdoor activity was held — namely a ship inspection of the Adelaide SS Co vessel MANUNDA.
Monthly meetings continued throughout 1956 and the 12th meeting held on 5/2/1957 was in the form of a social occasion held at the Gladesville home of Arthur Corkill. Membership had now passed 20 and plans were formulated to constitute a WSS branch based in Sydney and this took place at a meeting held on 20 July 1957. One of the anomalies here was the name that the Branch operated under. Instead of Sydney it was known as the NSW Branch, due to the adoption of the UK style constitution and its interpretation of boundaries between neighbouring branches which of course in the UK were relatively close. In order to overcome this it was decided on the name NSW Branch which meant anyone living within the state borders was eligible to join. If Sydney had been used then technically membership was limited to within the boundaries of the city itself.
By early 1958 meetings had changed to the third Thursday of the month (as they are today) and were held at the North Sydney Council Chambers, on the corner of Miller and McLaren Streets, North Sydney. Meetings were held there till the building was gutted by a fire in April 1976. This caused a move to the Blues Point Community Hall, which was the venue until December 1995. From the January 1996 our present venue at the Roseville Uniting Church complex has been used. At the first AGM held on 17 July 1958 it was reported that Branch membership stood at 28 and joining in that year were three gentlemen who are still members today namely, Ken Lunney, Stan Welch and John Burne with the latter still a regular attendee at our monthly meetings. John has been a contributor in many ways to the Branch over this time. As he worked on the harbour he commenced giving a monthly round-up of local shipping news at each meeting, and this developed from September 1966 into the monthly Branch Newsletter which continues to this day, though the production techniques have changed considerably from the original spirit duplicator and Gestetner printed issues. Under the editorship of various members over the past 40 years the Newsletter has become a valuable reference to events in Sydney Harbour - a harbour that has now almost ceased to exist as a commercial shipping port.
The Branch has met continuously each month since July 1957 - a total of 600 meetings. During that time I would estimate around 600 people have been members of the NSW Branch at one stage or another. Today we have a mixed membership of full, senior and newsletter subscribers totalling 125 which considering the upheavals in the shipping scene in those 50 years plus the virtual demise of Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson) as a place to see ships is not a bad end result. I am led to understand that the NSW Branch is the largest as regards full members (ie those that receive Marine News in the WSS at present. We are certainly the largest of the five Australian branches in this regard though Victoria (Melbourne) is larger in overall member numbers.
The membership numbers of the NSW Branch grew steadily throughout the 1960's and 1970's and by 1981 it had passed 200, with 60 being the average attendance for monthly meetings, some meetings attracting attendances approaching 100. Outside activities also blossomed, with an annual harbour cruise each February which saw larger and larger vessels employed as it grew in popularity. Visits to ships (both merchant and naval) were another big activity as well as outings to various maritime facilities and landmarks dotted around Sydney Harbour.
There were also outings to places further afield, including a number of memorable "bus cruises" to Port Kembla or Newcastle. A cruise to Brisbane aboard P&O's HIMALAYA in June 1972 saw us dabble for a while in this financially lucrative activity and this was followed over the ensuing years by day trips to Newcastle aboard the same companies' ARCADIA and ORIANA. The Branch also organised (under the direction of the late Bruce Miller) a South Pacific cruise on ORIANA in February 1986 just prior to its retirement. These were well supported activities that kept the branch financially healthy and allowed the membership fees to be kept at a reasonable level. Unfortunately for us all the transactions to the UK had to be done in sterling and since the 1990's the gap between the two currencies has continued to widen to the disadvantage of the Australian dollar and this has led to higher membership fees as outside activities dwindled and our revenue base began to shrink.
The 1980's were the "golden years" of the NSW Branch when membership and activities peaked but for the past 15 years we have been in decline. This can be attributed to a number of factors, the major one being the many changes that have ocurred to shipping over the past 30 years (especially) with the traditional cargo liner replaced by containerships, bulk carriers, car carriers etc which to many peoples eyes are ugly monstrosities hardly worth a second glance. The de-nationalisation of world shipping which saw the demise of many well known shipowners to be replaced by a bewildering collection of flags of convenience (FOC) charters has not helped. To many of the older members these changes were too much and with the need to increase membership fees many just lost interest and did not renew.
The present decade has brought new challenges as the world has become wary of anyone who shows an interest in anything that could be construed as against the national interest and this has made the watching, noting or photgraphing of ships in some parts of the world fraught with problems. Although still reasonaly accessible in Australia, many local ports that one could just stroll around are now fenced off with security posts and have become in effect walled enclaves that to enter one has to go through a series of security checks, etc, and you wonder if it's worth all the hassles and questioning just to note down or photograph a ship that has not been seen before. The once popular ship visits are also becoming a memory for much the same reasons as above.
Our one big failure has been to attract and keep as members the younger generations. The world has changed considerably since 1957 especially in the communications field where the advent of the internet has to some extent made the concept of the World Ship Society redundant. This is a problem shared by most branches worldwide and although new members continue to join they are usually in the + 50 age range - the youngest members of the NSW Branch are now in their 40's but joined back in the late 1970's when still at school. Others in this group unfortunately did not continue their memberships once leaving school and we have had few successes in attracting younger people to our cause and then actually retaining them as members.
What the future holds is like crystal ball gazing. At the last WSS - AGM, held in Dover, UK, in May 2007, the report on membership was far from encouraging with a large loss in members recorded over the past two years and it has now reached a stage where the overseas membership numbers almost equal those of UK based members whereas previously there was quite a difference between the two, with the UK well in front. It was also stressed that attracting younger members was probably the biggest challenge we face if the WSS is to survive the coming decades.
Anyway whatever the outcome I for one have thoroughly enjoyed my 38-year association with the NSW branch and hope all who attend our 50th anniversary luncheon aboard SOUTH STEYNE, itself once an integral part of the Sydney harbour scene that has sustained our branch for the 50 years, have an enjoyable time celebrating this event.
Meets: The Port Education Centre, Lorimer Street, Port Melbourne, on the 1st Tuesday, February to December, at 7:30 pm. Contact: Hon Secretary, PO Box 5038, Middle Park, VIC 3026. E-mail: president@wss-vic.org.au Website: http://wss-vic.org.au [05.2010] Local Branch website link (administered by the Maritime Heritage Association of Victoria) http://www.mhav.net/wss.php [03.2009]
L to R. Neil Pollard, Ian Smith, Mike Spratt, Russell Griffiths, Ron Parker, DOULOS tour Guide, Jan de Jong, John Bone — Branch President and committeemen aboard the MV DOULOS berthed at Geelong. Further details of this visit can be found in the October 2008 Victoria Branch newsletter. [photo by Mike Carolin]
Some Recent Meeting Highlights:
March 2009 — Geelong Port Visit. Report by Lindsay Rex, photo by John Nunn.
On March 5th, a tour party of 15 enjoyed a tour of the Port of Geelong on the GEORGE MOLLAND, courtesy of Harbour Master Dilip Abraham and the Victorian Regional Channels Authority. Shell's product tanker HELIX was seen berthing with help from tugs WOONA and KUTTABUL with the crude tanker TEMASEK RIVER already berthed at the refinery. Later the ex HMAS CANBERRA, nearly ready for sinking as a dive site off Boarwon Heads together with the A P RECOVERY, CMA Corporation construction barge (for sale) converted from the Melbourne bucket dredge A S MAYNE were seen at the old Grain Pier. Many thanks to Dilip and GEORGE MOLLAND skipper Steve Dawes (for the high speed GEORGE MOLLAND photo opportunity) and son and engineer Josh Dawes for a very pleasant tour. GEORGE MOLLAND was built at Geralton, WA for use during the 1987 America's Cup in Fremantle and later operated as the Bunbury pilot boat LESCHENAULT, before sale to the VRCA in 2006 and being renamed GEORGE MOLLAND after first Geelong Harbour Master.
The fifteen member party prior to boarding the GEORGE MOLLAND for the cruise. [photo by John Nunn]
Incorporated as "The World Ship Society of British Columbia"
Meets: Vancouver Maritime Musuem, 1905 Ogden St (Kitsilano Point), Vancouver, on the 2nd Wednesday of the month, September to May, at 7:30 pm. Contact: Glenn Smith, 701-1011 Beach Ave, Vancouver, BC V6E 1T8, Canada. Tel: 604.684.1240. E-mail: glenn.smith@worldshipsociety.org Publications: monthly - Ship's Log. (subscriptions available to anyone) [09.2009] Local Branch website: http://www.worldshipsocietyvan.ca [09.2009]
This photo shows the Vancouver Branch executive having just been elected by acclamation for the 2007-2008 year. Seated, from l-r: Glenn Smith (Membership Secretary/Treasurer), Ray Warren (Vice President). Standing, from l-r: Kelsey McLeod [deceased] (Member-at-Large), Syd Heal (President), Joan Thornley (Recording Secretary) - missing from photo is Cec. Woods, (Director) plus Editor of the branch newsletter.For the 2009-2010 year, the same group along with Ellen Ramsay and Neil England (with the exception of Kelsey McLeod) was re-elected to the same positions, at the December 9th, 2010 meeting.
On the Horizon - forthcoming Vancouver Branch meetings:
Wednesday September 8, 2010 —
Wednesday October 13, 2010 —
Wednesday November 10, 2010 —
Wednesday December 8, 2010 —
Recent Meeting Highlights:
JUNE 2010 MEETING by Glenn Smith — I received an unexpected phone call from Capt. Cees de Keijzer, Chairman of the Rotterdam Branch, and just had to do whatever it took to accommodate this unscheduled program, despite our policy of not holding meetings in the summer months. Capt. de Keijzer, along with his wife Olga, brought with them a digital presentation called “Navigare Necessare Est – Era Maritimus ex A ad Z”. Capt de Keijzer has had a long career in the Maritime Industry in Rotterdam and served for years with the Port of Rotterdam. The program was enthusiastically received by all the members present, and could easily have continued on for another two hours, or more. As the title of the program suggests, the talk started with a story about a vessel whose name started with the letter “A” – AGIOS IONNIS, followed by a “B” – BONTEKOE, and then on to a tale about the CORNELIUS MAERSK, DONGEDYK / DIEMERDYK, ENERGY CONCENTRATION / EUROBULKER X, FLARE, GLOBAL ENVOY, — all the way down the alphabet to “U” – ULYSSES I, “V” – VLIST, “W” – WAALHAVEN, “X” – XX ANNIVERSARIO, ending at ZEEVAARTSCHOOL.
It was a riveting presentation by Capt. de Keijzer, who has many, many stories to tell. He was invited to return again if he is ever on the West Coast of North America. Many thanks to Capt. de Keijzer for an excellent entertaining presentation. Capt. de Keijzer then presented our President of the Vancouver Branch with a WSS flag on a stand for the podium, a musical CD produced for the Port of Rotterdam and a copy of his latest book, “Mooie Schepen en Banen in de haven van Rotterdam”, co-authored with Hans Roodenburg.
MAY 2010 Meeting by Ellen L. Ramsay — Cecil Woods, Director and editor of the Ship's Log, opened the evening's meeting by asking those present for current news items of interest to members. Neil England, Director-At-Large and Ship's Log columnist drew the audience's attention to the new WSS-Vancouver Branch calling cards 250 neatly organized and presented business cards that members may use selectively to invite new people to meetings. The cards contain our meeting date, time and place as well as contact details. Neil designed these attractive cards, and members have been impressed with the final product. Thanks Neil.
Joan Thornley, Director and Recording Secretary of the Branch presented the minutes of the Executive Meeting of 5 May 2010. These minutes included a list of speakers from 8 September 2010 to 9 February 2011. Thanks to Joan, copies of the minutes were available to members present. Cecil thanked Joan and the executive for their sound advance planning. Syd Heal, Past-President suggested that a small gesture of thanks be given to speakers in the form of a book or bottle of wine. The Executive decided to adopt this measure and the evening's membership seemed to concur that this would be a good idea. Syd's suggestion for a small promotional brochure for distribution to prospective members was also adopted at the Executive meeting and will be worked on by Directors over the summer. All this is manageable within our existing budget.
Robert Etchell drew the meeting's attention to the 21st International Tugboat and Salvage Convention and Exhibition to be held 17-21st May at the Westin Bayshore Hotel. He also pointed out that there is to be an International Fleet Review at Royal Roads, Victoria 9-14th of June to mark the Canadian Naval Centennial. Twenty-eight naval ships representing over 25 nations will be there. Those interested should look at the Canadian Naval website for further information.
Syd Heal gave the evening's address on The Rise and Fall of the B.C. Fishing Industry and its Influence on Fishing Vessel Design. Syd began his talk by explaining that in addition to his specific and sustained interest in the shipping industry, he had twenty years experience as an underwriter and broker with much exposure to the big fleets controlled by the canning companies. In 1969 he joined the Bell-Irving Group who controlled one of the big three of the industry, the Anglo-British Columbia Packing founded in 1890. Henry Bell-Irving originally built the company that was to extend for three generations as a family business. In 1891 he bought out seven Fraser River canneries plus two on the Skeena to account for more than one quarter of B.C.'s total packed salmon. Only in 1969 did the company close its doors on its West Coast canning operation to concentrate on the East Coast herring industry.
Syd's talk was illustrated with digital images from the Rod Logan Collection, his own collection and some images from the Maritime Museum. They were organized chronologically from the nineteenth century to modern times spanning all vessels from whalers, draggers, trawlers, seiners, trappers, prawners, shrimpers to skiffs. We saw how the design of the ships developed to improve their productivity (and sometimes their appearance) and caught a glimpse of how design affects horsepower, fuel consumption and efficiency of ships. In some instances the design of the ship was aesthetically pleasing as well and practical. Syd showed a number of vessels that were converted from one use to another, and demonstrated some ships that were so poorly designed that it must have had an adverse effect on the operating economics of the vessel. Many conventional seiners have been converted to draggers while others have been purpose built.
The whalers perhaps stood out of the modern viewer now that we are accustomed to an international prohibition on the whale industry (despite Japan's continuance of the practice). Steam powered boats much altered the design of craft in this form of fishing. Syd then moved on to the draggers that were notable for ripping up the sea bottom and causing irreparable damage to sea life including cod, halibut and coral off the West Coast. Trawlers then grew in dimensions and many of the conversions were to this type. These vessels were productive but risked capsizing if filled beyond capacity. The First Nations' ships stood out as some of the largest and best built judging from the photographs.
One of Syd's main messages during his talk was that, in his opinion, the decline in the fishing industry was largely due to greed in the industry itself. This is evident, he explained, from the vessels, the style of fishing and the handling of the fish over the decades. He pointed out that the industry has been quick to blame others, including fish farmers and loggers, for the decline in the fish stock, but they need only look at their own fishing practices to see that they have been over exploiting the renewable fish stocks. The two big fish on the West Coast were salmon and herring, both cyclical stock, and special care needs to be taken not to allow these species to become extinct outside the farmed fish.
The presentation was very comprehensive. One of the questions from Don Brown was related to the different registration numbers on the top and sides of the ships and whether there was an international standard for these. It was agreed that we might seek a speaker to address this question. A good subject for next year perhaps.
Cecil Woods thanked Syd Heal for his thoroughly enjoyable talk and invited members to stay and socialize. Members are reminded that raffle tickets, at a bargain price, are available at the start of each meeting and we can always use more quality prizes to entice people to buy more tickets. The post card collection of vessels from all over the world is also available for perusal and purchase at our meetings with an average price of just $2.50. All kinds of membership goodies are available at Glenn Smith's tables and members often bring things of interest to share and exchange with other members.
The evening was a very good conclusion to a full season of speakers. Members will be notified if there are any activities over the summer, but for some of us we will have to wait until September 8th to return to our regular monthly meetings. Our September speaker will be Rollie Webb on modern tug design and construction. Have a pleasant summer and remember to stay safe on the water.
Meeting Notes: Wednesday September 9, 2009. The September meeting at the Vancouver Maritime Museum featured an illustrated slide show presented by Ray Warren. The subject was the wartime standard ships taken after the war at Vancouver. For those of us able to remember when the wharves and docks around the harbour here often full with American-built Liberties and Victories, Canadian-built Forts and Parks and British Empire types, it was a journey into nostalgia. In those days ships looked like ships with funnels amidships and a gracefulness that today's ships have difficulty in emulating. Today's ships too often look like barges with an exhausts so far aft that they look like they are ready to fall off over their broad transom sterns. Thanks Ray for an interesting presentation.
Meeting Notes: Wednesday February 11, 2009. ► We were scheduled to have a presentation by our President Syd Heal but he had to decline due to illness. This was replaced by a DVD presentation provided by Director Glenn Smith. This was from the Great Liners Series from Snowbow Productions, the Fifteenth in the series. — Southampton - Port History
We saw a photographic history of the Port of Southampton with archival film of many well known and less well known liners which were home-ported or visited the Port. We saw liners, ferries, tour boats, cargo ships — deep sea and coasters — tugboats. Also a selection of work boats which keep marine traffic moving. In the 1970s the effects of a prolonged marine workers strike proved devastating to the Port of Southampton. Many shipping companies went out of business and their ships went elsewhere.
Later the growth of the cruise ship industry saw a return of newer cruise vessels and some older liners continued to visit the port such as EUROPA, FAIRSEA, ORIANA, VENUS, SUNWARD, ARCADIA, NORWAY, PRINS DE NEDERLAND, CARIBIA, QUEEN ELIZABETH 2, VICTORIA, and ARCADIA.Passenger / cargo ships were regular visitors such as the ENGLAND, ARGENTINA, S.A. ORANJE, S.A. VAAL,PENNDENNIS CASTLE, BRAZIL STAR along with pure cargo ships such as tankers and container ships.The Liberty ship in the news recently and now in Greece — ARTHUR M. HUDDELL was a visitor.A most interesting history of the greatness of the port in the past and its resurrection with the development of the cruise ship industry
Some of the liners we saw were NORMANDIE, QUEEN MARY, QUEEN ELIZABETH, ORIANA, ARCADIA, FRANCE, FAIRSEA, CARONIA, CHUSAN, CANBERRA, MAURETANIA, FRANCONIA, ROTTERDAM, UNITED STATES, ORSOVA, STATENDAM, MAASDAM, SOUTHERN CROSS, CHITRAL, COLUMBIE, ANDES, and IBERIA.
Meeting Notes: Wednesday January 14, 2009. ► Captain Don Rose, Senior Master with Rivtow Marine/SMIT, presented a selection of images of a variety of vessels he has seen in his years working on tugboats on the BC coast for some 40 years. The selection included some current views and some from the past--tug boats, pilot boats, motor yachts, rail car carriers, tour boats, log barges, cargo and passenger vessels. Captain Rose has worked for Island Tug & Barge, Straits Towing, RivTow and finally SMIT. He was Senior Master on the RIVTOW CAPT. BOB for 14 years--he has retired now and has gone into Marine Consulting and Surveys. Captain Rose has CDs and DVDs of his vessel images for sale. The CDs are CDN$10 (plus p&p) and the DVDs are CDN$20 (plus p&p) [jackets with accompanying thumbnail prints and information]. Contact Captain Rose at +1.604.596.4389, or e-mail at captdonrose@shaw.ca
Meeting Notes: Thursday December 11, 2008. ► A.G.M. plus Members' Night. Because of scheduling problems with our venue, we were forced to move the meeting from Wednesday the 10th to Thursday the 11th. Future meetings will revert to the "every 2nd Wednesday" format that we have used for many years. At the AGM, all the current standing members of the Board were re-elected for another term, with the exception of Kelsey McLeod, who died earlier in the year. Therefore the executive of the branch as it now stands consists of Syd Heal as President, Ray Warren as Vice President, Joan Thornley as Recording Secretary, Glenn Smith as Treasurer and Membership Secretary, and Cecil Woods as Member-at-Large as well as Editor of our Ship's Log newsletter. After the formalities of the AGM were concluded, we opened the Members' Night meeting with several presentations. First up, was Bill Etchell who presented a selection of slides from the collection of Andy Kilk, US Representative of the WSS. Included were photos of cruise ships—exterior, and interior and European river cruisers. This was followed by Robert Etchell who presented a photo journey of the trip he and his father, Bill, took to northern Vancouver Island to Port Hardy with photos of the waterfront. They sailed to Prince Rupert on BC Ferries' NORTHERN ADVENTURE with stops along the way at Bella Bella and a mist-shrouded site where the QUEEN OF THE NORTH sank. Photos of the cruise ship terminal and new container terminal at Prince Rupert. We were treated to a selection of photos of cruise ships, pilot boats, coast guard ships, ferries OMENICA PRINCESS and FRANCOIS FORESTER. Robert completed his program with photos taken at the 2008 Tall Ship Festival, June 2008, in Victoria, B.C. Dr. Ray Parkinson brought along a German-made music box/accordian-style player piano built in 1880 by the Tanzibar Company. The player reproduces music from music rolls which are still produced today. The company continues today and Ray brought along and demonstrated a digital music box which employs digital-style cassettes and resembles a button-accordian and is played the same way with the exception being the music is preproduced electronically from the cassette which is inserted into the player. Ray is an avid collector of music boxes. Following a break for Christmas refreshments provided by members and presented by June Etchell, we began the remainder of the program. Our final presenter was member Don Brown who brought along slides that he took some years ago in Cape Town and Durban South Africa. Featured were tug boats, dating from 1922 on. British-built, the majority of the tugs were coal-fired steamers. These were ship berthing tugs for the most part, and from an ea when tugs were handsome vessels with tall stacks. Don also presented a few images of newer diesel-powered tugs and a few cargo ships. A most enjoyable evening and many thanks to the presenters and providers of the 'goodies'.
Meets: Café Le Montvallon, 9 rue de Vienne, 75008 Paris, on the 1st Tuesday of the month, between 18:00 and 20:00. Contact: Pierrick Roullet, 2 Rue Ortali, Paris 75008. Tel: 0145222225. E-mail: pierrick.rouleet@ifrance.com [02.2009]
Meets: Avenue Lucien, Corbeaux (Siége de l'apmm), 2nd stairs entrance near "Chais de la Transat", Le Havre Port, on the 2nd and last Sundays, from 0:930 to 12:00 hrs. Contact: Pascal Bredel, 58 Rue Deschamps, 76600 Le Havre. E-mail: pascalbredel@aol.com [03.2009]
Captain Nick Nash, CROWN PRINCESS, accepts a presentation from Oliver Hawes, Chairman Cobh Branch, Ireland on the occasion of the Branch visit on board, June 2009. [07.2009]
COBH BRANCH MEMBERS VISIT TO NORTHERN IRELAND — Cobh Branch went on tour for the August 2009 meeting to Belfast to visit the Tall Ships Race and the Titanic Quarter. The highlights were the tour of Harland and Wolff Shipyard and the moment of standing on the slipway on which TITANIC was built. The wonderful fireworks were eclipsed by the Belfast tour by boat along the docks viewing all the tall ships, naval vessels and the BALMORAL. We had a wonderful reunion with the Belfast Branch, making and renewing friendships. Thank you Roy Snowdon, and Belfast Branch members, for organising a most memorable visit. Long may the spirit of friendship between our branches grow. [09.2009]
Upcoming Event
Maritime Exhibition and Lecture commemorating the 25th Anniversary of Irish Shipping Limited, starting Friday October 30th, 2009 - full details can be found by clicking on the following PDF link
Meets: On the former passenger ship WITTE ZWAAN, lying in the Eemskanaal NZ, Groningen. Contact: Jacob A. Slagter, Koninginnelaan 23, 9901 HL Appingedam. E-mail: wss.nnb@planet.nl / Local Branch Website: http://www.wssnoordnederlandbranch.nl [03.2009]
On the Horizon - forthcoming Noord Nederland Branch meetings:
Woensdag 21 januari — Jaar/ledenvergadering op het voormalig pass. schip "Witte Zwaan", Eemskanaal N.Z., Groningen. Aanvang 19.30 uur. Aansluitend gelegenheid tot ruilen e.d.
Woensdag 4 maart — Bijeenkomst op de "Witte Zwaan". Aanvang 19.30 uur. Aansluitend gelegenheid tot ruilen e.d.
Zaterdag 16 mei — Trip/vaartocht Bremerhaven. (Nader bericht volgt.)
Woensdag 16 september — Bijeenkomst op de "Witte Zwaan". Aanvang 19.30 uur. Aansluitend gelegenheid tot ruilen e.d.
Zaterdag 17 oktober — Fotoruildag van 11.00 tot 16.00 uur op de "Witte Zwaan". Ook niet leden van harte welkom.
Woensdag 11 november — Bijeenkomst met fotokwis op de "Witte Zwaan". Aanvang 19.30 uur. Aansluitend gelegenheid tot ruilen e.d.
De "Witte Zwann" is te bereiken via het Damsterdiep en de straat Het Balkgat. Aan het einde links af en aan het einde van de weg ligt de "Witte Zwann". Note: Op de bijeenkomsten wordt van de aanwezige leden/donateurs € 2,50 bijdrage in de zaalhuur gevraagd.
Meets: Hotel Ibis, Westlandeweg 270, 3131 HX Vlaardingen, on the 3rd Friday in odd numbered months, at 7:30 pm. Contact: Riemer J. van Bolhuis, Tilanussingel 22, 2641 VD Piknacker. E-mail: riemerjvb@hotmail.com Local Branch website: http://www/worldshipsocietyrotterdam.nl [03.2009]
Meets: Meetings are held in Northern and Mediterranean Spain throughout the year. Check local website http://www.sewss.org for more detail. Contact: Julio Antonio Rodriguez Hermosilla, Apartado Postal 707, 38080 Santa Cruz de Tenerife. E-mail juanroher@yahoo.es [04.2009] Local Branch website: http://www.buques.org/WSS/WSS-SE_I.htm [03.2009]
Meeting Notes: The branch met on October 20th, 2007, to discuss the recent Spanish Branch AGM held in Santander in September to update members who were unable to attend. On 21st October members assembled to attend the religious procession honouring Nuestra Señora de Carmen, patron saint of seafarers and thereafter enjoyed lunch together.
Spanish Branch members at their branch AGM weekend in Santander.
Meets: Hoggies Bar, Urbanisation San Luis, Torrevieja, 1st Monday of the month, September to June, 6:00 pm. Contact: John Hampton, Las Palomas 11 52, Calle Estocolma, Lo Pepin, Rojales, Alicante, Spain. E-mail: ajtranquila@yahoo.co.uk
Recent Branch Reports:
COSTA BLANCA BRANCH REPORT – OCTOBER 2009 The presentation was a talk by Clive Hedge on “The Voyages of Captain Cook”. The early career of Cook was covered from his start in the family drapers shop, his rise from apprentice to Sailing Master in the Merchant Service, and what was effectively a complete restart, from the deck up, in the Royal Navy. The main focus, however, was on the three major voyages in the Southern Hemisphere which produced surveys and charts, the foundation of which were still in use in the 20th. Century. As we now expect from Clive the talk included unique insights into the workings of ships and men of the period. Thank you Clive for a very interesting and informative presentation.
COSTA BLANCA BRANCH REPORT - SEPTEMBER 2009 The meeting opened with Chairman Jim Stevens describing his recent visit to the Cobh branch of WSS and the warm welcome given to Jim and Audrey. Bert Novelli , Manchester branch was welcomed to the CB branch meeting. The main presentation was in fact a slide presentation compiled by Bert, ¨Seattle Harbour and Puget Sound Naval Dockyard”. Included was a wide range of shipping both commercial and naval, including Trident submarines and the Nimitz, which was undergoing a refit. Number of shots were from a light aircraft which we suspect was flying at a somewhat lower height than had been agreed. Thank you Bert for providing the material for another excellent presentation.
COSTA BLANCA BRANCH REPORT – JUNE 2009 The meeting opened with a short slide presentation of photographs taken by members at the recent AGM in Cartagena. The chairman then read out letters of appreciation received from the President and the Chairman, and several members. It would appear that the AGM weekend was a success, and Costa Blanca members may breathe a sigh of relief ! There followed a slide presentation featuring the paintings of Cunard vessels by marine artist Stephen Card, “Ships on Canvas” Part One. Part Two will be shown at the next meeting, featuring a broader spectrum of vessels by artist Robert G. Lloyd.
COSTA BLANCA BRANCH REPORT – MAY 2009 The main presentation was a slide show, “Capetown Harbour”, with material provided by Bert Novelli, and narrated by Jim Stevens and Mel Cook. As usual, a series of high quality pictures covering a whole range of shipping from tugs to cruise liners. The show also includes pictures of the beautiful South African countryside, and not forgetting the local wineries!! Thank you once again Bert. The meeting was attended by Louise Clarke, a reporter with “Round Town News” which is an English language newspaper covering the Costas and the Canaries. Louise will be attending and reporting on the AGM at Cartagena.
COSTA BLANCA BRANCH REPORT APRIL 2009 The meeting opened with the members being brought up to date with the local requirements for the AGM 2009. The main presentation was “ The Port of Cartagena” narrated by Jim Stevens and Mel Cook, using the material compiled by Bert Novelli, as a precursor to the forthcoming AGM. The programme covers a range of vessels, from tugs to cruise liners, and also includes Spanish naval vessels, and the manufacturing and repair facility of Navantia Shipyard. Also shown is the salt loading jetty in Torrevieja, which saw a major increase in exports, thanks in some part to the winter conditions in the United Kingdom! Thanks Bert, for another excellent presentation.
COSTA BLANCA BRANCH REPORT MARCH 2009 The main presentation at the meeting was "Aircraft Carriers, Past, Present and Future" given by Mike Phillips, of the Mar Menor Sailing Association. Mike is an ex RN Commander, specialising in avionics, thus giving an interesting perspective to the talk. The presentation covered naval flight operations, from the first converted vessel with a "proper" flight deck, HMS CAMPANIA, through to the proposed two new major carriers, and also the variety of aircraft involved. Particularly relevant, as this year celebrates 100 years of Naval Aviation. Mike served aboard HMS HERMES in the Falklands, and has promised to return, and tell of his experiences. Many thank, Mike for a splendid presentation.
Meets: Community Church of New York, 40 East 35th Street, New York (between Park and Madison Avenues) use door at Street level and go downstairs, monthly, except July & August, at 6:00 pm. Contact: Roxanne Almond, PO Box 384, New York, NY 10185-0384. E-mail: wsspony@gmail.com Local Branch Website: http://www.worldshipny.com Publications: The Porthole, monthly newsletter - Editor, Marjorie Dovman. [03.2010]
Note to Branch Secretaries: Please send updates / changes of venue / details of upcoming programs / meeting notes & photographs / changes to contact name and/or addresses to webmaster@worldshipsociety.org
Members of the new Cobh Branch on their visit to JEWEL OF THE SEAS. 
Captain Nick Nash, CROWN PRINCESS, accepts a presentation from Oliver Hawes, Chairman Cobh Branch, Ireland on the occasion of the Branch visit on board, June 2009. [07.2009]
Members of the Belfast and Cobh Branches of the Society on the TITANIC slipway during a recent joint meeting in Belfast. [09.2009]
Spanish Branch members at their branch AGM weekend in Santander. 