# Shell T2 Tankers laid up in Lough Swilly



## R831814 (Jun 9, 2006)

See photo here:
http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=104175

Are there any old Shell tanker men around who can shed any more light on these ships?


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## stevecz (Feb 12, 2005)

Two of the ships laid up at *Lough Swilly* were:

Tectus (1), ex Crow Wing, built by Alabama D.D. & Shipbuilding, Mobile, Alabama, United States
Yard No. 324, Official No. 181672, Callsign GBMJ.
Completed in February 1945.
Turbo-Electric, Type T2-SE-A1, 7,240 H.p..
Loa 159.96m, Beam 20.77m, Draught 9.12m, 10172 Gross Tons, 16575 DWT.
1945-1948 for US Maritime Commission, No. 2049. 
Sold 1948-1954 to Anglo Saxon, renamed Tectus (1)
Transferred 1954-1961 to S.T.U.K.
Laid up at Lough Swilly, Ireland, 1959. 
Scrapped 07/07/1961, Hughes Bolkows, Blyth, Northumberland, England.

Thaumastus, ex White Sands, built by Kaiser Company, Swan Island Yard, Portland. Oregon, United States
Yard No. 125, Official No. 181731, Callsign GDTS.
Launched 06th February 1945, Completed in March 1945.
Turbo-Electric, Type T2-SE-A1, 7,240 H.p..
Loa 159.96m, Beam 20.77m, Draught 9.12m, 10448 Gross Tons, 16678 DWT.
1945-1948 for US Maritime Commission, No. 2408. 
Sold 1948-1954 to Anglo Saxon, renamed Thaumastus
Transferred 1954-1961 to S.T.U.K.. 
Laid up at Lough Swilly, Ireland, 1959. 
Scrapped 03/07/1961, Hughes Bolkows, Blyth, Northumberland, England.


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## mclean (Jul 30, 2005)

Steve, sailed as an Apprentice on both the Thaumastus (my first ship), and Tectus. The T2,s served the company well. A sad sight seeing them all laid up in ballast ready for the breakers. Colin


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

Reg Mercer said:


> Are there any old Shell tanker men around who can shed any more light on these ships?


Not a Shell man and willing to stand corrected here.....

I heard that after the Suez Canal reopened Shell found themselves with way too many ships on charter..... the cheapest option was to lay up and dispose of their own T2s.

So I heard......


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## R831814 (Jun 9, 2006)

Cisco said:


> Not a Shell man and willing to stand corrected here.....
> 
> I heard that after the Suez Canal reopened Shell found themselves with way too many ships on charter..... the cheapest option was to lay up and dispose of their own T2s.
> 
> So I heard......


Seems there are not too many "Shell" men on the site to give us the real story.
Your analysis seems to make sense but I'm sure there is someone who can confirm.(Thumb)


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## duquesa (Aug 31, 2006)

*Shell T2 Tankers*

I remember them well. At the time they used to draw quite a crowd of viewers, not only from Rathmullan but more particularly from Fahan on the Eastern side.


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## zelo1954 (Apr 5, 2005)

Cisco said:


> Not a Shell man and willing to stand corrected here.....
> I heard that after the Suez Canal reopened Shell found themselves with way too many ships on charter..... the cheapest option was to lay up and dispose of their own T2s.


and it wasn't just the T2s. Virtually the entire handy-sized fleet with the exception of the 50s new buildings (H, K, I class, and the three Dutch Cs) also went at the same time. The L class for example had a very short life - e.g. Limatula just 10 years. It was the same with BP - anything older and smaller than the 15s suffered a similar fate.
Cheers, geoff


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## johngoo (Mar 17, 2008)

I was an engineer apprentice on Tectus 1958.T2's much derided but she was a happy ship. I paid off in Cardiff Where I met my future wife! Fond memories of the old Tectus.


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## mclean (Jul 30, 2005)

johngoo, was a dk.apprentice on Tectus for the trip home, Singapore to Stanlow. Paid off in Stanlow on Oct 13th.1958. You would have been aboard her when she lost an apprentice in the Pacific? Regards Colin


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## John Caughey (Apr 23, 2010)

The Trigonosemus was one of the T2's laid up in Lough Swilly. She hit the headlines later when she was being towed to the breakers and broke away. So far as I can remember she was finally taken in tow again by a submarine.


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## Split (Jun 25, 2006)

Cisco said:


> Not a Shell man and willing to stand corrected here.....
> 
> I heard that after the Suez Canal reopened Shell found themselves with way too many ships on charter..... the cheapest option was to lay up and dispose of their own T2s.
> 
> So I heard......


I'm Caltex. Yes, I heard that, too.


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