# cowes chain ferry, cargo vessel snaps chain



## iwben (Aug 14, 2007)

hi, has anyone else heard about this? apparantly last saturday night abour 7.30pm a cargo vessel snagged one of the chains of the cowes chain ferry and it caused the chain to snap, the ferry was only put back into service last night after the incident due to there being problems running a replacement chain through the ferry caused by the fast current.

ben


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## vectiscol (Oct 14, 2006)

With only one chain remaining, it is a wonder that the Isle of Wight did not drag its anchor and drift off down Channel on the ebb tide!


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## Dickyboy (May 18, 2009)

Not heard about that at all. Quite a detour for car drivers, around via Newport. Did they lay on a launch for foot passengers?
We're mid channel now Vectiscol


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## iwben (Aug 14, 2007)

hi dickyboy, yea they put the jennylee on as a launch, theres a little bit about it in the county press this week that says it happened while a pilot was on board and a full investigation is now beginning, having talked to one of the ferry operatives he told me the cargo vessel tried to leave the harbour before it was high tide and he thinks there just wasnt enough water.

i must say this has been a problem before, when i worked on the ferry there was a coaster came out about an hour before high tide when we were on neaps and because the wind was creating a swell in the river at the ferry point the coaster bounced on the chains a couple of times on his way out, you could feel the vibration through the whole ferry.


vectiscol i think some of us were kinda hoping it would so we could pick up some duty free 

ben


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## Dickyboy (May 18, 2009)

Quite small tides (At Pompey) on the 11th around 4.2 at the top. Similar at Cowes I guess.
Some of those coasters are quite big for the Medina aren't they?
I think that one of the problems is when vessels pass ahead of the ferry, the pull of the ferry lifts the chains off the bottom, reducing the clearance. Is that correct?


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## derekhore (Sep 21, 2007)

We 'touched' the chains on one or two occasions, whilst on the Tillerman and coming from Medina Wharf on Texaco charter.

It was usually down to the pilot, Henry Wrigley, leaving it a bit late to put to sea!


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## vectiscol (Oct 14, 2006)

Well then, iwben and dickyboy, we could have sent the MCA Coastguard salvage tugs to tow good old Vectis back in its rightful place, moored up to the Spithead forts, except that the government has scrapped their contract. That's what the wimps in Whitehall think of the Island - cast adrift without a care!

Mind you, at the moment the Liberal Democrat Party is acting just like the tide, doing a complete U-turn every six hours.

Arise Vectensians - declare independence now while there's a chance!

By the way, derekhore, I well remember Rowbotham's tankers at the little depot at Medina Wharf. Are the tanks still there and in business? Was that pilot Mr Wrigley also the harbour master?


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## Dickyboy (May 18, 2009)

A coaster approaching Cowes a few weeks ago. She came down the Western Solent going like the bats, full speed, with the wind and tide behind her. Hung a right off Cowes before slowing down. No problems of course, but it shows the size of some of these vessels that COULD get tangled up with the Floating Bridge chains if the tide wasn't just right......


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## spongebob (Dec 11, 2007)

Interesting stuff, We took our car on the Cowes chain ferry when we traveled in 1998.
I remember another one near Poole, took it to get to Swannage.

Bob


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## derekhore (Sep 21, 2007)

Some info on the incident here: http://ventnorblog.com/2010/11/07/ship-snags-chain-taking-cowes-floating-bridge-out-of-action/




vectiscol said:


> By the way, derekhore, I well remember Rowbotham's tankers at the little depot at Medina Wharf. Are the tanks still there and in business? Was that pilot Mr Wrigley also the harbour master?


I think the Texaco tanks on Medina wharf are still there, along with the BP ones on the East Cowes side. (Google Earth!)
We nearly always did a part discharge there and at Falmouth due to the draft restrictions.

Yes, Henry Wrigley was also the harbour master and I see he is now the Isle of Wight's new High Sheriff too!
The pilot cutter was helmed by Pat Thomas.

http://www.iwight.com/home/news/sherrif_265.asp


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## Dickyboy (May 18, 2009)

That chain looked pretty worn, and not as big as I thought it would have been.


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## vectiscol (Oct 14, 2006)

Thanks for that, derekhore.

The tanks at Medina Wharf were not Texaco when I was a lad, and Stephenson Clarke or the CEA steam colliers still discharged at the old Kingston Power Station at East Cowes.


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## iwben (Aug 14, 2007)

just grain silos and an aggregate screening facility at medina wharf now, the only tanks are at the kingston side which are controlled by pace but the texaco tankers on the island do pick up from them, fuel is brought over from the hamble by the humber energy which i believe is owned by whittakers.

back when i worked on the chain ferry we used to have the barmouth and the bardsea come up to discharge fuel at kingston but they couldnt always come over because of a lack of water on some neap tides which is why the humber energy is used.

dickyboy, the chains are embeded in concrete at the west cowes side and on the east side they run over rollers and into pits where there is a cage full of pig iron suspended from the end of each chain, the system is designed to keep the chains 18 inches above the river bed at all times but when theres a spring tide running with the wind pushing it sometimes the tide can pull the bridge downriver slighty while its loading/unloading and the system doesnt respond quite as quickly but shouldnt raise the chains too much. 

the chains normally last for 18 months to 2 years before they are replaced but dont wear too bad, mostly just on one side they develop flat spots from rubbing on the fairleads as the chain enters the ferry but each link stretches half and inch to an inch during the chains life with the ferry, the good thing is the harbour commision purchases the old chains to use for moorings and the old guide wheels from the ferry to use as weights for buoys.

i must say i saw the last link in the chain where the chain parted and it was stretched so much it was almost half the size of a normal link so you can imagine the stress that was put on it by the cargo vessel.

ben


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