# Bankline Cadet 1975-1979 Hull Nautical College



## John Whitfield (10 mo ago)

John Whitfield is looking anyone who I sailed with as a Bankline Cadet in the mid 70's Ashbank, Hazelbank, Testbank, Lossiebank, Clydebank.


----------



## taylornewport (Nov 1, 2011)

Hello. Firstly, I have never been to sea but, during my life as a 'ships chandler', I have been onboard at least 850 different ships of all types. We were Bank Line's main supplier of stores at Hull and Immingham. The ships usually came into Alexandra Dock and berthed 'stern on' so that they could discharge their copra cargo into barges on both port and starboard using their own derricks. It was a laborious and slow process. We also had a good relationship with the Masters/Captains who bought the 'Bonded Stores'. My family's business then was named Hull Ships' Stores Co. Ltd, founded by my grandfather in 1921. In the 1970's we renamed it 'HSS International Ltd'. We are still in business, now under the name of "Huttons", a company which we acquired in the 1990's. We were one of Bank Line's main suppliers of Provisions and also Deck, Engine and Cabin Stores. Bonded stores were bought by the captains and I have memories of so many of them - some good and some not so good!


----------



## MMA (Feb 23, 2017)

Ah yes the dreaded 'stern on' in Alex Dock, a sort of Yorkshire 'Mediterranean Moor'. Compared to the speed the suckers discharged copra in Rotterdam it was a bit slow. Is Alex Dock still in existence I wonder?


----------



## taylornewport (Nov 1, 2011)

MMA said:


> Ah yes the dreaded 'stern on' in Alex Dock, a sort of Yorkshire 'Mediterranean Moor'. Compared to the speed the suckers discharged copra in Rotterdam it was a bit slow. Is Alex Dock still in existence I wonder?


Yes, I knew the cargo could be discharged much quicker in Rotterdam but the manufacture of soap products in Hull was big business in those days. Similar, I suppose, with Liverpool where most of the coconut oil was discharged. As I'm sure you are aware, copra could be a dangerous cargo if not cared for properly. Sorry I'm not a fellow sea-goer! Alan Taylor


----------



## Peter Hewson (Mar 12, 2019)

Alex Dock is in fact still (just) operational, But only for the dry dock?. Not an awful lot else going on I don`t think.
Huttons, where prefered chandlers to EWL, when I was a young junior eng;. Their (old) Building on Hedon Road is still there but they moved to a Unit at Kingswood. Strangely I did some driving Agency work for them, when they needed a HGV for a specific Job. 2002-11. ( I owned an American R-V 9.2ton and had to have it for that so used to do part time agency driving) It helped pay for my Winters In Spain and Later, America. 
Pete


----------



## Landlubber (Jun 19, 2007)

MMA said:


> Is Alex Dock still in existence I wonder?


 Alex Dock is still operational. Well half of it is. The other half was filled in and is now the site of the Siemens wind turbine factory. There is a new river jetty where the vessels can load the wind turbines, blades and towers and transport them directly to the North Sea windfarms


----------

