# S/S Nestor or Hector



## BILLT (Jul 22, 2006)

Any info on these ships would be much appreciated. I saw a model of the Nestor in Glasgow Transport Museum and have an interest in knowing anything of interest e.g. type of cargo,destinations etc.


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## makko (Jul 20, 2006)

Hi Bill,
Are you referring to the 50's ships or the gas ships? If you do a forum or gallery search, I am sure you will find plenty of info on site. I was involved in reactivation of the last Nestor in Loch Striven. She was a LNG carrier and is considered one of the final nails in the coffin of Blue Funnel.
Rgds.
Dave


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## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

I sailed in both Hector and Nestor in the 1950s and 60s
Hector was one of four sisters, the others were Helenus, Jason and Ixion.
Hector was built by Harland and Wolf in Belfast in 1949.
She was a 7 hatch general cargo ship of 10,125 gt. She had refrigerated holds and carried general cargo from Liverpool and Glasgow to Australia, and meat and fruit homeward.
Nestor was similar but smaller, being only 7802 gt, she was one of three sisters , the others were Neleus, and Theseus.
Nestor and her sisters were also employed on the Australian run and also had refrigerated holds.
Both were steam turbine ships, the Hector was at the time, the fastest Bluey, cruising at 20 knots when I was in her. Nestor did 18.5 knots flat out. 
Nestor was broken up in 1973 after a couple of years with Greek owners as Aegis Dignity.
Hector stayed with BF all her life and was broken up in 1972.
As a postscript, the Bosun on the Hector, Joe Bates, joined the ship when she was fitting out in Belfast in 1949, and was with her throughout her career right until she went to the breaker's yard. I never sailed with him, my time on the Hector was coasting her twice, but one of SN's members, JMcG did sail with Joe, and says he was a fine bosun.
Regards, 
Pat


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## Jardine (Oct 29, 2011)

makko said:


> Hi Bill,
> Are you referring to the 50's ships or the gas ships? If you do a forum or gallery search, I am sure you will find plenty of info on site. I was involved in reactivation of the last Nestor in Loch Striven. She was a LNG carrier and is considered one of the final nails in the coffin of Blue Funnel.
> Rgds.
> Dave


It must have been a long painful death as old shipmates of mine tell me the Blue Funnel was more or less finished in 1967 and unrecognisable as most remember it by 1970.


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## Strachan (Oct 24, 2011)

Jardine said:


> old shipmates of mine tell me the Blue Funnel was more or less finished in 1967 and unrecognisable as most remember it by 1970.


I can confirm that statement. Considering a return to Bluies in 1969 I contacted a friend of mine in the "office" only to be told to stay away as the company had been taken over by the accountants and was on a fast, downward, slope.


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## makko (Jul 20, 2006)

Jardine said:


> It must have been a long painful death as old shipmates of mine tell me the Blue Funnel was more or less finished in 1967 and unrecognisable as most remember it by 1970.


Not long and painful. Old ways were well out by the mid 70's, the "classic" Blueys gone. The Super P's, very beautiful ships, missed the container explosion. While new container tonnage was acquired, the infamous Russian "L" boats came on the scene. Failed ventures in tankers and bulkers, the EXTREMELY expensive cock up with the gas ships. Modern M's with Velle derricks. The re-engining of the Bay Boats. By about 86, the fleet was no more! 
If, just if, they had had the will, they could of got rid of the bulkers/tankers, modified the P's, built the M's with cranes and splashed out on more RoRo's, there may have been a slim chance of survival. But, it was not to be - Ocean simply lost the will to live and retired from shipping.
On a personal note, ignoring the business side, as a third generation BF man, it still elicits emotions!
Having said that, I did my time and came out of it a made engineer. I also had the pleasure of doing the Far East runs, half China voyages. I suppose that it is telling that I never made a British port in an Ocean vessel
There is plenty more on the site........
Rgds.
Dave


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## Julian Calvin (Feb 2, 2011)

Agree with the comment re change of management of Ocean.
In both companies, BF & ED, there were many infamous "characters" about whom many stories could be told.
However, in the new regime, "characters" and self expression was frowned upon and they were amongst the first to be weeded out.


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## Hugh Ferguson (Sep 4, 2006)

BILLT said:


> Any info on these ships would be much appreciated. I saw a model of the Nestor in Glasgow Transport Museum and have an interest in knowing anything of interest e.g. type of cargo,destinations etc.


 This enquiry must surely relate to the old passenger ships:- Nestor: built 1913 and Hector: built 1924, both were steam ships. The former was on the Australian run and the latter, China and Japan.


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## Pat Kennedy (Apr 14, 2007)

Hugh Ferguson said:


> This enquiry must surely relate to the old passenger ships:- Nestor: built 1913 and Hector: built 1924, both were steam ships. The former was on the Australian run and the latter, China and Japan.


There is a model of the 1952 Caledon built Nestor in the Glasgow Transport Museum, which is why I assume the initial enquiry concerned this ship and the Hector of the same era.
There is a photo of the Nestor model in SN gallery posted by _Jaigee_.
http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/25529/title/s-snestor/cat/521
Pat


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## Jardine (Oct 29, 2011)

The 'Hector' I coasted in 1954. She was built 1948 or 49 .


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