# MSC Dredgers Ince & Irwell



## Kevver

Greetings all,
I worked on both these dredgers in the late seventies/early eighties, When the dredging fleet was made redundant in 1989 they were both sold.
I know the Irwell was sold to Irish interests but whilst being towed across the Irish sea she turned turtle and sank, but I dont know the fate of the Ince, Any of you kind chaps able to shed any light on the subject ?

Best wishes
Kevin.


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## KEITH SEVILLE

Hi Kevin.
I understand the MSC Ince was also sold in 1989 to C.W.Shipping of County
Clare, Southern Ireland where she is still working as far as I know on the
River Shannon.
She was a vessel I used to see working at Eastham on the Manchester Ship
Canal at regular intervals.
Hope this information is of some value?
Nice to see a person who used to work on the old buckert dredgers as I
have found them quite fascinating to watch. I used to watch the old
bucket dredgers of Westminster Dredging Company at Eastham for many years
until sadly they disappeared with the advent of trailer dredging.

Best Regards
Keith


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## exsailor

Kevin,
Stumbled across an article about the loss of the 'Irwell' and the delivery of the 'Ince' written by the skipper of the 'Lady Alma' (the tug involved in both tows) in the July 1991 (Vol 65, No.547) issue of Sea Breezes magazine.
Regards, Dennis.


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## Allan Wareing

KEITH SEVILLE said:


> Hi Kevin.
> I understand the MSC Ince was also sold in 1989 to C.W.Shipping of County
> Clare, Southern Ireland where she is still working as far as I know on the
> River Shannon.
> She was a vessel I used to see working at Eastham on the Manchester Ship
> Canal at regular intervals.
> Hope this information is of some value?
> Nice to see a person who used to work on the old buckert dredgers as I
> have found them quite fascinating to watch. I used to watch the old
> bucket dredgers of Westminster Dredging Company at Eastham for many years
> until sadly they disappeared with the advent of trailer dredging.
> 
> Best Regards
> Keith


Hi Keith,
You bring back happy memories, I worked as deckboy/cook on the Irk in 1937,albeit only for a few weeks before going deep sea.
I can still hear the screeches and groans as the buckets went over the top - never did know what the propper name was for that presumeably square sheave . She certainly was the noiseist dirtiest ship I ever served in
Regards, Allan


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## Kevver

Hello Again Allen,
They are known as the top and bottom tumblers.
One year we were changing the bottom tumbler on the "Ince" at Old Quay and the "burners"( nickname for the boilermakers) where freeing the nuts holding it on, one side needed a bit of weight taking off it, we were amazed to see the burner place a jack under the end then start pumping.
reason for the laughter was they were standing on a raft before they realised they were up to their ankles in water!

regards,
Kevin.


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## Allan Wareing

Kevver said:


> Hello Again Allen,
> They are known as the top and bottom tumblers.
> One year we were changing the bottom tumbler on the "Ince" at Old Quay and the "burners"( nickname for the boilermakers) where freeing the nuts holding it on, one side needed a bit of weight taking off it, we were amazed to see the burner place a jack under the end then start pumping.
> reason for the laughter was they were standing on a raft before they realised they were up to their ankles in water!
> 
> regards,
> Kevin.


Hi, Kevin,
Sorry about the delay,I have only just stumbled on your post. Thanks for the answer to my query, come to think of it, what else could you call them?
Oh,were they four sided? 
I'll explain how I found myself on the Irk, when I left school in 1935 I went to work on Latchford Locks as 'telephone boy' (My father who was Weir Master at Woolston Weir got me the job) and after about a year there I transferred to the Dredging Dept and worked as 'telephone boy' at Statham No 3 Pumps for about six months. It was whilst there that I did a relieving job on Irk and I vaguely seem to remember working on the Dredging Tug Eve(or Eva ?) for a short time,or it might have been the Minnie. I spent all my childhood in the Canal Company house at Woolston Weir so have a soft spot for 'The Big Ditch'
Cheers, Allan


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## tridentport

Kevin, Have just post a shot of the MSC Ince in the Dredger forum. Regards, Alan.


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## stockie

Hi,
Am glad to hear people talk about dredgers from WD,when they talk about the river mersey,I worked on all of westminsters bucket dredgers,
stockie.


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## KEITH SEVILLE

Stockie

I have been visiting Eastham for many years since I was a young boy.
Must say i had a fascination for the bucket dredgers over the years, watching them working hard in the Eastham Channel, with the screeches and groans of the buckets as they dug hard into the silt.
As a child my dad took me to watch them but into the sixties I started taking photos and I remember the Europa which worked Eastham for some years later to be replaced by Amerika.
Beaver Chief, Foremost Southmapton and W.D.Europe also worked there during the seventies.
Sadly have not seen any over recent years.

Regards
Keith


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## seagull

i worked on richard ables dredger lunesdale anyone know of her love to see some photos of thier dredgers and carriers can anyone help


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## japottinger

*Ince*

Was she built by Ferguson at Port Glasgow?


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## bjg

Keith Seville wrote



KEITH SEVILLE said:


> I understand the MSC Ince was also sold in 1989 to C.W.Shipping of County
> Clare, Southern Ireland where she is still working as far as I know on the
> River Shannon.


The Ince is no longer working. She dredged the tidal River Barrow from New Ross downstream and worked on the Suir in Waterford as well as dredging the location for the marina at Kilrush on the Shannon Estuary. She is now laid up in the mud at Whelan's (the W in CW Shipping) quay near the old Inishmurray pier on the County Clare side of the Shannon Estuary.

Here is a photo taken, from some distance away, on 26 October 2009.

bjg


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## Degzie

Hi 
Found a recent photo of the MSC Ince follow the below link
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/photo.php?lid=1233335
Degzie


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