# VISTAFJORD at Wallsend



## Fairfield

A shot I took of her in May 1973 at Wallsend just a few days before she went on trials.If I remember correctly,delivery was early.
Have been lucky enough to do a trip on her,if only from Hamburg to Liverpool and found her an excellent ship.Under Cunard,I believe she has been largely unaltered.


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## CHRIS LITTLEHALES

Vistafjord
Last Summer I Was Bosun On Waverley The Worlds Last Ocean Going Paddel Steamer & Saw The Above Named Ship Its Been Renamed Caronia.this Was In Southamton Waters


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## Bob S

She's now passed on to Saga Shipping as the *SAGA RUBY*. She's due to sail from Southampton on the 1st March after her refit.
See my photo of *CARONIA* in the Gallery.


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## Ian Rae

Vistafjord is seen here lying alongside Swans Neptune yard where she was built.
The yard has now been completly flattened, only the ways (like so many rivers) show any hint of what used to be a thriving yard.


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## Jeff Egan

I'm not too sure this shot is at the Neptune yard, it's a couple of hundred yards down river from there at The old Swan Hunters Drydocks Engine works quay.


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## fred henderson

Vistafjord was delivered exactly on time on 15 May 1973. Norwegian America Line wanted her to be in Oslo for Norwegian National Day, in May. By March 1973, it was clear that she was going to be finished early. NAL were so pleased that they gave a lump sum to be divided among the hourly paid workers who had built the ship. This sparked a strike by the draughtsmen, who refused to carry out sea trials unless they had a share of the pot.
It was all settled after a couple of weeks of bitter argument. Sadly this sort of thing is one of the reasons why the shipyards have closed.

Fred


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## Pat McCardle

fred henderson said:


> Vistafjord was delivered exactly on time on 15 May 1973. Norwegian America Line wanted her to be in Oslo for Norwegian National Day, in May. By March 1973, it was clear that she was going to be finished early. NAL were so pleased that they gave a lump sum to be divided among the hourly paid workers who had built the ship. This sparked a strike by the draughtsmen, who refused to carry out sea trials unless they had a share of the pot.
> It was all settled after a couple of weeks of bitter argument. Sadly this sort of thing is one of the reasons why the shipyards have closed.
> 
> Fred


Who can you blame Fred, the shipowners or the shipbuilders?


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## fred henderson

I feel that we can eliminate the shipbuilder from blame. The shipowner wanted to make a gift to the hourly paid workers, as an expression of their gratitude for a job well done. I think from memory, that the payment was to be made pro-rata to the number of hours each workmen booked to the ship during the contract. The shipbuilder calculated the value of the owners gift and informed the workforce.
The owner had no intention of paying the salaried staff, yet the draughtsmen were able to prevent the sea trials taking place, so their union decided to wreck the contract unless their members received a cut of the cake and the tradesmen received less. The draughtsmen had no more reason to be included than the foremen, planners, ship managers, buyers, or anyone else in the shipyard. 
Probably as a result of the greed of the draughtsmen's union, I cannot recall a similar owners gift since 1973.

Fred


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## roseby

any one rember the MV BERGENSFJORD built at wallsend late 1950s


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## mr g elliott

roseby said:


> any one rember the MV BERGENSFJORD built at wallsend late 1950s


my father worked onboard the above ship as a painter I remember it well it was a lovely boat cheers gordon


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## tyneboy

I was an apprentice draughtsman at the time and don't remember receiving anything for working on the ship. I worked at swan hunter for 28 years and only was on strike for 4 days and that was in support of robb caledon. Swan Hunter closed for many reasons none of them because of the workers.


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