#Cammell Laird

[biggsodorcitystories]

Young Zebward: First Swimming Lesson

A little idea that I had regarding Edward and Zebedee's early years, playing on my headcanon that most engines are unable to swim. By contrast, young tugs are taught to swim as babies.

This picture is set around the first or second year of their marriage, with Susannah being a baby and already starting her swimming lessons. Not wanting to be the only member of the family unable to swim, Edward asked Zebedee to teach her, too.

The first lesson was a nervous one. Despite the life jacket over her Furness red swimsuit and being in relatively shallow water, Edward was terrified by the unfamiliar scenario of being in water that came up to the waist and needed constant reassurance.

This was just a quick sketch, but I tried to make them both look younger, given they're both twenty at the absolute oldest here. Edward's forearm is far too skinny though 🫤

[senorboombastic]

Listening Post – February 2024

Words: Andy Hughes Eagle-eyed readers might’ve spotted the lack of a ‘Listening Post’ at the start of the year. We’ve been a bit busy launching a podcast you see – ’60 Minutes or less’ – live now, featuring interesting chats with Joe Casey (Protomartyr) and Paul Hanley (The Fall)! That doesn’t mean we’ve had our ears closed to new music, mind. Alongside our bumper playlist for the year…

[wheel-of-fish]

Updated stream list

Everything we've watched so far!

Longtime crowd favorites (streamed at least three times) are marked with a single asterisk.

Why isn’t [specific actor/video] on this list?

The video is currently marked not for trade.

We haven’t gotten to it yet.

The footage does not exist or is too incomplete.

It isn't on a platform I can stream it from.

There's something particularly off-putting about the video or actor.

How can I get a copy of a video listed here?

There's a list of publicly available bootlegs here, and there are many other adaptations on the Phantom Retrospective channel. Otherwise, contact @glassprism (or another trader) for a possible trade, or check her website for info on which master(s) to contact.

For general stream info, please see the Saturday Streams FAQ.

On to the list!

Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera (Dividing these by decade because there's a character limit per text block!)

1980s/90s

1988 Broadway: Michael Crawford, Sarah Brightman, Steve Barton

1989 Broadway: Cris Groenendaal, Rebecca Luker, Steve Barton

1989 Los Angeles: Michael Crawford, Dale Kristien, Steve Barton

1990 Los Angeles: Michael Crawford, Mary D’Arcy, Reece Holland*

1991 Los Angeles: Michael Crawford, Dale Kristien, Michael Piontek

1993 U.S. Tour: Franc D’Ambrosio, Tracy Shayne, Ciaran Sheehan

1993 Vienna: Alexander Goebel, Luzia Nistler, Alfred Pfeifer*

1994 Sapporo: Eiji Akutagawa, Hisako Hanaoka, Masayuki Sano*

1994 Toronto: Peter Karrie, Teresa DeZarn, David Rogers

1995 Broadway: Davis Gaines, Tracy Shayne, Ciaran Sheehan

1995 London: Ethan Freeman, Jill Washington, Simon Bowman*

1998 Broadway: Thomas James O’Leary, Tracy Shayne, Gary Mauer

1998 Los Angeles: Davis Gaines, Marie Danvers, Lawrence Anderson*

1998 San Francisco: Franc D’Ambrosio, Lisa Vroman, Christopher Carl*

1998 Toronto: Peter Karrie, Elizabeth DeGrazia, David Rodgers*

1998 Broadway: Thomas James O'Leary, Sandra Joseph, Gary Mauer

1998 Broadway: Thomas James O’Leary, Tracy Shayne, Gary Mauer

1999 Broadway: Howard McGillin, Adrienne McEwan, Gary Mauer

1999 Toronto: Paul Stanley, Melissa Dye, Laird Mackintosh

1999/2000 Mexico City: Saulo Vasconcelos, Irasema Terrazas, Jose Joel*

Early 2000s

2000 Antwerp: Hans Peter Janssens, Inneke van Klinken, Michael Shawn Lewis

2000 London: Scott Davies, Meredith Braun, Matt Cammelle

2000 London: Scott Davies, Charlotte Page, Matt Cammelle

2001 Hamburg: Ian Jon Bourg, Colby Thomas, Kyle Gonyea

2001 Hamburg: Ian Jon Bourg, Olivia Safe, Kyle Gonyea

2001 Hamburg: Michael Nicholson, Olivia Safe, Christopher Morandi

2002 London: John Owen-Jones, Celia Graham, Robert Finlayson

2003 Broadway: Howard McGillin, Adrienne McEwan, Jim Weitzer

2003 Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Julie Hanson, Jim Weitzer

2003 Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Lisa Vroman, John Cudia

2003 U.S. Tour: Brad Little, Lisa Vroman, Tim Martin Gleason

2004 Madrid: Luis Armando, Teresa Barrientos, Armando Pita

2004 Stuttgart: Thomas Schulze, Maike Switzer, Carsten Axel Lepper*

2005 Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Julie Hanson, John Cudia

2005 Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Sandra Joseph, Tim Martin Gleason

2005 Broadway: James Romick, Marie Danvers, John Cudia

2005 Essen: Thomas Borchert, Sandra Danyella, Nikolaj Brucker

2005 London: John Owen-Jones, Rachel Barrell, Oliver Thornton

2005 U.S. Tour: Gary Mauer, Marie Danvers, Michael Shawn Lewis

2006 Essen: Ethan Freeman, Anne Gorner, Nikolaj Brucker

2006 Essen: Uwe Kröger, Beatrix Reiter, Lucius Wolter*

2006 London: Earl Carpenter, Rachel Barrell, David Shannon*

2006 São Paulo: Saulo Vasconcelos, Kiara Sasso, Nando Prado

2006 U.S. Tour: Gary Mauer, Elizabeth Southard, Jim Weitzer*

2006 U.S. Tour: John Cudia, Jennifer Hope Wills, Adam Monley

2007 Broadway: Gary Mauer, Jennifer Hope Wills, Jason Mills

2007 World Tour: Simon Pryce, Julie Goodwin, John Bowles

2008 Broadway: Howard McGillin, Elizabeth Loyacano, Jeremy Stolle

2008 Las Vegas: Anthony Crivello, Kristi Holden, Andrew Ragone*

2008 World Tour: Simon Pryce, Ana Marina, Alexander Lewis

2009 Australia: Anthony Warlow, Ana Marina, Alexander Lewis

2010s

2010 London: David Shannon, Gina Beck, Simon Bailey*

2010 London: David Shannon, Gina Beck, Will Barratt

2010 U.S. Tour: Tim Martin Gleason, Trista Moldovan, Sean MacLaughlin

2012 Broadway: Greg Mills, Marni Raab, Kyle Barisich*

2012 Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Trista Moldovan, Kyle Barisich

2012 London: Marcus Lovett, Anna O’Byrne, Simon Thomas

2013 Broadway: Jeremy Stolle, Samantha Hill, Greg Mills*

2013 Broadway: Peter Joback, Samantha Hill, Jeremy Stolle

2013 Broadway: Peter Joback, Elizabeth Welch, Kyle Barisich

2013 Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Sierra Boggess, Kyle Barisich

2013 London: Marcus Lovett, Sofia Escobar, Simon Thomas

2014 Broadway: Greg Mills, Mary Michael Patterson, Jeremy Hays

2014 Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Sara Jean Ford, Jeremy Hays

2014 Broadway: Hugh Panaro, Elizabeth Welch, Jeremy Hays

2014 Broadway: Jeremy Stolle, Mary Michael Patterson, Jeremy Hays

2014 Broadway: Laird Mackintosh, Kaley Ann Voorhees, Jeremy Hays*

2014 Broadway: Laird Mackintosh, Sara Jean Ford, Jeremy Hays

2014 Broadway: Norm Lewis, Sierra Boggess, Jeremy Hays*

2014 Broadway: Paul Schaefer, Mary Michael Patterson, Jeremy Hays

2014 Hamburg: David Arnsperger, Lauri Brons, Nicky Wuchinger

2014 Hamburg: Mathias Edenborn, Daniela Braun, Nicky Wuchinger

2014 Moscow: Dmitry Ermak, Tamara Kotova, Evgeny Zaytsev

2014 Moscow: Ivan Ozhogin, Tamara Kotova, Evgeny Zaytsev

2014 U.S. Tour: Cooper Grodin, Grace Morgan, Ben Jacoby

2014 U.S. Tour: Cooper Grodin, Julia Udine, Ben Jacoby

2014 World Tour: Brad Little, Kristi Holden, Anthony Downing

2015 London: Geronimo Rauch, Harriet Jones, Richard Munday*

2015 Moscow: Dmitri Ermak, Tamara Kotova, Evgeny Zaycev

2015 Moscow: Ivan Ozhogin, Tamara Kotova, Ivan Rak

2015 Prague: Marian Vojtko, Michaela Gemrotova, Tomas Vanek

2015 Prague: Marian Vojtko, Monika Sommerova, Tomas Vanek

2016 Broadway: Laird Mackintosh, Julia Udine, Jeremy Hays

2016 Moscow: Andrey Schkoldychenko, Elena Bahtiyarova, Evgeny Zaytsev (act 2 only)

2016 Oberhausen: Brent Barrett, Elizabeth Welch, Max Niemeyer

2016? Prague: Marian Vojtko, Michaela Gemrotova, Tomas Vanek

2016 Stockholm: Peter Jöback, Emmi Christensson, Anton Zetterholm

2016 U.S. Tour: Derrick Davis, Kaitlyn Davis, Jordan Craig

2018 Broadway (Sept.): Ben Crawford, Ali Ewoldt, Jay Armstrong Johnson

2018 Broadway (Oct.): Ben Crawford, Ali Ewoldt, Jay Armstrong Johnson

2018? Prague: Radim Schwab, Monika Sommerova, Tomas Vanek

2019 Copenhagen: Tomas Ambt Kofod, Sibylle Glosted, Christian Lund*

2019 London: David Thaxton, Kelly Mathieson, Jeremy Taylor*

2019 London: Josh Piterman, Kelly Mathieson, Alistair So*

2019 São Paulo: Fred Silveira, Giulia Nadruz, Henrique Moretzsohn

2019 São Paulo - Fred Silveira, Lina Mendes, Henrique Moretzsohn

2019 São Paulo: Thiago Arancam, Daruã Góes, Fred Silveira

2019 São Paulo: Thiago Arancam, Giulia Nadruz, Fred Silveira

2019 World Tour: Jonathan Roxmouth, Meghan Picerno, Matt Leisy*

2021–present

2021 Broadway: Ben Crawford, Meghan Picerno, John Riddle

2021 Broadway: Jeremy Stolle, Emilie Kouatchou, John Riddle

2021 London: Killian Donnelly, Holly-Anne Hull, Rhys Whitfield

2022 Broadway: Ben Crawford, Kanisha Marie Feliciano, Paul A. Schaefer

2022 Broadway: Ben Crawford, Emilie Kouatchou, John Riddle

2022 Broadway: Ted Keegan, Emilie Kouatchou, John Riddle

2022 Broadway: Ted Keegan, Elizabeth Welch, Bronson Norris Murphy

2022 Broadway: Jeremy Stolle, Emilie Kouatchou, Jordan Donica

2022 London: James Hume, Holly-Anne Hull, Matt Blaker

2022 London: Killian Donnelly, Anouk van Laake, Rhys Whitfield

2022 Sydney: Josh Robson, Georgina Hopson, Callum Frances

2023 Broadway: Ted Keegan, Emilie Kouatchou, John Riddle

2023 Broadway: Ted Keegan, Julia Udine, John Riddle

2023 Broadway: Laird Mackintosh, Julia Udine, John Riddle

2023 Broadway: Greg Mills, Emilie Kouatchou, John Riddle

2023 Broadway: Greg Mills, Julia Udine, Paul A. Schaefer

2023 Broadway: Jeremy Stolle, Julia Udine, Paul A. Schaefer

2023 London: Earl Carpenter, Paige Blankson, Ralph Watts

2023 London: Earl Carpenter, Eve Shanu-Wilson, Connor Carson

2023 London: Killian Donnelly, Lucy St. Louis, Matt Blaker

2023 London: James Gant, Holly-Anne Hull, Matt Blaker

2023 London: James Gant, Paige Blankson, Matt Blaker

2023 Madrid: Geronimo Rauch, Talia del Val, Guido Balzaretti

2023 Shanghai: Ayanga (various clips)

2023 Shanghai: He Liangchen, Yang Chenxiuyi, Li Chenxi

2023 Thessaloniki: Tim Howar, Harriet Jones, Nadim Naaman

2024 Helsinki: Kevin Greenlaw, Emma Kajander, Olli Tuovinen

2024 London: Jon Robyns, Eve Shanu-Wilson, Joe Griffiths-Brown

Love Never Dies

2010 London: Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess, Dean Chisnall

2011 London: Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess, Dean Chisnall

2013 Vienna concert: Drew Sarich, Milica Jovanovic, Julian Looman

2018 U.S. Tour: Bronson Norris Murphy, Meghan Picerno, Sean Thompson*

2023 London concert: Norm Lewis, Celinde Schoenmaker, Matthew Seadon-Young

2024 World Tour: Luke McCall, Manon Taris, Niall Sheehy

Other stage adaptations

1991 The Phantom of the Opera starring David Staller

1992 Tom Alonso’s The Phantom of the Opera**

1993 Yeston/Kopit’s Phantom (Wichita, Richard White)

2011 Spiritual Twist’s The Phantom of the Opera

2013 Ken Hill's The Phantom of the Opera (Tokyo)**

2019 Spiritual Twist’s The Phantom of the Opera

2018 Yeston/Kopit’s Phantom (Takarazuka Revue)

2018 Yeston/Kopit’s Phantom (Seoul)

2020 Sasson’s Das Phantom der Oper (Germany, with Uwe Kröger)**

2021 Yeston/Kopit’s Phantom (proshot, Seoul)

Movie adaptations

1925 The Phantom of the Opera starring Lon Chaney

1937 Song at Midnight**

1943 Phantom of the Opera starring Claude Rains**

1962 Hammer Horror: The Phantom of the Opera starring Herbert Lom**

1974 Phantom of the Paradise

1987 The Phantom of the Opera (animated)

1989 Phantom of the Mall: Eric’s Revenge

1989 The Phantom of the Opera starring Robert Englund**

2004 The Phantom of the Opera starring Gerard Butler

TV adaptations

1983 The Phantom of the Opera (TV movie, Max Schell)**

1987 Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater, "The Phantom of the Theater"

1990 The Phantom of the Opera (TV miniseries, Charles Dance)

1994 Lamb Chop in the Haunted Studio (TV special)**

1995 Wishbone, S1 E37, "Pantin’ at the Opera"*

1995 Goosebumps, S1 E7, "Phantom of the Auditorium"

1999 The Triplets, S5 E9, "The Phantom of the Opera"

2000 Are You Afraid of the Dark?, "The Tale of the Last Dance"

Miscellaneous

1994 Australian Phantom cast Easter charity concert ("Phantales")

1995 The Phantom of the Opera on Ice*

2017 Broadway: Prince of Broadway (in honor of Hal Prince)

2017 The Phantom of the Empire (Turning Tydes Theatre Company)

Stolleboot (fan edit starring Jeremy Stolle as the Phantom, Raoul, Piangi, and Passarino)*

*Longtime crowd favorite (streamed at least three times)

**We’ve watched it, but it was technically streamed by another host I used to alternate with.

[casadabiqueira]

Workers, Cammell Laird Shipyards, Merseyside

E.O.Hoppé , 1928

[cetaceous]

'Mad Max', 1993 Cammell Laird Shipyard, Liverpool, England photograph by Tom Wood image credit: Tom Wood Archive/National Museums Liverpool via: The Guardian

[lostfunzones]

The Birth of the Ark Royal (1950) by Edward Chambré Hardman.

The photograph, taken from the top of Holt Hill, captures the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal before launching at Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, Merseyside.

Cammell Laird ceased shipbuilding in the early 1990s and now specialises in ship repair and maintenance.

[rotterdamvanalles]

️De Nieuwe Maas met het stoomschip Volendam aan de Wilhelminakade. Op de voorgrond sleepboot de Piet Hein, juni 1928.

De Volendam was een Nederlands stoompassagiersschip van 15 434 ton, gebouwd in 1922 op de scheepswerf van Harland & Wolff Ltd., Goven, Glasgow, Schotland en afgewerkt in oktober 1922 in Belfast, Noord-Ierland. Het schip behoorde aan de Nederlandse-Amerikaanse Stoomvaart Mij. NV te Rotterdam (Later Holland-Amerika Lijn).

De Volendam, onder bevel van kapitein Wepster, werd op 29 augustus 1940 ingezet voor evacuatie van kinderen en had 879 opvarenden waarvan 273 bemanningsleden, 320 kinderen met hun ouders en begeleiders, en 286 andere passagiers. Ze was ook het commandoschip over het konvooi OB-205 met admiraal G. H. Knowles aan boord.

Omstreeks 00.00 u. op 31 augustus 1940, werd de Volendam getroffen door een torpedo van de U-60, onder bevel van Oberleutnant Adalbert Schnee, op ongeveer 200 kilometer ten westen van Bloody Foreland, ten noordwesten van Ierland, in positie 56°04' N. en 09°52' W. De torpedo sloeg in boegruim 1 een gat van 16 bij 10 meter, waardoor de ruimcompartimenten 1 en 2 overstroomden. Al snel was men genoodzaakt om het schip te verlaten, maar dit bleek geen probleem te zijn, want dit was in de haven van Liverpool al geoefend door de passagiers; vooral de kinderen zongen de "Roll out the Barrel", totdat ze werden gered door drie andere schepen uit het konvooi; de Britse stoomvrachtvaarder Bassethound, het Britse tankerstoomschip Valldemosa en het Noorse motorvrachtschip Olaf Fostenes, die met hen terugkeerden naar Groot-Brittannië en Canada. Het enige dodelijke ongeval was een bemanningslid, een purser, die misstapte in de reddingsboot, overboord viel en verdronk.

De Volendam bleef drijven en werd op sleeptouw genomen door HMS Salvonia (W 43) die het schip liet strandden bij Isle of Bute. Later werd de Volendam terug vlot getrokken en hersteld bij Cammell Laird Ltd. in Glasgow. Toen ze in het droogdok lag werd een tweede torpedo ontdekt in het boegruim die nog intact bleek te zijn maar niet ontploft was. De Duitse U-boot had een spreidschot gelanceerd met een korte tussenpauze tussen de twee torpedo's, waarvan de eerste wel tot ontploffing kwam en de tweede torpedo in hetzelfde 16 meter lange boeggat niet explodeerde. Het schip werd omgebouwd voor vervoer van troepen en keerde terug naar de konvooidienst in juli 1941. Tot juli 1945 had ze voornamelijk meer dan 100.000 militairen vervoerd.

In 1946 vervoerde de TSS Volendam Nederlandse troepen naar Nederlands-Indië en werd vervolgens terug aan haar eigenaar toegewezen, die haar inzette voor reizen van emigranten van Europa naar Australië. In 1947 werd de nieuw gestichte kolonie Volendam in Paraguay naar het schip vernoemd, door de emigranten die met het schip naar hun bestemming waren gebracht. Op 16 november van dat jaar ramde de Volendam de spoorbrug bij Alcantara over het Suezkanaal.

De TSS Volendam werd op 13 november 1951 opgelegd in Rotterdam. Op 3 februari 1952 werd het schip voor de sloop verkocht aan Frank Rijsdijk's Industriële onderneming te Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht.

De foto komt uit het Stadsarchief Rotterdam en de informatie komt van WIkipedia.

[chrisframeofficial]

Margaritaville at Sea Paradise

The world's 'cheapest cruise ship' can trace its heritage back to the 1990s when the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise was ordered by Costa Cruises. The ship's original name was Costa Classica and she was one of two ships in the Classica class of cruise ships, the other being the Costa Romantica.

Costa Classica and Costa Romantica were ordered from Fincantieri's Monfalcone yard in Italy. Costa Classica was given the yard number of 5877 and launched on 2 February 1991.

She was the first ship Costa Cruises had built since its iconic Eugenio C was constructed in the 1960s. As Costa Classica the ship introduced a range of new facilities and amenities for Costa Cruises.

She was 722 ft (220m) long and had 14 passenger decks meaning that Costa could construct a number of new facilities on board the ship that hadn't yet been seen by Costa passengers.

The Classica Class were designed by Costa to be part of what they were calling the Euro-lux concept which aimed to upscale the facilities and amenities available on Costa ships.

The line hired Italian architectural firm Gregotti, who had prominent Italian designers take on the interior design of the ship.

When she entered service Costa Classica was superior to anything that Costa had offered before, with two restaurants, nine bars, two swimming pools, and four spas on board the ship.

Lengthening Mishap:

By the end of the 1990s Costa had decided that they wanted to upscale the ship, and as a result in 1999 they signed a building contract with Cammell Laird to create a 146 ft (45m) mid-section for the ship to lengthen the vessel to 870 ft.

The works were expected to include internal refurbishment and were much sought after by the yard the shipyard. However as Costa Classica was making her way to the shipyard, the contract to refurbish the ship was rescinded! This created a great deal of distress for the shipyard, and is cited as one of the reasons why the shipyard fell into receivership in April of 2001.

Later Life:

In 2014 the ship was given a significant internal refurbishment, and she emerged from this refurbishment named Costa neoClassica. She stayed with Costa until 2018 when she was sold to Bahama's Paradise Cruise Line, who renamed her Grand Classica.

In December of 20121 the Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line announced a partnership with Margaritaville Resorts and hotels the partnership saw them operate the cruise ships on behalf of this brand with a transition taking place in April of 2022. As a result, the ship was renamed Margaritaville at Sea Paradise and sails with the brand to this day offering cheap ($49 pp for 2 nights) cruises in the US market!

[crazygadgetshere]

Trumpeter releases two more albums in November

In our preview, we look at the colours, decals & build up kits. We look at the colours, decals & build up kits in our preview… Preview: Two more releases from Trumpeter in November HMS Argonaut by Trumpeter Kit No#05367 1/350th scale HMS Argonaut (61) was a Dido-class light cruiser of the British Royal Navy, constructed by Cammell Laird Shipyard in Birkenhead. She was built by Cammell Laird…

[notsoterriblymisanthropic]

Shipbuilders in Birkenhead are preparing to ballot for strike action after seven workers were suspended, according to a major union.

According to Unite the Union, the suspensions at Cammell Laird were linked to more than 450 members of their union and GMB not crossing a picket line when RMT members staged industrial action last month. Unite said it “organised talks with the company providing our members were not targeted.”

The union now claims five members, including their convener have been immediately suspended pending a full disciplinary investigation. It is understood workers furious about this move held an emergency meeting last week and agreed to be balloted for potential strike action between July 8 and August 5.

Unite said between 300 and 400 employees at the shipyard were members. Cammell Laird, a key employer in Birkenhead, currently supports 650 employees, 1,500 subcontractors, and 171 apprentices and was founded in 1828.

GMB Union confirmed it is currently balloting for strike action as its members got suspended.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is outrageous behaviour from Cammell Laird. There had been constructive dialogue to make sure we avoided this exact situation."

She added: "Our members are rightly furious and will have the full support of Unite as they are balloted.”

Ross Quinn, Unite regional officer, added: “Cammell Laird is shooting itself in the foot with this attitude. Instead of sitting down to productive meetings like grown-ups they’ve chucked their toys out of the pram with these suspensions.

“Our members won’t stand for it and will make their anger known on their ballot papers this month. I urge Cammell Laird to immediately reinstate our members and cancel any disciplinary hearings before it’s too late.”

A spokesperson for Cammell Laird shipyard declined to comment.

[biggsodorcitystories]

The Seagull's Daughter

I was in a mood to draw Susannah - and try to make it clear how much she looks like Edward - again and share some facts about her. Given that her mother's (Edward's) engine type were commonly known as Seagulls, I drew her eating chips (fries), which are the favourite food of all coastal seagulls. Despite being in the US, Bigg City has a thriving British community and therefore has one or two proper Fish n Chip shops along the port.

Some facts about Susannah Moran:

Full name is Susannah Alice Zoanna Moran - her first and middle given names are in honour of her father's favourite sister, her mother's favourite sister, and her godmother.

Half engine, half tugboat. She is faster than other harbour tugs thanks to her mother's heritage.

Her horn sounds more like a deeper version of Edward's whistle. She's a little self-conscious about it.

Prior to her arrival in Bigg City Port, Susannah lived in Ellesmere Port, and worked in Birkenhead as part of the Cammell Laird fleet where most of her family (and her father previously) worked.

Susannah volunteered to join other members of her fleet in going to Bigg City on behalf of Cammell Laird - the shipbuilders - who were interested in gaining a foothold in the US post-war. She was accompanied by some cousins and some of Zebedee's siblings.

The eldest daughter of Zebedee and Edward, the blue engine, Susannah was conceived as part of her parents' plan to marry. Fortunately, this plan was successful.

Suffered bullying due to being a half-breed, but quickly learned to stand up for herself and takes no nonsense from anyone - including attempts by the coastguard to judge her for being the daughter of a Z-Stack.

Is called Little Susie by her family - except for Zebedee, who calls her Princess, Edward, who calls her Sugarlump, and her siblings, who call her Zannie - but prefers everyone else to call her Sooz.

Speaks fluent Mandarin and Cantonese like her father.

Is the same age as Warrior and Andrew Conroy (Big Mac and Top Hat's youngest son)

Is dedicated to being very impartial when it comes to the rival fleets, despite her father and godmother being Z-Stacks, and makes a serious attempt to get on with all of them.

[jackbyrnewriter]

The Black Christ?

Arthur John Dooley (17 January 1929 – 7 January 1994) went from being a welder at Cammell Laird shipbuilders on leaving school, to developing as an artist making impassioned religious sculptures in metal, via the Irish Guards, the Palestine Liberation Organisation, and a cleaning job at St. Martin’s School of Art, where he finally found his true vocation. The Black Christ  As a kid I regularly…

[dealthorpakp]

20 Décembre 1982 Diana en manteau gris avec boutons noirs et un béret accompagnée du Prince Charles visite le chantier naval Cammel Laird à Birkenhead, Merseyside baptise "La Ferte de Sefton"

[chocolatebananapancake]

Our final stop: Buenos Aires

After a quick two hour flight we were in Buenos Aires, the big city. Pre-trip, Buenos Aires was probably the place we were least excited about. We thought it would be less different, less interesting and just be like other major cities we've been to like New York or when we lived in London. And it was. But that's why we really enjoyed it.

After a few weeks of smaller places it felt good to be in a huge metropolis. Throughout the trip Vicky has had to compromise on food a bit. Whilst we were always able to eat, the vegetarian options weren't very exciting. Most menus were very similar and only had two options; mushroom risotto or vegetable pasta. She never complained but being back in a major city meant a lot more variety of foods she could have. As it turns out, Buenos Aires has a really good amount of veggie/vegan restaurants.

After arriving at our (very basic) hostel (we wish we'd splashed out a bit on our last place) we went for a wander enjoying the buzz of the cities and seeing all of the bars and restaurants nearby. We had lunch at a good vegan burger place and spent the rest of the day exploring the streets and deciding what to do on our next two days.

We still had some US dollars left over that we needed to exchange to pesos so that was our first move after a nice breakfast at a trendy mexican coffeeshop down the road. There's a very busy narrow road called Florida Street which is in the financial district. It's infamous for its money exchange places and dozens of people shouting a chorus of 'cambio' (Spanish for change). We'd read that you can get a bigger exchange rate by avoiding the brick and mortar shops and going direct with the Cambio people but also heard that some people get shafted with fake notes so we felt it wise to go to a more legitimate place. The rate was still good anyway, better than we when had to exchange in El Calafate when we first got to Argentina.

After sorting the money we headed down the the port area for a stroll along the water. As we were walking past an old style ship I glanced at the information board and a word jumped out at me: Birkenhead. We were stood next to the ARA Uruguay which was built at Cammell Laird's! What are the odds. We had to board the ship, totally worth the 40p entrance fee. Unfortunately most of the information on board was about the ship post-build but it was still cool. A birko boy onboard a birko ship in Buenos Aires.

As if we haven't had enough nature, after this we popped into the nature reserve nearby. The area used to be used for industry but has now been started on a restoration project to grow different plants and support the local birds and fish.

After exchanging our dollars we had some pesos to burn, they'd be useless outside of Argentina so decided we could treat ourselves for our time in Buenos Aires. We stopped at a very fancy vegan restaurant for lunch which was probably the best meal we had all trip (apart from an amazing pizza in chalten).

Afterwards we walked to the main square and just so happened to be there at 15:30 on a Thursday exactly when the 'mothers of plaza de mayo' were beginning their demonstration. After their children went missing during the 'dirty war' in the late seventies these mothers have been protesting the Argentinian government every week demanding answers. It is said that the government 'disappeared' up to 30,000 young people but it has never been admitted to.

Something we often do when we're abroad is go to the cinema. Some people might say it's a bit of waste doing it abroad but we think it's a good option for an evening when you don't fancy drinking. We've been the cinema in Thailand, America, Slovenia, and now Argentina. It was little challenging finding a suitable showing as most of the English language films here are dubbed into Spanish but luckily we found one subtitled showing of the Super Mario Bros movie. It wasn't the best movie but it was a nice change of pace.

So it came to our last full day in South America. We visited the old cemetery La Recoleta, hailed as one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world. Sounds like a weird place to visit but it is a tourist hotspot. It contains many elaborate marble mausoleums in art deco, neo gothic styles. It was a cool place to visit, even if it was a little creepy.

We still had a good amount of pesos left so had to do something we don't normally like to do: go shopping. We found a little market and were able to get some nice souvenirs, and I bought a Boca Juniors top and Vicky got a couple of pairs of jeans. It's a bit cheaper here than at home so it just made sense. We had some nice mexican street food for lunch and headed to the botanical gardens for one last bit of nature. That evening we were to an extremely fancy vegan restaurant for a slap up meal and enjoyed some cocktails and wine. After dinner we had space in our bellies for our final drink at a kinda cool kinda cheesy speakeasy. We had time in the morning to have breakfast before heading to the airport for our flight home, it was a very foody visit to the city.

So that was it! Twenty-nine days in South America (and one in Paris): twelve days in Chile, sixteen in Argentina, and one in Brazil. A really amazing trip. Simultaneously a very long time to be away and somehow also not long enough! We've been lucky enough to see so many amazing things and we are already planning our next big adventure.

Daniel

[whatilistenedtoatwork]

From February 13th to February 17th, 2023

13-02-23

STEEL PULSE “The Best Of Steel Pulse – 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection”; VERUCA SALT “American Thighs”; COUNTING CROWS “August & Everything After (Deluxe Edition)”; THE GLADIATORS “Back To Roots”; THE ROBERT CRAY BAND “Bad Influence”; BELA FLECK “Drive”; FIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS “Flight Of The Conchords”; FRANZ FERDINAND “Live At The Paradiso, Amsterdam”; BE BOP DELUXE “Futurama”

14-02-23

SLADE “The Slade Box”; BARENAKED LADIES “Maybe You Should Drive”; SPIN DOCTORS “Pocket Full Of Kryptonite”; CHILDISH GAMBINO “Poindexter”; CROWDED HOUSE “Recurring Dream (The Very Best Of Crowded House)”; THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS “We Are The Night”

15-02-23

OTIS REDDING “Dreams To Remember: The Otis Redding Anthology”; BLACK SABBATH “Vol. 4”; THE ROBERT CRAY BAND “Too Many Cooks”; THE SKATALITES & KING TUBBY “Skatalites In Dub: Skatalites Meets King Tubby”; HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT “Cammell Laird Social Club”; POP WILL EAT ITSELF “At Weird’s Bar & Grill”; PEARL JAM “Backspacer”; DIGABLE PLANETS “Blowout Comb”; RUN THE JEWELS “Run The Jewels 2”

16-02-23

KRISTIN HERSH “Murder, Misery & Then Goodnight”; DOLLY PARTON “Love Is Like A Butterfly”; THE ORB “Pomme Fritz”; JOHNNY FLYNN “A Bag Of Hammers”; PINK FLOYD “The Division Bell”; ADD N TO (X) “Add Insult To Injury”; DJ SHADOW “Endtroducing”; VERUCA SALT “Eight Arms To Hold You”; PRIMAL SCREAM “Evil Heat”; SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES “Going To A Go-Go”; SPARKS “Hippopotamus”; WILSON PICKETT “In The Midnight Hour”; THE OYSTERBAND “Holy Bandits”; JENS LEKMAN “Oh You’re So Silent Jens”; JEAN MICHEL JARRE “Magnetic Fields”

17-02-23

PENGUIN CAFÉ ORCHESTRA “Oskar und Leni”; LEONARD COHEN “Recent Songs”; PHIL OCHS “Pleasures Of The Harbor”; LUNASA “Redwood”; ALY BAIN & PHIL CUNNINGHAM “The Ruby”; ARETHA FRANKLIN “Unforgettable: A Tribute To Dinah Washington (Expanded Edition)”; THE CORAL “Singles Collection (+ B-Sides Bonus Disc)”; BEACH BOYS “Shut Down Vol. 2”; JOHN LENNON “Walls & Bridges”

[tearsinthemist]

RFA Proteus is a ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary within His Majesty's Naval Service of the United Kingdom. Acquired in 2023, the ship entered drydock at Cammell Laird for modification into a Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance Ship. She formally entered service in October 2023. Wikipedia