NOVEMBER, 2005)
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I suspect that many ship enthusiasts visiting this site began their interest, like me, at a time when the majority of larger, general cargo ships had the "classic" profile of superstructure amidships with holds served by masts and kingpost derricks fore and aft of the centre island. That was up to the late 1950s when new buildings began to adopt the greater cargo carrying capacity offered by the superstructure and machinery aft configuration. They still retained a multiplicity of cargo handling gear.
Simultaneously in the United States, a new breed of ship appeared designed to carry unitized cargo in containers. The concept was pioneered by a North Carolina trucker, Malcolm McLean (who started Sea-Land) in 1956. The first transatlantic service began in 1966. Container ships were initially modifications of WWII tonnage (both C2 cargo ships and T2 tankers). Once the concept was proven, ships were designed and built specifically for the purpose and shore facilities developed to handle them quickly and efficiently. The new container carriers were both faster and larger than contemporary general cargo ships. Thus were born the global, rapid transit, container liner services, which have revolutionized the shipping business.
There followed an evolutionary period during which ship owners tried and tested a variety of designs for container transport - either ships specifically designed and dedicated to that end or multi-purpose breakbulk or Ro-Ro / container tonnage. While many enthusiasts mourned the passing of the traditional cargo liners, some interesting ships emerged. This page illustrates a selection of these ships, captured on film in the 1990s when calling at the two terminals in Halifax Harbour. All of the ships featured were built during the 1970s and not many exist today.
Further Halifax shipping pages:
[Recent Sightings (2)] [Recent Sightings (3)] [2003 Cruise Season]
[2004 Cruise Season] [2005 Halifax Cruise Season] [Tallships 2004] [Visiting Warships]
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