Tag Gallery – Harkers of Knottingley Launches
Dock tug Alfred Bannister launched 26 September 1963
John Harker Limited, Knottingley
Launches 1949 – 1974
In 2024, this Society was extremely fortunate to have been gifted photographs from the large collection of waterways material amassed by Knottingley historian, Ron Gosney. They included over 500 professionally created photographs of the launches of vessels built by John Harker Limited at their shipyard in Knottingley, West Yorkshire. Ron has explained that the photographs were taken by Charles Maude, a professional photographer from Pontefract, who was commissioned by Harkers.
The earliest photographs in this collection were taken in summer 1949 and the latest in early 1974. The majority of the photographs are of tanker barges built for use by John Harker Limited’s own transportation business but during those years they also built tankers and other craft for a number of other fleet owners, including Cory Tank Lighterage, Flixborough Shipping, John Hunt and Sons and Hargreaves.
The photographs not only feature the vessels being launched but also the fanfare that went on around the launch event. There are groups of VIPs, perhaps a bouquet presentation by a young Harker’s employee and occasionally the moment the champagne bottle is broken against the bow while the vessel is christened.
Additional information is provided for each vessel from the Yard List created by Ron. His list confirms that not every launch was captured on camera during that 25 year period, but we are able to view most of them. His work has allowed us to identify the vessels and when the photographs were taken. Sometimes the names of the VIPs are shown but not always. If you can add any more information, please get in touch using the form below.
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