Lady Wright

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Lady Wright

Post by shipstamps » Wed Jan 14, 2009 1:43 pm


The new 3d. Gambia stamp shows the twin-screw motorship Lady Wright. Launched on June 28, 1949, from the shipyard of John Morris and Co., (Gosport), Ltd., this vessel was named by the wife of Sir Andrew Wright, the late Governor of the colony of Gambia. She was ordered by the Crown Agents for the Colonies on behalf of the Gambia Government and operates on the Gambia River as part of the Government river transport service. The vessel travels to Basse, which is some 320 miles inland by river, and has on board one of the few travelling post offices in the world. She provides a weekly service taking passengers, cotton piece goods, tobacco, sugar and rice into the hinterland, and returning with more passengers, palm kernels and groundnuts, of which more than 40,000 tons are exported to Great Britain each year.
Besides her post office, the vessel is equipped with a bank, and hospital. She has accommodation for 12 first-class passengers on the third deck in five 2-berth and two single-berth staterooms, with a dining saloon at the fore end of the deckhouse. Also on the third deck are one 2-berth and four 4-berth staterooms for the 18 second-class passengers. Their dining saloon is at the after end of the deckhouse. Deck passengers (250 maximum) are also carried. Principal particulars of the Lady Wright are as follows: Length overall 160 ft., breadth moulded 30 ft., draft, forward 6 ft. 4 in., draft, aft 7 ft 6 in.; load displacement 565 tons. Her propelling machinery consists of two sets of Crossley type HRL 5 / 30 engines developing 330 h.p. each and giving the vessel a speed of 12 knots. She has a cargo capacity of 120 tons. The ship's complement consists of 18 officers and men.
One of the noteworthy features of the vessel is the extensive use of light alloys in her construction, her entire superstructure having been built of aluminium alloy. This light alloy structure extends from the uppermost continuous deck and includes the wheelhouse and funnel. Thus there are two aluminium alloy decks, each some 92ft. in length, with a boat deck extending to the transom. The deckhouses on the second, third and fourth decks are also of aluminium alloy. The use of the light alloys has been an important feature of the ship's design, permitting the draft to be kept to a minimum and thus retaining the maximum operational range with an increased deadweight capacity. By using about 35 tons of light metals, approximately 70 tons of steel was displaced which would otherwise have been necessary. The steel hull of the Lady Wright was zinc metallised to resist the corrosive effects of service in Gambia.
The Lady Wright maintains a passenger and cargo service, alternating with the Fulladu, between Bathurst and Basse with occasional extended voyages to Fattoto. Basse is 242 miles inland from Bathurst and Fattoto 288 miles. The present schedule calls for these vessels to depart from Bathurst at 1800 hours on alternate Mondays, calling at approximately 20 river ports en route, in each direction. This is of course varied as inducement offers. Each vessel has aboard a travelling post office for the service of river ports, (the only remaining service of its kind). The river trip is an enjoyable experience and is used by tourists as well as officials and other businessmen.
Further write up, see index.
SG175 Sea Breezes 6/54

aukepalmhof
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Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

Re: Lady Wright

Post by aukepalmhof » Mon Apr 15, 2013 9:53 pm

She was broken up in Banjul by E.B. Mbenga in July 1979.

http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz
Attachments
1953 Lady Wright.jpg
Last edited by aukepalmhof on Sat Feb 08, 2014 8:54 am, edited 1 time in total.

D. v. Nieuwenhuijzen
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Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2010 7:46 pm

Re: Lady Wright

Post by D. v. Nieuwenhuijzen » Tue Apr 16, 2013 6:46 pm

(Gambia 1978, 8 b. StG.404; 1983, 40 b. StG.502; 1992, 1 D. StG.1333)
Attachments
lady wright2.jpg
lady wright3.jpg
lady wright4.jpg
lady wright1.jpg

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