Collection of colour slides of ships and shipping activity

Photographer Herbert Recknell (- 1964)

Date1950s - 1964

Object numberANMS1106

NameArchive series

CopyrightLimited Non-Exclusive Copyright Licence signed by Margaret Erickson with Robert Erickson listed as Next of Kin or Agent.

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from Margaret Erickson

Terms

DescriptionThis collection of 228 colour slides from 1950s-1960s was taken by Herbert Recknell, General Manager of Morts Docks in Balmain during the 1950s. The slides featuring ships and shipping activity were taken in Sydney, Newcastle and Port Kembla. The slides are in kodachrome, most are annotated and many are dated between 1954 and 1964.HistoryThis collection of 22 slides of ships and shipping related views was taken by Herbert Recknell, General Manager of Morts Docks in Balmain during the 1950s and early 1960s. Herbet's daughter Margaret Erickson notes that her father had a keen interest in ships and the movement of ships in Sydney Harbour. Mort's Dock & Engineering Co. Ltd was one of the two most important ship building and repair operations in Sydney for almost a century. Mort's Dock at Waterview Bay Balmain was established in 1854 by Thomas Sutcliffe Mort. The dock was enlarged and the company, was formed in 1872. In 1899 Morts had a new graving dock excavated at Woolwich. By 1917 the company employed 1500 people and occupied 18 acres. It had a 640 foot dry dock, three patent slipways and two floating docks in Johnstone's Bay, Balmain. In 1924 it bought Chapman's Slipway, renamed Chapman's Branch, and in 1925 bought Rowntree's Floating Dock. Well known Sydney pilot boats, the CAPTAIN COOK I, II, and III were built at Mort's , as well as numerous ferries. During World War II the yards at Chapman's, Woolwich and Mort's were fully occupied in servicing merchant ships and in the conversion of ships for war purposes. A series of corvettes were built for the Royal Australian Navy. Mort's languished in subsequent years, was weakened by poor labour relations, and was wound up in 1959.SignificanceThese Kodachrome slides are an excellent visual record of Sydney, Newcastle and Port Kembla harbours during the 1950s and early 1960s. They are an important and rare, well preserved colour record of ships and shipping activity during this period.