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Port Talbot Harbour Construction

The photos below were taken by Barry Mort while working on the construction of Port Talbot Harbour.

They were found stuck together while he was clearing out the shed, and it took Barry a great deal of time to do some cleaning up of the prints on his computer.

We thank Barry for allowing us to put them on the site

Picture of Lima 1, taken after an overnight storm which had washed away a large section

of the Main Breakwater. I took this picture standing in a 20 foot hole in front of the

crane perched on top of a pillar of rock.

Peter Mellors driving a D8 bulldozer during the work to repair the storm damage.

Another lorry load of hardcore to repair the damage

Mr William Davies, shift greaser, standing on the platform outside the cab of Lima 1. Fred

Chapman is in driving seat. Will was in his late 60s when this picture was taken.He used

to keep us amused with his tales of the 15 years he spent in India in the army.

Another fine body of men, L-R, Emlyn Hughes, breakwater shift fitter, Peter Mellors, D6/D8 driver,

Tosh ???, shift lubrication attendant, aka. Tosh the greaser, and

Gorden Innes, one of the Lima drivers

Lima 1 at the end of the Main breakwater. Lima’s 1 and 2 did most of the rock placing

during the construction of the harbour breakwaters. Contrary to popular belief locally at

the time, each rock was placed into a precise position, as laid out on a chart worked

worked out by the site engineers.

The start of the Lee breakwater where it comes off the end of the South b/water of

of the old PT docks, locally known as the “Stone Pier”. The large building in the

background is the Jersey Beach Hotel.

Mr William Pearce, road repairman. Will and his son Alwyn came to work on the

harbour after the Union Carbide Works closed. Will was in his mid 60s and upset

our new Scottish foreman one day when he said he and he and Alwyn would not be

in the next day as it was Will’s fathers birthday, and they were off to see him.

The foreman thought they were pulling his leg, but Mr P senior was still alive and in his

90s having spent many years as the rat catcher in Laugharne.

A group of men who worked on the site, they are L-R :- Ken Pritchard, D8 driver,“Fearles''

Fred Chapman, Lima/NCK1405 driver, Clive ???, Land Rover driver, at the back

Conway John, Engineers' chain boy, and “Uncle” Eiann, (Conway’s uncle) D8 driver.

Barry Mort driving the D8 bulldozer.

Barry Mort reversing a lorry under the Lima ready for unloading.

A “Flat Cat”. These flatbed lorries were used to transport some of the larger rocks, 20-30 tons,

from Cornelly Quarry to the harbour site.

The largest rock I can remember weighed in at around 90 tons. It was to big for the Lima grab to

get hold of, so we dumped it on the deck and used the two D8s to shove it over the side.

Our new Italian engineer was not amused, and went off in a huff when the Lima driver.

told him to “Go Away” or something like that anyway.

Lima 1 on the end of the Main breakwater. The ship is the dredger “Ham 235”.

Medium sized rocks, 8-12 tons, being unloaded
.

Medium sized rocks, 8-12 tons, being unloaded.

A black & white shot showing Lima 1, with Arthur Murray, the driver, on the platform,

with Don Hutton, Lima 1 banksman, down on the lower level. Don was the “Best Man”

at my wedding in 1968.