Risdon Beazley
Encyclopedia
Risdon Beazley was founder of Risdon Beazley Ltd, a Marine salvage
company that operated from 1926 to 1981 in Southampton
, England
.
, Southampton
. By the 1930s Risdon Beazley Ltd. was undertaking demolition work and wreck removal. In 1936 Beazley was a partner in the salvage of the square rigger Herzogin Cecilie
. In 1937 the British cargo ship English Trader went ashore whilst entering Dartmouth
Harbour; Risdon Beazley removed and cut up the bow section. In the same year Kantoeng, then the largest tin dredge in the world, capsized whilst under tow of Smit International
tugs; Risdon Beazley removed the hull.
the Admiralty
requisitioned salvage vessels and most were put under Risdon Beazley's management. By 1945 Risdon Beazley were operating 61 vessels, including 29 that were owned by the Admiralty, working as far east as Colombo
. They lost three vessels and a barge in the war. The other managers operated less than 20 vessels between them.
Risdon Beazley managed all but three of the salvage vessels that went to France for D-Day
; their ships went on to clear ports in France, Belgium and Holland. The vessels were civilian manned. Usually the only military people aboard were DEMS
gunners and a salvage officer (these were mostly RN reservists). The company built 22 Fairmile
Motor Gun Boats
and Motor Torpedo Boats
; they were the fastest UK yard to turn out the D type MTB and fourth fastest in the UK for all Fairmiles. They also built ten harbour Service launch
es.
At the end of the war they retained the self-propelled hoppers
Foremost 17 and Foremost 18 and the Coastal Salvage vessels Lifeline and Help. They spent several successful years in rescue towage using the salvage tug
Twyford (ex-Warden) and the Ashford (ex-Empire Sandy). Twenty other vessels joined and left the fleet in the years immediately after the war. Later the landing craft
Topmast 16, 18 and 20 were rebuilt for salvage work; Topmast 16 and Lifeline maintained emergency moorings around the UK coast. The fleet included the smaller Topmast 17 (an ex Inshore minesweeper
) and the Queen Mother (an ex-Bristol Channel Pilot cutter).
as a result of this work. The new recovery vessels Twyford and Droxford were delivered in the 1950s. The cost of the Droxford was £406,000, the Treasury contributed £25,000. They recovered 56,000 tons of non-ferrous metals from depths down to 300 meters, working worldwide.
In the sixties Risdon Beazley had co-operated with Ulrich Harms of Hamburg
. A notable joint operation was to salvage Isambard Kingdom Brunel
's ship from the Falkland Islands
and redeliver it to Bristol.
Risdon Beazley sold his interests to Ulrich Harms between 1969 and 1971. In 1972 Harms sold the companies to Smit Tak of Rotterdam. Initially Risdon Beazley Marine Ltd. expanded with the purchase of the floating cranes Brunel and Telford, plus the 5,000 BHP Seaford and pontoons.
By the late 1970s, the fleet was run down, and the company closed in 1981.
Marine salvage
Marine salvage is the process of rescuing a ship, its cargo, or other property from peril. Salvage encompasses rescue towing, refloating a sunken or grounded vessel, or patching or repairing a ship...
company that operated from 1926 to 1981 in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Early career
Risdon Beazley formed his company in 1926, when he was 22 years old. Throughout the life of the companies their base remained at Clausentum Yard, Bitterne ManorBitterne Manor
Bitterne Manor is a suburb of Southampton surrounding the manor house of the same name.- History :Bitterne Manor is the site of the original Roman settlement of Clausentum, the forerunner to today's City of Southampton....
, Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
. By the 1930s Risdon Beazley Ltd. was undertaking demolition work and wreck removal. In 1936 Beazley was a partner in the salvage of the square rigger Herzogin Cecilie
Herzogin Cecilie
Herzogin Cecilie was a German four-mast barque , named after German Crown Princess Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin , spouse of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia .- History :...
. In 1937 the British cargo ship English Trader went ashore whilst entering Dartmouth
Dartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...
Harbour; Risdon Beazley removed and cut up the bow section. In the same year Kantoeng, then the largest tin dredge in the world, capsized whilst under tow of Smit International
Smit International
Smit Internationale N.V. is a Dutch company operating in the maritime sector. The company was founded in 1842 by Fop Smit as a towage company with only the 140 hp paddle steamer tug 'Kinderdijk'....
tugs; Risdon Beazley removed the hull.
War years
At the outbreak of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
requisitioned salvage vessels and most were put under Risdon Beazley's management. By 1945 Risdon Beazley were operating 61 vessels, including 29 that were owned by the Admiralty, working as far east as Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
. They lost three vessels and a barge in the war. The other managers operated less than 20 vessels between them.
Risdon Beazley managed all but three of the salvage vessels that went to France for D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
; their ships went on to clear ports in France, Belgium and Holland. The vessels were civilian manned. Usually the only military people aboard were DEMS
Dems
DEMS may refer to:*Democratic Party *Deepika English Medium School*Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships...
gunners and a salvage officer (these were mostly RN reservists). The company built 22 Fairmile
Fairmile Marine
Fairmile Marine was a British boat building company founded in 1939 by the car manufacturer Noel Macklin.Macklin used the garage at his home at Cobham Fairmile in Surrey for manufacturing assembly which is why the boats he designed came to be called Fairmiles....
Motor Gun Boats
Fairmile C motor gun boat
The Fairmile C motor gun boat was a type of Motor Gun Boat designed by Norman Hart of Fairmile Marine for the Royal Navy. An intermediate design, twenty-four boats were built in 1941 receiving the designations MGB 312 - 335.-Design:...
and Motor Torpedo Boats
Fairmile D motor torpedo boat
The Fairmile D motor torpedo boat was a type of British Motor Torpedo Boat designed by Bill Holt and conceived by Fairmile Marine for the Royal Navy....
; they were the fastest UK yard to turn out the D type MTB and fourth fastest in the UK for all Fairmiles. They also built ten harbour Service launch
Launch (boat)
A launch in contemporary usage refers to a large motorboat. The name originally referred to the largest boat carried by a warship. The etymology of the word is given as Portuguese lancha "barge", from Malay lancha, lancharan, "boat," from lanchar "velocity without effort," "action of gliding...
es.
At the end of the war they retained the self-propelled hoppers
Hopper barge
Hopper barge is a kind of non-mechanical ship or vessel that cannot move around by itself, unlike some other types of barges. Designed to carry materials, like rocks, sand, soil and rubbish, for dumping into the ocean, a river or lake for land reclamation....
Foremost 17 and Foremost 18 and the Coastal Salvage vessels Lifeline and Help. They spent several successful years in rescue towage using the salvage tug
Salvage tug
A salvage tug is a specialized type of tugboat which is used to rescue or marine salvage ships which are in distress or in danger of sinking, or which have already sunk or run aground....
Twyford (ex-Warden) and the Ashford (ex-Empire Sandy). Twenty other vessels joined and left the fleet in the years immediately after the war. Later the landing craft
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
Topmast 16, 18 and 20 were rebuilt for salvage work; Topmast 16 and Lifeline maintained emergency moorings around the UK coast. The fleet included the smaller Topmast 17 (an ex Inshore minesweeper
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
) and the Queen Mother (an ex-Bristol Channel Pilot cutter).
Post war activities
RB found his niche in cargo recovery, which had been the preserve of the Italian Company SORIMA before the war. Treasury figures show that over four years in the 1950s they contributed £187,000 to the ExchequerExchequer
The Exchequer is a government department of the United Kingdom responsible for the management and collection of taxation and other government revenues. The historical Exchequer developed judicial roles...
as a result of this work. The new recovery vessels Twyford and Droxford were delivered in the 1950s. The cost of the Droxford was £406,000, the Treasury contributed £25,000. They recovered 56,000 tons of non-ferrous metals from depths down to 300 meters, working worldwide.
In the sixties Risdon Beazley had co-operated with Ulrich Harms of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. A notable joint operation was to salvage Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
's ship from the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
and redeliver it to Bristol.
Risdon Beazley sold his interests to Ulrich Harms between 1969 and 1971. In 1972 Harms sold the companies to Smit Tak of Rotterdam. Initially Risdon Beazley Marine Ltd. expanded with the purchase of the floating cranes Brunel and Telford, plus the 5,000 BHP Seaford and pontoons.
By the late 1970s, the fleet was run down, and the company closed in 1981.