The ARCA

The ARCA was built in 1976 at the Orskov Shipbuilding Yard in Frederikshavn, Denmark as the PACIFIC COAST, a name which she held until 1978. 

The other names that the vessel sported over her trading career were: the PACIFIC TRADER until 1981, the TRIVIA until 1984, the ARCA until 1992, the PACIFIC COAST until 1993 and, finally, the PETROS until 1995.

I think it was around 1987 that she visited the port of Wicklow to load out a cargo of stone aggregates from Morrissey's Ltd. quarry at Balleece, near Rathdrum, and bound for Barking Creek on the Thames estuary.

I was very impressed with this stylish 3000 ton vessel and her unusual profile. She was equipped with her own cargo handling gear, which included a deck crane midships, which enabled her to trade worldwide. Such a vessel was a rare sight in the port at that time, as ship design had only evolved to the stage that there was no cargo handling gear, and ports, like our own, had their own shore-based equipment.

In 1988, I took up the challenge of painting the ARCA to add to the increasing number of murals on the East Pier. I am not sure how I managed the scale of this mural, but it worked out very well, and pier walkers at the time were very impressed by my efforts. Getting a response like this was good for my motivation to continue my artwork and to share it!

I am including here several pictures of the vessel courtesy of Capt. Jan Melchers and Ulf Kornfeld, both of whom posted their photos on Shipspotting.com.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome to My Blog

Image
  Hi everyone, For close on 50 years, I have been the resident artist of maritime murals on the East Pier of Wicklow Town Port in Ireland. This blog aims to create a digital record of my 70+ maritime-themed artworks, and the stories that inspired them, for your enjoyment and for posterity. The East Pier at Wicklow Port continues to be my second home where, as a marine artist, I love sharing my art with so many of you who enjoy walking along the pier from time to time. This vast outdoor canvas has enabled me to create a unique gallery of nautical-themed murals, thereby fulfilling my desire to make the pier a better place for everyone! Fascinated by ships from the age of 9, sketching became my childhood hobby, which I continued as I grew older - capturing visiting ships to the port in pencil sketches and ink drawings. In the summer of 1976, I got permission from the then local Harbour Master, Captain Willie Kinsella to retouch a mural of the Greek ship, the 'Eliana' which had bee...
Read more

The ELIANA

Image
The Greek-registered cargo ship, the ELIANA was the first maritime mural painted on the old east pier. It was created by a crew member of the ship in 1971.  In 1976, I was requested by some local people to revive the piece as it had suffered deterioration. This was my first artwork on the pier. The ELIANA was a large vessel which regularly deliverd phosphate from Casablanca, Morocco to Wicklow Town harbour. This was used as a component for fertiliser that was produced in Arklow (the ELIANA being too large to birth there). I have fond boyhood memories of being allowed to play on the ship's decks and having my first 'foreign' meal there - spaghetti bollanaise!
Read more

The PS WAVERLEY

Image
  The PS WAVERLEY is the last seagoing passenger-carrying paddle steamer in the world.  She was named after Sir Walter Scott's first novel and was built in 1946 by A & J Inglis in Glasgow, Scotland to replace a PS WAVERLEY that was sunk in 1940 while helping to evacuate troops from Dunkirk. Bought in 1974 by a registered charity, the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society (PSPS), and following a successful public fund-raising appeal, she was restored to her original 1946 appearance to operate passenger excursions around the British coast. I recall how the vessel's owners decided to operate a short series of passenger tours in 1984 from Dublin port and docking at Wicklow Town, Arklow, and on one occasion onward to Rosslare. A shorter series of tours was conducted in 1985 when I decided to create a mural of the WAVERLEY on the East Pier. I included a Scottish flag in honour of the vessel's Scottish roots. This coincided with my early years working as a postman in Wicklow Tow...
Read more