Bronze Age Gold from Wales

Port broadside view of M.V. TACOMA CITY at Cardiff Docks.

During the late 1960s, Reardon Smith and Upper Clyde Shipbuilders co-operated to produce a design for a 26,000 deadweight ton bulk carrier. The first of these vessels was built in 1970 and seven were built for Reardon Smith in addition to numerous others ordered for shipping firms world-wide. One of these ‘Cardiff class’ bulk carriers was the Tacoma City of 1972, seen here discharging timber at Cardiff in 1974. Ten years later, in October 1984, she became the last Reardon Smith vessel to visit Cardiff before the firm ceased trading in May 1985. Source: Shipping at Cardiff: Photographs from the Hansen Collection 1920-1975 by David Jenkins, 1993.

M.V. TACOMA CITY. Bulk carrier built 1972 by Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Ltd, Govan (with 8-cylinder diesel engine by Harland & Wolff, Belfast) as TACOMA CITY for Reardon Smith Line Ltd ( Reardon-Smith Navigation Co. Ltd.), Cardiff. In 1985 – Sold to a Greek owner and renamed BOUGAINVILLE. 1986 – Sold to a Cypriot owner and renamed ROSEBUD. 1989 – Sold to Sea Justice SA,Piraeus, and renamed ROSALEEN M. (Gibraltar flag). 1991 – Sold to Hellenic Lines, Greece, and renamed PETALOUDA, managed by Sea Justice SA. 1992 – Sold to Zenovar Marine, Cyprus, and renamed MACFORCE. 1994 – Renamed FORCE (same owner). 1995 – Sold to Gokar Denizcilik Ticaret, Turkey, and renamed GOKAR. 1998 – Renamed GOK - same owners – but flagged at St.Vincent & The Grenadines ready for scrapping. She was abandoned at Gadani Beach on 9 June 1998, and broken up by Tariq Sultan & Co., Pakistan.