Thanks for your interest and positive comments on the website. Check out the record for Alsatia on clydeships.co.uk which includes the painting of Alsatia. I can find no record of any major refit to the vessel that would significantly change her layout. However, it is also possible the painting of the Alsatia on clydeships.co.uk is wrongly labelled. I would be interested to see a photo of your ship. If you could send to me at ianjcrawfordvp@btinternet.com I’ll take a look. I would comment that the vessel depicted on the clydeships.co.uk site looks a bit too sophisticated for a vessel built in 1876 so it is equally possible that your painting is the correct one. I look forward to hearing from you.
Ian Crawford

Bob’s brother, William ‘Willie Young’ and the youngest, was also on the Hafton and became the Coxswain of the Troon Lifeboat as well as the keeper of the Lady Isle lighthouse. It is said he had about eight sugars in his Tea! On the lifeboat he was joined by a cousin from Portavogie ‘Addie Young’, a rigger in the Shipyard and the husband of Ellen Baillie who’s mother was Jane Young the wife of Alexander Bailie. It was all, in the family! His son David was also on the Lifeboat but was tragical drowned when a salvage crane toppled off of South Africa not long after getting married.
Four years younger than Willie, Thomas Young my dads ‘Uncle Tommy’ and younger brother was promoted in Arnott Youngs and moved to Dalmuir with his family. Large ships like the King George V would be stripped in Dalmuir and hulked and towed to troon for final breaking
The oldest brother David John Young reaching the age of 94, a lovely old dapper man as I remember him worked for Ailsa Shipbuilding company and had two indentured trades!
James was the brother who moved away to Rothesay and was a skipper of “The Norman” owned by Archibald Dewar in Rothesay. My parents both honeymooned at their house, Rothesay being the destination of choice in those days for a young working married couple!
Below is my transcription from an article from a series written by Stewart Beaton who interviewed several members of my extended family and published in the Ayrshire Post in the 1980’s

Stripping Hitler’s pride and joy!
THE ‘West of Scotland” shipping list reads almost like a maritime history book. From the sailing ship sagas of the distant past to the days of mechanisation and steam, such times involving almost every type of vessel … passenger, cargo, ships of the fleet, great and small, tugs and yachts.
It had an international flavour which had traced its way through the course of two world wars, every craft being a distinguished relic with a tale to tell.
There were the two blockships, the Winha and the Empire Moorhen (1946 and 1947), which were used in conjunction with the late Right Honourable Sir Winston Churchill’s Mulberry Harbour, that vital artificial port so advantageously used on and after “D” Day, Tuesday, 6th June 1944, off the Normandy Coast.
There is no doubt that Hitler had plans for us, even if they did not materialise. But he did not expect one of his special destroyers to be committed to the tender care of a Scottish shipbreaking company in the year 1948, especially the “Z30.”
This was one of a group from his “Strength Through Joy” flotilla, and had been fitted out to cater for every need of his officer elite, as apart from normal training routine. Though there were no ladies on board when she arrived in Troon for stripping, clearly a breakdown in negotiations.
A prize of war
Still on a war-time theme, we relate to the 21 capital ships, cruisers and special craft, which were accommodated by the men of the Eastern Breakwater, including the cruiser “Kent,” the second-largest ship ever to enter Troon harbour.
The largest had been the “Illstanstein” – a German liner of the Hamburg line, which arrived here during the early years of the war, after the sinking in Scapa Flow of the Royal Oak. It was evidently a prize of war and had been brought to Troon on a mission that was “Top Secret,” but further details of this will be discussed in another chapter.
Submarines totalling 29 also reported for demolition, while 39 landing craft of various types received similar treatment between the years 1945 and 1947. Further Men-of-War were still to come, however, craft in the category of destroyers, frigates, corvettes, net and minelayers, these comprising a total of 70, with a few minesweepers to follow during the 1980s.
It had undoubtedly been a busy place, even if the peaceful environment of Harbour Road was occasionally disturbed by the blowing off of large propellers, with windows frequently being shattered by the blasting.
It may seem ironic but the only war damage ever to take place in this neighbourhood actually happened in peacetime. There were no casualties whatsoever and the “West of Scotland” at all times made full recompense.
Almost every one of these fighting ships was stocked up with oil, generally solidified through the stagnancy of the years, and Arnott Young’s merry men had to steam it into workable liquid form before it could be siphoned out and transferred to the storage area where a dozen large tanks were ready and waiting to receive about a thousand gallons each.
It was later to be recycled and sold to various agencies, all of this being yet another by-product of the shipbreaking business. This oil-storage complex, situated close to the local coal depot in Templehill, was colourfully known as “Abadan.”
Armour plating
It would be criminal to omit the “Balling Pit,” where large pieces of cast-iron were reduced to fragments. Try to imagine a high circular building without a roof, no doors, and absolutely no windows, about 30 feet in height and 20 in diameter. The floor was composed of armour plating about a foot in depth, and the inner side of the thick outer wall was lined with steel.
From a safe distance the casual observer would notice the long jib of a crane peering down at a pile of old iron awaiting destruction; but it did not spend its time merely peering, however.
Its first function was to pick up a huge metal cube weighing about four tons. This was partly attached to an ingenious release gadget called a monkey, to which a lengthy rope was fixed. The other end was in the hands of an experienced technician such as Mr James Howie, who controlled the operation. When he tugged the rope the conglomerate of steel was then released from the nose of the jib, whereupon it descended with horrifying force onto the metal below, shattering it immediately into fragments, the process being repeated time and time again.
It should be added that the gentleman handling the rope was on the outer side of the wall, safe from the shrapnel within. It was indeed a fiendish and nasty apparatus, but extremely effective. People did not speak in whispers at the shipbreaker’s.
There was a craftsman of note, Jimmy Murphy by name, a blacksmith from Monkton, whose anvil was never silent. And David How from Kilmarnock had one of the most demoralising jobs in the compound, that, namely, of Jackhammer – man in the bowels of almost every ship that came in. He walked to work daily, and then home again, a mere 18 miles, the reasons being best known to himself. And he was never late.
Whisky galore
Even Wallace Edmiston, at times, must have needed a hearing aid during his frequent sojourns with the breakers, this quiet genial giant of even temperament and the patience of Job.
And William Wallace, whom God preserves, still must have vivid memories of the age-old ceremonies inflicted upon his person in 1946, as a young and callow youth, shortly before his nuptials were about to take place.
It is said that several six-inch nails and a strong wire were used, but the details are perhaps best known to himself, though he was suspended for a considerable time from the entrance door of “Currie’s Pub.” now a relic of the past.
There were happenings in days of yore, nevertheless, when other unusual events brought light relief to the workers of the long and chilly breakwater. One was related to the heart-warming story of “Whisky Galore,” so tastefully told by Compton McKenzie, on the occasion of a cargo ship, the Politician, being wrecked off the Isle of Eriskay one Sunday in 1941, with an ample cargo of whisky and cigarettes bound for America. It is said that the hardworking islanders removed most of the spoils to a place of safety, though ‘never on a Sunday’ but the story did not end here. Vast quantities of the precious liquid still remained on board; and it so happened that Messrs Arnott Young and Company, the shipbreakers, became involved in the matter of salvage.
Consequently, considerable amount of the whisky and cigarettes, which had not fallen into the hands of the islanders, was brought to Troon in the coasters – Assistance and Accordance.
The local Customs Officer at that time was the late George Stewart, and many cases of “hooch” were duly brought ashore, were sealed in wagons, and sent to Johnnie Walker’s bonded warehouse in Kilmarnock.
Every assistance in this arduous work was given by the highly spirited employees of the shipbreaking concern.
It was said later, however, that a number of cases accidentally fell into about 20 feet of water during the unloading, never to be recovered due to the onslaught of a Force 2 gale which came up from almost nowhere.
This was one of the greatest mysteries every (sic) to take place on this Western seaboard; worthy comparison with the Marie Celeste or even the Bermuda Triangle, as the fallen whisky must have been carried out to sea.
Not a drop was recovered and the men were naturally upset at the subsequent loss of duty to the Government. Many of them had even worked voluntarily all through the night WITHOUT PAYMENT – in the hopeless task of trying to recover such a valuable cargo.
Chilled to the bone, none of them reported for work the next day. Such were the men of days gone by.
NEXT WEEK … Final instalment: THE LAST ROUNDUP.

Hello George, Thanks for getting in touch. I’m afraid we have very little extra information on the loss of Christine Rose
other than what is included on the website page. We have no underwater photographs of this wreck. I have emailed you a
couple of documents from ADM files which might be of some interest. Ian Crawford

Hi Rod, my great uncle Alexander Wood 1895-1933 was the Skipper of the Steam Trawler Venetia A560.

Thanks for this excellent local knowledge. We will update the site to reflect this. Thanks again. Ian Crawford