Coasters of the 1950s

The 1950s were a time of rapid expansion for coastal shipping as countries in Europe recovered from the ravages of war and there was a growing demand for the transport of raw materials as well as finished goods. For example, in 1955, there were 56 shipyards at work in the Netherlands.

Some shipyards began to realise the virtues of series production and this time saw the likes of standard designs such as the Caroliner from Holland and the various standard type from JJ Sietas in Germany. These were also the years that shipyards were largely owned by families.

Of particular interest in the book, certainly to the author, are the German coasters of the early 1950s, which in 1946, the Allied Control Council allowed the Germans to build, under various post-war constraints. The vessels were not allowed to be any longer than 110 feet and have engines up to 300bhp. In 1948, the government of West Germany decided to spend 4 million Deutsche Mark (DM), as it was back then, on the construction of as many coasters as possible. Shipbuilding engineer Adolf Weselmann made blueprints adhering to the Allied specifications and a series of 14 vessels was built between 1949 and 1951. A total of 96 ships were built to the Weselmann design.

The book has 86 colour photographs which detail some of the ships in their original guise and others after having been sold and/or modernised. Also, in some cases, details of the yard where the vessel was built.

Bernard McCall has written over 20 maritime books in the last two decades and established the magazine Coastal Shipping in 1994. He also owns the maritime publishing company Coastal Shipping.