UNUSUAL VISITORS TO NEWHAVEN

Interesting stuff indeed. Thanks for sharing that news with us. Cant wait to find out whats going on there

Could it be something to do with the building of the incinerator?

Further inspection revealed that Norma was registered in Brugge. From her pointed bow and rounded stern it seems that she is self propelled, therefore the presence of the small Dutch tug may only be a coincidence.

The tug and the heavy lift were seen working together at 04.30hrs this morning (19/06/08) moving up stream from the berth. How far it went up river I couldn't say as I went back to bed. I am sure a lot of people will be keeping an eye on it. One thing is for sure, its not there just to make the port look good.

Three things. 1: Where are the portacabins going?
2: Can this lifting barge be here for survey purposes?
3: Could it be that she is to locate a wreck off newhaven, lets face it, she is well equipped for the lifting job.

The curiosity is driving me nuts...LOl

She's now up in Dover (Sun 22/6/08), still with the tug, so they must be working together. A comment on one of the usually knowledgeable Dover ferry sites says she may be involved in moving the wreck of a old WW1 U-boat in the Varne Bank area into deeper water. I'll let you know if I find out any more.

Confirmed. The U-Boat wreck is too near the surface for some of the traffic passing through the area, so it's being moved.

Hi all, I am a member of shipais.com a community type website of ship plotters that keep members updated of shipping visitors at their local ports.

I currently cover Shoreham, and Newhaven but only when I can get over to you, and this means that I often miss some interesting boats, for example " Balmoral " made a short stopover last night and I was unable to get there.

We would welcome anyone who would be willing to share photos of visiting vessels.

http://www.shipais.com/

" Norma " and " Eerland 26 " are indeed engaged in the relocation of a German WWI U-Boat to deeper waters at the Varne Bank, south of Dover as the wreck has become a danger to shipping.

Regards
Merl

July 2008: The World War I German Submarine UB38 sank in 1918 after it ran into a minefield while trying to escape British destroyers. The mine exploded between the conning tower and stern sinking the submarine in the southwest lane of the Dover Strait Traffic Separation Scheme close to Varne Bank. Though the submarine had never been considered a danger to navigation in the strait, recently ships with much deeper draft, particularly oil tankers, were causing concern. The minimum clearance over the wreck was 23.5 metres, which had to be increased to 26.5 metres. One issue involved with the operation was consideration for the ordnance that remained on board including six torpedoes and deck gun ammunition. The salvage plan ensured that the submarine remained horizontal during the lifting operations with minimum disturbance to the ordnance. The submarine was lifted a few metres off the seabed using the self-propelled multipurpose sheerleg 'Norma' and was placed in its new location about two miles away in 40 metres of water.