In this fourth in a series of articles, Michael Cassar provides concluding extracts from his recently published book Connecting The Harbour Towns O. F. Gollcher & Sons 1897-1959

On the outbreak of World War I, a Contraband Control Station was set up at St Paul’s Bay and Marsaxlokk. Ships flying the flags of neutral countries were met off Malta by Gollcher’s Gleneagles and directed to secure anchorages where they were boarded for inspection to ensure that the cargo was not destined for Germany or Austria Hungary. Ships requisitioned for employment at the examination stations from August 5, 1914, included three of the National Steam Ferry Boat Company (NSFBC) ‘Admiral’ class ferries.

Despite the war, the company entered into another contract with Giuseppe Ebejer of Marsa on December 31, 1914, for the construction of another ferry. The Marsamuscetto Steam Ferry Service (MSFS) added Victory in 1914; it was launched at Marsa in December 1914 and it entered service on January 4, 1915. It was blessed on January 14 by Mgr Angelo Portelli, the Apostolic Administrator, who was crossing by ferry. The MSFS and the NSFBC parted ways in March of that year and returned to separate operation, presumably with the usual rivalry.

In Grand Harbour the French Navy was granted the use of the facilities of the Royal Navy. The old cruiser Tourville arrived early in January 1915 to serve as accommodation ship for the crews of warships undergoing repair at the Dockyard. It was berthed in Dockyard Creek next to Fort St Angelo, the former berth of HMS Hibernia and HMS Egmont.

The periodical absence of the Fleet from the harbours impacted the economy.

The large number of ships in port made accidents inevitable. The Daily Malta Chronicle of January 11, 1915, reported a collision that had taken place in the evening of the 9th: “While proceeding with the usual complement of passengers from Senglea to Valletta, and emerging from Dockyard Creek, the launch Admiral Bromley was run into by the French steamer Melon entering the creek from the direction of Marsa. Both had regular lights showing at the time. Antonio Attard of Floriana fell overboard but was promptly rescued.”

In view of the imminent collision, both vessels went hard astern to minimise the impact. Assistance was immediately provided by a Customs Department launch. The company commissioned the naval constructor and surveyor Giuseppe Xerri to prepare a report on the damage sustained by Admiral Bromley.

On the 13th, at the request of Mr R. Polidano, manager of the Grand Harbour Steam Ferry Coy, a surveyor, F. G. Xerri, delivered a detailed report on the damages, which he estimated at £54.17s.

It was the best of times for the ferries as the island was brimming with activity and accommodation at Sliema was at a premium

Another incident, albeit of a less serious nature, followed. On April 15, 1915, the French tug boat Infatigable struck and sank the GHSFC mooring buoy while berthing near the Marina Valletta landing stage. In a procès-verbal the French captain disputed the damages claimed by the company: £16 for the buoy and £18 for the anchor chain; he averred that the buoy could be salvaged and repaired. This was, in fact, carried out by Dockyard hands. The company settled for £18 and the buoy was back in place by April 20.  The shaft of Ceres broke on April 19 on the crossing from Sliema to Marsamxett. The ferry was towed to Sliema; its place was taken by Bellona from the service to Msida, which was suspended.

On October 8, the company addressed complaints in Valletta by renting houses nos. 75/76 at Marina Hill to improve access to the Customs House and the Barrakka Lifts. Commuters had long complained about having to pass through dirty, noisy, foul-mouthed layabouts below the old fish market. The ‘tunnel’ was built by Giovanni Attard and was in use by November 19.

The company regularly used the service of divers (palombari) to maintain and repair piers and inspect hulls to save loss of time on the slipway. On December 4, 1915, palombaro Giuseppe Bartolo replaced the chain which had been damaged by a gregale at Marsamxett landing stage. Two days later he cleaned the hull of Emily P.

The Danton was one of several French naval units granted the use of the Grand Harbour from 1912 onwards.

Giuseppe Ebejer launched Admiral Limpus on June 26, 1915. Vice Admiral Sir Arthur Limpus was Admiral Superintendent Malta Dockyard between 1914 and 1916. After its inauguration on September 11 the vessel sailed from Marsa to Msida at 3.15pm. The ferry’s machinery was declared satisfactory and it made the 5.15pm trip from Marsamxett to Sliema. The vessel started regular service on the 25th. Like previous ferries, the machinery was supplied by Alex Shanks & Sons of London and was delivered in 13 crates by the City of Cambridge on July 30. The boiler and engine cost £1,000, packing, freight and insurance, £90. 18s.

The ubiquitous dgħajjes (traditional Maltese boats) were known to get in the way of traffic in Grand Harbour but the barklori (boat men) nearly always managed to get out of harm’s way in time. They did not always succeed – with dire consequences. On July 11, 1915, an unnamed GHSFC ferry rammed and sank a dgħajsa in Dockyard Creek. Four passengers were rescued by another ferry but Paolo Baldacchino of Cospicua drowned. His body was recovered on the 17th.

On June 22, 1916, there was another collision between rival ferries: the MSFS Carmen struck the NSFBC Daphne at 6.45am, which was on the way to Msida. The Collector of Customs found Giuseppe Scicluna, the coxswain of Carmen, guilty of negligence and suspended his licence for a week.

San Lorenzo Steps and the landing stage at Vittoriosa.

Polidano commissioned Giuseppe Xerri to survey the damage. The report was presented on the 26th; Xerri estimated £3.10s in damages and charged a guinea for his services. While the vessel was on the slipway, the supervising engineer, Assuero Zammit, took the opportunity to overhaul the machinery.

It was the best of times for the ferries as the island was brimming with activity and accommodation at Sliema was at a premium. The halfpenny fare was doubled after 8am and at certain times between May 1917 and July 1918.

In 1917, Admiral Lambton, Admiral Drury (II) and Admiral Limpus left Malta for Taranto, possibly for service with Royal Navy Contraband Control Service at the entrance to the Adriatic. Not much else is known about this transfer, whether it was a charter, requisition or sale.

Procuring coal for the ferries was a headache, and it is known that even the railway and the tramway were suffering shortages. Nevertheless, services continued to be run, probably with a reduced timetable. On January 6, 1917, the MSFS Victory rammed and sank a dgħajsa during the crossing from Marsamxett to Sliema. The two barklori and two of the (sailors) passengers jumped overboard before the ferry struck, while the third clambered aboard the ferry.

(To be continued)

The Senglea Marina landing stage.

By ferry to St Julian’s for the feast: the landing stage on August 28, 1910.