Model boats on the lake

The ‘SD14’ was a standard design cargo ship, built in large numbers, to replace some of the hundreds of wartime general cargo carriers that were still trading in the mid-1960s. Around thirty proposals by shipbuilders were put forward in 1966 and Sunderland's Austin & Pickerskill’s straightforward design was selected.

The first of these ‘liberty-replacement’ ships was delivered in 1967. Nick-named ‘Plain Janes’, ‘SD14s’ quickly established themselves as workhorses of the oceans, as they plied between the ports of the world, and have become much-admired by shipowners and held in great affection by many ship enthusiasts.