Then two zebras were shipped into Sunderland as a gift for Princess Margaret, and the curious tale of what followed
A tale of bygone attitudes emerged in Sunderland in 1957 - and it involved two zebras with a link to Princess Margaret.
Back in 1957, two zebras had arrived on a cargo ship as a gift for Princess Margaret from Mombassa.
A gift from Tanganyika
They were transported aboard the 10,270 ton cargo ship Nuddea and were a gift from the Government of Tanganyika.
“They are incredibly camera shy, ” reported the Sunderland Echo at the time.
But the zebras had developed a taste for tobacco and the report added: “Only the smell of tobacco from a sailor’s pipe finally encouraged them to show themselves to a photographer.”
A first for Sunderland
It wasn’t the only shipping news to make headlines that year.
Sunderland made shipbuilding history in 1957 when a 19,000-ton tanker was launched without the help of tugs for the first time.
A strike by the Wear’s tugboatmen prompted bosses at JL Thompson to seek an alternative plan for a ship called Spinanger.
Dozens of workers would have been laid off
The vessel was built for Bergen-based Westfal-Larsen and Co.
If the ship had remained at Thompson’s, it meant dozens of people would have been paid off.
So the decision was taken to go for a tugless launch.
The Sunderland Echo reported at the time: “It was the first time that a ship as large as this has ever been launched in this country without the use of tugs and the experiment was crowned a huge success.”
Tell us if you remember life on Wearside in 1957. Email [email protected]