Audela - The final vessel to be built at Berwick Shipyard. Launched in April 1979, the 120 foot steel schooner Audela was one of the biggest vessels ever to be built on the Tweed. It would also be the last and one of only two vessels built during the time when the shipyard operated as 'Tweed Yard Ltd.', the other being the West Indies ferry Grenadines Star. The pictures below show the vessel at various stages of construction. After launch, Audela was towed across the river for fitting out in the Tweed Dock before undergoing sea trials. The vessels time in the dock was not uneventful. On on occasion the vessel settled on the bottom at low tide causing it to literally 'keel over' leaving workers to scramble to safety. Fortunately no damage was caused or serious injuries sustained and the vessel was righted and refloated at the next tide.
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Copyright © 2007-2023All Rights Reserved  www.berwickshipyard.com In the photo directly above, Audela can be seen on the slipway adjacent to buildings previously occupied by the South of Scotland Electricity Board that have since been demolished. Photos:(Clockwise from top left to bottom right), © Bill ToddPhoto: (Bottom left), © John Thompson The completed Audela alongside in the Tweed Dock. Photos:© Grant Renton.