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The "N" - type Ships.
There were seven ships in this group which evolved from the "N"- (National) class of ship of the 1914-18 war. In this
type there were all straight-no curved-frames, the idea being that the bridge-building companies and land engine
works with little work in hand could concentrate on a mass-production scheme. The parts were to be assembled in
two of the three National shipyards. But armistice came in November, 1918, and not one ship had been completed
in a National yard. A number were completed by private builders, the first from the Tyne yard of Swan, Hunter,
although the original plans had been drawn up by Harland and Wolff, Belfast.
There was a quantity of material left over from the programme when war ended which was acquired by shipyards
and it was this material that was used to construct the seven "Inver" ships. The basic hull was the same as the "N"-
type. Between the masts there was no sheer, the hull was almost rectangular in form with all frames above the
chine line the same length. Outwardly the most important features were the "cheese - cut" transom stern, and a
bunching of all the superstructure forward of the funnel and above a long trunk deck which extended from fo'c'sle
to stern. Some had an open topgallant fo'c'sle, some just a short length of bulwarks forward.
The measurements were 428 feet length overall, 412 feet bp, 55 feet breadth and a depth of 34 feet with a corres-
ponding gross tonnage of around 6,900. The deadweight capacity was just over 10,000 tons which was carried in
cylindrical tanks in the holds. The speed was about 10 1/2 knots.
They served the British Mexican Petroleum Company until the 1930s but with the world slump in trade were laid
up for some time, Invergordon and Invergarry in the River Fal, Inverleith in the Gareloch and Inveravon,
Inverurie and Inverglass in Sea Reach, off Southend. Three were then scrapped and the others sold for further
trading as dry cargo ships.