Volume Twelve - Pre-Victorian to the Present Day - further aspects - A History of Penarth Dock by Roy Thorne . . .

Later these boards were replaced by large shovels. During the annual regattas these shovels were used as oars in races between the dock men. A "water boy" was used to spray water from a large drum into the ship’s hold to help keep down the dust.

Later coal ships were made with long hatches in the deck thus making trimming easier and loading quicker. These "self trimmers" had long openings and as the tipping progressed the tip was moved and the coal spread more evenly.

Ships of a capacity up to 3,000 tons were frequently loaded and despatched on the tide of arrival. A steamer arrived at Penarth Dock and started loading at the four movable tips in the basin at 11.55 a.m. and completed her full cargo of 2,115 tons of coal by 1.50 p.m. and sailed on the tide of arrival having taken on board the whole cargo in one hour 57 minutes. [1174]

At the outbreak of war in August 1914 the docks came under government control. A fort had been established on Penarth Head with guns to protect the Penarth Roads. A stairway, which [c.1984] still remains in part, led down the cliff to two searchlights mounted on legs. The sea has demolished the searchlight mountings, but part are still on the shore.

Despite the devastating attacks by German submarines upon ships in the Western approaches the coal exports were well maintained. Iron ore imports were consistently good because a nation at war needed iron for armaments. [1176]