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Pictured at Chalna in 1968 by Mike Ledger, the paddle steamer Chinsura steams along the Pussur River in Bangladesh.

Chinsura was one of six pretty much identical paddlers built for the India General Navigation and Railway Company in 1927/28. The first four, the Hazara, Ghilzai, Galla and Galiana, came from the yard of Denny of Dumbarton and were shipped out between early August and late November 1927. The second pair, the Chinsura and Chunar, were built in the company's own yard in Calcutta but with triple expansion engines supplied by Denny the following July and November. The steamers were 240ft long with a breadth of 32ft and had one fire-tube boiler working at a pressure of 180psi.

Ordered for the Cachar to Sunderbunds service these paddle steamers were designed to be capable of towing two loaded barges of 460tons deadweight on a draught of 6ft at a speed of around 11knots and were intended to spend at least 60% of their time towing with the remainder running freely.

In 1997 The Times reported that a number of paddle steamers were still in service in Bangladesh where they were much favoured by the captains not only for their shallow draught but also because of the watertight integrity of their hulls. Conventional propeller driven ships have a tendency to leak through their stern glands which, being beneath the waterline, need regular re-packing and other attention to keep them watertight. Paddle shafts, on the other hand, pass through the hull above the water and so are not much prone to leakage which is a welcome bonus in a country where new packing supplies and/or dry-docking facilities may sometimes be in short supply .

With more than 5,000 miles of navigable rivers, travel by water remains a major method of transportation in Bangladesh and it is still possible to sail between Dhaka and Khulna aboard one of the so-called "Rocket" passenger paddle steamers like the Mahsud (pictured above) although doubts have been expressed as to how much longer these ships may survive in service. Like so many others in the fleet, the Mahsud was a product of the Denny yard on the Clyde and, along with her sister the Ostrich, was shipped out for passenger, mail and cargo service on the Pudda River in 1929. Sadly some (and perhaps all?) of the paddlers have had their original steam machinery taken out and replaced by Diesel engines. The Lepcha, of 1937/38, for example, had her Denny built triple expansion engine removed when she was "Renovated and Dieselized" in 1995.

Unloading from one of the Rocket paddle steamers using a traditional wooden plank unencumbered by the sort of handrails thought so essential in the west.

Navigating the Bangladesh waterways is notoriously difficult, particularly in the monsoon season, and there have been several major accidents in recent years. In February twelve passengers died in a collision between two ferries near Barisal and more than four hundred were thought to have drowned last July when a heavily loaded passenger vessel was sucked into a whirlpool near Chandpur.

Whether or not the Chinsura is still operational I do not know. If anyone out there has any news about her subsequent fate or any other information about this much forgotten fleet of paddlers, then email me at kc@pskc.freeserve.co.uk and I will add your comments below.

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Hi,

The steamed you are looking for Chinsura was destroyed in 1972 War in Bangladesh. The remains of it still can be seen in the river called “ Arial Khaa” close to Muladi and Baugang,( local people know about it in that area) District Barisal. When I was little, my parents used to tell stories about it that how West Pakistan (in 1972 Bangladesh was East Pakistan) sunk this steamer.

During the low tide, you can still see the remains of this paddle steamer. How I am sure? By the description I had from my parents in Bangladesh exactly matches the pictures. I am 95% positive that Arial Khan river was the last resting place for this boat.

Regards

MAMUNUR RASHID (SR. EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANT) EMPIRE STATE BUILDING TEL:888.563.8266 Ext: 230 FAX: 212.947.5462

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10/08/06

I worked for the Smallpox Eradication Programme in Bangladesh in the 1970s and travelled from time to time on the Rocket. I can't remember the names of the boats but I do remember some still had steam engines.

An allied 'thing' concerns the jute lighters which served as warehousing to store jute etc. until the ocean going ships came up the Pussur River? to Mongla Port to collect it. I used to go by speed boat between Khulna and the Sundarbans, and passed these things on the way. It was curious because these large wrought iron hulls with their corrugated iron sheds on, had names like 'Watford' 'Harrow' and 'Willesden'.

Clive Wilson

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