The last time we went down there of a summer's evening, the Winston Churchill training ship was in (early 1980's), and not long after the dock closed
Peter J
Between 1919 to 1941 Levers owned the Southern Whaling & Sealing Company. Levers were the largest users of whale oil in Europe. It had many uses including margarine.
In 1937/38 Syd Percy a Chemist from Levers Port Sunlight Factory worked on this ship and recorded his 7 month experience in letters to his Fiancée.
His son Stephen Percy complied them into a book "I'll Be Waiting".
Without knowing it, this was to be the "season" that saw the largest global catch of whales, 54,900 producing 3.6 million barrels of oil.
And despite increasing number of ships in later years, the number of whales caught declined. It was only in 1986 that the most countries stopped whaling.
The F.F. Southern Princess. Levers factory whaling ship, in Bromborough Dock 1932.