The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
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Dracone Experiment
A morning launch for a new invention christened the Dracone from Billingham Reach Wharf on the River Tees.
From the collection of:
Overview
Skipper Spink and crew of the Fiery Cross tugboat tow a new underwater nylon barge named the Dracone (a sea serpent), down the Tees, out to sea, and back at dusk. This Billingham Film Unit record of the launch and sea trial of a new invention by Newcastle-born engineer William Rede Hawthorne introduces beautiful location shots along the River Tees Billingham Reach Wharf, a foggy Transporter Bridge, South Gare lighthouse, and Middlesbrough Dock as darkness falls.
In 1956 William Rede Hawthorne designed the Dracone in response to the Suez crisis when petrol rationing ensued. It could carry oil, fresh water, or other liquids across oceans and was later adapted by BP to clear up oil spills. It is alleged his invention was modelled on the slug drawn by the Fenian Ram submarine, which features in the 1954 novel Under Pressure by American science fiction writer Tim Herbert, also known as the author of Dune. Hawthorne became Master of Churchill College, Cambridge, and was a Pentacle Club member, and later President, well-known for performing magic and, amongst the clubs kitchen staff, for making cheese rolls come out from behind his ears.
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