The Mary P Cooper
On the evening of March 21st 1961 two vessels collided in the Manchester Ship Canal east of the swing bridge at Stockton Heath, they were the coaster MV Foamville and the sandhopper Mary P Cooper the latter had a large gash in her port side and sank almost immediately. Thankfully there were no fatalities. The Foamville suffered no major damage and remained afloat. The canal remained blocked for several weeks as a salvage team worked to raise the loaded sand hopper.
To make her hold watertight it was completely covered with either wood planking or thick plywood and braced with 21 steel beams bolted across this decking. Large cylindrical floatation tanks were filled with water and lowered into the bottom of the canal, divers attached the tanks to each side of the hull, compressed air was then pumped into the tanks to expel the water thus creating bouyancy, prior to the lifting operation the MSC Grab Hopper No.1. removed as much of the sand load as possible to lighten the sand hopper to help the refloating of the Mary P Cooper.
The damaged vessel was towed into the old river Mersey bed behind Greenall’s Avenue and
beached, all fittings of any value were removed she was then left to rot.
The land was eventually built upon and the Mary P Cooper still lies buried there under the earth.
