GREENOCK'S Ocean Terminal welcomes container ships and grand liners to what once was the Albert Harbour.

Provost James Johnston Grieve, who was mentioned here in recent weeks, laid the harbour’s foundation stone in 1862.

Today, those wondering how the harbour got its name could be forgiven for thinking it was in honour of Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert, who died in 1861. However, our archives indicate the name was taken from an earlier Albert Quay which ran alongside Clarence Street.

The harbour was the outcome of the old Greenock Harbour Trust’s costly plan to build Princes Pier and its railway station.

It was originally intended to construct a pier extending into deep water from the old Albert Quay but the plans were extended to include a seven-acre harbour.

There was also the intention to make a 450ft drydock which would have cost £150,000.

As had happened before, the harbour trust ran out of money before all its plans could be completed.

The Albert Harbour cost more than £250,000 to construct and the bill for Princes Pier was around £100,000.

Transport minister Richard March officially opened the container terminal on 27 June 1969. He said the development had cost £2,500,000 and an additional £1,000,000 would be spent on a second container berth when the filling-in of the Albert Harbour was shortly due to be completed.

An old tobacco warehouse which stood to the west of the Albert Harbour features in both of today’s photographs.

One was taken in 1971 — the year in which the warehouse was demolished to make more space for container storage — and the other shows it in the background of an undated view of Clyde steamers in the harbour.