Article contributed by Davy Wilson - (2005)

The photo below used to be the Musgrave Channel, where the launched ships would be towed & made fast to one of the many jetties. Store rooms lined the north side of the channel.

In the late 50's & early 60's we had 40 minutes for lunch. On summer days the men would sit with their backs against this wall & watch "Dick", the nude swimmer entertain them.

The Belfast Musgrave Channel

Most of the lunch-time was spent bantering Dick. He had a whole repertoire of tricks, cartwheel, floating on his back & his "piece de resistance".... wait for it,he would climb up a ship's hawser as far as his age would let him & then he would let go, to tumultuous cheers. He thrived on this.

He wasn't a young man - in his 50's I would guess. What made him mad was when he was floating somebody would shout "hey Dick! @#$@*floats too!!".

Dick's response was "come on down here & say that to my face". The crowd egged them on something shocking, all in good fun.

This was in the musgrave channel, which was a back water. Because of this the water never circulated & there where all sorts floating. I'll leave that to your imagination.

All the best - Davy Wilson

We might have another reference to the mystery swimmer

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