Anecdote

We asked at Hofplein if itwas possible to get the same ship and it was no problem at all. So Chris Wiegant and I went to Kuwait and had a hard drive through the dessert into Saoudi-arabie. We went on board the Vitrea somewehre, I don't remember the name of the harbour, and after a week or so I went homesick because of my new girlfriend and I quited aboard. So after 6 or 7 weeks I went home and left my friend Chris alone.
I married that girl, so it was not for nothing!
For a long time Chris and I met frequently but somehow it went over.
Too bad , but that's live.

I was signed on the Velletia in Hamburg as an EDH in Hamberg. We had two weeks anchored off Cowes Isle of Wight with the Volvatella due to the world glut of oil.
Eventually they shut down one boiler and we sailed at 12 knots for Mina Al Amahadi
We loaded 28ooo + tons of oil in six hours. The !st mate was fast. Paid off in Newcastle 11 monthe and ten days later. I still have my wages slip. Happy Days

Ik was aan boord toen we de Zaria bank ontdekten Voorheen bekend als de Charlotte bank in de Chinese zee. Tjonge dat was jammer van de zaterdagse hapjes alles op de grond en jammer genoeg ook mijn goeie goed verklooit. Maar ik ben nog steeds onder de indruk van het feit dat die hoofd motor van full sea speed zo met een klik terug ging naar achteruit. Het was te laat maar toch aan die motor heeft het niet gelegen. Ik weet niet hoeveel jaar het is geleden maar dat vergeet ik nooit weer ondanks dat ik in mijn hart en nieren een stuurman ben.

This is actually a test message on behalf of a lady whose son served on Drupa and Erinna; but was sadly killed in a motor accident in 1989 aged 17. She is trying to trace anyone who knows more of these two ships during 1986-88.

She has tried to login and post, but without success, hence I am trying to do it on her behalf.
Tonga

the day i would never forget onboard was the day i raised a false alarm, i was supposed to use the patrolman alarm, instead i used the engineers alarm, this alerted all the engineers onboard.
i felt so stupid wit ma self

Had Great Dry Dock Time Singapore Wages For Fun,Only 16 At The Time What An Experience...Joined Borneo-Paid Off-Rotterdam

The Acteon was the ship I sailed on in the beginning years of the 70's.
It had a fixed route on Saigon during the war, we where checked all the time by small patrol boats full of South Vietnamese soldairs. They where throwing granades under the ship to keep away divers. Sometimes the next morning there where some dead guy's on the small land strip near the ship, awfull to see but daed as a doornail.
I've met my ex-wife in Singapore that time, and lived with her for five years. All I have left is my memories and a wonderfull son. Shell was the best employer i have known.
greetz Hans

Joined Hyria or as she was known in those days the "Saigon Flyer" with my wife in September 1974 was just settling in when was taken off with an emergency appendectomy in Singapore end of October 1974.

I joined the Amoria in the summer of 1969 my last trip as an apprentice traded in the far east for the whole trip which included ripping the bottom out whilst under pilot in Da Nang on the Vietnamese coast, made it back to Jurong shipyard in Singapore and had a great drydock whilst they fixed her up.

Juni 1965; De aanvaring met het Franse passagiersschip Cambodja op de rede van Singapore en de daarna maand durende dokperiode in Singapore.
Van de aanvaring (ongeveer 07.00 locale tijd)zelf heb ik niet meer gemerkt als een
stevige schok, ik liep de 12-4 en lag net zoals dat heette te kooi.
De hele bak bas ontzet, maar dat was nog niets vergeleken bij het gat in de romp van de fransman, waar een forse vrachtauto door naar binnen had kunnen rijden.
Het meest frappante waren de bussen met haarlak die bij ons aan dek lagen.
Maar de maand Singapore is voor mij een onvergetelijke ervaring geworden.

I am interested with all who was on the ZAPHON on the the first vovage,and have you any pics. my pics I have may be of interesting to you
Will from Wisbech

joined ship @anchorage alaska april 1973,ship had diffulty getting along side because of ice,but down on the engine control platform the temp was 100f should have known there was going to be a problem as the temp got hotter and hotter on are way to singapore when the sea temp at one time was 97f in front of the boilers it was 169f bottom of enginroom 160f coolest place control platform at 139f but the worst bit was when blew tubs recorded temp of 195 - 204f ,the problem was caused by one of the boiler side caising burning through and we were unable to repair it with out a complete shut down