Anecdote

Desmond Doyle @ SAN VELINO, Sat, 12/31/2016 - 09:52

My father Desmond Doyle served as Chief Officer from 57-58. He took over command 259/58 due to Capt. Gibb becoming ill. Sailed from Curacao to Rio via Cardon, Venezuela where he reverted to Ch.Off on being relieved by Capt. Weightman, 15/10/58.

Desmond Doyle @ SAN SALVADOR (1), Sat, 12/31/2016 - 09:40

15/12/47 - Damaged by collision off Curacao with Tucupita and subsequent fire. Condemned and in 1949 sold for scrapping at Buenos Aires.

Desmond Doyle @ SAN GASPAR (1), Sat, 12/31/2016 - 09:36

18/7/42 - Torpedoed off Trinidad and was repaired. 23/2/54 - Arrived at Osaka for scrapping.

Desmond Doyle @ SAN CIRILO, Sat, 12/31/2016 - 09:33

21/3/42 - Heavily damaged by a Japanese submarine torpedo attack south of Ceylon (Sri Lanka). She managed to reach port and was repaired. 1955 Sold to the Price Soc. per Asioni di Nav, Italy. Renamed Sportivo, 1957 converted to a bulk carrier.

Desmond Doyle @ SAN LORENZO, Sat, 12/31/2016 - 09:23

San Lorenzo (1914-28). 3/6/17 Torpedoed off NW Ireland, towed in and repaired. 1917 Tonnage openings closed and thereafter the tonnages were 12097 get. 1928 Sold to A/S Oran, Norway and renamed Ole Wegger and converted into a Whale factory ship. 14/1/41 - Captured in the Antarctic, by the German raider Pinguin and taken to Bordeaux by a German prize. Sunk by the Germans as a block ship at Rouen. Salvaged and towed to the UK after the War and in 1947 sold to Swedish ship breakers at Gothenburg.

Michael Kemp @ HOROMYA, Wed, 11/23/2016 - 21:47

I joined Horomya on 11thJuly 1960 under the command of Captain Mayne having spent the previous 5 days in Rouen with deck apprentices Codrington from S Rhodesia and Benrimjo from Gibraltar as Horomya had been delayed by a sfrike in Bordeaux. We arrived Mina Al Ahmadi 2 August to load crude for Niigata , weather during the passage down the Red Sea was very warm and 3 of us were given the job of derusting midship decks with windier hammers very noisy (no ear defenders in those days!) and very very dirty. Nighttime temperature in Mina was 42c (109F) Horomya had no air con. Bunkered Singapore 12 Aug arriving Niigata 22nd slow discharge took 2 days with no night sailings. Next 5 months to end January 1961 we transported crude from Miri to Niigata, Yokohama (5times) Bunyu, Balikpapan (pilotage through Japanese WW2 minefield!) Tarakan, Labuan, Tg Penuru, Pulo Sambu, Singapore, Surabaya where we spent a week from New Year's Day 1961 watching Naval manoeuvres celebrating President Sukharno's birthday with beautifully designed Russian warships. My memories of this trip include the greenish blue colour of far eastern seas, the view of Mount Fuji from the sea.the enormous swells from typhoon Phyllis as we left Kobe and I mean enormous! the gorgeous satay sticks at the Officers Club in Balikpapan and finally the sights,sounds, scents and culture of Japan and bargain prices of many things compared to home I paid off in Mina 20th January1961for transfer to Velutina and met David Rayfield - hello David!

Frederick Williamson @ VIBEX, Sun, 11/13/2016 - 17:24

MY FIRST SHIP ON LEAVING SCHOOL WAS THE VIBEX. MY JOB WAS CABIN BOY I WAS 16YEARS OLD AT THE TIME .1961-1962. WE RAN AGROUND IN QUEBEC NOVA SCOTIA IN ST LAWRENCE RIVER.WE ABANDONED SHIP AND WERE TAKEN TO CHATEU FONTANAC IN QUEBEC, CANADA. SHE WAS A GREAT SHIP TO SAIL IN AT THAT TIME.SPENT 11 MONTHS ON THIS TRIP TO PERSIAN GULF, AUSTRALIA, SUEZ CANAL AND PANAMA. AS A YOUNG LAD AT THE TIME THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SUEZ WOULD NOT HAVE ENTERED MY HEAD AS IT WAS MY FIRST SHIP AND I WAS LEARNING THE ROPES LITERALLY.ANY PICTURES WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. SIGNED ON AT SMITHS DOCK NORTH SHIELDS GREAT TIME WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THE VIBEX GREAT LOOKING SHIP.

Michael Kemp @ ALUCO, Tue, 11/01/2016 - 17:12

Joined Aluco as a first trip Deck apprentice on 10th October 1959 for her maiden voyage with Paul Munns, Paddy Slinger, & Richard Lawson with cargo of freshwater to Curacoa.My first watch was 12 to 4 with second officer Jim Connolly en route we conducted speed trials off Newhaven arriving Willemstad 16days later. A few days out we caught a big swell in darkness which listed us severely to starboard resulting loss of power for several minutes. The foremast lookout looked decidedly unwell once on deck! Over the next 8 months we visited Carson,Matadi,Trinidad (Boxing Day), Rotterdam,Thameshaven,early 1960 spent coasting UK waters to Stanlow, Saltend, Killingholme, Teesport, across to Rotterdam,Donges ( cargo of Avgas ),Copenhagen ,Fredericia, then back to CuraA?ao ,en route anchoring in Falmouth for turbine repairs over Easter weekend. Across to Carson loading clean oils for the Med calling at Iskenderun,Beruit, Tripoli (Libya- stern discharge) Malta, Port de Boucher (Marseilles again stern discharge). I paid off Aluco at 10.00 hours on Thursday 3rd June 1960 for leave. I joined Horomya in Rouen on 11th July but that\'s another another story!

Angus Hardern @ METHANE PIONEER, Sun, 10/30/2016 - 12:59

This ship was the first to arrive at Canvey Island with it's cargo of LNG on behalf of the North Thames Gas Board.
My father was the Public Relations Officer for the NTGB and his job was to deal with the understandable concerns of the residents of Canvey Island - this was the first time LNG had been transported in this manner and who knows what might happen if anything untoward happened.
At about 4.00 in the morning our phone at home rang and my father took the call, to be told the ship had docked but that there had been a fire on the docksidea??a??..

In the event the fire was a minor blaze entirely unconnected with the arrival of the Methane Pioneer but it certainly galvanized father that night.

Rob Mcclune @ HEMITROCHUS, Wed, 10/19/2016 - 07:04

My first and only deep sea voyage, round the world on one trip. I\\\'m not sure of the date possibly 1968 or 1969 don\\\'t have my sign on book handy.
I was 16 at the time after a training session at Gravesend merchant navy school, I still have my training book.
I had a great time on the ship even though it was only a 4 or 5 month trip.
Being a tanker we never got to stay tied up more than a couple of days, and going through the panama canal was great. I did one more trip, middle trade including Italy, Sweden, Norway then back to Scotland and finally spent a few months on the ferries. A fairly short life on the ocean.

Geoff Doherty @ GLESSULA, Sat, 10/15/2016 - 13:02

In 1959 I joined the Glessula at Port Harcourt, Nigeria in 1959 as a 5th Engineer. She had a capacity of 9000 tons and was being used to top up larger tankers which could not be completely filled with crude oil when in port because of the lack of draught in the river. The part loaded ship and the Glessula would sail out to Fernando Po (now called Sao Tome) where we would transfer our cargo to complete its load before returning to Port Harcourt to await the next one.
Whilst I was there Nigeria obtained its Independence and the crew, all Nigerians, were given several days off to celebrate. During that period the ship's main engines were kept on Stand By and it was suggested we remained on board. There was a RN ship in attendance, we were told it was to help with the celebrations.

Geoff Doherty @ THAUMASTUS, Sat, 10/15/2016 - 12:08

Joined on 25th July, 1958 when ship was laid up in Firth of Forth, she was basically a dead ship at that time with nothing, absolutely nothing, working on board. About 5 of us, all engineers I think, were put on board with a drum of diesel fuel and told to get the ship working asap so she could sail to Rotterdam for dry dock. The diesel was to get a generator working so we could have power and lighting. There was a superintendent in part time attendance but he stayed ashore in a hotel, we lived on the ship whilst we got it ready. Over the next few days we got her working as a skeleton crew joined and we sailed for Rotterdam on 29th July. The ship was in dry dock from 4th August until 25th September when we set sail for Fao in Persian Gulf.
I remained on the ship until 19th April 1959 when I was paid off, coincidentally in Rotterdam.

Hard work but thoroughly enjoyed it.

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