VARICELLA

About

Completed 1959 as "VARICELLA" for STUK. 1976 sold to Norrona Shipping Singapore and renamed Cherry Baron. 30-4-1983 arrived Kaohsiung for scrap.

Also known as
Cherry Baron
IMO number
5376703
Call sign
GBGA
Construction number
1865
Tonnage
35.793 ton
Beam
26m
Length overall
203m
Year of construction
1959
Year of renaming/broken up
1983
Service for Shell
1959 to 1976
Cargo
Class
Flag state
Home port
Manager
Shipyard
Status
Photo(s)

Comments

Sailors

Name Job Period Details
Mike Offord deck apprentice 1959 to 1960
Neville William... 5th engineer 1959 to 1961
John Reevel Peace 3rd engineer 1959 to 1960
George William ... junior ordinary seaman 1959 to 1960
Geoff Lewis 4th mate 1960
Roger Brooker 2nd mate 1960 to 1961
Garth M. Eldridge 2nd officer 1960 to 1961
Mike Evans 2nd engineer, 3rd engineer 1960 to 1961
Peter Hamilton deck cadet 1960
Ian Leslie King assistant steward 1961 to 1962
Robert Edward D... deck boy 1961
Anthony Terry W... 2nd cook and baker 1961 to 1962
Peter Oram assistant steward 1961 to 1962
Donald Travis deck apprentice 1962
Terry Burman efficient deckhand 1962 to 1963
Ian Leslie King assistant steward 1963 to 1964
Trevor Baker 5th engineer 1963
Howard Fitzgerald 2nd steward 1964
Geoffrey Walker 2nd cook and baker 1964 to 1965
Peter Brian Coxwell deck apprentice 1964 to 1965
Alban Dean catering 1964 to 1965
Michael William... efficient deckhand 1964
Ian Walker catering boy 1964
Ian Stretton Walker 2nd mate 1964
John A. Dilks fireman/greaser 1964
Denis Morton radio officer 1964 to 1965
Roy Ames engine room rating 1965 to 1966
John Ross 1 deck 1965 to 1966
James W. Crosby po mechanic 1965
Mick Heffron catering boycag 1965
Thomas P. Hughes apprentice 1965 Transit home
Anonymous pantryboy 1965
Douglas Beswick 5th engineer 1965 to 1966
Simon Reilly cadet 1965 to 1966
Peter Cole apprentice engineer 1966
John Malcolm Amos catering boy 1966 to 1968
William Thomas ... catering boy 1966
John Bruce deck apprentice 1966
Alan Haynes 3rd mate 1966
Mike Rich deck apprentice 1967
John Hipsey deck cadet 1967
Thomas P. Hughes 3rd officer 1967 1st trip
Taffy Liles steward 1967 to 1968
David Bunn 2nd cook and baker 1967
Howard Fitzgerald chef kok 1967
Albert Loane senior radio officer 1967 to 1968
Les Albrow 3rd officer 1968 7th ship. Travelled around the world on this trip including Australia, South America, North America, Africa and Asia. Joined 02/01/1968 in Mina Al Ahmadi, Kuwait. Paid off 18/07/1968 in Singapore.
John Langford 2nd steward 1968 to 1969
Frank H. Dixon radio officer 1968
David Shepherd catering boy 1968
Roger Phillips 4th engineer 1969 to 1970
Peter Green 5th engineer 1969 to 1970
Brian Dickson cadet 1969 to 1970
Peter B. Pamment chief officer 1969 to 1970
Peter Green 5th engineer 1970 to 1971
Philip Longton ... 2nd engineer 1970 to 1971 First trip
Andrew Price deck cadet 1971 to 1972
Charles Smith chief officer 1971 to 1976
Tony Stevens 4th engineer 1971 to 1972
Brian John Wright 5th engineer 1971
Robin Guy cadet 1971 to 1972
Geoff Donnelly 3rd mate 1972
Greg Hoare 5th engineer 1972 to 1973
Peter Clark engineer cadet 1973 to 1974 1st trip
Shaun Heffernan 5th engineer 1973
Hugh Cromie deck cadet 1973
John Lewindon 5th engineer 1973
Roger Duke 2nd engineer 1973 to 1974
Philip Martin Ryan 5th engineer 1973 to 1974
Tony Ripper deck cadet 1973
John D A Scallan deck cadet 1973 to 1974
Philip Ryan 5th engineer 1974 to 1975
Ian Smith 5th engineer 1974 to 1975
David Beeston 3rd engineer 1974
John Harding 5th engineer 1974
Thomas Malcolm ... 3rd engineer 1974
Peter O'connor cadet 1974
Cliff Funnell deck cadet 1975
Fred Richardson engineer cadet 1975
Maurice Arber engineer cadet 1975
Ben Palmer deck cadet 1975
Peter Matthews chief engineer 1975 On grain trade
Peter Matthews chief engineer 1975
Sean Burns 3rd mate 1975
Stephen Peter Jones navigation cadet 1976 to 1978
A. Peter Colema... chief engineer 1978 to 1979 Renamed Cherry Baron owner Norse Management

Anecdotes

Date Visitor Anecdote
06/05/2017 - 22:51 Tony Dodd

Joined Curacao March 73, left San Francisco July 73. We were carrying white oils, mainly jet fuels from Curacao to the east and west coasts of the US. Spacious, modern (compared to Plagiola that I had been on before) and a pretty reliable girl too. On the last trip to SF, we got new films at Panama City including Dirty Harry so it was pretty fitting as we were heading up to Oakland to discharge and for me to pay off.

12/18/2015 - 14:42 Roger Duke

This was my last steam ship with Shell, by this time she had been converted to a "White oiler" and was trading between the Caribbean and USA alternate trips West Coast LA and San Francisco East Coast New York and Boston. She carried mainly Jet fuel only at that time. I joined and left in the Panama Canal. Apart from the older equipment some of which was obsolete she was a good ship to sail on.

07/11/2014 - 10:27 Mike Offord

Varicella was my first "modern" ship in 1959 after two years on "N" boats and T2's. Very nice she was, too, as a contrast. Air conditioning - wow!
She tramped around a bit, from USA East Coast to the Gulf and various European ports. Pleasant variety in some confort.
Paid off in Newcastle, then went 4th Mate on the Patro to complete my apprenticeship.

07/04/2014 - 20:41 William Thomas ...

I joined the SS Varicella in Scaramanga Greece in May 1966 paid off Nov 1966 in Rotterdam. My first ship after finishing training at HMS Dolphin in Leith. She was in dry dock when I joined her and I spent the next 6 months at sea between the Persian Gulf and Australia, 3 weeks at sea and 24 hours in port in Australia never had shore leave in the Persian Gulf, so it was 6 weeks at sea. Listened to the World Cup on the ships radio in the mess deck when we managed to get a signal. Used to look over to the shore in the Persian Gulf and wished I could get a nice cold Coca Cola. It was also the first time I was in an aeroplane whe I flew between London and Greece. Oh! to be 17 again!

09/28/2011 - 22:43 John Lewindon

Remember being paid of the Varicella in Punta Cardon on the 23rd Dec 1973 and being told there were no flights out of town till after the Xmas celebrations. Stuck in a dingy hotel in Punta Cardon over Xmas. Developed food poisoning and spent the day "glued" to the toilet with a waste bin in my hands. "No speakee english!!!!!!!". Finally flew out to Caracas on the 27th Dec! What a way to spend Xmas

09/15/2011 - 16:47 Thomas P. Hughes

Drydocked at Falmouth. Cecil George Bradley as Master.

08/12/2011 - 16:31 Peter Cole

Dry dock adventures in Skaramanga (may 1966) included a cultural tour of the Corinth area, a scrap with the U.S. navy and an impromptu night with a herd of local goats to the rear of a local taverna whilst somewhat squiffy.

04/13/2009 - 21:55 Peter Coxwell

The Varicella was my first ship joining in May 1964 as a deck apprentice for 11 months with Dick white , Colin Flexon and John Hill .The skipper was Captain Taylor and my first night at sea was an eventful one as on passage from the anchorage to discharge in Rotterdam we were in collision with a cargo ship , the Niedersachzen ? , which brought forward my first drydock in Skaramanga and the skipper's retirement. I learnt one valuable lesson that trip , to stay away from black oil ! I also learnt how to chip decks for 8 hours a day without going mad , how to paint acres of deck in green and bulkheads in white and how to shovel sludge into buckets and throw it ' over the wall '.Fortunately I managed to keep away from Black Oilers thereafter .

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