HEMIFUSUS

About

Completed 1954 as "HEMIFUSUS" for STUK. 23-3-1976 arrived Burriana for scrapping.

IMO number
5147425
Call sign
MSDF
Construction number
1219
Tonnage
19.349 ton
Beam
21m
Length overall
169m
Year of construction
1954
Year of renaming/broken up
1976
Service for Shell
1954 to 1976
Cargo
Class
Flag state
Home port
Manager
Shipyard
Status
Photo(s)

Comments

Sailors

Name Job Period Details
Michael Trevor ... engineer
Brian Woodland stoker 1954 to 1955
Graham Hughes steward/messman 1954 to 1955 messroom steward
Jack Higgs 5th engineer 1954 maiden voyage
John A. Caughey 2nd engineer 1954 to 1955
Gordon Owen Carr 3rd engineer 1955
Greville Wilday 3rd officer 1956 to 1957
Donald Wood 3rd engineer 1956 to 1958
Keith Refault radio officer 1956 to 1957
Keith Refault radio officer 1956 to 1957
John Holly ordinary seaman 1957 to 1958
Neil W. Ogilvie 5th engineer, 4th engineer 1957 to 1959
Daniel Rutherford 2nd cook and baker 1957
John Davis. 3rd mate 1957 to 1958
Alan Gelder greaser 1957 to 1959 donkey greaser
Eric Hughes radio officer 1958 to 1959
Alan Briggs catering boy 1959 to 1960
William Lomas apprentice engineer 1959
Alan Briggs catering boy 1959 to 1960
Roger Poulton 3rd mate 1959 to 1960
Ian Stretton Walker 3rd mate 1961 to 1962
Mike Pearch 2nd mate acting 1st mate 1961 to 1963
Pieter Koops deck apprentice 1962
Brinley Charles Ford 5th engineer 1962 to 1963
Jack Hewitt deck apprentice 1962
Brian Wilkie junior radio officer 1963 to 1964 First trip Junior Radio Officer Hughie Fisher First R/O
Patrick Jude Mo... radio officer 1963
Simon Reilly cadet 1963 to 1964
Brian Crew 2nd engineer 1964 to 1965
Richard Graham ... deck apprentice 1964 to 1965
Vic Hubbert 3rd mate 1964
Arthur Whiteley 3rd engineer 1964 to 1965
Bernard Fendt 2nd engineer 1965
Mike Dobison 5th 1965 to 1966 First trip joined palmers drydock Tyneside paid off Avonmouth 10 month trip great times
Jim Lakeman 4th engineer 1965 to 1966
Brian Dootson apprentice engineer 1965
Peter Cole apprentice engineer 1965 to 1966
Marnoch S. Thomson chief engineer 1965 to 1966
Glynn Turnbull apprentice engineer 1965
Noel Anthony Ra... chief mate 1967 to 1968
Richard Nobby Clarke galley boy 1967 to 1968
Arthur Edwards senior ordinary seaman 1967
Derek Day 2nd cook and baker 1967
Barry Moss 3rd engineer 1967
Mel Peel 4th engineer 1967 to 1968
Peter Mcdonald pantryboy 1967 to 1968
David Heron crew messman 1968 to 1969
John Selbie catering boy/galley boy 1968 to 1969
Ian Coulman 3rd officer 1968
Neil Frederick ... 2nd cook 1968
Bryan S R Lowe junior ordinary seaman 1968 jos
Steve Cross 2nd cook 1968 to 1969
Alan Jones Alan... 2nd steward 1968 to 1969
Alan Hill deck cadet 1968
Michael Rand 3rd engineer 1968 to 1969
Anonymous crew messman 1969
Roy Barker 2nd steward 1969
Frank H. Dixon radio officer 1969
William Muirhead deck apprentice 1969
Richard Nobby Clarke catering boy 1969 to 1970
Basil J. Tucker 5th engineer 1970
Robert T. Dunbar deck cadet 1970 2nd trip
Peter M Morgan deck cadet 1970
Hugh Smith deck cadet 1971
Andy Willmore 3rd mate 1971
Roger Roue 4th engineer 1971
Peter Green 5th engineer 1971 to 1972
David Andrews engineer cadet 1971
Jim Lakeman 3rd engineer 1971
Alan Hill deck cadet/3rd officer 1971 to 1972
Michael D. Allen captain (commanding officer) 1971 to 1972
Harry Chater Bl... junior ordinary seaman 1971
Graeme Wood 4th engineer 1971 to 1972
Eric Phillips captain (commanding officer) 1972 to 1973
Lol Power catering boy/galley boy 1972
John Parr catering 1972
Bob Hossack 5th engineer 1972
Charles Stobbart catering offficer 1973 to 1974
Bernard Teale 2nd engineer 1973 to 1974
Peter Liversedge deck cadet 1973
Alan Phillip Carter 5th engineer 1973
Neil Simpson cadet 1973 to 1974
Peter John Houghton 2nd engineer 1973
Jon Welford deck cadet 1973 to 1974
Brian Killilea radio officer 1973 to 1974
Michael F. Keenan 4th engineer 1973
Jonathan Rushton deck cadet 1974
Herbie Battye 2nd officer 1974
Robin Spencer deck cadet 1974 to 1975
Lawrence Hitchen catering boy 1974 to 1975
David Wilson chef kok 1974
Greg Hoare 5th engineer 1974
Harvey Williams 2nd steward 1974 to 1975
Ian Jones Taffy fireman 1974 to 1975
John Sage 5th engineer 1975
Mike Slinger fireman 1975 to 1976
David Heron crew messman 1975 to 1976
Tony Breakell deck cadet 1975 to 1976
Jack Beaumont master 1975
Stephen Hudson 5th engineer 1976 to 1979
Steve Chatfield senior ordinary seaman 1976

Anecdotes

Date Visitor Anecdote
12/04/2021 - 20:34 Robert Dunbar

Joined the Hemifusus my 2nd trip in Rotterdam 04/02/1970 along with three other deck cadets. After completing the discharge and tank cleaning in the English Channel we entered Bute Dry Dock Cardiff 09/02/70 The following day a full crew change was carried out. The ships articles were closed and new articles opened. One of the cadets who had only just joined, decided he was not re-signing on and simply walked off the ship, the one and only time I saw this happening in 40 years at sea. Tiger bay was in full swing and we had some great runs ashore. After sailing we headed west to the Caribbean loading Lub oils in Curacao and discharging in the US. The Capt. was very much old school and had logged/sacked quite a few people in the first 8 weeks. On the 2nd. loading in Curacao the Capt. paid off and was temporarily relieved by an elderly retired Capt. for a month or so. Regrettably a couple of crew members the worse the wear for drink returned from the Madhouse and decided to "have a word" with the Capt. about the numerous loggings and sackings unaware that he had left the vessel, that afternoon. There was a scuffle, outside the Captains cabin with lots of shouting and banging which resulted in the police arriving and the two crew members being arrested, never seen again. We then headed for Panama, Japan, Singapore, Curacao and finally back to the UK without too many further incidents, paying off in London 19/08/1970 (A great learning trip for a cadet but definitely not a happy trip)

06/05/2017 - 22:30 Tony Dodd

Hemifusus was my last H boat, joined and left in Singapore during first half of 74 after I had passed my 2nd Class Steam ticket. Nice old girl, running around the Pacific with Lub Oils and the only time I went to Japan was on her. I loved the routes but, with new ships coming on line and me only getting sent to old ones, I was becoming a little bored with Shell boats by the time I was on her and wanted something more modern so I left Shell for a challenging role with a Greek shipping company - where my Panamanian ticket cost me just 10bucks and I could have a 2/E berth and pay!

05/10/2014 - 17:11 John Selbie

my first trip at sea ,was supposed to be for 3 months turned out to be a 9 month sentence,i lived in the rabbit hutch assigned to catering boys ,i was sea sick from hamburg to gulf of mexico aprox for 3 weeks ,the ship its self was hmm rubbish so say the least,but the work and guys i worked with were great, i worked as galley boy,and as i came from a small mining town in fife, and from a large family living on the bread line, i can honestly say i have never been so well fed,but have to say saw a lot of this world we live on in that nine months in fact a world criuse,so from sept 1968 to june 1969, i have to say thanks to ,john the cook from everton liam curran liverpool rocky (nobby clark pantry boy lol closest i can get for him was west ham area, and fellow scot davy herron,hope u all done well and life was good to u all.

10/22/2011 - 12:48 Peter Cole

Had black out on the Musi river heading for Pladju, ran aground briefly, fended off river pirates with capstan bars and brought the new year in half an hour early due to a timing error that was down to the skipper whose name I can't remember. Ch.Eng. was Marnoch Thompson, we drank all chiefies scotch & a good time was had by all.

12/03/2009 - 12:00 John Holly

I was an ordinary seaman and member of the crew of the Hemifusus when she carried first cargo of oil from Port Harcourt. We were treated to a roof-top party at Shell House, Lagos. On arrival in Port Harcourt Shell laid on a reception for the then Governor of Nigeria, together with his wife and party of officials. However, an engineer officer, who being fond of his drink, was considered too much of a liability to mix with invited officials and was foiled into entering his cabin with a "spare" case of whiskey etc. As he placed under his bunk, a couple of other officers locked his cabin door and left him there until the Governor and his party had left.

As we were at anchor on the river, a barge was set in place to enable the guests, especially the ladies, to embark from the launches, and ascend the steps to the deck. A cadet was posted as lookout on the bridge, in order to inform the captain when the first launch left the key side. It was arranged for the Governor to on the first launch. Unexpectedly, I was the sole person on the launch, having missed the last launch of the night before. I spent the night on a Fife's banana ship. When "my" launch pulled up at the landing barge, I was met by the captain and his officers in their white uniforms. The look he gave me suggested I was in for a keel-hauling. The crew members were casually assembled on the poop deck and gave me a round of applause. I crept to my cabin and laid low for a while.

Halcyon days.

Regards

John Holly

PS. I gave up the sea on my return to England

10/27/2009 - 20:42 Keith Refault

Hemifusus was my first deep sea ship. I joined as Radio Officer at the age of 18 (15 days before my 19th birthday). I have always wanted to get a copy of the shell or a good photo of her. The one in the Helderline website looks as if it was toward the end of her days. When I joined she was only 2 so I would be 'over the moon' to get a photo of her in her prime

03/20/2009 - 20:10 Jon Welford

My first ship as Deck Cadet joined in Rotterdam and straight to Barry Dry Dock to replace propshaft bearings. Loaded Lube oils in Curacao ended up in New Zealand, Only ship I spent Christmas aboard in 9 years with Shell!

03/20/2009 - 20:06 Jon Welford