THALAMUS

About

Completed 1945 as Fort Raleigh for U.S.M.C. 1947 purchased by STUK and renamed "THALAMUS". 2-1960 laid-up Blackwater. 5-5-1961 arrived Blyth for scrapping.

Also known as
Fort Raleigh
IMO number
2247733
Call sign
GDSV
Construction number
135
Tonnage
16.478 ton
Beam
21m
Length overall
169m
Year of construction
1945
Year of renaming/broken up
1961
Service for Shell
1947 to 1961
Cargo
Class
Flag state
Home port
Manager
Shipyard
Status
Photo(s)

Comments

Sailors

Name Job Period Details
Ron Middleton unknown being an x shell tanker man i am trying to find out about the death of geoffery barker on the thalamus in 1959
Alec Provan deck apprentice 1953 to 1954
Leo J. Mc Shane apprentice 1953 to 1954
Brian Kelsall apprentice engineer 1954
David Gareth Wh... 2nd mate 1954 to 1955
Jim Rollinson 5th engineer, 4th engineer 1954 to 1955
Douglas M.C. Renton 3rd mate 1954 to 1955
Tom Currie engineer 1956
Maddie7479 Bosan 1958 Geoffrey Lawrence Barker died on board. buried Argentina -
Mike Waring pantryboy 1958 to 1959 cabin boy/pantry boy
Mike Offord deck apprentice 1958
William Lomas apprentice engineer 1958 to 1959
Gerald W Brown apprentice engineer 1959 to 1960
Colin Busby apprentice engineer 1959
Maddie7479 able seaman and boatswain (bosun/petty officer) 1959 My last Trip - Death in Suspicious circumstance 1959 - alleged beating by Scottish Crew on shore died 5 day later congestion of the lungs. More info required please help! Left a wife and 9 month old child behind.
Geoff Lewis 3rd mate 1959 to 1960

Anecdotes

Date Visitor Anecdote
07/11/2014 - 10:21 Mike Offord

I joined Thalamus in Singapore after a 12-month world-wide cruise on the Ninella. The Thalamus had been out east for a long time with a British crew, most of whom had died, jumped ship, got DT's, fallen overboard or otherwise become incapacitated.
Shell gathered up all the deck and engineer apprentices it could fine in the area to crew Thalamus back to Europe.
I assume nobody wanted her cargo of parafin wax, so we were instructed to sail at 4 knots across the Indian Ocean in high summer, so you can imagine what that was like with a cargo that needed to be kept so hot. Sleeping out on deck became the norm.
After the Suez Canal transit, we were suddenly told to maintain normal speed to Belfast where we all paid off, but as far as I know Thalamus was laid up, parafin wax and all.
Mike Offord

05/19/2009 - 22:05 Jim Rollinson

Joined Thalamus in December 1954 as 5th engineer in South Shields. In April 1954 Thalamus was sent to the aid of the San Cirilo after the boiler explosion which killed all the engineers apart from the Chief and two firemen. Chief Engineer Macaulay arranged for 3rd engineer and two 5ths to be put aboard Cirilo,I was one of them.
Our Chief Mate refused to take the ships motor boat and Cirilo had to send hers for us. We found the Cirilo Chief inside the other boiler descaling. We spent 7 days aboard repairing and sailing her into Trinidad. We kept 6 hour watches.
On rejoining Thalamus I was promoted to 4th engineer.
Unfortunately in September 1955 In Rotterdam myself and a 5th were scalded and hospitalised.