Steering

[Tony Wilding]

What was the worst ship to steer that you sailed on, were they easier to steer loaded or unloaded. ? were they all different.?

[Trader]

The worse one that I sailed on was the dingbat "Esso Lambeth". Flat bottomed, twin screw and built for the Maracaibo Lakes and definitely not for the UK coast in winter. Eight/nine knots max. Light or loaded it made no difference they were bastards to steer. I believe there are a few on here who will back me up. There were four of them altogether, Esso Fulham, Lambeth, Chelsea and Wandsworth all named after London boroughs. They were all built in the States, some on the Great Lakes and floated down the Mississippi to the Gulf.

Alec.

Here is a photo, not my own, thanks to whoever took it.

[Tony Wilding]

WOW, she looks rather basic,

[Trader]

WOW, she looks rather basic,

She certainly was Tony. Horrible accommodation but a good feeder being Esso and plenty of overtime.

Triple Ex. Steam engines, I loved to watch them going up and down.

Alec.

[Tony Wilding]

chatty but happy, ! good food and plenty of O/T sounds ok, my kind of ship with those engines, very slow for a twin screw job. i went to Maracaibo on MV Salinas, the town and up into the lake to the oil depot. bought a Amazon Parrot in Maracaibo for 1 carton of cigarettes.

[Lou Barron]

The worst ship for steering Empire Austen
the best ship was the Saminver

[Reg Holmes-Brown]

I didn't work on as many ships as others,but the worst one for steering would have to be the SS Medina Princess,top speed 7 knots with a tail wind and following seas,closely followed by the Mary K.The smoothest ship was the Highland Monarch

[Des Taff Jenkins]

HI Tony.
Can't remember what ship it was either an old cairns boat or the Basford but it had chain steering, God when I think of that how old must I be? I steered the replica of the Bounty up Sydney harbour she had the rope steering direct to the rudder but I'm sure it was better that the chain, imagine a wedge coming adrift and jamming the chain in a heavy seas; doesn't bear thinking about.
Cheers Des

redc.gif

[Gulliver]

I didn't work on as many ships as others,but the worst one for steering would have to be the SS Medina Princess,top speed 7 knots with a tail wind and following seas,closely followed by the Mary K.The smoothest ship was the Highland Monarch

There has been quite a lot on the web,and in all these nautical sites about the company that owned this ship,the notorious/infamous Helmville Shipping,,one of those (mainly) foreigner owned and run outfits which ran ships under the U.K. flag from late 50’s through the 80’s,the otherwise ‘golden era’ of our British Shipping.It was certainly the time when the British MN was sliding into decline rapidly.
Almost a flag of convenience,and certainly one to avoid unless you were desperate for a ship.
　
The 7,069 grt cargo vessel s.s. MEDINA PRINCESS was built 1944 for MOWT as EMPIRE TUDOR - later
48 GRANDYKE - 49 BENVANNOCH -and was bought by Helmville Shipping Co. in 1956.

An early incident came to light when it was reported in 1961
- In tow of tug Englishman, Bd Falmouth- Short of Fuel.
　
　
　
Then- the from logs of "HMS LOCH LOMOND, AUGUST 1962 –
Re British ship – MEDINA PRINCESS

3/8/62 The British flagged tramp ship requested assistance from HMS LOCH LOMOND which was paying a visit to Djibouti in French Somaliland. Amazingly, MEDINA PRINCESS was lying alongside the wharf but the Master signed a Lloyds Open Form !… The vessel had reportedly grounded whilst arriving at Djibouti,and her engine room was flooded.Salvage work was taken in hand immediately by technical staff from the British frigate. All efforts to remove water from the flooded engine room proved in vain. It was suspected that as fast as one sea valve was shut by the salvage team in an attempt to prevent ingress of water, other valves were being opened by persons unknown to ensure that the ship would not be able to sail. The absence of any ship drawings made all salvage attempts a lengthy and hit and miss affair.
LOCH LOMOND had to sail three days later and salvage work was then abandoned with no success. The Medina Princess was towed out of port two years later by the authorities and beached on a shoal off Djibouti in 9/64,and apparently could still be seen there into the 70’s.
MEDINA PRINCESS had a history of disaster since sailing from Europe with a cargo of wheat consigned to China. There had been innumerable problems including a mutiny whilst on passage through the Mediterranean.
The affair culminated in a legal action in the High Court in London. Salvage awards were not paid."

… about the insurance case... It appears Helmville was trying to get about £350,0000 for a ship worth £65,000,and the case was notable for the length of time it was in the courts.

　
The MNAOA(Officers Union )were warning members about conditions in this company in the 70’s. Problems on the company’s later British-flagged vessels ( m.v.Jocelyne; m.v.Faith Euskalduna ;and m.v. David,Marquess of Milford Haven) included non-payment of wages,and the vessels were regularly detained for non-payment of dues,fraud and negligence.
I heard the company was run from a little office near Fenchurch Street Station in London,and the MD was M.Alachouzos,with Capt.L.A.Osbourne described as marine superintendent-later a "consultant" -between 1976 -8.Yes,the same Capt.Osborne who was master of the Medina Princess in 1962.

Helmville went into liquidation in 1981.

[Tony Wilding]

was suprised to hear the Empire ship was a bad steerer, i did read the liberties were bad in high winds unladen, ? Medina Princess must have been worn out, her designed speed was 10/11 knots, sounds a very dodgy company to work for.