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Thread: MV Haparangi

  1. #21
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    Default "Happy" Days

    Hi John!

    That was a hell of a voyage on the Haparangi in 1966!

    C/E Big Jim was well matched with 2/E Leachman! Before we arrived in Fremantle, the 3/E, John, told me that BJ ate cadets for breakfast!

    5/E Mike Evans was injured in a fight with the NZ Navy in Russeli, Bay of Islands and Big Jim had him grinding in compressor valves on deck, all the way home!

    Big Jim kept 6/E Tommy in the ER 12 hrs because he mistakenly told a greaser to dump gallons of waste lub oil in the Dirty FO tank! he had to make a brass plaque "Dirty FO Tank" and rivet it to the plates! I remember he stamped the back - "This plack was made by Tommy XXX, date XXX"

    Who was the Geordie 4/E who used to terrorise the first tripper 7/E, Willie? What he did to him in the workshop and the crankcase!
    Last edited by Peter Herring; 9th November 2010 at 07:16 AM.

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    Default Happy '67

    Hi John!

    As I remember, Big Jim was such a tyrant, no none would sign on a ship if they knew he was Chief!
    He only joined the Happy when the Chief (Metcalf?) announced he was leaving shortly before we docked in Fremantle!

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  4. #23
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    Default M/V Holmglen

    Hi Alll, Comments about the Holmglen your right she was in my opinion grossly underpowred but the Engine
    was a beauty. Across the Pacific on delivery the sea could be flat as a pancake and clear as glass.She would be shipping 2 - 3 foot of water all the time. We had 500 ton of Bagged Cement for NZ. 2nd night out in the Bay a Force 10 started to build up. The Bridge managed to get a good sitting off Finisterre just about noon. Oh what a night it was. Engineering Dept had more tickets than the QM.I drew the short straw and 12 - 4. Nobody on board could sleep she was being thrown around like nobody's business. Leon gave me a shake for watch and he looked a bit green. Went down below but had had a rinse and actually looked a bit green myself in the mirror in my cabin. Leon said that he had seen a couple of crests of waves land on the
    ventilation windows above the main engine. As he said it we both grabbed something to hang on as she really decided to welcome me on watch.!-30am. Captain Keith rang me from the bridge and asked had I heard any banging noises. My answer was There is some kind of noise down here, I have been around the whole engine room 1/2 a dozen times and it not in here its definetly forward of the engine room and is not quite in time with using heeling form port to starboard or starboarf to port. "Thats good, everything OK"
    Captain Keith asked me. "Just feeling slightly nauseated, but still looking forward for some breakfast" and hung up.1/2 an hour later capt rang down again" Leon is coming down to take the watch over and come up to the bridge have a small job for you and Maurice (Chief).Leon arrives and said, "Glad you and Maurice are younger than me and a lot fitter Best of Luck". Wouldn't tell me any more so got up to the bridge. Captain Keith,Errol Don,(Holm Super) mates and a couple of seamen are all looking for'ard."Whats the matter" I'm asking Maurice. "Watch the mast.We'll have to go out and tighten the turnbuckles".I looked and here's the mast flopping from side to side 4 foot overall.All I think I said was "OH ****" Any way we got a couple of Pinch bars couple of Heavy Screwdriver,Stilsons.2 small hand carry bags leather and a canvas one and carried the same tools both of us like back packs.The bosun gave us 2 small ropes each.They had loops each end and he said to use them one on each wrist and the other loop to get it onto anything we could see it would stay on. To this day I don't think we would have got to the mast without them.I think it was about 40ft to the mast there abouts.We both wore a woolen sweaters under two boiler suits.Maurice went to the starboard turnbuckled and I got to the port one. There was no more take up on either of them the Ship yard had just used the bottom turnbuckles to tighten the stays.Fortunately we were right we went up the mast ladder one at a time and both hung on like limpets.At the top I was still on the Port side my right leg through the back of the ladderand foot locked under a rung, with my left leg locked round the mast.Maurice the same
    vice versa on the starboard side. It was cold but I think our adrenaline was running so much that we didn't notice it.The turnbuckles were only about 4 threads.We were shouting to each other and our heads were almost touching.We had to tighten our turnbuckles as the mast swung from side to side but make sure we had the bar out as the mast started to come back over.There was a good 18 inches of thread for both of us
    to tighten.It took us an hour and 20 minutes when we reckoned the stays were tght enough and only about 3 threads left. As we got to the deck again we looked at each other and we both said almost at the same time we have to take it easy as the first over cold Hypothermia signs are starting.Any way the bosun and two Ab's were suddenly standing next to us.They hand strung some ropes and help use back to the fore castle entrance. we had a couple of torches and had checked the mast as it went throught the deck there was some distortion but really wouldn't be able to decide till it was calmer weather.They had a couple of large mugs of Tea with reddish coloured milk in and an ample amount of sugar. the blow was still going when they manage to get another sight at noon.We were 5 miles behind Finisterre in 24 hours. Captain Keith and Errol Don reckoned twice we actually heeled more than 45 degrees.Thank God all that cement was in bags at the bottome of the hold. I live in A Life Style Village here in Tawa. A Captain Holm lived here with his wife,he dies a few years ago.We had quite a few yarns abut the Holmglen and what bsuprised mr more than anything the had a small sail installed on her way up for'ard.He told me he only did a couple of trips on her and he got of her as she had no steerage at all on 5 knots or lower. He told me she had the horrible Cork screw roll and pitch in certain seas which she did a lot on her delivery voyage.Have read of the inquiry and Only Maurice as Chief was at it. She did have deck cargo when she foundered. When we got to Curacao to bunker we checked the mastall through and there were a couple of wrinkles in the deck plate and in the hold I think the best way to describe would we flexing appearances on some of the steel plate.The Navy Divers had a check of her when she first went down and she is sitting perfectly upright mast straight.No hatch covers or what would appear to be any damage to the hull.Sorry for rambling on a bit.Best Regards Ken Berry.
    Ps Any of you guys on the 'Good Ship Rangitane" Remember the Chief MacDougall. We had trouble getting off it.We were the Chiefs Social Geniuses.Gordon Hird. Malcolm Fisher and Me Ken Berry.Gordon and I got off it but Malcolm did one more trip.I was on the Holmglen at Gravesend loading our 500 tons of Cement and have tab nabs and looked down the thames and said to Maurice and Leon. Thats the Rangitane coming up the river and she's flying the black flag and then noticed the 6 tugs towing her.So manged to get up to Tilbury that afternoon just as they had tied her up.Went on board and the lads all got a bit of a shock. I had them on a bit about had heard they had had some trouble so decided to rejoin her.Then Malcolm told Me the 2nd had start one of her Doxfords with the turning gear in.He was a Liverpool Prat and I'm from Liverpool. Plus the Chief Frig. who was from the pool and an Evertonian had frozen al the Chilled Beef.He got the DCM as well as the 2nd. In case you young fellas don't know (Don't Come Monday).Malcom and I married New Zealand girls and see each other quite often Gordon married an Aystralian Girl who took over My wife Rita's job while she was on her Big OE. Gordon and barb lived in Melbourne and Gordon was on the Tugs at the Harbour.Saw him a couple of times he died in 1961. We see Barb every few years.I want Rita to go over early next year. Past my bedtime Hoorah

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    Red face MV Haparangi

    Quote Originally Posted by Peter Herring View Post
    Hi John!

    As I remember, Big Jim was such a tyrant, no none would sign on a ship if they knew he was Chief!
    He only joined the Happy when the Chief (Metcalf?) announced he was leaving shortly before we docked in Fremantle!
    Hi peter, Big jim joined voyage 35 in New Zealand for our return trip tp London, I rember christmas day 1967 we were not quite half way across the Pacafic, so boxing day we did a full engine hammer test on all the 16 cylinders, first in number one cylinder was our 2nd engineer rodger leachman, when he finished in number one cylinder he started in number two cylinder, and our 3rd engineer john mccullock went into number one, then followed our 2nd engineer all the way to cylinder 16, the 4th engineer followed the 3rd stright throw to the 10th engineer. What a way to spend boxing day. I think the 4th engineer was willy sparrow? I have traced our 2nd engineer J Rodger Leachman to south california. If you go on facebook enter J Rodger leachman, and look for a scotsman drummer wearing a kilt. He informed me after 16 years with New zealand shipping he was laid off, and joined foreign flags, left thr navy after 21 years, and got married to a girl from califonia, he as now retired. I never managed to get to australia so you must have been on the voyage after i left, ( Happy days at sea without big jim).

  6. #25
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    Default

    Correction it was boxing day 1966 and not 1967,

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    Default

    I sailed with Rdger Leachman when he was chief on the Essex! Large scar on his check with gave him the name "scarface leachman". Good chief if not sometimes a little strange!
    Graham R907127

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    Default

    Hi John, did not sail on Haparangi, but was engineer with N Z at that time, was on the Rangitane in 1966, the Hinakura in1967, Hurunui 1968, Hertford and Somerset costal 1968, we may have met or passed somewhere

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    Default Old Engineers, Reunited like ships that pass in the night.

    Quote Originally Posted by Graham R907127 View Post
    I sailed with Rdger Leachman when he was chief on the Essex! Large scar on his check with gave him the name "scarface leachman". Good chief if not sometimes a little strange!
    Hi Graham; Go on facebook and enter J Roger Leachman, and say hello to your old chief engineer, You may not reconise him from the photo, He got the scar from grinding out the firing space on the Haparangi engine while in New Zealand, he spent quite a while in hospitial. He now lives in Califonia, and is the drummer in a scottish pipe band. We may have passed like ships in the night. Good to hear from ex engineers, All the best John trumble.

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    Default To John Trumble - ex-Happy 7th!

    Hi John!
    nice to hear from you!
    That was a memorable voyage with BJ Clark and R. Leachman - what a pair!
    I'll drop you a line later when I've more time.

    Best Wishes from Tettnang, Germany!

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    Quote Originally Posted by John N Thomas View Post
    Anybody out there who was an Engineer on the Haparangi during 1966/7?
    Joined the Good Ship Haparangi in Nov 1962 in Falmouth,did 2 trips to Aus and Nz, Iwas 6th eng. on both trips. A happy group of lads.Hope we left it in good working order. Before that I did 2 trips on the Hauraki.A short coastal trip on the Middlesex in 1964 and then a trip to Aus onthe Otaki.A wonderful time of my life.

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