Hain- Norse Trewidden.
by Published on 30th January 2019 10:59 AM
After my first 3 ships being B.P. tankers i’d decided that i needed to see more of the world than the Persian gulf or being loaded offshore at places like Sidon so tried Union Castle and had great times around African coast on Rothesay Castle, doing 3 trips on her.
Stupidly took another tanker the Bedford on maiden voyage from yard in Japan and ended up of course in the gulf. [think i only took her because the flight to join her was via Anchorage, Alaska and over the pole and that idea sold me ]. Got a VNC when i walked off her in Rotterdam and got ferry home.
Made a vow to myself never to go near the gulf again under any circumstances.
Then tried some liners - Andes, Queen Mary and had some experiences that come with such vessels.
After the Mary and back to the pool and was offered the Trewidden and had to join her in Antwerp.
Loaded everywhere including England and we were carrying beer, gin, whisky, and so many more items required for our armed forces serving - where else but the bases in the Persian gulf.
About 6 and a half months and what a great ship.
We spent many hours down the holds of a night helping ourselves to cases of Tuborg, and any spirit we fancied.
I think we only did 5 or 6 ports if you can call them that and mostly were anchored off when unloading.
Sharjah was a very entertaining stop drinking in the canteen with the troops where we met a guy who was immune to pain and would enthrall us by butting his cigarettes out on his hands and arms. He was a very crazy character and his skin was a mess from burns that he couldn’t feel.
Some of us - bout 18 or 20 of us paid some local boys who had boats to take us ashore one night and after much alcohol we tried to steal a boat to get back to the ship but were picked up by a very scruffy security force of some kind all carrying automatic rifles. We were bundled into the back of a truck and it appeared to be driven into the desert and we were convinced they were going to shoot us and were hysterical with fear and laughter. We arrived at some sort of warehouse that had low benches inside and was very brightly lit with ceiling lights, concrete floors and no windows and instructed to sit on the benches.
It became very cold and we spent the night shivering and trying to sleep before the truck came back in the morning and took us back to the ships boat still under armed escort.
The whole trip we really only got ashore properly as in tied up to a wharf once and that was in Mombassa on the way back home.
We were somewhere in the Gulf for Ramadan and as we were drinking constantly the natives who were living on board got angry with us and started to play up. After several scuffles and heated threats from both sides they decided to revolt and were becoming a major threat.
Due to our cargo we were always slighty tipsy or even worse and we were up for trouble if it started.
I found a length of steel rod in the engine room and was trying to sharpen it to a point for a weapon when one of the engineers turned the grinder wheel off - for my own safety,- and i went back to see what was happening up top. The natives were screaming and banging on the steel access door to the deck and i went to the door and asked one of my mates to open it and let me at’em. He swung the door open and i leapt through it only to be smashed across the side of the head with a large piece of deck timber and that’s the last i knew until i awoke 15 or so minutes later.
There was lots of questions asked and the whole unloading crew were changed for new workers and shore authorities requested some crew members go ashore and identify those we thought had stirred the trouble, but no-one was willing to go as we all were too scared to do so.
We returned to Sharjah some time later and went looking for the painless man only to be told he’d been discharged on medical grounds.
Radio Sharjah was the base station and they were having a charity drive where they were playing the same record continuously until someone phoned in with a request and paid money to change the song. We thought this was a great idea animist of the crew donated a pound or two and we got together about 35 - 40 pounds and i was the one who called the station and my request was for the Beatles - Sergeant Peppers. A few were happy but most did not want to hear it until someone topped our bid which i thought very unlikely.
After 1 play it was taken off air and i wasn’t very popular, gotta laugh thinking back.
This was such a happy ship and even though we didn’t go to any desirable places it was the second most enjoyable ship of my Merchant navy time.
After joining this site i got in touch with an A.B. from the Trewidden who was also on the Port Montreal with me 2 years later. Hadn’t spoken to him since 1969 and after saying Hello Mate, how are you he said “Hey Trev remember when you got knocked out”.
Both he and his younger brother were on the Port Montreal but that was another story that was 11 months of madness and mayhem and the greatest ship of my life.
I know some of you have had bad times with Hain’s but maybe i was fortunate to be with them when they were Hain-Norse as it was a very good ship with good cabins, food was good and plentiful.
If you have a good laugh, good crew, good food and accommodation what more do you need ?
