What lies beneath?

[David mullins]

Following the article “Shanghaied” last month, I was pleased and delighted on seeing the photograph of the MV British Monarch which Graham Shaw kindly submitted.
Gazing at various aspects of the ship brought back many memories of daily happenings which occurred over the extended period of that lengthy voyage.
In particular though, I spotted the pilot rope ladder on the after end of the foredeck on the starboard side. it was lowered to its full extent which brought back a humorous episode I’d almost forgotten about.

Buoyed off at Ocean Island, part of the Kiribati group in the Gilbert’s, waiting to load 5000 tons of Guano bound for Hobart, Tasmania, the mood on the ship was pretty grim. Literally on the equator, no wind, no AC, no indication when we’d be going alongside and the accommodation akin to a pizza oven, the crowd were defiantly not happy bunnies.
Out came the pilot ladder which just about reached sea level since we were light ship. Because of the height from the gunwale to the sea, most used the pilot ladder to descend to the beautiful blue relief which beckoned from below. Braver younger crew members jumped for it with squeals of excitement and anticipation. Quite a few of the crew had swimming goggles of various sorts which they took with them.
The visibility was, I can only describe as incredible. Swimming below the surface felt like flying without wings with hundreds of feet of crystal clear vision.
A plethora of all types of fish in almost unbelievable colours seemed to accept our presence without hardly a glance.
Nobby Clark’s where always on most peoples minds when dipping in tropical waters and this area was no exception.
There was probably twenty or so crew members enjoying the relief of these beautiful waters at any one time. Probably an hour or so passed when an aura of absolute hell descended on the the swimmers.
To an observer, it looked as though the sea had reached boiling point. It appeared sheer panic had struck each swimmer as each thrashed the surface with wild strokes in a desperate effort to reach the pilot ladder.
I think pilot ladders were designed and constructed for both the ascent and descent of one person.
This all went to pot as about twenty or so seamen tried to climb the ladder en-masse. This was accompanied by screams and shouts as many attempted to climb over each other in an effort to get their feet out of the water.
Eventually all reached the foredeck, wide eyed and gasping for air.
“What’s happened” we enquired, desperate to know what lay at the route of the issue.
“Creatures, massive creatures attacking us” was the general consensus of opinion.
After much explanation and description of the attack it eventually transpired that a family of Manta rays were trawling in the area and approached the swimmers. Apparently, Mantas which are totally harmless, can reach a width of sixteen feet and adding the magnification factor of the water would of course look rather sinister particular with their mouths wide open in the trawling process.
Eventually we went alongside and laden with the birdpoo, we headed south for Tasmania.

[Tony Taylor]

Following the article “Shanghaied” last month, I was pleased and delighted on seeing the photograph of the MV British Monarch which Graham Shaw kindly submitted.

Eventually we went alongside and laden with the birdpoo, we headed south for Tasmania.

Remined me of a similar experience while anchored off Madras. Nothing like jumping off the boat deck then swimming to the pilot ladder and up again for another go, great fun. The next night after 12-4, at 04.30 me and my mate were having a breather looking over the side, one of the floodlights had swung out over the water where we could see loads of large orange eyes, about a foot apart, no idea what they were but the fish must have been very big.
Next afternoon after watch, all the boys are in again and shouting for me and my mate to join them, no chance we said, if you saw what we saw last night you wouldnt be in there either.

[John F Collier]

For me the place to forget was without any doubt Cairns in Queensland, now a city very popular with tourist viewing the great barrier reef and diving, "that is now" but in 1955 it
was unrecognizable to what it is today. Cairns in 1955 was simply a Jetty with sheds, Sugar Cane plantation, one pub, an advertisement on the side wall of the the pub proudly
proclaimed "KEROSENE LIGHT OF THE AGE" , the pub had one large room wit a square shaped bar and the beer was chilled, and being the only place of recreation,it was always
full,there was no escape, the nearest town was said to be 40 miles away reached by a single track railway line, When aboard the ship and having a smoke, I as taking in the
surroundings, looking down at the water I was amazed to see a huge crocodile, snakes and Jellyfish swimming on the surface, billions of mosquitoes and I'm sure I spotted some
Pterodactyls, talk about Jurassic world , as for what lies beneath, "I DON'T WANT TO KNOW" . Cheers to all.

[j.sabourn]

The first time I was there John was in 1953 and the last time was in or about 2005 , best remembered in 1953 though , the weekend on a Sunday a dead day to Most was a trip out to the. Barrier Reef , Green Island , which had a sole glass bottomed row boat to look at the bottom and nothing else, today they have and underwater obseravatory and all the modern aids .On a Sunday night however we used to get the one track railway to go up to Corunda where the dancing and drinking went on,and come back Monday morning. Today there is a world known aerial railway available for transport. The only things I recognised in Cairns on my last visit was the mangrove swamps and the crocs. Anyone wanting to swim in the harbour must be nuts. Cheers JS.

[happy daze john in oz]

Indeed here in Oz we have some of the deadliest creatures there are, along with our politicians.
In Freemantle back in 64, had to use the ferry to get from ship to shore.
Berthed somewhere south of no where and not far from somewhere.
On the way back on the ferry one of the lads said he had been told by the barman to look out for the giant Jellyfish.
Not sure what he was going to do if he saw one, no where to go on the ferry.

[Keith Tindell]

I have posted this account previous, i was on a ship anchored offshore in India, the ship was the Jalasilton Hall, the Jala i presume we were on charter, and did all round the Indian coast. As happened on most ships at that time, deck crew gathered aft with the daily issue of beer, and talked of many things for women to distant ports etc, and i know not kosher today, slung the empties over the side, after a while some noted that the cans were going, and so we watched, and sure enough a short distance astern, there was triple on the water, and the can was taken by nobby.We had been working on stages over the side by day, so the bosun was summoned, and he watched and that was painting over the side finished while on the coast.

[cappy]

Same in columbo on a tanker anchored of fishing at night with deck light hung over rsend.....nobbies like flys round a jam jar .. and big buggers not reef sharks ...best one On orpheus island on the barrier reef on holiday pat ses i will fish a bit ......she cast in and the tug nearly pulled her in ....there was a guy on hand looked after the boats etc .....ses dont worry it will only probably be a reef shark ......any way between us we landed it......a good four feet and a gob big enough to take your leg of.....she didnt like fishing after that ...and before hand we had motored round the island in a small boat ....she had trailed her hands inthe water......not anymore lol R683532

[j.sabourn]

Is that how Mary lost her leg Cappy ? JS

[cappy]

naw it was a third mate friom runcimans......got her in a japanese arce lock and couldnt get out of it .....lol cappy

[Graham Shaw]

Re #6 m.v. Jalasiltonhall ( ON 180105)
I always like looking up member's ships. That was quite unusual Keith, (well I think so,at that time-but not now-for a British company ship to be built in a country like former Yugoslavia,in Rijeka.
She was actually laid down with a traditional West Hartlepool SN Co.Ltd.name-the SILTONHALL-then unusually,launched in 12/58 with the name JALASILTONHALL -ahead of her intended charter to Scindia SN Co. of Bombay who's names mostly began with the prefix Jala. Eventually in 63 she was purchased by that company becoming the JALAGOMATI. Scrapped in Bombay in 4/1983. Also appears to be a bit of confusion about her registered tonnage.As laid down she was 9,056,then on launching as 6,487. They lost a bit then !