Elder Dempster MV PERANG

[Michael Boyd]

The MV Perang of which I was the junior 6th.Engineer left the berth at Tilbury and proceeded to Blue Circle Cement Wharf , now Bluewater Shopping centre, to load bagged cement. This was a 24hr operation in contrast to the unloading in West Africa !

We sailed Xmas Eve 1960 after being told that this was to be a double header, ie combining a trip to the states and return to West Africa.

The compass setter came on board with the pilot and the ship swung in the Thames estuary, lots of engine movements with me noting down the times to correspond with the bridge.

Down the channel, dropped the pilot and compass setter off Dungeness, I was on watch with the 3rd engineer, we shut down the main Scotch boiler and opened the main exhaust valve to divert into the vertical Cochran boiler.
The Perang was Doxford engined but steam auxillaries, generators, pumps, steering gear winches etc.,
This was OK as long as the ship was proceeding full ahead, as the Cochran boiler had to be supplemented by fuel oil when additional steam was required, particularly on deck, when a winch was run.

Into the Bay of Biscay, at full speed of 9knots we proceeded slowly through increasingly heavy weather, the 2nd Engineer had been thrown out of his bunk, cracking a few ribs, pipes under the engine room plates were leaking and the chippy called out to fit cement boxes and I was introduced to Thistlebond bandages around cracked leaking pipes.

Xmas Day even worse weather, to inspect the steam steering gear I had to proceed down the shaft tunnel feeling the bearings for overheating, the propeller racing as the ship heaved out of the troughs, then up into the steering flat, made sure the twin cylinder Weir steam engine was lubricated , back down the tunnel as it wasn't safe to go to our midship accommodation over the open deck.

As the galley stove was coal fired it was too dangerous to cook our Xmas lunch until the weather calmed as it did on Boxing Day.

The 3rd and I now took indicator cards on the main engineer, three cards on each cyl of the 4cyl Doxford.
One for head office, which had to be spotless, quite difficult on an oily engine and dirty fingers.

As the weather improved, as junior engineers we left sea watches and were on day work, mainly on deck inspecting steam winches, capstans and the anchor windlass.This is where I came aware of the limitations of the Cochran boiler steaming on just the main exhaust.
The deck officer ran the anchor windlass to check the chain, this exhausted the steam in the engine room and shut down the generators, condense pumps etc.,

Back on sea watches we arrived at Freetown Sierra Leone, I was sent ashore to check on the fuel storage tanks as we were taking on heavy oil for the boiler and main engine.
Also our crew was from Freetown and had shore leave, so a substitute crew came on board, catering and engine room staff.

A cargo handling crew also came on board, the KROO , expert cargo handlers to off load our cement and thenn to take on board timber when we were up the creeks.

Now to Accra to offload our bags of cement.

Another tale.

Continuing my narrative of ED.
My first trip as a junior engineer.

We arrived off Accra Ghana with the shoreline on the horizon, still on sea watch as the engine was on standby.
As we off loaded our bagged cement into wooden canoes manned by fishermen and paddled ashore with ornate carved paddles, we rolled in the swell.
The cement was intended for Tema a new port under construction.

As the cement was gradually off loaded we moved further into the shore.
This was 1960 Ghana was now independent with Nkrumah as president.

I now had an attack of prickly heat, the chief stewards calamine lotion was to no avail, so decided to send me ashore to hospital A&E.

A canoe came alongside with a wooden seat lashed to the thwarts and the usual paddlers, I boarded from our lowered gangway.
Within minutes in the swell the horizon disappeared and the ship.

We approached the shore in the surf, the timing was exactly right to sweep the canoe up onto the beach, didn’t even get my feet wet.
Into a waiting taxi, through the centre of Accra lots of Russians and modern buildings and to the hospital.

Doctor from UK had been there a few weeks, only medication was Calamine lotion he apologised!
So back to the ship and another week of sufferance until we had completed off loading and sailed for Sapele in Nigeria.

MV Perang

To continue my narrative of my first voyage.

Leaving our anchorage off Accra, we proceeded down the west coast of Africa en route to Sapele in the Nigerian Delta.
Crossed the Escravos bar which is apparently quite shallow, 12ft , with the lead line swung by one of the Kroo men in the bow.

Picked up the pilot who was paddled to us in a wooden canoe.

Up the creeks to Sapele and tied up to trees on the bank.

A raft of logs was moored in the creek having been floated down from the forest.
Some of these logs were 6-8 ft in diameter. But we’re expertly loaded by our Kroo team into our hold with our own steam winches.

On watch as a junior I was on alternative nights in the engine room, but managed to celebrate my 21st. Birthday!

With our holds full of hardwood timber and logs lashed on deck we left Sapele, back over the bar to Monrovia in Liberia for Latex, this was pumped into a holding tank next to the engine room with heating coils to keep liquid.

Back to Ghana, Takoradi for Palm oil, then to the Cameroons for more timber and collected from the quay, leftover bananas from Fyffes boats, green, but hung in the engineroom quickly ripened.

It was now February and our destination was Fall River Massachusetts in the USA.

But 3 to 4 days before our landfall I was on watch with the third engineer and heard a scream from the middle’s engine platform and found the engine room cleaner greaser had trapped his hand under the fuel valve camshaft with one of his fingers squashed.
Managed to push and drag him up to the chief steward , who cleaned his hand and was ready to remove the finger if it had become infected.
He survived and on a later voyage reappeared as a helmsman !

Off loaded some of our timber in Fall River and proceeded to Norfolk in Virginia, where we dry docked for a hull inspection, repacked the stern gland then sailed to Baltimore in Phiidelphia
Baltimore and up to New York.
The old Queen Mary sailed past us as we proceeded to our berth under the Brooklyn Bridge.

We had a week here off loading, went ashore when I had time off as I was on alternate nights with the other junior.Visited Manhattan, Times Square, but very cold as it was February, March.

Had a lift back to the ship one night in the British Ambassadors Rolls Royce as I met his chauffeur in a club !

Then up to Halifax in Canada, even colder, pine trees and snow, visited the cinema , “ Sink the Bismark “ was showing !

Loaded bags of Canadian flour, back to New York, loaded big American cars onto the flour bags, then Caterpillar tractors and bulldozers lashed on deck.

Sailed back over the Atlantic, Takoradi in Ghana, off loaded the bags of flour and cars.

Then to Lagos off loaded the Caterpillar tractors.

Then with our holds empty, timber in Sapele, latex in Liberia palm oil in Ghana headed home via the Kiel Canal, to Aarhus in Denmark, to off load the latex, then Avonmouth off load some timber then Tilbury and 3 weeks leave.

It was now June, so a 6 month trip, for a young engineer who hadn’t been abroad before I had visited countries you could only read about.

Next voyage, engine problems.

Mike Boyd

[Alan Briggs]

Good description of a couple of trips I did in the Filleigh on charter to ED's load Blue Circle cement London discharge Takoradi Accra then up the creeks to Sapele Warri load logs top off in Lagos, discharge Amsterdam London, one trip I acquired a nice African gray parrot,courtesy of the crew boys.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

I only did two trips down the West coast, that was on the Harperly in 52, both times to Conakry, had to tie up to trees, only a small wharf and as the Iron ore was loaded by chute that was not moveable we had to move ship all the time. A shore Walla showed us a big shed where they used to keep slaves for shipment, it still had the chains fixed to the walls. I believe that now Conakry is one of the biggest iron ore ports in the world.
Des

[Alan Briggs]

We used to load at the Blue Circle wharf for the West Coast, cement outward timber homeward, the cargo handlers or crew boys used to get us African Grey parrots.

[David Wright]

I was on the Kabala, also Elder Dempster, in the early 70s. I also spent a lot of time on deck overhauling the steam winches. I'd forgotten about the boiler running of the engine exhaust.