Hi Graham,
Yes, I thought about it but as John did not mention that his father had service in the Arctic I thought it wasn't that ship. Maybe if John has the article and if not too personal he could post it?
Regards
Hugh
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Hi Graham,
Yes, I thought about it but as John did not mention that his father had service in the Arctic I thought it wasn't that ship. Maybe if John has the article and if not too personal he could post it?
Regards
Hugh
Thanks for all the above, I have written my dads life at sea, including photo's etc. but it too large to post on this site. I will look up the letter from the admiralty and check the spelling of the Ledall to see if it the Leda ll.
Rgds
J.A.
You may already have seen this JA but just in case for interest reading.
Cheers
Halcyon Class Minesweepers and Survey Ships Home Page HMS Bramble Britomart Franklin Gleaner Gossamer Halcyon Harrier Hazard Hebe Hussar Jason Leda Niger Salamander Scott Seagull Sharpshooter Skipjack Speedwell Speedy Sphinx (halcyon-class.co.uk)
HMS Leda 1942 Halcyon Class Minesweeper (halcyon-class.co.uk)
Can not recall the author but a book called? Grey seas Under is a good read about rescue work done by tugs and near the end they charter the RFA Samsonia or purchase can not recall. I found it good reading especially as I served on the RFA Warden that was sister ship to the Samsonia. Not sure how true this is but at the time I was told that we could only get salvage rights if no private company tug came to take over the tow as being admiralty we would have to give the tow to the private mob.
#14 In general Les in MyTime which will be similar to yours . A vessel in international waters which is derelict and has no one on board is open to anyone who can get a line on her. If the master and any crew on board the derelict then the ship is still under the control of the master. This is where the fables of the last person to leave the ship comes from. Captain Carlson and the Flying Enterprise which most will remember is the reason why he stayed. On board hopefully to negotiate the terms of any Salvage Award. Most masters in a similar position today with VHF etc.would make any agreement on the public airways by having witnesses to the pay outs etc. The normal way unless one was a sea lawyer of the honest type would be to ask any would be salvager for an Open Form Lloyd’s Agreement which in general was a no cure ...No pay result. However the worth of any salvage was decided by a Marine Court Of Law and money paid out fairly to those involved in the salvage of the vessel. A small claim when I was working as mate on a supply vessel out of the west Coast of Ireland 101 miles due west of Fenit in the Atlantic, we towed the stand by boat back into port and rather than go through the courts we each took 200 pounds from the owner , it was just a matter of tying her up alongside and steaming back in with her. Unfortuanetley the only casualty was the 2 engineer off the wee boat who missed the gangway coming back to the ship in port and we found his body next day. Another sad ending to someone’s life. JS..
NB// Re to the Flying Enterprise saga the tug sent out to assist was the Turmoil an Admiralty tug.All ships answer vessels in Distress jS
Here we go Les
Guess this is the Book you talk of
Cheers
The Grey Seas Under: The Perilous Rescue Mission of a N.A. Salvage Tug by Farley Mowat | Goodreads
Again thanks for all the above.
I went and found the letter from the admiralty and found that I had got the ships name completely wrong. The vessel in question was actually the Norwegian Ledaal. In 1941 November, she suffered engine failure and was towed back to port by my father's tug, this according to the convoy web, Arnaldo Hague.
As for the rescue tugs bollard pull it appears to be around 32 tons with an engine horse power of around 1500 bhp, those some of them were steam powered.
By 1943 the rescue tugs did accompany all ocean convoys
Rgds
J.A
Attachment 35608Attachment 35608
The first couple of tugs I was on as mate were just over 300O BHP with a bollard pull of About 90 tons . Towing a rig which is not a ship shape and has plenty of wind resistance and floats on pontoons needed 2 tugs towing for safety reasons , is a different situation when towing in tandem as only feet apart and courses steered are at least 5 degrees apart . The lead tug gives all directions of changes to course and revs to maintain ,is much easier with just one tug on the tow. As said today most bollard pulls on rig shifts are on the 200 ton bollard pull at least. I carried on out here with the old rejects from the North Sea with the older ships of about 7000 BHP. I much preferred going tow master on the rig itself a much easier job. Cheers JS
Re #17. Transcription [mine] of her movements - Norwegian LEDAAL - Reported 27/11. Requires assistance, 15m. 300ﹾ from Rudh’Re no anchor, steering gear broken. Picked up by tug off the Isle of Skye, proceeding Ardrossan. (Casualty list 459, 28/11)
At Ardrossan 29/11, in tow of tug. Lost both anchors and cables, steering gear broken owing to heavy weather. Bottom damage suspected also small collision damage below water. To drydock.
Grounding damage started 4/12 Completed 20/12
Regards
Hugh
A very good book about wartime salvage tugs is"Bustler Class Rescue Tugs: in war & peace" written by R.O. Neish, who has written other books about ships built at Henry Robb of Leith.ISBN 978-1-84995-504-1, published by WHITTLES PUBLISHING. Very interesting & well written folllows the vessel from building to their end of days, with plenty of human interest story interspersed from interviews with ex crewmen.
Kev