Australind Shipping Company

[aussie]

I was on Antrim 1971-72,2 trips and Donegal one trip. Great trips and great crews. Bosun on Antrim was Wally Green and on Donegal last name Fraser. Captains were Murry and Luck, C/E Horsburgh and C/S Barnes. Names might be familiar to some of you.We used to fly the Hungry Goose flag on both ships if i remember. Cheers Aussie

[Richard Culligan]

I remember the Araluen having the 'kink' up forward plus also having two black balls permanently displayed due to the fact we kept breaking down. The wire holding the black balls together gave up in the end and nearly hit the CO tall chapo with a beard but can't tremember his name!!

Richard (R846959)

[Paul Foulston]

I was 2nd Mate on the Limerick during the Strike in Liverpool. Happiest ship I was ever on, probably because of Capt John Blake
Derek Maeer

Derek,

Old posting I know but a couple of questions if you still look in here.

Am I correct in thinking that apart from being on the Limerick under John Blake we worked by on either Antrim or Galway when she was dry docked at Smiths in North Shields around 1969. There was a large explosion leading to a fatality and injuries to dockyard staff and ship was shifted on the blocks.

All a long time ago but I remember hiring a car together to get back home.............cannot remember why.

Going back to the Limerick 1n 1966, can you remember the name of the third mate, think he later went off to Geest line?


Paul

[Bob Dunkley]

Dave in reply to your query has any body heard of this co ,i sailed on the Australind in january 1970 we ended up, up the gulf for weeks we caught fire in Basrah which burnt out the turbo blowers so they towed us to aberdan in Iran where we stayed a few days waiting for the parts while a shore gang of arabs cleaned up all the black bulkheads in the engine room the morning of the fire we all moved aft as flames were coming out the engine room sky light the captain and chief engineer were shouting get down and fight the fire , we were saying you get down and fight the fire in the end the iraqi fire brigade turned up and put it out we had one man blotto and carried him from the accomodation to the poop ,after leaving Aberdan we went to Lorenco Marques to load ore for middlesboruogh arriving on the 8th of May one of our crew was later to be the lookout on the Bow Belle .and the engine room storekeper was sent home under suspision of starting the fire we also had some fires in the hatches the same night ,the greaser on watch said there was 4 fires in differnt locations in the engine room he put 3 out but the 4th one blew a round cilinder tank and he just got out ahead of the fire beside that it was a great trip with a good bunch of lads and not a bad ship

[Richard Culligan]

I was on that trip as one of the cadets, I remember that fire and being down in the engine room with the big fire extingushers with the CO (can't remember his name but the skipper I think was Capt Hastings) and others.


Richard (R 846959)

[Bob Dunkley]

richard i remember one of the cadets he had jet black hair and was quite short does that sound like you if so did you stay with the co or at sea in general

[Richard Culligan]

Hi Bob

No, I was the one with red / auburn hair - the other guy was a first tripper if it is the person I'm thinking of. Will have to see if I have any photos from that trip.

I stayed with the Company till end of 1971 (joined them in 1967) and then left the sea. Think I would have been bored on container ships. If I remember rightly wasn't there also a fire in one of the aft hatches (timber cargo)?

Another thing has come to mind regarded a fracas with the American Navy in Bahrain and the same American ship turned up in LM!

[Bob Dunkley]

richard you are right there were 2 or3 fires during the night in the hatches and we were thinking it might have been the russians as they had trounced us at football in the after noon and we were invited onboard there ship for drinks it seems the jnr eng or someone took a watch from the russian captains quarters which made us think they were after revenge ,But in the end we all knew the culprit ??? the affair in Bahrain was simple we were on the sherbert in a base for the army and navy it was called H M S JUFAIR I think, we were sitting at a tin table when some one came in with an alsation dog ,a tin table got kicked over and a big ruck broke out and our pantry boy from manchester( he had long hair ) glassed a navy boy and caused quite a cut from eye to chin all hell broke loose and we were all taken back to the ship by landrover next day they had an identity parade with some big knobs white feathers in there caps the lot but the boy who was glassed told me on the bottom of the ganway that he wasnt going to grass even if he recognised him.When you described yourself i got a picture in my mind straight away nice to hear from you

[Richard Culligan]

richard you are right there were 2 or3 fires during the night in the hatches and we were thinking it might have been the russians as they had trounced us at football in the after noon and we were invited onboard there ship for drinks it seems the jnr eng or someone took a watch from the russian captains quarters which made us think they were after revenge ,But in the end we all knew the culprit ??? the affair in Bahrain was simple we were on the sherbert in a base for the army and navy it was called H M S JUFAIR I think, we were sitting at a tin table when some one came in with an alsation dog ,a tin table got kicked over and a big ruck broke out and our pantry boy from manchester( he had long hair ) glassed a navy boy and caused quite a cut from eye to chin all hell broke loose and we were all taken back to the ship by landrover next day they had an identity parade with some big knobs white feathers in there caps the lot but the boy who was glassed told me on the bottom of the ganway that he wasnt going to grass even if he recognised him.When you described yourself i got a picture in my mind straight away nice to hear from you

Bob

I do not remember that number of hatch fires nor the football match - but I do remember the Russian ship borrrowing the film 'Battle of Britain' for a few days. Re the ruck I remember the visit the ship had the next day from the top brass but I never knew the actual circumstances behind it all, thanks for enlightening me.

I do remember sailing down to LM as I was one of the group tasked with cleaning up the engine room caused by the smoke damage. Us cadets got all the good jobs!!!

Didn't a greaser get taken ashore in the Gulf?

Still trying to find if I had any photos of that trip - if I have will post them on this thread.

Richard

[Lindsay Forrest]

Hi I was 4th Engineer on this when we caught fire. In Basra I remember. It made a hell of a mess in the engine room and we ended up doing Engine Room watches with torches until we got to the UK.