ROBERT (Bob) PRESCOTT-Did You Know Him?

[Gulliver]

I'm Placing this thread in a New Post within the Shipping Company(Bibby Line )Forum,so that in future it will be visible to future viewers,and not be hidden elsewhere.

Our member Calway is the sister of Robert Prescott who was an Engineer with Bibby Line from 1967 to 1976. Sadly,Robert died in an engine-room explosion during trials in in 1976 aboard the 'Liverpool Bridge'. (This vessel ,renamed the 'Derbyshire' was later the same one lost with 44 persons in 1980.)


Cal would love to hear from anybody who sailed with,or knew of her brother, as she was only very young when Robert died on the 'Liverpool Bridge.'

So far ,myself and Ross have replied to Cal,so if any member reading this thread in the future and who knew her brother,please contact her.

Cal has just been in hospital for a short while,and I'm sure ,like me,we all wish her well!
Davey(Gulliver)

[Scully]

I'm sorry I can't help with this but just wanted to wish Calway good luck in her search for people who knew her brother. I searched for a very long time for people who knew my brother from his seafaring days & was lucky to find a few who sailed with him on the Devonshire & one who sailed with him on the Luxor.
I hope you find some Cal & they can share some memories with you.
Kind regards,
Tracey R59268 HSOD

[happy daze john in oz]

Tracey, good to see you around after such a long time. hope all is well with you.

[Ross Davidson]

Hi Davey, didn't know Calway was ill, however i received an email from the family this week and promised to send some rather lengthy messages about my trips on the worcester, warwick and Westminster Bridge. The Worcester and Wenstminster had a few skeletons that should make some interesting reading for them. Unfortunately it's being told through my eyes but at least i hope they can match the fact that Robert was there sharing the same circumstances as me.We were so "gung ho" with our lives in early twenties. Now at 62 i really do use pedestrian crossings.Got fined in Bremen in '68 for jay walking across a freeway! Not Fit anymore!Stay well, regards Ross

[Graham F Glover]

Hi Mate

Firstly I am logged in under my proper name. I was an R/O with Bibbys for about 12 years from 1968, I left in March 1980. I am sorry that I have not replied about this earlier but only found the site about two months ago and then went off on long summer jaunts and have only just recently returned. I remember only to well the awful events of the explosion on 'Liverpool Bridge' (as she was). Although I do not personally remember Robert I did know, quite well, Max Biggam the electrician who was badly injured in the same explosion and susequently died of his injuries, I sailed with him on several occasions. The (as she became) Derbyshire went into lay up in Stavanger and I think it was for about a year or so anyway I was part of the recommissioning crew in march 1979 we then sailed her across to Brazil and on to south Africa where I left to fly home in June of that year. I know if I had had the offer of a further trip at a later date I would have jumped at it, although must admit never liked going into the engineroom. She was super ship and both my wife and I were so shocked to hear what happen, we had several good friends who were lost with her. As a matter of interest I had a friend who was a deck officer and he told me he was due to fly out to her for that trip but contracted flu or something and couldn't go.
Seems strange now, but the reason I left the sea was because of Gas Carriers, just didn't like them at all, two trips was enough.
Regards
Graham

[Gulliver]

Hi there Graham.
I think I sailed with you on my first trip on 'old' Derbyshire (cargo ship) 1970.I was Cadet(Dave Smith ,(Deejay),although my nickname on there was Gulliver-so as you can see my nickname stuck and I used it here on this site! The other cadets were Mike Farrimond(Yogi),Simon Tudor Jones and Pete(Plug) Williams. Great first trip and you were all a great bunch of guys.Capt.Ken Gowsell,C/O Bill Railton C/E Reg Willoughby,C/Stew. Dave Miley. etc.
Unfortunately lost all my early crew lists,so I hope you are the Graham Glover on the Derbyshire,unless it was on a subsequent ship? I remember the Isle of Man connection with your name. I Iater sailed on Shropshire,Worcestershire & Dart America before moving on.
I wrote about that first trip and will attach a link(if I can find it! ( It's post #1 in that thread)

www.merchant-navy.net/forum/showthread.php?t=3036

All the Best,Graham! Nice to hear from you. Enjoy the trip!

Davey

[Graham F Glover]

Hi Davey,

Well I did sail on the old Derby but October 68 to Feb 69, there was another R/O from the IOM John Cottier?
maybe that rings bells. I am sure I must have met up with you at some time. At the time you are talking about i was on the old Yorkshire and Toronto City, I did just about the full works after that with trips on Shropshire,Oxfordshire, Atlantic Bridge, Westmonster,Berkshire,Dart Atlantic, Aussie Bridge,Cheshire, Aussie again,Canadian Bridge, Dart Atlantic, Yorkshire, Hampshire,Dart America,Dart Atlantic,Berkshire,Dart Atlantic, Dart Atlantic again!, the late lamented Derbyshire, Dart Atlatnic and finally Hampshire
I am afraid I don't have too much information on crew lists etc, but will look out what I have and send it off to you if I think it will relate to your time in Bibbys.

all the best

Graham

[Gulliver]

Hi there,Graham. 'Tis indeed a pain when we have to rely on memory,rather than on a lost crewlist.Mine were sadly lost during one of life's little transitions-I'd recorded everything!.
The R/O wasn't Cottier,and I can't remember his name!

However,it 's probably the 'Shropshire' I sailed with you.Memory -jogging----1971.Birkenhead to East Africa non-stop,2 great weeks in Mombasa,then Red Sea ports to see the"fuzzy-wuzzies",then Aquaba(Jordan) loaded potash for Bangladesh.A bit dodgy up the Pussur River in Chalna due to the war,then Colombo(tea & hides) for Liverpool-we were supposed to bunker Las Palmas but ordered direct to Liverpool(shame).
Capt. Adrian Moore,C/O Fletcher(ex-Watts Watts),other Cadet Alan Hooper,Jnr Eng. Norman Oën,3/E Terry Lane...that's all I remember.

You did a few good years there with Bibbys.And yes I know the Westmon ster Bridge wasn't a spelling mistake.Ha!

Advise anybody now to guard their old crew lists very carefully.They're worth a million lost brain cells!

Cheers!
Davey

[Alan Melia]

Hi all, I am in private message contact with Calway about Bob but I'm putting some crew list information for Bob here in case any shipmates recognise him.

Date 19th February 1974

mv Worcestershire

Capt A Hudson C/E EA Parker
c/o JK Wilkinson 2/E A MacFarlane
2/o JA Slater 3/E R. D. Prescott
3/o RI Townend 4/E JC Beverage
Cadet LD Vickers 5/E K Hotham
Carpenter EL Neary Jnr Eng AJ Simpson
R/O D Connolly Cadet AC Austin
Purser D Kimberly Cadet AJ Whittle
Elec BR Batey

18th September 1974

mv Ocean Bridge

Capt JW Jewell c/E J Robinson
Staff Capt HE Carlisle 2/e D Turbitt
c/o MJ Hunter 3/e R. D. Prescott
Ex c/o CO Thomas 4/e CM Escott
2/o TR Moore ex 4/e B Martin
Carpenter J Glynn 5/e PT Cantwell
R/O PR Breivik Jnr/e PT Cantwell
Purser S Gulliver jnr/e DA Potter
Cadet W Brown
Cadet AP Grattidge
Elec MJ Biggam

1st March 1975

R. D. Prescott studying for 2nd Class Motor Certificate

19th September 1975

R. D. Prescott listed as on leave


Hope this info may be useful

Best wishes

Alan

[John Petches]

I sailed with Bob twice in the late seventy's around 76 / 77 i remember very well he was a great lad from Hyton had a few pints with from time to time when i was a boy rating he was a third eng at the time