Re: Bibbys LPG Tanker LINCOLNSHIRE
Name is mike kelly nickname manxiesailed on lincolnshire 18/8/74 capetown to gijon 21/12/74 gp1
Re: Bibbys LPG Tanker LINCOLNSHIRE
I was on the Lincolnshire in 78 as galley boy, nickname Murphy
Re: Bibbys LPG Tanker LINCOLNSHIRE
MV Lincolnshire the story
friday 17th of May 1974 merchant navy office Piarhead Liverpool given orders to join the mv Lincolnshire in corpus Christi Texas USA
Sunday morning we arrived at the Piarhead we board a coach for London traveling through staffordshire we have a blowout two hrs later
were on our way eventually arriving at the Seamens mission in the heart of london Docklands. Monday morning we
transfer to Heathrow Airport where we take a flight on national airways brand new Boeing 747 jumbo named Linda to Miami we then get a
connection flight on a DC10 to Dallas Texas and a further flight from dallas to corpus Christi arriving late Monday evening
our accommodation was the sands & sea resort hotel 1013 shoreline blvd, unbeknowing to us at the time mv lincolnshire was going
to be 3 days late I remember the average temperature being 125° we also got $11.00 spend per day we eventually set sail for the Persian Gulf
Calling at capetown on the way arriving at kharg island in the gulf we loaded butane gas bound for buenos Ares Argentina
again calling at Cape Town For supplies then our Atlanta crossing with an albatross in tow till the Falkland islands
on arriving at buenos ares we went up the river to the refinery without discharging cargo at sea into barges the next day
we went ashore for the day on our return the ship was listing shed hit the bottom when the tide went out
She had some serious damage to pipe work, we was still on the opposite side of the river being held hostage by
four port security people two with rifles they let one person go to the ship and bring back spirits cigarettes and money
When they were satisfied they eventually let all of us cross in the boat to the other side of the river then on to the ship
we set sail for capetown and universal engineers at sturrock dry dock. We spent four weeks in drydock two or three of the crew
jumped ship one lad from Birkenhead gave me his belongings and camera to bring home. We had a good time in Cape Town for the
four weeks but the segregation was a problem not been able to buy stuff cause the person serving you was the wrong color
We passed our time by going to the Seamens mission and pirates night club eventually we set sail for the gulf after four months
we arrived in the Persian Gulf waiting for our boat to pick us up and transfer us to Dubai ironically the first lad up the ladder
was john from birkenhead he wasnt a happy chappy we stayed in Dubai overnight then got our flight to London Heathrow via kuwait and Beirut
john did eventually call at our house in prescot and collect his belongings and camera
I dedicate this short story to
the memory of my good friend
THOMAS VICTOR BLEASE PO.
We flew out to every ship together and had some fantastic times and I have no doubt that had I stayed with bibbys shipping
i would have been one of the crew on that fateful night September 1980 god rest
Re: Bibbys LPG Tanker LINCOLNSHIRE
I did about 6 or 7 trips on the Lincolnshire 93/94,94/95, 99/2001.
I did two stints with Bibby's I did enjoy my time with them. I was also on the Staffordshire several times ,Cheshire, Oxfordshire (new LPG)
I used to get a good deal with Bibby's in the later years as they were very limited as to who would join the Lincoln. I would do my normal 4 trip and then get 3 months at home, in those days you dropped down to 80% salary when your leave was up, they never dropped my pay. They said she was going to scrap within 18 months so try and keep her running and spares were to be kept to the bare minimum. To avoid generator majors I would run a genny to now on death and just keep it as a banker.
They decided to do a dry dock on her and extend her life by 2 more years. We actually were in the process of gas freeing her and where slow steaming for the breakers yard. We got just of Sri Lanka and got orders for Singapore and dry dock. On route asked for a spare gear order to keep her running.
I asked for something like 16 new pistons for the Blackstones + a shed load more. Arrived in dry dock and next to bugger all spares.
The super came onboard and told me he would give me a shore side guy to lend a hand to overhaul the Blackstones, Spares arrived and I had got a grand total of 4 new pistons and not a lot else.
While on shore power we blacked out and I noticed at the back of the hotwell daylight streaming through the shell plating. I mentioned it to the powers that be and they gave a junior engineer the biggest tub of Belzona I have ever seen.
I had a blazing row with the super and told him he was now playing with peoples lives. I was told to keep my mouth shut or I would be off. I went ashore and located a Lloyds surveyor and told him of my concerns. He attended the ship, net result was they ended up re plating areas of the hull and by the time the yard had finished the job they had replaced 30 tons of steel. I was that disgusted with the whole episode I walked off. I have never spoken to the C/Eng or the Master again since and the C/eng was a near neighbour were I lived in Wirral. She was scrap within 9 months of that docking. I heard she was loading a cargo of Nh3 Ammonia in Bahrain and they had an ESD, the back pressure caused the cargo headers to crack and also lifted the main deck in places. Lloyds attended and the outcome was. Sufficient repairs to complete loading, she sailed and discharged. On completion Lloyds told Bibby's they would revoke her Registery if they continued to try and trade her. She went for scrap in 2002. Truth be told she should have been srapped in 2000, she was disaster waiting to happen. It was all credit to the crews on her over the years they got as much out of her as they did.
I enjoyed my time on her, hard working and usually a good bunch of lads but she was well past her sell by date. She certainly did not owe Bibby any money when she hit the beach.
One of the saddest times on her was when we were up the Gulf in the summer at anchor with no A/C. The company said they were sending out 2 engine cadets .The oldman told them not to as we did not know when the spares were going to arrive to get the A/C going again. The office ignored the oldmans advice and they sent the two lads out. We were having a BBQ on the poop deck and one of the cadets was a no show. The other cadet was sent to see were he was. Poor kid came back and said he is asleep but I can't waken him. The lad had died of heat fatigue, but turned out it was a heart condition he had. When the family got his body back it was a closed casket as it took nearly 8 weeks to get him home. Mill owners & mine & Ship owners at least when we all cross the bar we will not be meeting to many of our former employers, hell is already full.
Re: Bibbys LPG Tanker LINCOLNSHIRE
Just to let people know.
There is a memorial and a statue being erected in Liverpool on the 15th September this year to the crew of the Derbyshire.
It is being held at St. Nicholas Church, Liverpool, commencing at 1100 hrs on the Saturday.
Some of the Bibby Line Facebook group are also having a small gettogether on the 14th and 15th in conjunction with attending the memorial.