Trying to contact an old shipmate

[Jim Prior]

I am trying to trace my old boss and very good friend Peter Barn(e)s. We both were on the Shell tanker SS PARTULA circa April/May1976 to Dec 1976. The crew got paid off at Curaco and then flown to Miami in the United States to get a connecting flight back to the UK.

Peter was the 2nd Steward and I was the Pantry Boy at the time. Shortly after being paid off I left the Merchant Navy for new pastures. I should be grateful if Peter could contact me or if anyone knows of his whereabouts please drop me a line.

Many thanks for your help,

Regards and happy Christmas to all........

Jim Prior

[Doc Vernon]

Hi Jim
Thank you for the Question, however as normally we try and assist here, the Person you are looking for was still at Sea after 1972, thus n records would have been kept past then for some time .
So there will be no reference to his Service at Kew in London, the place we normally start most of our tracing!
Hope there may just be someone here who per chance would know of him.
Cheers
And a Merry Xmas to you too.
Cheers

[Len Inglis]

Would you know where he came from and age now.?

[Graham Sykes]

Hi Jim, I joined the Partula in Curacao in December 1976, it was my first ship , I was only aged 16, I guess I replaced you as the galley/pantry boy. I paid off in June 1976 in New York.

[John Blaney]

swedish cargo ship Parramatta out of Glasgow earlu 1960 bound for Bombay, and Karachi, via Suez trying to find the uk crew members 2 steward s from London

and Glasgow first tripper, forget names, thanks, Merry christmas to all JB

[Des Taff Jenkins]

After reading some of the request's isn't it a pity that all the members of the MN were not kept in the one place like Lloyd's or somewhere.
Des

[Doc Vernon]

If no names are available, i doubt wether anyone will be able to assist here!
Unless of course someone per chance recalls such 2 Seaman of that Ship >>??
Very difficult request!
Cheers

[j.sabourn]

#6. The word Navy as regards latter years was probably due to the fact of later day wars viz. first and second WWs. It was the Mercantile marine long before. The name was probably strongly assisted by the entrance of the BSF in the late 19th century for the benefit of the shipowner to have a controlled work force. The world was opened up for Britain in earlier times by the sole efforts of Seamen in trade and commerce, and the king or queens Navy was formed to protect such , a large British flag merchant fleet demanded a large Navy. Today both are in extreme exhaustion. The maritime habits that Britain held in the past no longer exist unfortuanetley
A poor showing by various governments and still existing to this day. For the many British seamen who opened up the doors of the world , would be lucky to find enough to open the doors on a council estate.Cheers JS

[j.sabourn]

#1 The only Barnes I sailed with Jim was A chief engineer from Belfast, previous to this in 1966 he had been 2 or 3 engineer with Bankline. In 1966 he had wife and son onboard during the seaman’s strike of that year , the son then being about 5 years of age. The chief would have been fourtyish in that year. JS.
PS that makes the son by my arithmetic about 64/65 ish Cheers JS.
Thinking back my daughter and wife were also on board at same time , my daughter being between 3 and 4, Barnes son was maybe a couple of years older maybe 6 or 7 , she was terrified of him , he swore like a trooper
Just like his father and was his double. He was a Protestant and an ex Belfast B special , even had a picture of the Pope in his dayroom which he used as a dartboard. Cheers JS.

[John Blaney]

If no names are available, i doubt wether anyone will be able to assist here!
Unless of course someone per chance recalls such 2 Seaman of that Ship >>??
Very difficult request!
Cheers

exactly, sir, i mentioned the ships name, hoping the crew members mentioned wpould recogonize the name
it was my first deep sea trip too, those catering staff were the only ones with somehing in common,
on this site you never know, i remain optemistic and hopeful, in the meantime, thank you for your consideration,
cheers JB