Orecrest crew

[j.sabourn]

All you Port Talbot runners will remember Cindy then. A good friend to the seamen during the strike in 66. JWS.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Tom .
Welcome to the site. You have struck pay-dirt on your first post Thomas he was there as large as life, you never know who you will come across on site.
Cheers Des

[j.sabourn]

The ore carriers on Bisco charter were always good for those seeking short trips and being able to get home at short notice. They were on a 6 months running agreement which meant you could get off on 72 hours notice before arrival uk. The overtime was good because the shipowner wasn’t paying it, the charterers were. The purpose built ore carriers were mostly on 15 year charters and were a good money earner for their owners. Bisco however being a nationalised industry fell by the wayside when the time and motion and bean counters got their grubby hands on it. As far as most seafarers found though it worked in with their life style. Going into them from tramp shipping on 2 year Articles was like manna from heaven. The deck crowd used to get their standard 3 4 5 And even 6 hours a day overtime with not too much being said. In tramp shipping the owners were on your neck all the time to keep the overtime bill down. Some ships have seen the crews overtime deplorable to satisfy some persons ego and advancement up the promotion ladder. If got landed with such I was only there for trip, even though in all my seatime I never got paid overtime as such, only when an apprentice. When was about 9 pence an hour after a 56 hour week. Most of that never received as was hidden in the overtime as field days. The ore carriers brought out a different mindset to people like me on seagoing conditions at the time. JWS

[happy daze john in oz]

Keith, as cabin boy on the MV Broughty, I was told by the Skipper that I was lower than the ships cat, I signed off next time we arrived back in Dundee, I had been on her for three months.

Bill you were lucky, on some ships the food was so bad the cat would have been eaten.

[Arnold Smith]

Hi Michael
Thanks for replying, I have a bell of recollection ringing in my head although I don't remember you specifically but hey! it was a long time ago. Do you recall the 3rd mate Bill Jones (William H Jones) I'm sure you might; big man, with a beard. I worked with Bill many years later on a ship called the Maurine K. He was master and I was 2/E, we were carrying timber from South America to the US. The Maurine K was formerly the Hannah Bluementhal and before that the MS Pinto...
I had great times on the old Orecrest, good memories.

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Knock twice and ask for Cindy "Look out, here comes Charlie"

[Arnold Smith]

Hi Don... Yes I remember the old third eng well, as you say he no time for anyone really although I got on with him quite well, 'a professional third' I can't recall his name sadly, was he a Welshmen?....The motorman was Ahmed Hassen and he would forgive me if I have misspelt his name and yes he was always complaining. He would walk up and down in the stokehold with his finger in his ear, singing native airs whilst pretending to drive his sheep "woot ha" he would cry out. Yes and I have stripped down many a De Laval purifier for cleaning. Weren't they a bastard to take apart if they had been left too long?
I joined her in Dagenham and the boss himself came onto the ship for a brief visit before we sailed. I remember getting a brief nod.....Tom.

[Arnold Smith]

True Happy...but it's funny how they all seem to blend into one sometimes...thinking about a particular job or association...ummm! was that on the Orecrest or this ship or that ship. Whats left of the brain is boiling away trying to sort it out.

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True Cappy...but it's funny how they all seem to blend into one sometimes...thinking about a particular job or association...ummm! was that on the Orecrest or this ship or that ship. Whats left of the brain is boiling away trying to sort it out.

[thomas michael]

Hi Michael
Thanks for replying, I have a bell of recollection ringing in my head although I don't remember you specifically but hey! it was a long time ago. Do you recall the 3rd mate Bill Jones (William H Jones) I'm sure you might; big man, with a beard. I worked with Bill many years later on a ship called the Maurine K. He was master and I was 2/E, we were carrying timber from South America to the US. The Maurine K was formerly the Hannah Bluementhal and before that the MS Pinto...
I had great times on the old Orecrest, good memories.

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Knock twice and ask for Cindy "Look out, here comes Charlie"

hi Arnold
I think the mates name was bill but as I never referred to him in that manner I would not know for sure, but I believe the captains name was Anderson, also remember he had all his meals served midships by his tiger.
tom

[David West]

Hi Arnold
I had the pleasure of joining the Orecrest as a first trip cabin boy at the age of 15, on 11th Feb 1960 at, where else, Port Talbot. I left her in August 61 and rejoined her again in Port Talbot as Ass Steward in Feb 62 only to leave in June 62 to join the new-build Skycrest in La Seyne as 2nd Steward until i paid off in Venice in Jan 64.
The last stamp i have in my book from the Orecrest was Captain Anderson a canny Scotsman from Broughty Ferry. His "tiger" may have been Tony Bianchi a Yugoslav guy.
When i first joined her the Old Man was a Capt Quirk from Isle of Man followed by Capt Anderson, we also had for a few months a Capt Williamson, all nice guys. 2nd mate as i recall was polish, again a nice guy who had been in the Navy at the Battle of Narvik so he quite liked the trips up north.

Can't recall many names on the engineering side but one of the chiefs we had was a Scotsman called Binnie, also a 3rd called Trevor "Splash" Waterfall from Stockton.

Nice to hear that someone else served with Ivanovic, it was quite a large company at one time but had been dramatically reduced in size by the early sixties.

Take Care

[Arnold Smith]

Hi Arnold

I too was a first tripper on the Orecrest joined her at Cardiff Docks late December 1962 as Jnr Eng,(complete with white overalls) first trip Narvic second Bone (still have my go ashore pass) we then took her to the River Fal to be laid-up late January, all Eng room crowd payed off except for C/E who stayed aboard. Were you put on the 12 to 4 with a third who had no time for first trippers? also did you have to pump up the daily F/O service tanks and change them over, strip down F/O purifiers for cleaning check the salometer.I always remember the greaser complaining how hot it was on purifier flat for him to work.
The name Lloyd ring a bell as C/E as you say a real gentleman (I'll have to check my watchkeeping paperwork).

When you joined her was the owner still Ivanovic?

Don

Hi Don.....I joined her in January 1964 so she was perhaps just out after lay-up! Yes the owners were still Ivanovic and in fact the owner came aboard in Dagenham to visit the ship before our trip to Kirkenes! And yes, although I believe I started on the 4-8 I did of course end up on the twelve till four with the professional third engineer that you mentioned! He was actually a very nice guy once I got to know him, but very set in his ways! Sadly I can't recall his name. My biggest nightmare was always lighting the galley stoves, they were so troublesome!.....
The best character was the Donkeyman, I think his name was Achmed Hassen! he hailed from Aden and was great fun and always game for a laugh. He would walk up and down the plates in front of the boilers, with his finger hooked into his ear and humming a tune pretending he was herding his cattle.
Do you remember remember using the steam drain from one of the valve cooling pumps by the telegraph to boil eggs in a tin can during the watch?