Andy McArthur

[Andy McArthur]

SHIPS NAME AND SERVICE RECORD

Full Name

Andy McArthur

Discharge Book Number

R904444

Department

Engine

Your Rank/Rating

Eng Cadet - Chief Engineer

Which Ships were you on and When

MV Bibi July 1972: December 1972 as Eng Cadet
MV Arctic Troll: 24/01/1973 - 26/07/73 as Eng Cadet
STT Burmah Cameo: 12/07/1974 - 12/01/1975 as J/E
MV Troll Lake: 22/04/1975 - 11/10/75 as J/E
MV Burmah Peridot: 08/01/1976 - 06/06/1976 as J/E
MV Vancouver Trader: 18/09/1976 - 24/02/1977 as 4/E
MV Glenpark: 21/05/1977 - 15/10/1977 as 4/E
GTV Eurofreighter: 24/04/78 - 20/06/78 as 4/E
GTV Asiafreaghter: 21/07/1978 - 27/09/1978 as 4/E
GTV Asiafreaghter: 23/11/1978 - 21/01/1979 as 4/E
MV Burmah Pearl: 10/05/1979 - 6/09/1979 as 4/E
MV Suecia Team: 07/11/1979 - 08/03/1980 as 4/E
MV Burmah Peridot: 12/08/1980 - 28/11/1980 as 4/E
MV Gothia Team: 06/02/1981 - 01/06/!981 as 4/E
MV London Team: 15/12/81 - 12/04/1982 as 4/E
MV Cast Kittiwake:21/07/82 - 25/11/1982 as 4/E
MV Cast Heron (Helm): 19/06/1983 - 22/10/1983 as 3/E
MV Lowland Rambler: 08/02/84 - 21/03/1984 as 2/E
MV Lowland Rambler: 27/04/1984 - 13/06/1984 as 2/E
MV Lowland Rambler: 25/07/1984 - 14/09/1989 as 2/E
MV Lowland Raider: 15/11/1984 - 26/02/1985 as C/E
MV Balder Vigra: 29/05/1985 - 15/06/1985 as C/E
MV British Viking: 25/08/1985 - 28/08/1885 as C/E
MV Balder Vigra:09/10/1985 - 30/10/1985 as C/E
MV Lowland Pioneer: 31/10/1985 - 10/12/1985 as C/E
MV Lowland Pioneer: 10/01/1986 - 27/02/1986 as C/E
MV Lowland Pioneer: 27/03/1986 - 27/04/1986 as C/E
MV Lowland Pioneer: 04/06/1986 - 15/07/1986 as C/E
MV Lowland Pioneer: 12/09/1986 - 16/11/1986 as C/E
MV Lowland Pioneer: 29/12/1986 - 10/02/1987 as C/E
MV Lowland Pioneer: 24/03/1987 - 07/05/1987 as C/E
MV Lowland Cavalier: 21/05/1987 - 01/06/1987 as C/E
MV Lowland Pioneer: 16/05/1987 - 28/07/1987 as C/E
MV Lowland Raider: 06/10/1987 - 25/11/1987 as C/E
MV Lowland Raider: 11/01/1988 - 24/02/1988 as C/E
MV Lowland Raider: 17/05/1988 - 24/07/1988 as C/E
MV Lowland Raider: 16/09/1988 - 01/11/1988 as C/E
MV Lowland Raider: 17/12/1988 - 25/01/1989 as C/E
MV Lowland Raider:08/03/1989 - 21/04/1989 as C/E

Notes:

MV Balder Vigra changed name to MV Lowland Pioneer on 31/10/1985

[Doc Vernon]

Hi Andy

Welcome to the site and thank you for listing your details and Ships !
Quite a nice line up you had there!
And some good Sea Time too!
Hope that the site will provide lots for you to keep you interested and busy!
Nice to have you aboard!
Relax and enjoy!
Cheers

[Alan Knight]

Hi Andy: We must have known each other, albeit briefly. I was Master of Balder Vigra at Pier 9 in Halifax when the Sheriff walked on board and told me that Balder was bankrupt, and he was there to arrest the ship! While he was sticking legal notices on the W/House windows, I went down to the telephone box and phoned the Fleet Manager. He knew nothing of the bankruptcy either. A couple of days later, a man named David? Grimes arrived with a British crew and took the Balder Vigra/Lowland Pioneer to the U.K. The C/E and I stayed for about three days showing the new crew around. I am happy to note that the beautiful Balder Vigra is still sailing as a Wind-turbine maintenance vessel. I note that we both have the "Balder Hudson/British Viking" in our Discharge Books. I was First Mate when Balder Hudson was delivered from Marystown Shipyard in 1980. I subsequently became Master , and took part in the rescue of the "Euro Princess" when it grounded on Sable Island in 1981. I got Lloyd's Open Form on her, and supervised the tow to Halifax. After her stint as "British Viking", she became "Seahorse Spirit" as an Australian naval auxiliary/crew training vessel. She made a name for herself "Down Under" when she discovered the wreck of the Australian Hospital Ship "Centaur" (ex-Blue Funnel) which was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine off Brisbane in 1943 with heavy loss of life. "Seahorse Spirit" used its ROV to find the wreck in 2000 metres of water, placed a memorial plaque engraved with the names of the dead, and recovered the ship's bell, which is now in Brisbane Cathedral. I visited "Seahorse Spirit" in Melbourne in 2010, and presented the Master with a photo of the "Euro Princess" rescue.
I continued to observe the "Seahorse Spirit" all the way to Alang Beach, where she was scrapped in 2016. I have a contact at Alang, and I asked him to locate the ship's bell for me. A price was agreed, and the bell of the "Balder Hudson" is beside me here in Halifax, N.S., as I type this. Best wishes, Shipmate.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

We have over the years had tremendous stories of the sea and the men who went to sea on the site, so many people join up then disappear.
There must be still hundreds of good yarns out there.
Des

[Andy McArthur]

Hi Alan,

Thanks for your detailed post.

I arrived in Halifax with David Grimes to take over the ship and the crew followed a few days later, I remember the C/E showing me round and felt sorry that the ship was being repossessed. We sailed the ship from Halifax to Falmouth via Sydney Nova Scotia where the cook got some great lobsters. She was under arrest in Falmouth till October 1985 when all the debts etc were sorted out. She then began trading again in the North Sea and drydocked on the Tyne to have an oil based mud system fitted. She was a very well kept ship when we took her over and we always tried to keep her in good condition.

I think the British Viling you are talking about here was a different ship from the British Viling I was on briefly - taking from Leith to Falmouth also under arrest. She was a sister ship to the Balder Vigra from the same yard and became the Lowland Prowler.

Best Regards
Andy McAthur