Thomas Seel

[Thomas Seel]

SHIPS NAME AND SERVICE RECORD

Full Name

Thomas Seel

Discharge Book Number

R 816717

Department

Deck

Your Rank/Rating

from middy to c/o

Which Ships were you on and When

Glenfalloch 5/65 - 8/65,
Atreus 9/65 - 12/65,
Antenor 1/66 - 4/66,
Clytoneus 4/66 - 7/66,
Automedon 8/66 - 12/66,
Flintshire 4/67 - 7/67,
Ebani 8/67 - 10/67,
Jason 11/67 - 11/67,
Apapa 5/68 - 9/68 (3 voyages),
Egori 12/68 - 2/69,
Cardiganshire 3/69 - 7/69 (All previous as "middy").
Bhamo 11/69 - 5/70,
Eboe 5/70 - 8/70,
Deido 9/70 - 4/71,
Cyclops 5/71 - 5/71,
Astynax 5/71-6/71 (all as 3/0).
Peisander 11/71 - 4/73 (5 voyages),
Dalla 8/73 - 1/74 (2 voyages) (All previous as 2/0).
Then joined Swires: Erisort 4/74 - 11/74,
Erradale 3/75 - 12/75,
Erisort 12/76 - 9/77,
Eredine 3/78 - 9/78 (previois as 2/0 & c/0).
Left MN late 78

Notes:

Wonderful times, particularly with Blue Flue & co!

[Charlie Hannah]

I Sailed on the old MV Deido 2 Aug 53 t0 13/Nov 1953. Also MV. Apapa four trips,from14/12.53 to 20/4/54.

[Thomas Seel]

On the Deido we were doing "round trips between W. Africa & the East coast uf the USA. Had some fun on the W. African run, but must admit I preferred the far East. Cheers, Tom

[Ken Trehearne]

Welcome Thomas. Hope,you enjoy the site.
KenT

[Charlie Hannah]

Deido, was my second trip to sea west coast Africa, fo,cs,le accomadation. I shared cabon with the Spurling pipe. Cheers.

[Doc Vernon]

Welcome to the site Thomas
Hope that you will have a long and enjoyable stay here with us all
Relax and enjoy what's on offer
Thanks for listing your details on our crew listings
Cheers

[Richard Quartermaine]

Where abouts in the Far east, Thomas? Was based in Singapore and Indonesia Jakarta 1968 to 1987 with a break of 4 years in the UK.
Richard

[Thomas Seel]

Hi Charlie - tell that youngsters that today & they will probably imagine you with a cutlass between your teeth! Here's a tale that you can file under the "THAT'S AFRICA" heading. Went to Port Mulgrave (Gulf of Canso in Nova Scotia) to pick up a HUGE shipment of explosives for Monrovia. Another ship went in ahead of us to pick up all the detonators. Loaded safely & arrived in Monrovia. They said we had to anchor in the middle of the harbour because of the dangerous cargo. (It wouldn't have made any difference - if we had gone "bang" there was so much of the stuff on board we would have wiped out the town, I think)! Anyway we anchored & the lighters came out for the explosives. They opened the lighters - the bottom of the holds were covered in boxes of the DETONATORS recently discharged from the ship that went ahead of us!! We completed discharge into those lighters with lots of rectum-puckering when the odd box of explosives fell out of the sling on top of the detonators! Yes, THAT'S AFRICA!!

[Thomas Seel]

Hi Richard,
Sailed to MOST places in the FE at one time or another. Usually started (outward) on West coats of Malaya (Penang & P. Swettenham - now Klang, I think), then to S'pore, HK, Japan. On way back maybe PRC - Shanghai, Hsinkiang, thence again HK & S'pore & Malaysia. Other trips took in Ceylon (Colombo & Trincomalee). Also Philippines, Indonesia, Sumatra, Java, etc. The Blue Funnel & Glen Line ships covered just about all the ports around there in "the good old days". Met my wife-to-be in Kobe, Japan - still married after close to 45 years. Now resident here in Osaka, Japan.
Singapore was a "FUN" place once upon a time - now it is almost like visiting a hospital -so CLEAN & neat & organized. Very nice, but no "atmosphere".....

[j.sabourn]

#9...Thomas do you not still have to leave Japan every so often as they used to do in the 50"s. There used to be a bar in I believe Osaka at the end of the Moto Machi called Clancys Bar. The proprietor was an Ex sergeant out of the Australian Army, probably one of the occupation forces, he told me or one of his pals did that he had to leave Japan every so often and re-apply for admittance even though he was married to a Japanese lady. Believe also the bar etc. had to be in her name. Always remember that bar as was the first and last going ashore from the landing stage if at the buoys, before entering the streets with hundreds of various bars all being nominated a class A or B bar by the American occupation forces, the B bars being out of bounds to their troops, so we all used to go, the usual US shore patrols used to frequently visit, but we had shore passes in those days saying we weren't American, so nothing they could do. Cheers JWS PS Just had a quick squint at your CV and see you were with Butterfield and Swires. Did you ever sail with a Leo McGowan, both of us were going with them in 1957, and I backed out at last minute due to other reasons. However he stayed with Swires and got his Curry and Rice Mates ticket in Hong Kong, and saw him when he came back to the UK for his Masters. At that time he was on one of their passenger ships running Hong Kong to Sydney, have asked various people if they knew him, maybe he has kicked the bucket, he had when I met up with him again had a house in Sydney and one in Hong Kong. Cheers and a belated welcome to the site also. Leo was originally from South Gosforth Newcastle on Tyne. There is also an ex Engineer living in NZ who was with them so he may get in touch with you if he reads this post. Regards JWS