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Thread: The Dilkara, the Allunga, the Paralla

  1. #21
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    Default Re: The Dilkara, the Allunga, the Paralla

    #19.YesI do seem to remember something about a large stuffed polar bear but maybe I am dreaming-was it in Anchorage Airport?.Polar bears were the last thing on my mind at the stopover.All I wanted was a nice lager,a meat pie and a decent sit down toilet instead of a tiny one in a 747 cubicle where people made you hurry up by constantly trying the door.One woman in the next toilet cubicle on the 747 must have been so traumatized that she walked all the way down one of the centre aisles to her forward seat with her dress tucked up in her. knickersThat's not as embarrassing as some of the latest British trains though.The toilet flush button is perilously close to the door opening switch.Yes,at the most critical point of one's ablution i.e.pulling one's undercrackers up, one can suddenly be aware of an open door and several waiting 'customers' getting an eyefull.I've not taken a train to Manchester since.


    I heard there is a large stuffed penguin in an airport in Antarctica.You see I do know that polar bears are North and penguins are South,unlike a certain young lady on a quiz show who when asked where polar bears are from said -er Australia.Think she meant Koala bears.Think I would rather be hugged by a koala bear and not a polar bear any day.


    And so to bed.Shake me at 0600 tomorrow unless we cross the Date Line and it's 0600 the day after tomorrow or 0600 yesterday whichever comes sooner.

  2. #22
    Lewis McColl's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Dilkara, the Allunga, the Paralla

    Been that route two or three times UK /Anchorage /Tokyo. Last time I think was Tokyo/Anchorage and then down to New York and joined a Product tanker as 2nd Eng back to the Uk Isle of Grain. I think it was 94? The big bear was still there then, but there are a lot of other animals on display as well. The thing I do remember about the bear is there looked to be a lot of what had to be bullet holes, must have been some beast to take down, unless it was self defence who ever did that should hang there head in shame.Anchorage-Polar-Bear.jpg

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    Default Re: The Dilkara, the Allunga, the Paralla

    #21 If its a Leap Year that will throw everyone into a panic, wonder how the owners will take having to pay 3 sundays at sea rather than none ? If you wanted to see people sweating you should of been at sea in the new year of 2000 , even had a tug standing by in case the computers went down , even the engineers had to make enquiries where the engine room was before hand just in case, although there were only two of them, and no short hand money these days , think they were considering stowing away on the first helicopter transfer. After ringing 16 bells and giving the computers plenty of warning they backed down and nothing happened. Everyone was wise after the event and going around saying I told you those computers are wimps and all mouth. The Polar monster was in the Departure Lounge of the Airport you must have been well pizzed not to see it. Bet you saw the Pink Elephant though. The girl who didnt know the difference between a Kaola and a polar bear probably thought he said Polar mint. Although I tend to prefer Fishermans friends myself, especially if they are female. Cheers sleep well Ive just got up , cant sleep too long, these 6 on and stop on watches did too much irreparable damage and cant claim compensation anymore , the Safety Officer just laughs and says you shouldnt have joined if you cant take it. Night Night watch the bugs dont bite. JS.

    PS think the word wimp should now be replaced in the dictionary by the word harry. JS
    Last edited by j.sabourn; 28th May 2021 at 12:14 AM.
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    Default Re: The Dilkara, the Allunga, the Paralla

    JG #19.Well thanks for that.I feel heaps better now about not being the only one to have missed that large stuffed bear in Anchorage Airport.You're right ,there were other priorities.I do remember a native Alaskan woman coming round trying to flog us snowglobes-I mean how tacky and predictable is that!-in Alaska-what else is there?I think several of us bought them just to get rid of her at something like $20 each,that was a lot of wonga back in the 70's.None made it back to the UK because they were left at the table amongst all the empty beer bottles and meat pie crusts.Doubtless they would be scooped up by the 'native' Alaskan souvenir pedlar who watched us beadily from the corner,and sold on to the next gullible zombie-like plane full of tourists and seamen that flew that polar route.Memories.......
    Can't find a suitable pic of a boring old snowglobe,so here's that Anchorage Airport polar bear-,aw,so cute-but keep away!

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    Default Re: The Dilkara, the Allunga, the Paralla

    Saw that polar bear in anchorage airport when 10 of us flew B.A. London to Osaka to join the worst ever ship and captain that I ever sailed on, the Fort Douglas, ex Sydney Spiro. The plane only had about 50 passengers on board in total and we nearly missed it in anchorage as the announcements about reboarding were so faint that it was only by chance that one of us went to the gate to find the cabin crew about to close the doors and leave us stranded. Mind you that was only the start of our problem as when we landed in Osaka there was no one to meet us so after almost being arrested by Japanese immigration by flashing my AMEX card and useing the tourist bureau we eventually got into a hotel for the night, the Osaka daichi, rumoured to be the only circular hotel in Japan at that time. The next day I was able to contact the office where we learned that the prat of the captain had told the agent to meet us at Tokyo airport where they had been waiting for us, this despite him been given our flight details by the office. As the ship was still awaiting discharge the office told us to stay put until she got into drydock after discharge, where we to join for change of flag from Liberia to Hong Kong and carry out repairs, so we had a very enjoyable and, as it later turned out to be, a very expensive stay of 6 days in that hotel, all at companies expenses for meals drinks and extras.
    We eventually flew to Tokyo and then by bullet train to mizushima where we were put up at the yards own hotel. The drydock ended up lasting about a month due to the ship being a disastrous job with virtually everything you could think of having to be renewed/repaired/welded/fitted along with being scrubbed clean of years of accumulated dirt. To cap it all from day one we were all at loggerheads with the biggest assole of a captain you could ever have met, nearly all of us threatened to walk off at one time, it was the threat of having to pay our own fares home that kept us onboard. Matters only improved after we left drydock to load in port headland where a new captain joined and quite literally told the old captain to pizz off, not to bother with a hand over as he had caused so much trouble amongst all of us who had joined in Japan.
    Rgds
    J.A.

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    Default Re: The Dilkara, the Allunga, the Paralla

    John I sailed with two like that and they destroyed all feeling for the job. One was that ignorant we were going from Poland to Karachi around the cape and before passing Casablanca received radio instructions to call in at Dakar for bunkers , he came to me and believe it or not he didn’t know where it was even after I confirmed for him it was right he still thought it as the other Dakar spelt different in East Pakistan at the time. He sent a radio message back to Dublin to confirm they just sent back ask the mate. With a few other choice words as to his ability. The other was a Yugoslav on another ship who going from France to the USA wanted me to go on the forecastle to chip it on my watch which was 6 hours , he didn’t do one. He said the bridge would be ok unattended as he would look out of his port every so often. I told him to get knotted , and he was also going to start and do a sea watch which would be the 8/12 and the second mate and self would do our watches , some of these stories you hear about and joke about are quite true . They were 2 #ankers I will never forget, there was a lot more than that but would fill a volume Cheers JS
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  8. #27
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    Default Re: The Dilkara, the Allunga, the Paralla

    A famous one has to be the Greek ship that had a trained dog. It stood watch and when it started to bark loudly enough someone would pop up and take a look.

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    Default Re: The Dilkara, the Allunga, the Paralla

    Those quarter ramp RoRo ships were operated on the WCUSA / ECAust run by a Swedish, English & Australian consortium, Pacific Australia Direct Line in the early 1970's. Some more info here -> http://www.travelserver.net/travelpa...03226&go=older

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    Default Re: The Dilkara, the Allunga, the Paralla

    Dilkara.jpg
    Joined the Dilkara in Sept 1973 , great ship, good times. Xmas alongside in Melbourne. Kiribati crew always happy !

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    Default Re: The Dilkara, the Allunga, the Paralla

    Hi Michael,
    I was 3/0 on the Dilkara in 73. The route was W coast Canada starting in New Westminster, Oakland and Long Beach. Then across to Sydney. Melbourne, Adelaide , back to Sydney then Brisbane. back across the Pacific via Honolulu.
    Sometimes other ports were included on inducement. Eureka and Newcastle spring to mind. They never touched S America though.
    rgds
    John

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