Hi To all, I sailed on the SS Leo from 6/765 to 13/9/65 three weelkly trips to the med and back except when we went aground on the breakwater coming out of Bengazi, Just my luck Iwas on the wheel, we stayed there for about 10 days before we were towed off,then stayed (impounded ) for another two weeks, god we were all glad to see the back of that place.
My second Ellerman ship was the SS Carlo, three weekly trips to Sweden and back to West India Docks,from 21/9/65 to 7/3/66, great ship great crew, great times, until we got stuck in the ice over night, in the morning the ice-breaker come to free us bumped our bow, and the lower stem plate sheered off, we had to pump out the lower fore-peak, then get the plates off the upper- peak , so as the water could drain away, then shore up part of the upper-peak and the chain locker, ready for the force 8 that was expected once we got through Kiel and did it blow, instead of 36 hours from Kiel to London it took us nearly a week.still we made it and the fore peak was reasonably dry.
