Hadley Shipping Company

[AJ Hawker]

Anybody out there sail on the CERINTHUS 1963.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi AJ.
Out of curiosity what is the Tanker going under Sydney Harbour Bridge on your Avatar?
Des

[Doc Vernon]

Looks like the Stanvac Melbourne Des! Previously Cobble Hill.
Cheers

[AJ Hawker]

Hi Des
The ship is the CERINTHUS one of Hadley Shipping Co. Just looking now and it seems i have two avatars going how that has come about i do not know i do not know, the other avatar is near enough same pic but of the Houlders tanker DENBY GRANGE my first trip in 1962.
Cheers AJ

[Doc Vernon]

Looks amazingly like the

Stanvac Melbourne AJ
I had a Pic of a Ship Under the Harbour Bridge that looks exactly the same
Cheers

[AJ Hawker]

Vernon i think she was originally laid down as a Shell H boat, but Hadleys bought her on the stocks, but she was on a life long charter to Shell.
Regards AJ

[Richard Harding]

Sorry, not in 1963, but 12 months voyage in 1960 , January, out of Barry where l joined her in Baileys Drydock, my first voyage as Deck Apprentice, tied up-Tilbury Jan 1961. Turned out to be my one and only voyage in the MN. On a technicality, " Cerinthus" was a vessel of the Hadley Shipping Company, not " steamship Company", and yes, was built and commissioned at Harland & Wolff, Belfast, launched 1954. l might be wrong, but if my memory serves me correctly the Denby Grange was not a Tanker, the only oil carrying vessels that Houlders" had" at that time were the 2 vessels owned by Hadley Shipping Company - cannot remember the name of the other one! Both ships were on long-term demise charter to Shell. The Denby G, was, like all other "Grange" named ships at the time involved in the refrigerated transport of beef carcasses from Buenos Aires to the UK. Midway through my voyage, when discharging freswarer in Curacao the Denby G was close -by in harbour, and it turned out that one of my fellow students at King Edward VII nautical college, Jim Spencer was on board, and we had time for a chat. They were in Curacao to pick up bunkers on their way back to UK from BA. l am wintering in Thailand at the moment, back to UK in 3 weeks. Still have my original logbook of my voyage with all crews names etc.,etc

[Richard Harding]

Oooops, sorry, It was the Hornby Grange that was in Curacao, and not the Denby Grange, which was of course a tanker!! Memory, aint so good nowadays, 59 years after the event. Someone pass me the Phylosan, please

[Terry Sullivan]

Memories do tend to get a bit muddled but I can still recall the smell of Curacao and now and then a whiff will bring back times past.
Terry Sullivan R340406

[AJ Hawker]

Hi Richard Did my first trip 1962 on the Denby Grange and she was a Tanker for Houlder Bros. Early 60s Hadly's i think had three Tankers CORATO Built 1952 Sold 1962, CERINTHUS Built 1954 demolished 1976, CLYMENE Built 1961 demolished 1976. Cerinthus and Clymene were demolished within a month of each other even though Clymene was seven years younger.