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17th May 2021, 07:43 AM
#1
Burmah Zircon (Ex Naess Sovereign) 1974
My first ship was the Burmah Zircon and I joined it in dry-dock in Marseille, 29th January. I was talked into going to sea by some of the journeymen (mech fitters) I served my apprenticeship with a lot of them had done time in the Merchant Navy instead of National Service. I was told by one of them to wear my uniform when joining a ship. I also had a trench coat which I was wearing as it was raining heavily that day. As I was going up the gangway the deck cadet Jim Duthy spotted me and thought I was French Customs so he ran into the accommodation and told the guys, who proceeded to hide the booze. I did not live that down for the whole trip. The photos were mainly taken during the dry-dock. The 4/E had his wife and son on during the dry-dock and the wee boy slept in a pulled out bottom drawer, strange to think that we boy is in his 50s now.
When I eventually got to the engineers they took the piss out of me for wearing the uniform and would not let me go and change it. It was late Sunday afternoon and the ship was on shore power and we were all crammed in one small cabin can’t remember going to bed that night as I was pretty full of Oranjiboom beer. I ended up on the 12 /4 watch and stayed on this watch for the whole trip about five and a half months.
It was a steam tanker and I believe was the biggest every built when it was built in 1960 in Japan. It took me a while to realise that I would have to wash my gear and the 3/E I was on watch with showed me how to use the washing machine etc. We would wash our boiler suits in the engine room while on watch using a 45 gall drum, with the top cut off, by putting a steam hose into the drum full of water and washing powder and giving it a stir now and again. To dry the coveralls we just hung them on the engine room hand rails. I later found out that the Indian stewards who did my room would wash your gear for a few cans of beer, not the boilersuits though.
First port of call was Mersia El Brega in Libya which is not far from the Egyptian border. We loaded crude and discharged it in Trieste and then returned to Libya and loaded for Wilhelmshaven in Germany. We managed to make it off the ship in Germany to the nearest bar but did not stay long as we only had a few hours off. We then headed for Ras Tanura in Saudi and there was no chance of getting off there either. We discharged in Fowley near Southampton and we managed to get a run up the road there.
On the way back to Ras Tanura we blacked out, caused by a turbo alternator failure. When the diesel emergency generator was started it ran for a few hours and then that failed and it was rebuilt over the next few days. We were lucky that the Em Generator was at the top of the engine room and very close to the engine room skylights so these were tied open so we could work on it during the day light hours. The beer was actually kept in a chilled room so we had cool beer in the evening, cool not cold. One of my jobs was to go into to the engine room during the night just to check around it was a very strange feeling in a quiet dark engine room at sea, the ship rolled very slightly and you could hear the bilge water flowing backwards and forwards across the bilges, it sounded like the sea on the seashore.
We assisted the Chief Steward Jimmy Prentice in setting up 45 gall drums on the poop deck for the cooks, the ship had some calour gas burners but the gas soon ran out and the cook was reduced to cooking on 45 gall drums, lots of Bar B Ques. One evening a cruise ship passed quite close and we could hear music coming from it and someone saying over the ships Tanoy that if the passengers looked to the port side they would see a blacked out Liberian tanker. We shouted be back and told them to F--- off. Eventually we got power back on and flashed the boiler and got main propulsion working and headed for Capetown where we stopped for a few days while Globe shipyards guys fitted new bearings to one of the generators. We then proceeded to Ras Tanura where I paid off on 10th July flying home from Damman airport.
Sunset
Jimmy 4/E and his son, the wee boy slept in the pulled out bottom drawer of the chest of drawers, this was during the dry dock in Marseille.
Bruce (Behrooz Alinaghipour) he was an Iranian deck cadet, Ian Byrne and Alex Kennedy 3/Es
Cape Town
Kapse the Indian fitter
Just found out I can only attach 5 photos so the rest will be in part 2.
Last edited by Doc Vernon; 17th May 2021 at 07:45 AM.
Reason: Increased Sizes
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17th May 2021, 07:47 AM
#2
Re: Burmah Zircon (Ex Naess Sovereign) 1974
Some more photos.
The AC in the bar was down but we had a party one night anyway with everyone dripping with sweat.
Movie night with AC working a bit more comfortable
IMO 5245497 O.N. 302526
NAESS SOVEREIGN (1961 – 1977)
54,466g. 36,995n. 96,750d. 874’ 10” x 122’ 6” x 48’ 1½”
Two steam turbines by the shipbuilder, geared to screw shaft. 24,000shp. 16¼ kts.
25.6.1960: Launched as NAESS SOVEREIGN by Mitsubishi Zosen, Nagasaki (Yard No. 1518) for Anglo-American Shipping Co. Ltd, Bermuda (Naess, Denholm & Company Ltd., managers).
1.1961: Completed.
20.1.1961: Registered at London. (O.N.302526).
1962: To Sovereign Shipping Company Ltd., (same managers).
1972: J & J Denholm Management Ltd, Glasgow, appointed as managers.
1974: Sold to Sealane Tankers Inc. (Burmah Tankers Ltd, Bermuda, managers) and renamed BURMAH ZIRCON.
2.6.1975: Placed in Lay-up at Itea.
1977: Broom Marine Ltd., appointed as managers.
12.6.1977: Arrived at Barcelona for demolition by Desgauces Condal S.A.
12.7.1977: Work commenced.
Last edited by Doc Vernon; 17th May 2021 at 08:28 PM.
Reason: Resize Pics
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18th May 2021, 06:24 AM
#3
Re: Burmah Zircon (Ex Naess Sovereign) 1974
Fantastic stuff, thanks for that.
But I have come all over nostalgic , particularly the photo with the ocean in it.
I want to be out there..............NOW!!!!!!!
Happy daze John in Oz.
Life is too short to blend in.
John Strange R737787
World Traveller
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19th May 2021, 10:18 AM
#4
Re: Burmah Zircon (Ex Naess Sovereign) 1974
I have vague recollections of going on a Burmah Oil Tanker, in Colombo Ceylon in 1959. The 3/0 Jim Kelly had a friend who was 2/o of her.
I recall being astonished at the size of the cabins and the air conditioning, I was just a Deck App on M.V. " Trelawny ", sharing a pokey little cabin with 2 others, no air conditioning !
A couple of trips later , I was on M.V. " Trecarne " and bought an AC/DC record player. I had loads of Rock 'n' roll recordsThe most frequent request was for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76OSOg5E_HE
TTFN
Laurie.
Last edited by Laurie Ridyard; 19th May 2021 at 10:20 AM.
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19th May 2021, 10:46 AM
#5
Re: Burmah Zircon (Ex Naess Sovereign) 1974
Naess Sovereign was my 2nd ship at sea. Joined in Southampton 3/11/70 as Jun Eng with another Jun Eng John MacTavish ( now Chief Eng on Waverley). Paid off in Trieste 17/5/71. Mostly trading between Gulf and Europe with discharges at Hamburg and Milford Haven then dry dock in Marseille before paying off in Trieste. Had similar experiences of blackouts and the emergency diesel not working due to lack of spares I seem to remember. Funnily enough the Chief Steward was Jimmy Prentice and he used the same cooking methods as you mentioned. The longest blackout was in the Mozambique Channel when we were running out of water due to serious boiler leaks. Took three days to find and plug. We used canvas to collect rainwater to supplement our drinking water and after plugging the leaking boiler tubes (not a pleasant job in a hot boiler) had only enough water for 1 fill of the boiler. Managed to flash up and get under way to Capetown for further repairs. Memorable days.
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19th May 2021, 11:34 AM
#6
Re: Burmah Zircon (Ex Naess Sovereign) 1974
I sailed on the sovereign august to may 1972/73, i then sailed on the ZIRCON april to august 74 we always wore uniform. you must of heard about the ship being dead in the water for 6 weeks in the straights of hormuz,
we were washing in sea water suffering prickly heat etc sleeping and eating on the aft deck it took Denholms 6 weeks to get is towed to port, couple of days in a hotel then back aboard for repairs
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19th May 2021, 12:37 PM
#7
Re: Burmah Zircon (Ex Naess Sovereign) 1974
This brings back some memories as I was an I.N.C on her for 7 months in 1969 when she was the Naess Sovereign
Similar runs to those you are talking of, long term charter to ESSO.
As you say she was a monster when she was built but I don't think they made that good a job in Japan as she was scrapped after 14 years.
I enjoyed life on her and learned plenty about pumps and pipe systems and certainly had "tankermen's muscles" from swinging valves.
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19th May 2021, 02:25 PM
#8
Re: Burmah Zircon (Ex Naess Sovereign) 1974
Eric, I was on the Zircon from 29/1/74 to 10/7/74. I had served an apprenticeship shore side and this was my first trip as J/E. It was my first and last steamship.
One of my jobs was blowing tubes on the 12/4 in the afternoon. The procedure was to call the bridge and they would alter course so that the soot would not land on the midships accommodation. Well I kinda forgot one day and went ahead with the job. Turned out the captain was walking along the flying bridge from midships to go and have an afternoon G+T with the chief and he and his whites got covered in soot . Don't know why he never talked to me for the rest of the trip.
It was a bit overengineered and had three boilers but only used two of them with the third being used as a bit of a spare gear store. Even with the blackouts and virtually no runs up the road I did enjoy the time on her. Came across this old photo.
Naess soverign.jpg
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Last edited by J Gowers; 19th May 2021 at 02:26 PM.
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19th May 2021, 09:56 PM
#9
Re: Burmah Zircon (Ex Naess Sovereign) 1974
#1 some introduction to a first tripper, Photo 3 certainly looks as if there was a romance evolving there. I wonder if they ended up sailing later on for UCL?
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20th May 2021, 06:01 AM
#10
Re: Burmah Zircon (Ex Naess Sovereign) 1974
Originally Posted by
Lewis McColl
#1 some introduction to a first tripper, Photo 3 certainly looks as if there was a romance evolving there. I wonder if they ended up sailing later on for UCL?
No Lewis, far too good looking for that. LOL
Happy daze John in Oz.
Life is too short to blend in.
John Strange R737787
World Traveller
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