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[QUOTE=Harvey Williams;9343]One of the happiest periods of my short seagoing career
Hello Harvey....your spot on mate !!! the RUBENS was always a very happy ship,,i sailed on her in 1963 and did three trips,,a wonderful time with great shipmates on her,she was my last ship that i sailed on,sadly due to marital commitments i had to leave tha sea..but i still have some great memories of my life on many great ships.
After leaving the big ships and going down to the pool I was sent to join one of L&H's Banana Boats down the South End,Charlie Jones was the ships cook I'm sure many of you remember him.I only worked by,from there I was sent to the Ronsard to work by,Harry the Chinese cook was on there you L&H men must remember him not only for his curry but for the rest of his cooking.I was then given orders tobe at Lime Street to get the midnight train to London to join the Millais,would you believe L&H organised sleepers for us,a full catering crowd went from Liverpool to London to join The Millais.The Catering Boys first class with a sleeper,unbelievable.
A couple of names I'd like to forward for you L&h men,Alan Winter Bosun(I still see Alan)Charlie Donnely Chippie(R.I.P.) was a good mate of mine,and another good mate Jimmy Grace Purser/Chief Steward.
Regards.
Jim.B.
Did a coastal trip on the Millais in October 1951 as relief steward. Four years later did another coastal relief trip on the Vancouver Star. I liked short trips and changing companies in those days. It was much later that I was told that this ship was the same one-renamed I hadnt realised. Just checked Entry 1 of Traceys on this thread and confirmed this.
Stuart H
remember playing football against a Lamport ship down in Buenos Aries,i was on the Ocean Transport,this was back in the seventies,great set of lads who took there football very seriosly as we realised at half time when they were eating oranges and we were tucking in to a case of tennants,its without question who won,but still its only a game.Great memorys though.
I've just had a pint or two with a mate of mine who was Chippie on the Ronsard.He tellls me that the Ronsard (Built in 1957) did not have Radar,I always thought that Radar was compulsory rather than optional.He said if two ships had a collisision in fog,one had Radar and one did not it would be the fault of the ship with the Radar.He also said the Vestey Group,Blue Star,Lamport& Holt and Maggie Booths only had Radar on half of the ships for some reason.I know Lord Vestey dose'nt pay any tax inthis country but surely he could not dictatethe Law on shipping.Anybody have any ideas?
Regards.
Jim.B.
I was on the NZ Star, Dunedin Star, Adelaide Star and Fremantle Star in the 50s, None of them had RADAR
Being on the focsle head on look out in thick fog flying up the Channel homeward bound at 16 knots was very scary
One of the Mates told me that Lord Vestey said "I pay my Oficers to keep a good look out and a Safe Navigation Watch, not to look into a box"
The RADAR on the old Franconia in 1956 was only 6 inches in diameter with a "spiders web" over it. It was not very effective with the sea clutter and rain squalls when crossing the Western Ocean, blanking out most of the screen. It didnt pick up ice bergs until right on top of them.
The only use I could find was if there was an echo, then put the `Spiders web` on it and see if it was on a steady bearing or not, If it was then there was a chance of collision.
[QUOTE=Jim Brady;53665]
A couple of names
Jim, I sailed with a Jimmy Grace on the Manchester Faith in the 60's but he was an AB. He finished up on the Kiwi coast and I believe he is still there. He was a Scouse.
Alec.
Capt Kong,What you said about being up on the bow is exactly what my mate said,he said he had todo this as Chippie alogside somebody else.Was this practice just peculiar to the Vestey Group.
Trader wrong Jimmy Grace I'm afraid.
Regards.
Jim.B.
I sailed on many ships in the early 50s, especially the Tramps and London Greeks, Coasters etc who had no RADAR
It was rumoured that on some coasters in thick fog, the Boy stood on the focsle with a bucket of pebbles, he would throw one every minute, if there was a splash everything was OK, if there was a clunk then there was a ship ahead.
Dont know if that is true or not.
Shipowners were suspicious of Radar, They thought it made watch keeping easier.
Then there was the Andria Doria sinking 26/7 July 1956.
This was put down to a "RADAR Assisted Collision".
I lost my job with Cunard over this incident Tho` I deserved it.
I was a look out man on the old Franconia and in New York, the ` Stockholme` sailed past our Pier 91 outward bound.in the afternoon, a bright sunny day. We sailed abot 4 hours later. That evening off the Nantucket Shoals it was the thickest fog I have eve seen, I was on look out in the nest and I could not see anything, Not even my own ship. The fore mast door was in the crew Pig and whistle, so I thought I would just nip down the mast and have a quick pint.
In the meantime, The Andria Doria was inbound and the Stockholme was outward bound. A few hours ahead of us.
This RADAR Assisted Collision starts. The Radar, ships head up, they both see each other, a white echo, so the Andia Doria alters course to starboard to put the echo on the port bow. The Stockholme also alters course to Starboard to place the echo on her port bow. Then as time goes by on both ships, the echos are abaft the beam, so they both alter course to port to go back to their original courses. This then places the Andria Doria right across the bows of the Stockholme and the collision then occurs.
51 people were killed. The Andria Doria slowly capsizes.
The Mayday goes out, the nearest ship was the Ille de France and was on the site very quickly picking up the survivors.
We were several hours astern , but the Captain, called the Crows nest to warn me to keep a good look out even tho` visability was totally zero.
No answere from the nest.
The Master at Arms go to the Pig and find me there. and that is why I was logged and sacked off the Franconia. and Deservedly So.
That case was always used in the RADAR Schools, "RADAR ASSISTED COLLISIONS" that is also probably why many ship owners were wary of them.
RADAR as a Navigation Aid took a while to take off, since then the Radars were vastly improved as time went on and now there is no comparison to the RADARs of yesterday.
Cheers
Brian
R576086
I served my time with L&H as cadet and 3rd Mate between 1958/62, when I left the company, none of the ships I served on had radar, some time later I was coasting with British & Continental, even their oldest ships had Radar,mind you, going up and down the channel it was a godsend, even though it was a bit antiquated.