VLCC memories and do they still have bicycles on them or has elf and safety banned em

[John Arton]

Hello
Only did one trip on a true VLCC and enjoyed every minute of it.
I went from a 7000gt containership (which had tried to sink) to a 133,000 gt VLCC as 3rd Mate. Company must have thought I needed a big ship to restore my confidence after our harrowing experience of abandoning ship (see one of my previous threads), or most likely they just needed someone in a hurry and my name came up.
Flew out to Cape Town to join it and then got (literally) dropped on board via helicopter and 4 hrs later on watch alone on this humungous thing.
Although it did have a control room that was only for the cargo pumps and pumproom valves, everything else was on deck. When she had come out of the yard new the company had been asked to provide bicycles in order to get round the deck quickly but had refused on heatlh and safety issue. We did have 2 bikes on board that had been "taken" from a dry dock and by the time I joined they were in pretty ropey condition. During long passages from Gulf to Europe the main sport was seeing how far up the other side of the deck you could get starting from fwd to aft. She had a raised focsle but was flussh all the way to the stern after that. Starting with your rear wheel against the focsle bulkhead you were allowed 7 pushs on the pedals and then it was free-wheeling all the way down one side, round the accommodation block, weave around the poop deck mooring winches and the back up the other side. Given a good ballast trim the speed you reached was quite frightening, especially when you realised that you had no brakes. The champion was a mad scottish 2nd mate who could reach almost midships on the return leg after going round the stern.
The best use of a bike on a VLCC was on a Texaco jobby tied up opposite us in the Gulf. It had a bike with a little trailor attached to it, I thought "what a good idea, a trailor to carry the tools in", but no. The real purpose for the trailor was revealed when the cadet, followed by the Mate, came out of the accommodation. The cadet mounted the bike and the mate plonked himself in the trailor and the poor cadet then had to "rickshaw" the mate around the deck. 40 deg heat and a VLCC in full stern trim after deballasting, the poor cadet must have either been,
a) incredibly fit
b) near heart attack
c) bloody stupid.
Homeward bound from the Gulf, fully laden, we managed to pick up the Aghullas Current at its peak and in my morning watch we actually averaged over 20kts, at one point overtaking one of the Union Castle Passenger boats that had come out of Durban bound for Capetown.
Our Captain was an ex. Empress boat Captain and every so often on that morning watch he came sauntering up to see how we were getting on and when I told him that the last hour we had been doing 25kts., "faster that a empress chummy" was all he said and disappeared in a cloud of Senior Service back to the Gordons.
Ended up in Lisnave dry-dock after discharge in Bantry Bay and was never sent back to one of our VLCC's (had 3 of them) which looking back I would have liked to have done more time on them.
As an aside, we loaded in Ras Tanura that trip and alongside us was Blue Funnels first VLCC and the poor guys on there did not have a clue to such an extent that their Mate came across to us to ask how he was meant to load the damm thing. Fortunatley we had an extra C/O on board so instead of him loading us with the Mate, he spent all his time over on the Blue Flu jobby loading her....and to think I almost joined Blue Funnel as a Cadet, but being asked if I had any homosexual tendencies whilst I was being interviewed was a little off putting. They did actually offer me a job but I had to turn them down as by that time I was already at sea with the Canadian Pacific. I wrote back to them declining their job offer and got a right snotty letter back from them that basically said no one ever turned down Blue Funnel and that I would never ever get a job with them in the future!!!!! Nice attitude I thought.
Anyway, finally.
Are bicycles still on board VLCC's or has the dreaded health and safety banned em.
rgds
Capt. John Arton (ret'd)

[Captain Kong]

Hi John,
I did quite a lot of VLCCs, most of the ESSO fleet. I am not sure if they still have them on VLCCs or if Elf and Safety ever got involved later but not at that time.
We had bikes at first but they caused a lot of trouble, who was going to ride it, ? who was going to repair it? or mend a puncture?
The Pumpman would take it forard and an AB would nick it and ride down aft with it then the Pump man would be screaming abuse at him , then a fight would ensue and so on, Then some disgruntled person who could not get a ride would dump it over the wall. end of, so no one had a bike.
I used to watch them from the bridge when I was on watch, the sly moves just to get the bike it was quite amusing.
I wrote at the time................
The Pumpman on his lonely beat
Parked his bike just by a cleat,
A Sailor came and away he went
and crashed his bike into a vent.
The Pumpman looking very sad ,
said it was the best bike I ever had.
So the bike that was just a heap of junk
was stowed beneath the Pumpman`s bunk,,,,,,,,,,,and so on............
A load of rubbish I know but it passed the time on a watch around the Cape to the Gulf and back on slow steaming, then stopping and using the Aghullas current as a conveyor belt steam around the Cape and then stop engines and then drift northwards on the Benguella current.

Happy? days.
Cheers
Brian.

[happy daze john in oz]

I remember on the Pretoria Castle there was a ships bike, but somehowIi do not think she could have been ridden around the deck!

[Evan Lewis]

Often had Bikes on board the Mail Boats, John.
If you remember they belonged to the Native deck passenger: Used to cycle to their homes .Amazing the other items ,such as a Blanket roll.Odds and ends ,they'd garnered(,.Possibly presents for the family,} As they returned to their Tribesi ,in the
Bush.From memory they usuall disembarked at East London or P.Elizabeth
.It was said that some of them may have had a week of cycling ahead of them.Who knows how long those Poor b's. had to endure the conditions prevailing,that time in S.A. And how long before they could .get together enough ,to enable the Trip Home possible?

[Evan Lewis]

Apologies for missing the point John.OF COURSE YOU MEANT ,BIke as in promiscuous.Or Village BIKE.

The one who comes to mind ,to me was a certain nursing sister CapeTown Castle Alhough I was priveliged to enter her Cabin Some mornings .So She could sign the Rig of the Day notice. I was not even considered a starter. Didn't do much for the ego!


Apparently ,She later skinned out ln Durban with one of the passagieros

[Capt Bill Davies]

Hello
Only did one trip on a true VLCC and enjoyed every minute of it.
Are bicycles still on board VLCC's or has the dreaded health and safety banned em.
rgds
Capt. John Arton (ret'd)

Interesting post John in which you have covered many topics. I was Master of ULCCs as early as 1970 when they they were still a novelty. There were six built, the Bantry Class, commencing 1968. We inherited many bicycles from the shipyard and they were needed. The Bantry Class had raised foc'sles but this did not deter people from doing the 'wheelies' of the day. The Mariner Class followed in the early 70s (Wood veneer in cabins wow!!) which were flush. Later in the early 80s there was a succession of +400,000 (Greek) which were only metres in difference in the beam
I have to say of all the countless times I passed Durban/Cape I never experienced assistance from the Aghulas as you did. I think I never recorded more than 18kts. People used to say you could achieve more closer in but, the worlds attention was always on these giants.

Your comments on the Blue Funnel are particularly interesting. The Ch.Offs of that company were well versed in stowing General Cargo but tankers were something alien to there thinking.

As for Blue Funnels philosophy on life I am afraid they as a company considered themselves above the rest and promulgated this thinking amongst their staff which did produces a rather aloof attitude. I was grateful for the training I received from 1955 to early 61 but staying there would stifle any young mans ambitions especially when told as a 21 year old that if you keep your nose clean you will be in command when you are 50.

Big deal! Hardly the thing a young man wants to hear.

Brgds

Bill

[Captain Gordon Whittaker]

Hi guys and galls, "Tribute to Sir Jimmy". As previously posted, when serving my time with Cunard/White- Star, I was told that I could expect to be Chief Officer at 50, then wait for a command. Needless to say, I fled and went "Freelance", and had my first command at 34. I loved the VLCCs with Safmarine and we actually had tricycles, supplied by the Company, which were great fun, with back-decks and trailers for all the equipment. As a matter of interest we also marked out on the vast decks, a golf course, played with "pucks", rather than balls, with holes strategically placed behind vents and tank tops. Loading was never a problem, except "Topping off" when you had to slow the tank filling by opening another empty tank. Timing this was rather crucial. Great ships, "Kulu" and "Gondwana". We had "Cape-coloured" crew who were good guys, and we never recognised Apartheid, although the Yaapies did!
I have just had a wonderful cruise from Cyprus to Crete, Turkey, and back to Cyprus, "Missed the earthquakes, luckily" We are off to Sharm-el Sheik in four weeks to keep up the winter tan. All inclusive again, so zero bar bill. Hope the kidneys hold out!
How's this for a future conception? For scale compare the puny QE2.

[Capt Bill Davies]

I remember loading at Mena Al Ahmadi New Years Eve 73 and the 'Gondwana' was loading at the same time.
Why on earth I remember that I don't know.

[Captain Kong]

I think you would need motor bikes on that one Gordon. When is she signing on.

Cheers
Brian

[Captain Gordon Whittaker]

She was perfect for early morning walks!