Ship Memories

[robpage]

Because my weeks are very routine I can soon drift one week into the other . Unfortunately I have to stick to the routine and life doesn't work properly

[Colin Wood]

My first trip to sea on Pacific Importer we had an Estonian greaser who had been press ganged onto a Russian ship during WWll As soon as we arrived in LA customs took him ashore and he returned 36 hours later looking very frightened and disheveled. As soon as cargo work stopped at 2200, he tried to hang himself from No 4 derrick. Crew really looked after him for rest of trip and not very pleasent to Yank officials.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Do you find that memories from the past are much clearer than what you did last week ?

Without a doubt Louis, but our younger years were more hectic, we lived through WWII, we aren't going to forget that easily, we remember our first ship and where we went, our National Service(if we did it) our subsequent involvement in a war situation, our 21st birthday, our wedding day, our kids arriving into the world, etc etc, we had so many reference points, but last week was like the week before, nothing special, next week will be a little different have over 1000 miles to cover in 3 days going oop narth

[John Arton]

On one tanker I was 3rd Mate on we had a 3rd Eng. who had 2 passports in different names. There was rumours going around that we were going to Nigeria to load crude and he immediately started to agitate to be relieved before we went to Nigeria. Turned out he had been doing some dodgy stuff there during the Biafran War and there was a warrant out for his arrest.
rgds
J.A.

[Captain Kong]

When I was on the Good Hope Castle,, Springbok Line of Cape Town in 1959, we went into Mombasa, to load for Europe and home.
We had a parcel of cargo for Barcelona, Spain, One of our Liverpool ABs turned white from under his bronzy.
He had been in the Spanish Civil War in 1938, he had been captured by the Franco`s Fascist Forces, and with some others had been led out to be executed by firing squad. They had agreed to go out fighting and so attacked the firing squad and he escaped, the others were killed.
He went to see the Captain, and told him he would be executed if he went to Spain, as Franco was still in Power there.
The Captain called the British Consul and the Spanish Consul and had a meeting.
The Spanish Consul said yes he would be executed on arrival in Barcelona.
The Captain paid off the AB and into the care of the British Consul; and eventually he was picked up and went home on a Union Castle ship.

[vic mcclymont]

Of course Captain, Springbok was part of UCL and had been registered by them in 1950 but not activated. In 1959 with Safmarine stirring the pot, B&C activated Springbok, initially as a UK company, before transferring to S.A. registry.
Vic

[Captain Kong]

I was on the Pool in Liverpool, me and Ted, my old school mate, now deceased, got the signing on papers for the GOOD HOPE CASTLE, she was in Birkenhead and was signing on in the ships saloon. we walked through the sheds, up the gangway and into the saloon.
Signed on and then said we would walk aft to see the accommodation in the raised poop.
On the after deck we saw a strange foreign looking ensign flying aft.
kinnel! we have been shanghaied on a foreign ship.
We dashed back into the saloon and shouted to the Shipping Master, its a foreign ship., "Calm down lads" he said, it is Union Castles South African Company Springbok Line, He explained we were just going down to East Africa and the Cape and you have not been shanghaied. all same UK Wages and conditions. We accepted it. Had a few days alongside before we sailed and worked by. first job was to repaint the funnel from UCL to Spring Bok colours, She was Registered in Cape Town.
She was a good job, heavy on deck but no probs, we had a good crowd and Mates and Captain, so we did three trips on her and then on the lsat one, our final port of discharge was Mauritius and then to Hong Kong for the breakers, June 1959, 7 days in Hong Kong geat fun, and then flew home on a Dakota, taking three days flying to Stanstead. They told us we could join Saf Marine after our leave, but as usual just drifted back to the pool so never sailed Saf Marine.
Cheers
Brian

Below , in UCL colurs

[Louis the fly]

Very unusual Brian , a four masted cargo ship. They must have all gone to the breakers by the time I joined in 63.

[Captain Kong]

Hi Louis
They were a "EMPIRE"class built at the end of WW2, she was built as EMPIRE LIFE in 1945.

a later Good Hope Castle was built for UCL and burned at sea. the life boats landed at Ascension Island. The Master of the Amsterdam of Holland America who I have sailed with on my cruises was a cadet in the life boat.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Hi Louis
They were a "EMPIRE"class built at the end of WW2, she was built as EMPIRE LIFE in 1945.

.

Thought the ones built towards the end of the war were the VICTORY class (blt USA), the Empire class was first built in 1937 (UK) and became the fore runner of the war built Empire and Fort Class of vessel (Levenpool was originally Empire Lionel blt 1941) and was the design taken over to the USA from which the Liberty evolved

The photo is typical Victory style

But as always I stand to be corrected, as Sundays always confuse me!