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It is hard to imagine how the survivors lived after the event.
Knowing they survived whilst others perished has no doubt stayed with them.
I know from conversations with firies who have had to deal with Bush Fires and see people burned to death the effect on them.
One just hopes that such an event never happens again, but as John said there is still the possibility.
#35... At least one definite suicide plus a couple more suspected ones. A few early deaths due to self harm via the old bottle of liquor. Many families would rather not discuss I would imagine. Probably most were subject to changes in their character and suffered mood swings.Trauma is probably a subject most have never had Occassion to witness After and during the Great War many allied soldiers were accused of cowardice and believe some even faced a firing squad. In later years when medical science was better advanced those so accused were never really cleared of such and the real cause was put down to shell shock. Usually alcohol is the first thing most look for to drown their memories out. I even suffered such on arriving home from the first day and went through. 3 bottles of spirits in 2 days. However didn’t work for me and only threw it all back. Went back to sea at the earliest opportunity. Two of the old FRC crew came with me. Arriving on station at an unnamed platform they asked to be allowed to launch the boat, did so and went under the platform in an effort to kill their own ghosts. They were with me for nearly to the time when I left the shores of Blighty a couple of years later. It is hard to give a reply to questions concerning other people as all have different levels of resistance, different morals, and all have their own view of life in general... you would have to ask each one their own feelings which would probably have to be under hypnosis , as all would probably have the feeling that they had to hide their own fear at the time. Most of the stories that you hear about so called courage are usually made during when the Adrenalin is at its highest and anger at the circumstances you find yourself, my anger was at the fire itself , and there could only be one winner in that case and it wasn’t me. Then it was at the ship and the inadequacy of such a vessel, and to the shortage of manpower. Anger is always there directed at various targets. Is never a time for sitting back and waiting for a miracle which is not going to happen. Is a time where you face the probability of your own death, which in the final moments is not as bad as one thinks. Only those who survived the Piper Alpha can answer for themselves and all answers would probably be different. Cheers JWS
Piper Alpha survivor's daughter Iona Ballantyne speaks to Lord Cullen.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland...tland-40812354
Regards from,
Fouro.
Funny enough Fouro all the pictures and answers you are finding on the Internet, I have never had the urge to know about. The only thing that has ever concerned me was my own role and the role of those around me that is the crowd of the Silver Pit. Their future was of more concern to my conscience than any other. It was my decision to launch the boat and my decision to go into the inferno so any loss of life to anyone on the ship was my responsibility and that’s the way I saw it. I did say before launching the boat that if you go in there I will be right behind you. They did and I did. That’s the way things worked. I never heard a word of complaint from anyone on the Silver Pit later. However did from some of. The survivors at the enquiry later via the media who were complaining about the lack of a cup of tea or words to that effect. When talking about anger in previous post , a lot of such was directed inwardly at the aithor of the book written and published within weeks of the incident , which I took as an affront to the memory of those lost and written to my way of thinking for monetary gain. It’s authors standing in my estimation went just to about zero. There are as often say many things I can conjure up which most people would consider unsavoury, but as individuals we are all different. And as one newsman said to me in Fremantle you can’t demean a poor survivor. There will always be there some who seize advantages from any situation in life. Entrenapaurs if you like. Myself I like a quite life with no problems and the limelight is the last place I would want to be. However there were 8 other men with me on the Silver Pit and their feelings come first last and foremost with me. They were the backbone of that night. They deserve any kudos that are going and not all the self confessed pseudonym ones. Cheers JWS.
I thank you for your comments and words and i too remember it well and sailed on the standby vessels ex trawlers, and was disgusted by the conditions on them i reported the company to the BOT when i paid off and they had to scrap 5 vessels and brought in 5 new ones, i was a Chef on the Rigs and barges in the N/Sea and a Merchant seaman for 20 years, one of my proudest moments was seeing those 5 unsuitable vessels tied up ready for scrapping, 500 plastic bucket seats and a blanket would be all you got and a first aid kit not fit for purpose, we went out with hole in **** end of ship, we ran out of fresh water after 2 weeks and wouldnt go back to port and no other ship would assist, the cabin flooded in bad weather, the ship was not sea worthy for the crew let alone an evacuation of a Rig or Platform, this was a year after the Piper Apha went up, and quite a lot died in the Lifeboats which was another travisty on the night, very sad and should be always remembered as it saved many lives afterwards. RIP the crew of the Piper Alpha
You know exactly what I am talking about John. I too refused to join a ship after the Piper Alpha. I have already put on the site somewhere. Working out of Lerwick and going back to rejoin asked for a crew list. This consisted of 1 seaman who they had the effrontery to call a boatswain. All the reports about safety that gets the headlines in our marvellous media I take with a pinch of salt. I put an article in the Numast Telegraph of 1988 re. The oil company’s should be responsible for the seaworthiness of such vessels. , all the so called updating today of such vessels I wouldn’t know and wouldnt believe unless I saw with own eyes. Thanks your observations from an actual member with experience of same. As regards the first aid kit, my experience was a biscuit tin containing Elaster plasters and a couple of bandages. The morphine consisted of one ampoule rolling around in my drawer somewhere. Cheers JWS
We had a neighbor some years ago, now passed, who was a prisoner in Changi.
He never spoke of it to any one and his wife said he still had nightmares some 30 years later.
Unless you have been in a life or death situation it is hard to know how any one who has feels about it.
John, no doubt you still have your memories, and not good ones, but at times it helps to talk about it rather than bottle it up.
I do hope things are OK for you.
John I give you a quote from an article from the Newcastle Journal of the 13 November 1990 on the completion of the hearing on the Piper. The report detailed some critisims from witnesses of the lack of coordination of leadership on board the ship and claims the master appeared to be overworked and needed someone to back him up. But Lord Cullen said he could find no fault with Capt. Sabourn or hold him responsible for the crews inadequate training to cope in an emergency situation. Arrows with barbs in them made by others to try and push themselves into prominence.? And seized on avidly to take out of context by the press to make a story, the same as the other media outlet that I didn’t check the ship prior to sailing. All total and complete bull... then people go ahead all their lives listening to the tripe that some papers are all too keen to put out. Personally I want nothing to do with the press as they wouldn’t print the truth to save their lives What I want to see all the tripe they have printed open for others to see and. Show them in their true light. When I arrived in WA in 1991 a certain personage was giving talks on the Piper Alpha disaster and charging for the privilege at the university’s and other sites. It stopped when I wrote to his sponsor again a pressman, and it was he who said I shouldn’t be nasty about a poor survivor. Is it any wonder at the time that some of the crew were upset at the time by media reports. Think about it. I never in all my life would ever have believed that myself or the crew were under examination of any kind for any kind of misdemeanour or otherwise. Such is the conduct and inflammatory mis information gleefully in all probability put out to the world. What I would like to see is the mis information from that era put on display in the museum and all the other newspaper accounts which leave a lot to desire. The museum can soon find their own. The ones . I have are for the future when perhaps they might bring to light some more facts to those which are supposed to be history now. Cheers JWS.
To JWS,
I presume this photograph of the Silver Pit is before she was converted into the Piper Alpha standby vessel.
Click onto the html to view her.
Silver Pit - Trawler Photos Gallery
Regards from,
Fouro.
Derricks etc. cropped off. FRC Davits on port side of the poop. Ladders with handrails from. Bridge deck to foredeck. Survivors reception area. In the fish hold on main deck and modified to take 250 persons. Looked different when employed as a stand by vessel. I have a picture of her taken for the Numast Telegraph with supporting story sent in by me but have no idea how to put on site. Could post on copy to anyone who wants, it is her lying alongside in Aberdeen on the or about the 10 July 1988 I would imagine. Cheers JWS.