Unusual cargo

[j.sabourn]

Yes apart from all the deck cargo , containers ,skips, drill pipe , all sorts of machinery. Helicopter fuel tanks , all the pipe transfers Brine, drill water , potable water , fuel , mud, cement , barytes , bentonite,and any other chemicals. Most people see a supply vessel with a few containers on deck and think that’s it. Cheers JS

[Ivan Cloherty]

Some people will find this hard to believe John. We took Fijian crew boys with us from Suva and they carried bagged sugar onto the ship and emptied them down the hatch. They put the string from the bags around their necks and were paid by how many strings they had.

Similar to Cuba, Louis, came aboard in bags, bags opened and poured below through the hatchboards, don't think the string thing was in operation though, we saw the world.

The other cargo is intriguing, Dennis being a Canuk may know or set us off on a course

[Ivan Cloherty]

Louis, as far as I can ascertain, your white pellets 'may' have been used in nickel refining, can you remember the year you carried them.

[Ivan Cloherty]

The white pellets loaded in USA could have been 'anhydrite' pellets used in the manufacture of thermalite insulating building blocks, it is expensive and sometimes mixed with silicon sand pellets.

[j.sabourn]

#19.. Not too hard to believe at all Louis have loaded numerous cargoes of sugar starting in 1953 in Cairns FNQ. In the rainy season could be there 3 weeks loading 10,000 tons by the same method emptying the sacks down the hold. Today you would load the same 10,000 tons in 12 hours by a bulk loader. Have even loaded sugar in Bombay where it originated, if not India I have no idea , it was just another sugar cargo. Cuba many times although usually from there was transported in sacks port to port, usually Japan. Either in bulk or Sacks was a nice uncomplicated cargo, ventilation the same as most cargoes being the only or biggest worry , and the stand by man on watch kept busy turning the vents on or off the wind depending on the weather. And as with most cargoes damage by sweat which every ship had due to the different temperature of outside and inside the hold. Cheers JS
Sorry slight mis statement should read starting in Cuba as took sugar from there to Japan, and from Japan down to Cairns to load another cargo of sugar. So was like that song.... Sugar in the morning, sugar in the evening, sugar at supper time , be my little sugar and love me all the time.....JS.

[Louis the fly]

You are in a good mood today John a sense of humour is a great quality to have.
In answer to Ivan the year was 1967 ( Chapmans )

[j.sabourn]

Wasnt the Geneton was it ? JS

Was on board her in BA but think that was in 1954. She must have been gone by 1967. She was no youngster then , open wheelhouse , not the best place to be in the North Atlantic in the winter. JS..

[Louis the fly]

Brighton

[j.sabourn]

Think it was in 1974 that John I Jacobs went to the wall, and I was out of work. I had 2 phone calls one from Runcimans who I had been with previously for 11 years, and one from Chapmans both offering work. I was nonchalant about it as had a bit of redundancy money to spend. The next day the personell manager appeared on the doorstep as had driven down from Glasgow , I had known him from previous years and he had me signed up and was away. The phone rang again shortly after and the Supt. from Chapmans was phoning from Sunderland saying he would be over in an hours time and I had to tell him all bets were off . As it turned out it would have been better going with Chapmans as Runcimans didnt work out. One cant go back to a company and pick up where you left off. Too many see you as an adversary. Anyhow I belief the Brighton was one of the ships mentioned over the phone with Chapmans. JS..

[Ivan Cloherty]

In answer to Ivan the year was 1967 ( Chapmans )

Then it may have been something to do with the nickel processing as the start up time is right, the thermalite production didn't start until earl 70's