Suez crisis

[Rodney Mills]

Johnno.

My wife and I spent 3 weeks in Eire, touring in our Brit car a Vauxhall with Brit license plates. I always ask questions when I travel, and having a mid-Atlantic accent the locals of whatever country can't quite peg me. I never found any animosity directed to the English. On the contrary, they recognized that the English were their largest tourists' market and Americans way lower and those, usually were following a family tree trail. The large American tourist body visited the UK and Europe and Ireland was way off the beaten tourist path. I heard nothing but praise towards the Brits, from the local B and B owners, who were mostly farmers as the farms were our preferred stopovers. Also, while we had a brew in the local pubs of an evening.

I felt the animosity towards the Brits was limited to the North (which we avoided).

P.s. I kissed the Blarney Stone.

[Rodney Mills]

Johnno answer to your second question.

Woodrow Wilson was president during WW1. In 1914 he was firmly against the war. He and many viewed it as another squabble between European countries and none of America's business. It took the sinking of the Brit, ship the Lusitania, by a German submarine, and the death of 129 US nationals for he and congress to declare war on Germany.

In WW2, Roosevelt was all for the US to enter the war from the get-go, however, as I said, Congress was against it. My gut feeling is, if it wasn't the Japanese and Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt would have found a way. But we will never know.

Until Pearl Harbor, the conscientious, according to all I have read is, the people were against it and consequently the elected pollies were against it, but Roosevelt was the consummate politician.

Cheers, Rodney

[happy daze john in oz]

Thanks for that bit Rodders, interesting indeed.

AS to travel, as you know we cruise a lot with persons from many countries.
Maybe the calm of the sea or being in a different society but have always found so many people who would maybe just pass you on the street at home are so friendly on a cruise.
Maybe lack of every day chaos and home land pressures not being there make people act in a different manner.

Have met some great people who we still keep in touch with.

[Judy Young]

Before Nasser did the deed, we were going through the Canal and saw all the barges tied up ready to be sunk when the British attacked, so obvious. ended up going around the Cape to get home, with the price of our cargo going up every mile.
Des

Hi.

I recently joined this site to find information for my father - Tom Young.

We grew up with his story about being on leave in Egypt and woken up in the middle of the night by a shipping agent, driven across the desert and sitting by the side of the canal in the middle of nowhere all day until a Royal Navy fast boat came upon them. The captain asked if they were from the Tyndareus and said they had been looking for them all day. They got onboard fast and apparently just about made it out safely. They had no idea what was happening - and no warning.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Judy.
Welcome to the site, was your Dad in the MN? If so; do you have any of his ships names and dates, someone on site may have sailed with him.
Des

[Judy Young]

Hi Des

Yes was a marine engineer and sailed with many of the big names from c1952 to 1965ish when he became one of 2 Port Engineers for Union Castle in Southampton. Companies included Bowater, Fyffes, China Nav, Union Castle and quite a few more. He then switched shore side managing the engineering of oil carriers and then finished his time running LNG ships between Alaska and Yokohama.

He’s still going strong at 91 and has so many tales we’ve had them recorded by an oral historian.

I will get him to look at this site and will put in accurate timings, ships and dates.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Judy.
I bet he will have a few tall tales to tell,
Des

[Keith Tindell]

The very reason we carried those two Arabs and their boats , one fwrd and one aft. Been through many times in the past, but never had to use the boats.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-africa-65788250

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Keith.
We we anchored in Port Said when a big sandstorm swept through the Canal, ships were coming through later with one side as clean as all polished.
Des

[Errol Chandler]

When was it, 1955? 1956. I was about 13 years old and we lived on the shores of Algoa Bay, about three miles from Port Elizabeth. Watched the bay fill up with ships diverted round the Cape. As I recall 25+ ships was the norm for months.