What motivated you all to join the Merchant Navy.

[Thomas Daley]

Re the OIM of the Tharus
Was the I.O.M.,of the 6. 7.88 still there.I was on a British manned rig out here to shift her and got to talking to the night toolpusher who,was his son in law
he was telling me a few things other people shouldn’t know as thought I was an Australian and didn’t know I had been in the vicinity as I never broadcast
it, however I got the impression that he was dead and this was in the mid nineties, he remarked drink was the main cause of it.
Thanks your reply.
JS.

Only Tharos (American) OIM I know who passed in the 90's, he were put on the Tharos straight after "Piper" blew up, his name were Peter Clayson who left the Tharos when it were sold to Elf. He went to work in the Gulf and died in a car crash there, details of which were sketchy, have personal views of him, but, will cannot speak ill, bad or comment poorly on the dead.

[j.sabourn]

I don’t think the Cutter got any water on the piper originally , maybe latterly as all that was left of the Piper was a smoking hulk.The Cutter had her monitors on but too far off to reach and as you say the boundary waters. There was myself between the Tharos and the Piper and the Cutter I noticed was outside of me with monitors on this was about an hour after the initial explosion . The monitors from the Tharus I doubt if they reached the Piper until much later , I was informed by crew members much later that shortly after we pulled away from alongside the ships messroom where most of the survivors congregated water was pouring through the hatch adding to any panic that some may have had thinking the ship was sinking. This was the result I believe the Tharus’s monitors and this was about 2 hours into the death throes of the platform. Originally the Tharus pulled away from the Piper a justifiable reaction. When the Cutter picked up my FRC we were well clear of the platform
But still the closest in vessels which at that moment in time was myself, the Cutter, and the Tharus. The horizon as far as I could see was one mass of other ships navigation lights. The only small craft I was aware of were the 3 boats off myself , the Sandhaven, and the work boat off the diving ship which had to pull away from the conflagration , think she may of also had divers in saturation at the time , but there are members of the crew at that time on this site and they will be better informed. In cases like that disaster people have to do their own thing when human life is in peril and believe me I had one of the closest Birds Eye view of everything imaginable above water level . And some of the sights are what nightmares are made of. The master of the Sandhaven called me up on the VHF and said he had been released from one of the other platforms and what did I want him to do, so repeated what I had said in the Pan message for all ships to launch their boats that were in the area, he was only 20 minutes away himself but I said launch your boat he can get here before you as according to my log book entry there was 229 souls on board. I don’t think Shaun the master of the Sandhaven had much radio contact with his boat as not too long after arrival the frc was lost. Shaun himself I knew casually and he was about 20 years younger than me and someone reported his death a few years back believe he had a sports shop in South Shields. It has a big effect on one’s thinking when one loses members of one’s crew so hope he didn’t die in distress . I was that thankfull that the master of the Maersk vessel was successful in picking up mine, if he hadn’t been close in at the time it may have been a different story. Cheers JS

[David Varley]

Pa saw an advert for the Wireless College Colwyn Bay in either the Exchange and Mart or the Daily Mail.

No.1 son having 'blown' two years 'learning the wine trade' in France he was not going to do anything similar with No.2 who had just left expensive education with two 'O' level passes at 'A' level. I had no idea what I wanted to do but as I had shown some promise with a soldering iron he suggested Colwyn Bay and I simply 'fell-in'.

[Peter Harris]

All my family were ships engineers with Moss Hutchison, Buries Marks,Lamport and Holt and Clan Line.My father had started an engineering business in Chittagong. His plan was for me to take over the deck side and my cousin the engineering so I was sent to HMS Worcester. Was a cadet with British India, then through the ranks with L.O.F, Trident and Texaco before North Sea. His plans came to nothing as the war there made him give the business up anyway.

[Thomas Daley]

I don’t think the Cutter got any water on the piper originally , maybe latterly as all that was left of the Piper was a smoking hulk.The Cutter had her monitors on but too far off to reach and as you say the boundary waters. There was myself between the Tharos and the Piper and the Cutter I noticed was outside of me with monitors on this was about an hour after the initial explosion . The monitors from the Tharus I doubt if they reached the Piper until much later , I was informed by crew members much later that shortly after we pulled away from alongside the ships messroom where most of the survivors congregated water was pouring through the hatch adding to any panic that some may have had thinking the ship was sinking. This was the result I believe the Tharus’s monitors and this was about 2 hours into the death throes of the platform. Originally the Tharus pulled away from the Piper a justifiable reaction. When the Cutter picked up my FRC we were well clear of the platform
But still the closest in vessels which at that moment in time was myself, the Cutter, and the Tharus. The horizon as far as I could see was one mass of other ships navigation lights. The only small craft I was aware of were the 3 boats off myself , the Sandhaven, and the work boat off the diving ship which had to pull away from the conflagration , think she may of also had divers in saturation at the time , but there are members of the crew at that time on this site and they will be better informed. In cases like that disaster people have to do their own thing when human life is in peril and believe me I had one of the closest Birds Eye view of everything imaginable above water level . And some of the sights are what nightmares are made of. The master of the Sandhaven called me up on the VHF and said he had been released from one of the other platforms and what did I want him to do, so repeated what I had said in the Pan message for all ships to launch their boats that were in the area, he was only 20 minutes away himself but I said launch your boat he can get here before you as according to my log book entry there was 229 souls on board. I don’t think Shaun the master of the Sandhaven had much radio contact with his boat as not too long after arrival the frc was lost. Shaun himself I knew casually and he was about 20 years younger than me and someone reported his death a few years back believe he had a sports shop in South Shields. It has a big effect on one’s thinking when one loses members of one’s crew so hope he didn’t die in distress . I was that thankfull that the master of the Maersk vessel was successful in picking up mine, if he hadn’t been close in at the time it may have been a different story. Cheers JS

Thank you so much JS for all that info, now I understand more the Cutters's captain meaning that his firewater efforts were like spitting in a fire. Sandhaven FRC that vanished, did not one crewmember survive!! Seeing a fireball come towards him jumped overboard, when surfacing there were no one left on board the FRC.
Many items not handed over to the Cullen enquiry one were the Electronics Tech daily work book. You could view the fire from the electrical w/shop, one door opening to deck the other opening into the back of the HV switchboards and further to the ECR proper. The tech's daily work book had become a detailed log, time of explosions of which there were 5 or 7 separate explosions, the last explosion were the biggie forcing Tharos to back off. This book had times and names that would have created many paths of investigation. Just like the mate who opened the discharge valves, more and more people would have been shown not competent for their positions of which during the boom years in the 80/90's there were many.
Department of Energy lost its safety role in the North Sea, it being handed over to H.S.E.
OIM of the Claymore (American) refused to attend to Cullen Enquiry since Claymore were still pumping oil&gas into the pipeline in turn feeding the inferno on Piper, an agency ECRO hit the emergency shut ins on the seabed.
The Tharos had a 'Flying' Submersible that carried divers, that area were the lowest level and the coldest, after "Piper" reports of shadows and sightings started. One tech passed a guy down there, turned around and he were gone. Sensible guys had instances where folk asked them questions then vanished.
Got friendly with a plater/lagger who worked on the Claymore, told me he should be dead, but. the Lord saved him!! He should have been on Piper when it blew but had swapped shifts and his back to back were killed. He were on Claymore when the John Brown turbine casing blew apart causing maximum flaring off and seabed valves being shut, told me God would not give him a 3rd chance and left the industry.
I daresay there are many on here who could write a book, i helped pull survivors out of the water during a botched scuttle, a Swires boat and ourselves went to the distress signal position not their position given. HMS Plover went to the position given and were late, when the boat went down 'Plover' were asked if their underwater sonar could locate/determine position of wreck on seabed, "Out of commission at this time". We had 11 Philippines onboard one admitted to empty holds and helping the Greek C/Eng cut holes into wing tanks. C/Eng were killed leaving the ship, body not recovered. 2nd Eng onboard the Maersk Runner took loads of photos, HK police seized the camera, replacing it with a more modern/expensive item. Months later all other photos were returned to him via company office, new camera and free developing is a good deal he said.
There will be no more firsthand involvements of a similar nature anymore with the UK maritime base all gone.

[j.sabourn]

The Sandhavens frc boat was lost when it was hit by a fireball and certainly think it was the one meant for me as was heading straight towards my wheelhouse central window , have already put in one of my reports think it was this one that blew up the boat killing 2 crew members and it’s 6 survivors , as I had no rear view from the wheelhouse I am assuming he was taken cover from the heat and flames and dropping debris behind me. Waiting to get alongside to discharge his survivors. My own boats coxn informed me the following day that the surviving crew member of the boat jumped out of the boat before the fireball hit them, his own version was he was blown out so take your pick. I reckon as said previously these fireballs had a mind of their own and must have bypassed me by feet and was maybe attracted by the petrol fumes , my own frc was a jet boat and diesel driven. Which I think all frc’s should be. The same survivor from the lost boat died a few years ago at an early age. You wouldn’t believe some of the stories I also heard even from my own frc who tried to put survivors onto another vessel someone well clear of the danger zone they didn’t want to know , so they had to go elsewhere. Whether these stories are true or figments of imagination ,I try to close my mind to. Incidentally a couple of ships later I was master on the Sandhaven and on the bridge was a brass memorial plate to the 2 lost boat crew, was hardly the place for me to be if trying to forget . Cheers JS

[Kenneth Edward Hart]

Grandfather sailed with Hope Line & later with T&J Harrisons. He was an engineer. Books by Percy F. Westerman had a lot of influence on me giving a rather balmy impression of the seafaring life. I wanted to go to sea ta 16 but my father insisted that I "got a trade". Served my apprenticeship in the Caledon in Dundee and joined Shell in 1959. Retired 38 years later. Chief Engineer for 27 of these years. I loved it but Westerman has a lot to answer for

[Peter Thomson]

It was early September, 1956. Colour was just coming into the leaves of the trees beside the lanes on the cycle ride to school.
GCE exams had finished the previous June.
Everything had been set up for me the previous year. Deliberations were made by the masters who knew about these things at school and decisions
were made for me.
I would go into the sixth the next year and prepare for entry to Oxford to read theology at 1st choice, St. Edmund Hall, with Keble College as a second choice.
I believe the masters at school had connections there. It meant I would have to learn Latin and Greek in addition to my 'A' level subject studies.

On that ride to school that dull September, I didn't know my results of the 'O' level; GCE because I had opted out of attending school for the last two weeks of the term
when these things were deliberated and where pupils left stamped, addressed envelopes for sending one the exam results when Cambridge released them.

I joined the crowd at the pupils' entrance scanning the lists amid the jumble of others to learn to which form we were to join.

My name appeared on no list. I still did not know the results of my exam. While I continued to scan the lists for my name, a hefty thump arrived on my shoulder with
a joyful cry, 'Well Done, Thomson.' It was Mr. Lewis the French master. I knew I had passed French. This was soon followed by a rather unfriendly lack of greeting from
Mr. Collis, the Maths master. "Thought we had seen the last of you, Thomson.' I knew from that I had failed maths. Mr. Collis was also 2nd Headmaster and a physical specimen
of a person who used to open the batting for Cambridge University's cricket team when he lived there. He whisked me off to the Headmaster, Mr. Bradshaw, where I learned I had committed
a cardinal sin of the school, by copying out of the last two weeks of term.
My explanation was simple. MY parents were not wealthy My Dad cut grass for the council. I had a younger brother and sister who needed the cash it cost my parents to keep me at a grammar school.

My reasoning was simple, it was upon me to help my parents with my costs. Instead of flicking ink pellets about the class after the exams, while waiting for the official end of term, I would use those two weeks
plus the six weeks holiday to equip myself, and thereby save my parents the cost, of those essential requirements of a 16-year old schoolboy - AJS 350cc motorcycle, gaberdine suit, winkle pickers etc.

I went to work on the buildings. While the Headmaster left me sitting outside of his office while he conducted the opening service of morning prayers, Mr. Tisdale, history master, came and sat with me.
LOvely man, he had been a Wing Commander in Bomber Command at the end of the war, leading a squadron into the hellfire of raids over Germany, and here he was sat, worried about a sixteen year old
boy who had slipped from the rails of accepted conduct and behaviour at school.
'What will you do if you aren't accepted back into school?"
My parents had arranged that I should be born a Gemini. While I followed the sensible course of study to pursue an academic career, another side of me yearned for adventure. Older boys from our village,
had gone into the Merchant Navy, they had served on ships called Iberia, Arcadia and others, and came with suntans and gaberdine suits that were loved by the girls.
I answered Mr. Tisdale with what became my true path. 'I would join the Merchant Navy, where I would improve my education ( Ihad heard of Seafarers Education Service) and when 18 would join the armed services.
'Good man,' he said. Because I had a plan- not that it was a sensible plan, but I had done some thinking about my future.

Refreshed by his morning devotions Mr. Bradshaw decided that all would be well if I served another year in the fifth form- I really hadn't done very well in the GCE exams. he could not understand how I had passed English lIterature and yet had failed English Language. I also needed maths. I decided against and left school with a double trumpet fanfare from the exhaust of the 'AJ'.
And Vindi- here I come.