Scary moments

[Tony Morcom]

What was the scariest moment you had on a ship and why?

Mine was in Loch Striven on a laid up 140,000 tonne bulk carrier. We had 4 anchors out but they dragged during a violent storm. Since the main gennies were stripped down we had no power on deck. In the morning we had to manually haul on the starboard quarter anchor using a mooring wires and chain blocks. We only had 7 of us onboard. Ch mate, me as 3rd mate, ch. stwd / cook, 2 deckhands, 2nd and 3rd engineers. Whilst heaving on the cable it suddenly slipped when a chain block failed. Luckily it only slipped by about 8 links but unfortunately the ch stwd stepped back into the bight of the mooring wire which clamped his thigh in a vice like grip. The space between the two parts of the wire was only as wide as the thickness of the cable link so not much thicker than his bone. He ended up suspended by his thigh about 30" above deck level. You can imagine the screams as he remained conscious the whole time. The scary part was knowing full well that if the cable slipped again he would be dragged through the fairlead like toothpaste in a tube. It took what seemed like an eternity to find and rig new chain blocks and then heave the cable back and slacken the wire although it probably only took about 25 minutes. Miraculously he only suffered severe bruising and after 3 days in hospital was back hobbling around the galley on crutches.

[Doc Vernon]

This Thread is almost the same sort of thing that has been posted in the past!
Not quite i suppose but very close!
Anyway i will repeat my Post on the scary moment!
Cheers

Worst ship or voyage and why, ?
Bay of Biscay

Similar answer to Tony,however not the same sort of Ships,but indeed the ones i was on were all Passenger,so from me no really bad Ships at all!
Only thing that i can say was a bad experience was on the old Wincherster Castle on one trip we nearly collided with a Tanker at Night in the famous Bay of Biscay!
Woke everyone up,with the sudden Ships Horn blowing full blast,the Ship lurching to one side quite a lot,as the Capt (or whoever was at the controls)steered hard to one side so as to avoid the collission!
Quite a scare i may say,but all turned out AOK!
It was really near though,and i recall the Tanker going by us what seemed like one could nearly touch it! But then the vision at night wasnt that good! I suppose in hindsight the Tanker was a fair way off us,but i still can see the Lights on her which seemed so very close!
Oh well still here to tell the story haha!

Cheers

[Lou Barron]

I have had few scary moments like trying to secure the gangway on the Saminver in very bad weather but the worst one was when we got sunk by the Germans and picked up by the raider when we got on the ships deck surrounded by armed German sailors they ask if any was wounded i did have a wound in my right hand so i stepped forward and then one of the sailors put a blind fold on me thats when i was bloody scared i thought of all kind of things was going to happen to me but when they took me into their hospital it was ery different feeling

[j.sabourn]

This may come under 2 different threads. Was always drummed in to me early at sea never to run on a ship. Whether this was a superstition the same as whistling I never found out. The scary part was on the old Exmoor, just before collission with the Dutch passenger vessel the Ruys in the River Plate, I was on the focsle at the time and after letting go the anchor just prior to contact it took me about 5 seconds to get midships and have one leg over the rail ready to go. I have no recollection of walking so assume I must have been sprinting, I wasnt going to abide with any rules regarding superstition. Cheers John Sabourn

[happy daze john in oz]

Mine was in Durban when a fire broke out on the donkey boiler. Sailing day and there I was up on the funnel deck getting some sun, as you do, when I heard the emergency sirens go. Just testing so I thought. An hour later look over the side to see most of the ships company on the quayside. Down to the baot deck ready to tuen to and who meets me but the cheif engineer looking like a black man. I got a bit of a bollocking from him as he told me had it all gone up it would have gone straight to the funnel. I have put a full report on this one in an earlier posting.

[Tony Geeves]

On the Cunard Countess about '88 or '89, we were hove to off the Dominican Republic. We had to take the launch the launch ashore to pick up Henry Kissinger, U.S. government top brass, and bring him back to give a speach to the puinters. The ship was rolling and as we approached the ganway we went in under the platform, she rolled back, stoving in the top cover, it was fortunate that Our Ennery was only small, and sat down at the time! All ended well, but i'm glad I did'nt have to take him back ashore.

[Calvin Kent]

Heading for the cement berth in Newport News on a gearbulk boat the engines got stuck and wouldn't go astern. I dropped the port anchor and tightened up but it was still ripping through the brake. Dropped starboard, tightened up, same thing. Couldn't see a thing apart from some impressive sparks as chain that had never seen daylight sent up a dust cloud that took away the daylight. Through the noise I heard the pilots voice come over the tannoy to clear the focsle as we were now within fifty yards of hitting an ammunition barge on the dollies alongside an aircraft carrier having a refit. Luckily there was a good fall on the deck so I knew which way was aft so I was off the platform running. Straight into the foremast! Things were a bit hazy after that but I have no recollection of slowing down for the rail nor the ten foot gap between focsle and No 1 hatch but I came out of the dust around the centre of No 3 and the anchors were finally holding her although we did hit one of the dollies so that may have helped. If we had set off the ammunition barge there probably wouldn't have been any point in running but you don't think of that at the time. Nightmare releasing the brakes and retrieving the anchors as the brakes had all but welded themselves with the heat and had to ask the engineers for one of their "silly" hammers.

Regards
Calvin

[denniswalker]

On a shell tanker(e class ),on route from Japan to Singapore,in ballest. We were skirting a storm off the Hong Kong banks,when we got a sos that a ship had broken down in the eye of the storm and require assistance,as we were the closest vessel,we were asked to assist.
i was on the 8-12,on lookout,as the visabitly was poor,around about 08.30,we altered course to stb,then arouge wave hit us beam on,one the wifes that was on board screamed,the boat to around about 44 degrees,hang there for amoment,before coming back. Needless to say the bridge was a mess,as was most of the accomodation,the cook was the worst, with a cut forehead after getting thrown across the galley. Five minutes later we got word that the vessel in distress got her engine restarted.I stillget goosebumps thinking about that one.cheers dennis.

[Tony Wilding]

think it was about my third trip to sea, we had a really serious engine fire, engine room thick with smoke, could hardly see a thing, so i decided to leg it up the ladder, then felt some hands grab me and pull me back down, was the second engineer, i felt a right plonker, after that experienced many engine fires, got used to them.

[Ron B Manderson]

Winter 1967 storm in north alantic.
S S Matra. heavy swell etc .
We were trying to eat in Saloon and the ship took one hell of a roll.
Beer locker, beer moved.
Old man came into the saloon white faced.
" She can roll so many degress and recover Well we just rolled 10 degrees more and she came back I don't know why but she did "l think that was worse than going on fire in Chittagong with hatches full of burning jute.
Ah Well worse things happen on shore.
Ron the batcave
reco