The "M" Boat's of Shell Tankers

[j.sabourn]

Apart from a couple of management companies I only ever worked for what one would call British company’s , they were Walter Runcimans, RS Dalgliesh and John I Jacobs , the last mentioned they also had company’s mortgages and I had one at about 3 % when the going rate was 8.5%. Today here in Oz the going rate is about 2 % so today’s young family’s should grab it while it’s there. JS

[cappy]

Interesting fact lewis a rating on tankers 10 bob a month extra supposed danger money .....also 10 bob for life boat ticket took mine on the tyne dec 1960 ......but then add them together it was a lot of beer at 1 shilling and one penny a pint for 9 or ten months when pay off day came....cappy

[Captain Kong]

Hi Lewis
You went to sea a long time after some of us did, 17 years in my case;.
by 1969 it was a different game altogether. things had changed so much.
Ships had changed, Shipping Companies had changed, many had disappeared, many had merged, and many new companies, and conditions and wages had changed all out of recognition,.
some totally unbelievable.
Brian

[Ivan Cloherty]

Well then you don't know what you missed

Well Lewis I didn't miss anything, I served my time in a 'Liner' company on a bus run and found it wasn't for me. Being a 4th mate with a 2nd mates ticket or a 3rd mate with a mates ticket didn't appeal to me. Another thing that put me off staying with a Liner company was that mid way through my time we got chartered to NZ instead of the usual WCSA, so instead of turning left after the Panama Canal to go down WCSA, we went straight on, you would have thought the Master and mates were Columbus discovering the New World, and I thought this can't be right , so I made my mind up there and then to leave as soon as my time finished. My next ship with the Liner company was to South Africa and that only endorsed my feelings of wanting to see the world, which I knew I never would have if I remained with the Liner company and left the stiff shirts behind. At the end of my time joined tramping companies I went where I had wanted to and ended up in places I hitherto didn't know existed. Sailed with some great people and teachers. Alas no mortgage benefits but still owned my own house in my mid twenties and basically had a life with no regrets and still travelled the world after stepping ashore, but worked harder, still ending up in places hitherto unknown. No, no regrets.

[Lewis McColl]

Blue Flu invented ranks and wage scales to keep people happy. They must have been doing something right as getting a job with Blue flu was dead man shoes. But yes there was nothing wrong with moving around. I always followed the money. I was as loyal to a ship owner as he was to me. My only regret at sea was I never got to New Zealand. Different strokes for different folks. My cousin did years and years with Bank Line , loved it. He was the black sheep of the family. He became a deck officer. He was an HMS Worcester boy. Think he ended on supply boats around Singapore somewhere. He is a religious nut now thinks he is better than the rest of the family.

[vic mcclymont]

Was it Mactra & Marpessa that suffered from serious explosions in the early 70's?
I am sure it was the Mactra that was in Durban for nearly a year undergoing repairs.
There was a massive hole just in front of the accommation, you couls see through the ship.
Massive steel beams were welded on to the remaking steelwork on the sides and deck.
When she left for Japan, they reckon she was stronger than when she was built, but Lloyd's insisted rhat she was escorted to Japan by a Salvage tug.
Vic

[Tony Taylor]

Was it Mactra & Marpessa that suffered from serious explosions in the early 70's?
I am sure it was the Mactra that was in Durban for nearly a year undergoing repairs.
There was a massive hole just in front of the accommation, you couls see through the ship.
Massive steel beams were welded on to the remaking steelwork on the sides and deck.
When she left for Japan, they reckon she was stronger than when she was built, but Lloyd's insisted rhat she was escorted to Japan by a Salvage tug.
Vic

There was also the Kong Haakon off West Africa, I was board Voluta heading for Straits of Gib en route from Curacao to Italy when that one happened and we diverted to assist but were stood down due to other vessels being much closer.
I did have an A4 aerial pic of Mactra alongside in Durban, two things stood out, one was the huge hole and the other was the miniscule fire engine stood by on the quay by order of the authorities, I dunno what they thought they would do with it.

[Lewis McColl]

Were there not two Shell tankers had massive tank explosions in the late 60' 70's. I am sure I saw one off the West Coast of Africa. Grey cells not so bad, it was the Marpessa just off the coast near Dakar in Senegal. She was still a float. If memory serves there would have been more fatalities but for the fact that when the explosion happened she peeled the deck back in such a manner that the deck plating folded back in front of the accommodation block. I must admit I thought two people who were on the monkey Island at the time sunbathing when the explosion happened were also killed , one being the 2nd Engs wife but cannot find any info about that.6. S.S. MARPESSA..jpg
LONDON, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Two crew members died in an explosion and fire aboard the 104,000-ton oil tanker Matra off Mozambique on Monday, the Shell Oil Company announced today. Shell, the owners of the ship, said that six other crew members were reported injured, two of them seriously.

Shell tanker.jpg

shell tanker 1.jpg

It is well documented the reasons for the explosions being caused by a static discharge during tank cleaning while using Butterworth hoses. I think this led to the increase in the use of Inert Gas systems and crude oil tank washing

[happy daze john in oz]

Over time the number of crew on nay ship could well change.
I did a voyage on the 'Paproa' 12 bloods could be taken though we only had 8.
I was given a cabin that had on the name plate above the door, 'Butcher'.
There were a few other cabins with names over them of crew not on board including baker though we did not have one.
Just second cook and bricklayer as they were known.
But at some time obviously there was.