Last leg of the tour

[john walker]

I managed to be there 4 times over the years 3 times when taking bunkers and no shore leave allowed and once I was supposed to be joining a ship in malaga but the company could not get me a flight so I flew to Gib. instead landed,went through immigration was picked up by the ships agents driven straight down to the harbour put on a boat that motored out to the ship I was joining that was anchored in Algerciras bay. I must be the most frequent off people who has never seen anything of the place?

[John Callon]

Hi John.
--.
Cheers Des

Agree Des, Gibraltar was a good run ashore. Most of the time we anchored out in the bay and the troops wen t ashore in landing craft. Once I left the Devonshire never went back to the place, passed the Rock dozens of times on the way to the far east.
Regards
John C

[Graham Payne]

Hi John,
we went to Gibralter on a cruise only 1/2 day ashore. the wife was really looking foreward to the duty free Perfume shops. We had a look around all the shops all open apart from all the perfume ones, seems it was a Jewish holiday ALL SHUT.
I won,t tell you her reaction as it is unprintable. I was well happy and only had to pay for the Fish & Chips in the main square, it would have cost me a bundle had they been open.
Happy Days.

[John Callon]

Hi Graham
I can well imagine your wifes reaction to finding all the perfume shops closed. The same as mine would be if I found all of the bars shut!!
Like everywhere else I suppose Gib has changed a lot since the days when we knew the place. I was in Rio de Janerio in March, the beach is still the same but as far as the eye can see there are skyscrapers. Probably housing blocks. Bring back the good old days I say. Christ I can almost hear my Dad saying the same thing to me.
Regards
John

[happy daze john in oz]

Hi John,
--.
Happy Days.

We were lucky, or unlucky depending on how you look at it, but all the shops were open the day we were there. Place was full with tourists not just from the ship, a lot come in from Spain for day trips.

[John Arton]

Who can remember the Lloyds signalling station at Gibraltar that used to call up every ship inbound and outbound through the Straits, requesting your name and where bound. At night it would be on the Aldis, which was superseded by VHF. Nowadays I don't think it happens anymore as there is mandatory reporting to Tarifa radio plus AIS.
rgds
JA

[cappy]

there was a llods hailing station on the tyne opposite the old fuel tanks .....i was in the allurity one of the yellow peril rock dodgers ......we had a contract to bunker all the foriegn goers in the tees it was a grand little job on a weekly food and etc .....we took 3 to 4 hours down each day ...and 3 to 4 back depending of course on the weather ....a dram job back in shields every night ....as we turned round to go each mornabot 7 am ...the llods hailing station man would appear completewith trumpet and bellow what ship and were you bound ...as the contract had been going for about 3 years it was bloody ridiculous ......but it was a law of course you had to adhere to ......after about three months we got a call to bunker thesouthern harvester.....or southern venturer to whaleling factory ships in aberdeen.....as we came about the lloyds man appeared as usual in full admiral type uniform a asked what ship and where you bound we shouted all at once aboot 9 hands allurity aberdeen ...he shouted lying bastards your going to middlesborro ........someone shouted watch us at the pier mouth .....we turned to port and the old man blew away on the whistle happy days .....but got out in the winter fully laden she was awash from tyne to tees ....went forieghn down to kiwi and oz on a geordie tramp......happy days wish i was doing it now cappy

[Captain Kong]

I was in Gibraltar twice, on the Dunedin Star and the Adelaide Star, from seafaring Stories.................

Dunedin Star , 1956.......

. After a long trip of thirty days around the Cape from Melbourne we called in at Gibraltar to discharge two hundred tons of frozen beef.
Tom and I were on the 4 to 8 watch. We topped the derricks and stripped the hatches for the Dockers and removed the plugs for the fridge hatches.
Then we shaved showered and shampooed and leapt ashore to sample the delights of Gib after a long trip at sea. Tom was engaged to a young lady who was in the Signals Regiment and based here on the Rock so he was excited that he would meet up with his intended.
We walked up Main Street and went into the Royal Oak for a couple of pints then to the Cha Cha Bar for a few more. Walking down the next road we found the NAAFI Club so we dived in there for some more grog.
There were half a dozen National Servicemen in the bar so we were treating them to Rum and pints, as they didn’t get so much money.
Then suddenly Tom remembered his girl was here, he had forgotten, so he went to phone her. He came back and was going berserk; she had kicked him into touch and was now going out with a sergeant in the Army.
He came back into the bar and thumped one of the soldiers, he thumped Tom back and Tom fell on the floor so I thumped him knocking him over a table with all the glasses smashing on the floor. The others joined in; six to two wasn’t bad odds. Then an Army Officer and some more troops ran in and sorted us out and then escorted us to the gate and threw us out, well we had been thrown out of better places than that.
The following year I went back there and there was a notice on the gate, ”No Dogs, Dagos or Merchant Seamen allowed in the Club”.
The ship was sailing at 4pm so we staggered down the street and went past the Governor’s Palace; there was a soldier on guard with rifle and bayonet. Tom staggered across to him and crashed into him knocking him to the ground and dropping his rifle with a clatter. They were rolling over fighting so I had to separate them and got the soldier up and apologised for Tom’s behaviour, I explained that he had lost his girl to an Army fellow. I dragged Tom away and we staggered down the street to the dock. The crowd had just dropped the derricks and battened down and the ship was ready for sailing. Just made it. We sailed then for Dunkirk and into a cold weather and storms across the Bay of Biscay mooring in Dunkirk in a blizzard two days before Christmas Eve ………………….………………….....

Adelaide Star............1957........
We called at Aden for bunkers and then up to the Canal and then just one stop at Gibraltar, arriving there on Wednesday 28 August,
We tied up at six am, The Cook was stood in his pyjamas by the rails as we tied up.
We got the derricks topped and the hatch ready for the Dockers and then sat in the mess room waiting for breakfast. At eight thirty the Galley Boy ran into the mess room and shouted, ”No breakfast today lads, the Cook is Dead.”
The Cook had gone back to his cabin and then collapsed and died. The Stewards had lifted him onto his bunk and he was certified dead by the Captain,
The undertaker was sent for and a Van appeared at the gangway. The Bosun came down aft and said Ok Lads I want some of you to carry the Cook down the gangway to the Van. We all legged it to the gangway, ran down and up the road. He caught Fleetwood and Len Seed, they had to do the job. Meanwhile we were up the road to the first bar for a few bevies, Don’t like picking up stiffs.
We stayed on the ale all day and then came back late and turned in.
Next morning the Captain had us all on the bridge for being adrift all the previous day so we were logged a days pay.
That day there was a funeral for the Cook and a select few were chosen to go the Funeral.
The rest of us took the day off again and went into town.
I walked past the NAAFI Club where we had been thrown out of when I was there on the Dunedin Star. There was a Notice on the gate, “No Dogs, Dagos or Merchant Seamen allowed.”
Didn’t want to go in anyway, they get upset so easily.
We ended up in the Cha Cha Bar, and soon had a few girls round us and sat on our knees, I had a lovely one, called Paquita, She gave me her necklace, a gold St. Christopher medal, I kept it for quite a few years but I think another young lady took it off me.
I was on a good promise with Paquita, and was looking forward to her finishing working there.
The Bar began to fill up with Royal Navy fellows, and soon it was packed.
The girls were dancing on the stage, and Morgan and Fleetwood went on the stage to the cheers of everyone. They were dancing, drunk as monkeys and linked arms and started spinning around, Morgan shot off the stage and crash landed on a table full of Royal Navy men smashing all their glasses, knocking the table and all the Navy men over. They started to batter Morgan so all our crowd joined in and soon the whole Bar was bashing each other, all the girls were screaming and the Bar was wrecked. Then the Navy Shore Patrol rushed in cracking skull with their clubs and dragging out the Navy men. We legged it out and down the road.to the Royal Oak, cursing Morgan. My chance with Paquita had gone.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John A.
I got that privilege of signaling Gib. I was JOS on the Trevose and I used to do Morse with the Cadets, the skipper asked me if I was confident to do it , I said you bet,
It was a bit of a thrill as I could read what was sent back. The best Captain I ever sailed with.
Cheers des