Feet wetting incident

[David mullins]

Following a couple of weeks break at home after a 2 year jag on the “ MV British Monarch” trading between Japan, Aussie, NZ and the Guano islands of Nauru and Ocean Island I’d had enough deep sea at least for a while so I opted for a a nice little coaster which would provide much needed time at home.
I joined the Coast Lines ship MV Denbigh Coast at Permona dock in Salford.
She was an old timer with radial davits and really cramped accommodation.
She was on a regular run with general cargo between Manchester and Belfast spending every weekend in Permona. Just what I needed for some normal shore life and a regular lady friend.
After clearing Eastham locks in the Mersey we navigated seaward to the Bar lightship. The weather was fair with a nor-westerly running at about 3 to 4. Vis was was 10 miles+.
After clearing the Bar we set course for Belfast and the Skipper relieved me and took over the watch, which coastal skippers did in the 60s.( perhaps they still do, I don’t know)
I went below to the galley and had a cuppa with the cook when I suddenly remembered I’d left my all weather Canadian parka on the bridge.
Nipping back up to the bridge and grabbing my coat I noticed a cargo ship about one point off the starboard bow coming towards us with a feather in her mouth. I leaned against the bridge window and chatted to the skipper waiting for the other ship to pass on our starboard side. I remember the skipper telling me there was a Vesper scooter in number 2 (hold) which was for his daughter as a present for getting a place in university.
The other ship was the 10000 ton MV Irish Maple bound for Liverpool and our passing distance, I estimated would be about 200 yards or so. Bit close I thought, the skipper knows what he’s doing.
The skipper ordered“ nothing to starboard” to the helmsman on the wheel behind us, who repeated the order back to him.
The Maple was about 1000 yards off our starboard bow when I noticed a worrying drift of our bow to starboard. “Port 10” the skipper shouted to the man on the wheel. The swing to starboard increased alarmingly and I looked behind at the helmsman and the rudder indicator and to my horror he’d applied the wheel hard over to starboard. In desperation I ran over to the wheel and pushing the guy aside spun the wheel hard over to port at the same time relating what I was doing to the skipper.
Through the bridge windows I watched in shock as the bow of the Maple struck us just aft of the focsle head on the port side ripping the complete bow section off the Denbigh Coast and forcing her over 90 degrees on her starboard side. The bow was pushed under as the Maple rode completely over the foredeck.
I slid sideways down the 2 companionways on the port side from the bridge deck towards the boat deck. The bosun was already there and it was obvious a lifeboat launch was out of the question so we desperately tried to release an inflatable life raft from its brackets, but try as we might it wouldn’t budge, probably due to the extreme deck angle.
I saw the chief engineer climbing up from the engine room muttering effing hell, effing hell and jumping straight into the sea leaving the engine still running at full ahead.
The forward part of the ship was now well below the surface with the stern starting to raise itself above the water.
It was about 2230hr and in the darkness I glanced around for a life jacket or life belt and unable to see either I pulled myself over the bulwark and slid down the port side of the ship into the sea.
After the initial shock of the cold water I realised I was in imminent danger from the prop which was somehow still spinning and thrashing the surface with an almighty sound. The action of the half immersed propeller was causing the stern to move sideways and towards me. I swam like I’ve never swam before and fortunately out of range of the prop.
Initially I could hear other crew members in the sea shouting to each other, although in the dark we couldn’t see where each was.
It was just a matter of running in the sea to stay afloat and it became more difficult as one descended down a wave into a trough with gravity forcing one’s head below the surface. As time passed the calling to each other ceased and I tried several times to call without reply. Thoughts went through my mind that the others had drowned and I wondered how long I’d last. Apparently, the tide and currents created the increased distance between ourselves.
I seemed to have been in the water all night and anticipated dawn on the horizon.
I suddenly saw a silvery shimmer of light from over my shoulder on the tops of the waves and turning around saw a searchlight in the distance sweeping from left to right across the sea.
My heart leapt as I felt the possibility of rescue. “Over here” I screamed as loud as I could, “over here, over here.” I tried waving at the same time but the weight of my arms above water pushed my head below the surface.
The searchlight seemed to be getting closer and the sweep passed over my head several times before finally settling on me.
Several minutes later a pilot boat ships cutter pulled up alongside me.
I was so exhausted I couldn’t even grab the gunwale of the boat.
My voice had completely gone hoarse with shouting but I managed to repeatedly gurgle “thank you”.
The time was just after midnight and I had been picked up by the Liverpool Pilot Boat Arnett Robinson who was en route from her pilot boat station at Point Linus in Anglesey to Liverpool when she picked up the Mayday signal from the MV Irish Maple.
After a short leave at home to replace all my lost gear, I went back deep sea having had enough of the coast.

[Peter Copley]

#1. Hi David. Your story and your miraculous rescue remind me of a Radio Officer I once met. We both worked for Niarchos, I was RO on the World Justice and this guy was relieving me, sorry but I've forgotten his name and the name of the tanker he was sailing on at the time of his dramatic rescue when his ship sank. He was standing outside on the deck on the after part of the tanker's midship accommodation when the tanker broke in half. He stepped off the mid-castle onto the after catwalk. The forepart of the ship immediately sank taking the watch and the navigating officers with it to the bottom of the sea. He ran aft and managed to grab a life jacket from the engineers' accommodation and jumped overboard. No distress messages were sent, but a nearby Norwegian ship saw the sinking and came to the rescue with a seaboat. The lifeboat came alongside him and one of the sailors grabbed at his lifejacket pulling the jacket off him. He sank below the waves, thinking, 'I don't believe it! So close to rescue and I'm now going to drown!' however he was pulled safely out of the water. I remember the guy telling me this story, although I'd known about the incident before I met the radio officer in question. Does anyone else know the name of the man or the Niarchos tanker involved?

[Graham Shaw]

# 11 Probably the WORLD GLORY. June 14th,1968.
[from a Lloyds Report

World Glory,Liberian steam tanker blt.1954,at Bethlehem Steel,USA,46,434 dwt..Owners-World Tanker Inc.Monrovia.

'While on voyage from Mena al Ahmadi,Kuwait to Huelva,Spain loaded with crude oil World Glory broke in two and burst into flames about 65 n.miles ENE off Durban ,South Africa during heavy weather.She had a crew of 35 and the subsequent air-sea search was seriously hampered by mountainous waves and gale force winds.However 10 survivors were safely picked up and rushed to hospital.Thousands of gallons of oil from ruptured tanks flooded into the sea and caught fire as the two sections drifted apart.The stern section where most of the crew were reported to have taken refuge when the World Glory broke her back ,then capsized and sank.
The Radio Officer,one of those fortunate to be rescued ,later stated that the tanker broke in two so suddenly that there was no time for any lifeboats to be launched .He saw the Master and Chief Officer swept into the sea as a huge wave hit the bridge .The bow section was last seen during the evening of June 14th barely afloat and settling .A total of 25 lives were lost.
A huge oil slick 60 miles long and 2 miles wide was moved slowly out to sea by favourable winds and currents,thus preventing what at first appeared to be a huge major pollution problem along South Africa's east coast beaches.]

[j.sabourn]

#9. 62 years is a long time now David , and you seem to be quite able to talk about it in a well and good frame of mind. How many years before you took control of your own nightmares ? You must have had them everyone does who has lived through such situations. I know by my own closest death experience and the after effects which only one person can contain and control and that is oneself. My own closest experience to this is from July 6 th. 1988 and my longest day lasted just over 3 hours. During that 3 hours 167 men died a lot right in front of me who got so near and yet so far. Some deaths are indescribable and others shouldn’t be inflicted with your nightmares was my view at the time and their family’s should never be aware others witnessed. Like yourself I can recall that 3 hours word for word minute by minute , but today have control over the same, but whenever am asked am always aware that saying the wrong thing can bring distress to others. Your account of your near miss is a complement to yourself as a person for keeping your more personal thoughts to yourself , well done. On a more relaxed comment how long was it before you discarded going to bed with a lifejacket on after the incident ? All the best JS

[happy daze john in oz]

I can see no reference to the fate of other crew members in this event.
Where you the only survivor or were more rescued?

[Graham Shaw]

I can see no reference to the fate of other crew members in this event.
Where you the only survivor or were more rescued?

John,in case David misses this post ,if you mean the coaster Denbigh Coast that he was on,then the whole crew of 10 survived,being picked up by the Liverpool Pilot Boat and the MDHB dredger Hilbre Island
Cheers
Graham

[David mullins]

Hello JS, reading through your comment to my article it’s obvious this was was written by someone who in modern terms “has the tea-shirt”,
Strangely, initially after the incident I had little problematic issues and didn’t think about it too much. At 20 I was probably immature and the episode was more of an adventure. Later however the effects did become apparent but not unduly so.
Referring to your comments and carefully absorbing your words, I did feel uneasy which did bring a lump to my throat.
I knew the writer felt what I did and had this unmovable experience firmly locked into his brain. Thank you, David

[j.sabourn]

#16... Everyone has a different level when it comes to pain of whatever type. After 10 years I had it stopped in its tracks. The only time my hackles rise is when I see or read someone who has got his information from some daily rag and is trying to expound his theorys etc. on something he is clueless on. I attended the 30th. anniversary of the event in 2018 and somewhere in my travels picked up a piece of verse with 18 verses , written by one of the survivors 30 years after the event, although not clinically correct this bit of prose in the first and last verse shows that all the efforts made to save life was readily accepted as extremely necessary, and that even though the rescuing vessels were a 49 year old fishing boat, 2 frcs and a workboat , for want
of better they had a place in the scheme of things and were the only means available to those few who survived,
First verse...Come in
Stand By vessel, its Alpha 16, its a comfort to know that your there on the scene.
Last verse....To the lads of the Piper , Youve not died in vain, we"ll remember you always and inherit your pain. Full poem by John Fyvie...

JS.....

[Keith Tindell]

I remember watching that in horror, so can completely understand those that were closely involved being haunted, much the same as Grenville Towers, glad i never had to face anything remotely like that in my time. Even more annoying with Grenville is the only people punished in that scenario is the Fire Service, the CFO was sacked and others criticised , disgraceful.

[happy daze john in oz]

There is very little good news when such an accident occurs.
Lives lost and for survivors in many cases their whole being lost for ever.
There are some who come to terms with it and move on, but always it is there in the back ground.
Yes the shrinks and trick cyclists will tell you there are ways to get over it, fine for them not having been in the situation.

But occasionally some good news as was the case in , 'Getting my feet wet', all ten survived.

[j.sabourn]

#20 In 1962 when in collision with the Ruys in the Plate, there was no loss of life either , but still a big upset to ones self confidence. You would be surprised who your friends are then when there is signs of court cases and the accusations are liable to come out for self protection. Every man then becomes an island. I had no wish to become an island but that was not to be. I was not called to the Enquiry and yet I was the only member of the ships crew who knew the full facts. I thought in my tiny little untrusting mind I was being set up to carry what ever bad bits that the foreign judges in B.A. decided on. Think years after this when had a bit more experience of human nature believe I was kept out of it on purpose that I could come out with evidence that might put others in a bad light. On arriving back in the Tyne some 2 months later the companys solicitors came on board and had a private conversation with me and I told them what happened. Good they said its what we suspected no one else would say it. The case was settled on a 3/2 obligation for division of the costs . The Newcastle owners part being paid by the NE shipowners Association. Another small remark which I dont want to go further with , but the Enquiry for the loss of the Piper Alpha , I must have been the last to reach the hallowed stand in Aberdeen, I was on three different ships in between , was hoping they had forgotten about me. Anyhow before entering the chamber was approached by a senior officer of one of the attending vessels of the night in question , saying he was a spokesman for all the other vessels there , his words as far as can remember them, we all know what you did out there, but there is no need to say too much. I had and never would have thrown any crap against any other vessel, it was up to their individual masters to take whatever decision they did , it was their own conscience they had to live with. Nobodies business but their own. This is just to emphasise how worried people can get when having to give testimony probably to people they would disregard in normal life, but in cases like this, might have an influence on their future. Another word Fear the same as Pain which effects different people different ways.
Cheers JS