seafaring stories

Here is a True Story, I kid you not.

I joined the Esso Yorkshire, a 90,000 ton tanker, in San Francisco Bay in January 1975 with my brother, John, who is now the brewer from Knowlsley. The lad who was paying off was just leaving the cabin as I moved in .
He said you won`t get much sleep in here it`s Effing haunted. I just laughed thinking that he was joking.
It started on the first night at sea as we sailed across the Pacific for the Gulf , a 42 day trip.
I was 4 to 8 watch and at midnight the cabin lights came on and there was a guy wearing a white boiler suit, Esso logo, but face was just like a mist. He grabbed my leg and heaved me out of my bunk and I crashed onto the deck, I shouted and got to my feet and he was gone,
I legged it up to the mess room and the only guy around was the 12 -4 standby man, smoking a ciggy and drinking coffee, "Some ba*t*rd has pulled me from my bunk" I said " Have you seen any one?" He replied no, he had been there all alone.
On watch at 4am I told the Mate all about it, he had known about it but there were no spare cabins on board as we had 12 Spanish NIKO workers on board doing maintenance .so I would have to stay there.
This went on for several nights and my brother who had the cabin next door woke up one night and saw a man in a white boiler suit walk through his cabin door and then he heard the shouting and banging coming from my cabin, the coward legged it up to the mess room and stayed there for night , he did not come in to see what was happening to me.
The ghost could pick me up as if I was completely weightless and throw me across the cabin at the formica bulkhead and bounce me off it, The bulkheads were all badly cracked.. Then one night he got my ankle and twisted it round and heaved me out including the mattress and crashed me onto the deck and broke my ankle, the cabin was completely wrecked and I was lying there in screaming agony, My brother legged it up and got the Mate and the Captain and they were horrified at the destruction of the cabin and what they saw. Though they had known about it they didn`t realise how bad it was, .
The Captain said he could not log it as no one in the Office would believe it so he said he would log it as if I had fallen down a ladder. My ankle was strapped up with elastic bandages. I was off watch and laid up. I then stayed up all night until about 2am to give the ghost time to sort himself out. I wasn’t in the bunk at midnight.
The Captain went through the old Log Books and discovered that a man, who was on the 8 to 12 watch had received a Dear John letter from his wife and so he hung himself in the cabin about a year previous.
So every night at just after midnight this man`s ghost was going to turn in and I was in his bunk.
At Ras Tannurah in the Gulf, 3 weeks later, I went to the hospital; and had it x rayed and it seemed that it had healed OK and I was kept on light duties on day work for another two weeks just to make sure it had healed. We sailed for Guam in the Mariannas. When I got to Guam, I got a telegram to say my dear old Dad had died. The haunting stopped after that. So maybe Dad had a word with this guy.

Hi
Al these stories here by both the Capt,and now also by John Sutton are truly very interesting indeed,and its so nice to be able to read of all the various Ports ,experiences etc that not only they have gone through,but i suppose many many others!
As i said i save a heck of a lot of these,as in my spare calm moments i sit and read them over and over!
Saves me buying Boks now,and also saves the trips to the Library! haha!:)
Good on you Lads,keep em rolling in ,very inspirational!
Wish i had the nouse to be able to write like that!
And yes it is all very believable!
Thanks
Cheers

I have to say Capt that normally I would be tempted to say 'pull the other one'. However at 2 am today I was watching a documentary on all things supernatural and since they now have proof on CCTV that Hampton Court is haunted I have little option but to believe you. Lets face it Capt if it was going to happen to anyone it just had to be you my friend...lol tONY.


Hi Tony, I assure you that is the truth.
Now I have had a few experiences with Ghosts. I was trying to finish my Voyage on The New Zealand Star,
Unfortunately I dont have time to finsih it before I leave for the Pacific Islands on Monday.
Now that story includes the Ghost of my mate who was drowned in the Eastern Cape and I tried to save him before I too was rescued unconcious. I saw him twice at my home, Mother heard him, this was in 1954.
I was at his grave side in East London, South Africa in 2001, Anne was there and my two South African friends were also there, They turned white and were terribly disturbed by what they heard at that grave. There have also been others during my life.
A spirit is like a radio, if you are tuned in on that wave length then you are in contact, if not then you are not in contact. Simples.
My step Grandaughter, Naomi, is the same. She saw a lady, on a regular occurance walking through her house, it is an old Manor House,in the Derbyshire hills, recorded in the Doomsday Book around 900 years old,It was rebuilt in 1646, We did some investigations and found that an owner long ago was buried in the garden. The garden was several acres in size. but we found the grave. The lady had a long floor length green velvet dress, her hair done up in a bun at the back.
Naomi was only four when she saw this lady and did so regularly for another few years before they sold the house.
She suddenly gets a young invisible friend, by the name of Rachel, she talked to her as if there was really someone there. I was quite interested and joined in with the conversations. She told us that her Mum and Dad had been killed in a car crash in Glossop, Derbyshire. Again I did some investigations and found there had indeed been a car crash with a lorry, a man, woman and their daughter aged six had been killed.
The daughter, Rachel, had never been baptised and we think that she is in limbo. We talked to the Vicar of the Parish about this as my step daughter and family went to church in the village every week and he said he had come across this before, the Spirit of the child will latch on to another child of the same age group and stay with that child, then it is out grown and then the child will disapear and find another child to be a friend with and do it again. I asked Naomi what happened to Rachel? she said Rachel told she had to go away now and could not come back again.
So it is up to everyone to decide what they believe, are there ghosts?? are you on the wave length or not, ?
It can be very strange.
There are more happenings but that is enough for the time being.
Cheers
Brian.

Hi Capt,
Yes its amazing just how many Weird things happen,and these two incidents are also very true!

Cape Town 1955 living with my dear departed Dad at the time in Balfour Street .Woodstock

One night my Dad who was never afraid of anything,suddenly shouted at at me and my baby Sister Ursula!
We awoke with such a fright and soon rushed to his Bedroom,where he was standing rigid,he couldnt move!
We too now were scared and asked Dad what was going on!
Well ,and here it is he pointed to his Bed and the top Pillow!
There as plain as daylight was a Hand impression actually burnt into the material and through to the actual Pillow!
After a while Dad told us that he awoke to the sound of Footsteps,and just in time moved when he felt that there was something coming down at him!
There was of course no one at all visible there,and to this day it is an unsolved Mystery!

Incident number two!

Southampton 1959 (Cemetary)

Dad myself and my dear late Brother Gregory,were going back home after a few Ales,not many i might add!
As we were walking through the Cemetary,something suddenly seemed to stop my Dad in his tracks!
We both looked at him,and he was Ashen in colour,and could clearly see he was in some state of shock!
On moving closer to where he was standing,there in front of us both was a Grave with his exact Name on it,now i know that this can easily happen with names,but the dates were the uncanny thing,his actual Birth Date was correct,and the date of death was not marked?? Now i wonder why!
We did make some enquiries afterwards ,but even the Cemetary Keeper could not explain anything!
So again to this day i really dont know!! Could it just have been a coincedience!?? Is that Grave still there?
I dont know if that Cemetary still exists,all i know it was very near the City and possibly one day i will go back and see if there is any date now inscripted! Would it not be even more Weird if his Date of Death is now there!
Spooky!!

Cheers

Hello Tony
Will get my thinking Cap on this one!
All i now recall is that the Cemetary was quite close to the Town Centre!
As said it may not even be there!
But will have a Browse around and see if i can come up with anything!
Yes it would be very interesting indeed!
Thanks

Added
I thought that it may have been the Old Cemetary,but on looking at a Map that is too far away from what i recall!
That one is off Northland Road (Cemetary Road) and also seems to be a very large one at that!
The one i recall was a small one near Town!??

Thanks for that Tony,
We are off on Monday, The trip will included four days on the old Queen Mary in Long Beach.Then from San Diego we join the `Rotterdam` and then to 4 Hawaiian Islands, Fanning Island, Kiribati, Rarotonga in the Cook Islands to visit some of my old Cooky ship mates from the Tung Tsing, a little tanker I was on and Four Tahitian Islands, to see some more old mates, we always have a good time with them and sup some good Hinano ale.in both Tahiti and Moorea, they all cross on the ferry to keep the party going.
Then to the Marquesses and back to San Diego. a couple of days in Dago then one more night on QM before flying back to Manchester.
I always try to get over there every two or three years, I missed last year because of two operations on injuries I got in the Antarctic in 2009.
MATAHITI API
Here is a photo of my mates there.

Stanley, Tico, Rico, Eline with coconut.on Moorea

Ohhh! you lucky beggar!
Gees Capt that sounds absolutely terriffic!
Have a good Holiday mate,and dont forget to take more Pics!
All the best
Bon Voyage!

Maururu, Vernon. [ Thank you ]

Not really lucky, just getting rid of all my money before its too late. Lost ten friends and relatives in 2010
and they didnt do a thing about it. so I am going to spend what I can. When I am broke, sell the house, then spend that,
Already booked on the new Queen Elizabeth for the trip to Sydney next February.

Let you know all about it when I get back around 9 April. Hope I can get the gang back together in Tahiti and Moorea,
Stanley is always bevied, he is the one in the sea with the beer bottles in the photos. and I sent him emails without success. but I phoned a Cook Islander I know in Auckland NZ, Aunty Tai, and he appeared on the phone at 8 am local time, drunk as a monkey, in Auckland, I told him I was coming to Tahiti and he said OK, So if he remembers he will be waiting at the ship.
Cheers
Brian, Matahiti Api.

This site has the Power,

I wrote about the sinking of the POOL FISHER and the two lads who survived against all odds. I met them at the Inquest in Gosport and at the Admiralty Court of Inquiry in Blackpool in 1980. 31 years ago.
Don Crane who survived, read the story on this site, in Vancouver and surprised me last night by phoning me, What a surprise that was. We spoke for the first time in 31 years. We will arrange to have a pint soon.
Thank you `British Merchant Navy`

Great News Capt!
Hope you have a good reunion!
Also once again!
BonVoyage! Enjoy!
Cheers