seafaring stories

[Ivan Cloherty]

I don't think any Aid went to the tribal Indians, when I was speaking with the local minister for Tribal Affairs, who had changed from Jungle life to town life he said even he found it difficult to approach them, as they didn't want to intergrate with the towns people and had no compunction in firing their arrows at anyone they didn't who approached their settlements. The Indian police, not known for their cowardice, were hesitant to approach these settlements, unless fully kitted out in riot gear, which of course then upset the Indians, so nothing was achieved. To me they seemed happy and healthy enough in their natural surroundings, but I suppose the Authorities could not let them walked virtually naked and armed around the township, also remember the elephants walking around the town, some with keepers some not. A different world, which our profession and subsequent related professions allowed us the privelige of seeing.

[Alex Devaney]

Hi Capt Kong

Thanks for the tip about your stories on swing the lamp. Enjoyed reading them, great characters and tales of a by gone age. I wasn't
around in the 50s. But my Dad, John, as I mentioned before was in the merchant navy. He loved New York and in the 40s and 50s when his ship docked, he would pay a visit to his cousins, who had emigrated from Liverpool to America. They ran a bar in Harlem and lived in a flat in the ghetto, until they were able to move out to a better place.

John and his mates from the ship had been out drinking one night and all split up. A few bars later and a bit tipsy, my Dad began to make his own way back to the ship. Got lost and took a short cut through a bad neighbourhood. It was pitch black and he was soon followed by two big black guys. The quicker John walked, the quicker they walked behind him. Then they walked side by side, hemming him in. He was convinced he was going to die or get mugged and regretted downing that last Jack Daniels.

'Where are ya going boy.' One of the guys growled in a New York drawl. 'What are ya doing round 'ere.'
'Going back to the ship mate,' he said, in his best british accent (which is hard for a scouser).
'Oh ya a sailor.' They both backed off. 'Ya don't wanna be round 'ere. It's a bad neighbourhood.'
'Yeah, I need to get back to the ship,' John said, still walking ahead.
'We'll walk ya back.' And they both walked side by side again.

These big guys escorted John, for his personal safety, all the way through the neighbourhood. Then waved him onto the ship.
Can you believe that! I'm sure this happened to alot of sailors, getting lost on the way back to the ship, then finding themselves in the wrong company. Though in John's case, he got the salt of the earth.

Best Wishes and keep rolling the stories.
Alex Devaney

[Tony Wilding]

One of trips up the Great Lakes on MV Wanstead we Berthed in Buffalo, New York State, quite a walk into town from the Ship, my mate Ginger a JOS I think , decided to walk into Town, had not gone far when we heard a Police Siren, a car was driving towards, coming up fast behind it was the Police Car, lights flashing , siren going, the car stopped, with that the Officer got out dragged the driver out and really laid into him, with much swearing, apparently the car driver gave a rude sign to the Officer as he was driving in the opposite direction, so he U turned and caught him, , he then threw the driver back in the car , started to walk to the Police Car, we were rooted to the spot watching all this happen, he then saw us standing staring and walked towards us, and he was BIG, ! THOUGHT OUR TURN WAS NEXT, He said hi, where are you going, as soon as he realised we were English he offered to drive us into town, asked if we wanted the siren and lights on, we said yes, so had a great ride into town, we thanked him, was great experience, we then found a Diner and ordered a T Bone Steak , French Fries and Side Salad, have never seen a Steak so big, was $1 95, had a look at the shops, but being Sunday most were closed, found a shop selling guns, a window full of them, every kind of Pistol and Rifle, cheapest ex army one was about $10. never forgotten that day out. Tony W.

[Captain Kong]

This is from a story I wrote about the Parthia, of Cunard a while back about getting a Police Escort back to the ship.........
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I was on Cunard`s `PARTHIA` in Boston, now Dont do this in the States,
We tied up outside the city in a place called Maverick. Not a lot there just a couple of bars, we took a subway to Boston City centre but it was very quiet, not a bit like New York. We came back to Maverick and had a few drinks there.
Six of us were staggering back to the ship through the dock area. It was quite a way so we stopped for a relief against the wall of a cargo warehouse. The six of us were stood in a line with it all hanging out when searchlights lit us all up, and a loud haler shouted `FREEZE, DON`T MOVE OR WE SHOOT, POLICE. HANDS ON THE WALL AND SPREAD `EM`.
We froze, Kinnell, with hands on the wall all with our nudgers still hanging out. I think the whole of the Boston Police Department were there behind us.
The cops came over to us and frisked us for weapons and tuned us around, we were blinded by the search lights. `And put those away` the Cop said pointing his night stick at our nudgers. We zipped up quick.
We are Limies, we kept saying ,but didn`t make any difference.
One at a time they took us to a Patrol car, `Hands on the hood and spread `em`. Geof went first, a big black Cop towered over him, `Where ya from``, Geof said `The Isle of Wight`, the Cop hit him over the head with his club, AARRWWGGHH, said Geof, as a large lump appeared on his head. The big black Cop said `Ya trying to be funny wise guy.`. `No` said Geof, `I am from the Isle of W-I-G-H-T not W-H-I-T-E. its in England`.
They went through all our pockets and found our US Immigration Passes.
A bunch of Limies off the Parthia, eh. So we got a Police escort back to the ship to make sure we got on board. The cops who were taking us back told us they had a stake out on that Warehouse as they had a tip off that it was going to be raided and we had ruined it. They were not amused.
We sailed the following day bound for Liverpool.
Cheers
Brian

[gray_marian]

Riveting stories Captain Kong, thank you for sharing. Marian

[leratty]

Hi Brian, just re reading that last yarn, post 274. It brought back a memory of mine in Glasgow, can not remember the ship but we were tied up to the whisky warehouses where they had geese guarding the stock during the evening I recall (?) Anyway my Kiwi mate & I went ashore that evening with some others as it was my 18th birthday, well as it does one thing led to another & somehow we seemed to being having some difficulty walking. Anyway we need to relieve ourselves so went into a alley I am sure not far from the ship & were doing just that when hit with the beam from a torch. Then a broad rich Scottish (Glasgow) accent & no it was not Billy Connelly enquired as to what we thought we were doing...maybe not quite so politely (: We were arrested for indecent exposure & weeing in a public place. At the station we were being booked when the Sgt in his office heard we were an Aus & Kiwi ( am sure we would have been speaking in Braille) he came out & said, "like to drink boys huh?" Took us into an office & put a bottle of Scotch on the table. I can not stand it, the smell makes me want to be sick, however we drank it with him telling him at his request about Aus & NZ with him constantly saying "I should have immigrated." Anyway we got taken back to the ship in a police car around 6am. How I had not thrown up I do not know fear I guess? I could not turn to so was logged but it was a pleasant experience thinking back on it & have not touched a Scotch since.

[Captain Kong]

Here is another voyage, ESSO YORKSHIRE, in 1975.
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In January 1975, Esso flew me to San Francisco to join the ESSO YORKSHIRE, a 90,000 ton tanker. When we arrived the Agent put us in the Travelodge Hotel on the Wharf, The ship was anchored underneath the Bay Bridge across the Bay having just arrived from the Persian Gulf with a cargo of crude oil. My brother, John, was on board having joined a couple of weeks earlier in Singapore.
Next day the Agent put us in a boat to take us out to the ship and when I got there I went to John`s cabin and woke him up. What a surprise, for him, he didn’t expect to see me.
My cabin was next door to his.
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.
The men who were going on leave left and went back to Frisco and for a flight home.
That evening after work , John, Ted and I got the boat and went ashore to Frisco for a few beers.
We were in Ginsbergs Bar on the waterfront when there was a lot of shouting, big car headlamps lit up the bar and then shooting. I was sat near the big plate glass window at the end of the bar when with a big crash it came in, shattered all over me, a bullet had come through. We all hit the deck as more shooting outside and then a man ran through the door, shouting he had been shot and then collapsed onto the floor.
I knelt up and looked through the window, the Bar Tender, shouted , “Get down you crazy Limie, the cops shoot anything that moves, I hit the deck again into a pile of broken glass and spilt beer.
Then it went quiet, a couple of Cops walked in with guns in their hands, we had to raise our hands and not move as they examined the shot man , he was dead.
They confirmed with the Bar Tender that we were just customers. Some more sirens and lights and then two ambulances, looking like armoured truck appeared outside. And then they removed the body, out side in the door way was another body. They were picked up, into the ambulances and then taken away.
The bartender gave us a beer each, and in a few minutes he had swept up the broken glass and mopped up the blood from the dead man and a few minutes later a van appeared outside and a new window installed. And a few minutes later the street and the bar was back to normal. The Barman said it happens a lot down there.
A few more beers and we went to the Wharf and got our boat back to the ship after an exciting night out in Frisco.
Next morning we heaved up the anchor and sailed up the Bay, we were going to a place called Bernicia where the oil refinery was, about 40 miles up the bay and river.
When we were mooring the ship a wire rope carried away and flung me across the deck and I hit the rails injuring my back, so I was sent to hospital in a place called Martinez City. I thought,, I have been in Frisco for 24 hours and nearly been killed twice, be glad to get away from here.
I had x rays nothing broken but a few torn ligaments. I went back to the ship and was excused work for the duration.
The following day after completing discharging the oil we let go and sailed back down Frisco Bay, under the Golden Gate Bridge and out into the Pacific for a 42 day run to Ras Tannurah in Saudi Arabia, with a call into Singapore for fresh food stores.

It started on the first night at sea as we sailed across the Pacific for the Gulf , a 42 day trip.
I was 4am to 8am watch and at midnight the cabin lights came on and there was a guy wearing a white boiler suit, Esso logo on, 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 bastard 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 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 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. 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 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.
After loading 90,000 tons of marine diesel fuel for the US Navy we sailed for Guam in the Mariannas, in the Pacific. When I got to Guam, John and I got a telegram to say my Dad had died. The Captain said he could only send one of us home so being the eldest I sent John home and I had to stay behind. Not very nice being out there with no contact with home at a time like that. Quite upsetting and a bad shock, a good man was Dad, he was fit and healthy when I left home a few weeks before. It was 12 April.1975.
John got a plane to Hong Kong and then a flight to Heathrow, and then home for the funeral.
I went ashore in Guam, a very nice tropical island, an American Service man, he had just been evacuated from Viet Nam, it was falling to the Viet Cong in Saigon, leaving his wife and children behind, got talking to me and Scouse, we shared a few beers and then he took us round the island, showing us the highlights, and a few more beers on the way round. There was a big Hotel , with a bar in the middle of the swimming pool, some of the lads off the ship were already in there. and in the lounge was a group of Korean Girls singing, They were very good too.
A couple of days later we sailed for the Gulf again. Over the top 0f the Philipines and down the coast of Viet Nam, the seas were full of American warships and we were buzzed a few times by their planes, Viet Nam had fallen when the American Embassy in Saigon was taken over by the VC.
After sailing from Guam, the haunting in my cabin stopped, after more than two months, I like to think my dear old Dad had a word with the ghost.
We called in at Singapore and John joined us again he had flown back the day after the funeral.
We carried on to Mena al Ahmadi in the Gulf to load a cargo of crude oil for Adelaide in Australia,
When we arrived in Adelaide, the agent was taking the crew who were due to go on leave straight down to the airport and away home.
John and I wanted to stay for a couple of weeks to visit relatives and friends so he kept us behind and then took us to a Motel and booked us in there.
We went to see Uncle Fred in Largs Bay and told him that Dad had died.
After a couple of weeks we flew to Melbourne and then Sydney and then a flight home via Singapore, Bahrain an then London.
The end of an interesting but sad voyage.
Brian

[Captain Kong]

I have seen many strange happenings, I think ghosts are like radio waves,
If you are on the right wavelength you can pick them up.
On the Esso Yorkshire he was a bad one. he broke my ankle and devastated the cabin. Unbelievable that something like that could happen. It was not the booze, it was a dry ship and a long sea passage of 48 days. Amazingly when Dad died the haunting stopped.
I am off to the Pacific Islands again in February. for six weeks. pure paradise and see my old Tahitian mates again.
Cheers
Brian

[happy daze john in oz]

Well Brian, thankfully so far the mother in law has not been on my wavelength. LOL

[Captain Kong]

Hi Richard,
Thanks for that.
Hope you enjoy your trip to the Bahamas. I enjoy going there, one of the Better group of islands of the West Indies., People are better behaved and friendlier than Jamaica or Barbados. and safer.. Only a five hour trip over from Fort Lauderdale on the `Discovery` ferry.. The Rum is good too.
I guess it is a littler better than the Yemen.
Cheers
Brian.