" NOT Having a Whale of a Time !"....mfv TONNA

[Graham Shaw]

[motor stern trawler TONNA (IMO 6700365) was originally the Shunyo Maru a 1966 Japanese built and owned trawler of 563 grt. In 1977 she was renamed Southern Fortune then in 1978 was converted to a catcher/factory whaler ,including having a massive Norwegian harpoon gun fitted on her bows.
Her well-known ‘,pirate whaler ‘ fleet owner Andrew M.Behr,a South African operated her under the company name of Red Mullet Fishing Co. and registered her under the Willemstad, Curacao (Netherlands Antilles ) flag.]
Tun Shell.jpg
Her name Tonna was named after the large gastropod mollusc (snail shell) Tun of the Tonnidae family.






Dateline 22^nd July 1978
While on the whaling grounds off Spain and Portugal loaded with 450 tons of frozen whalemeat,the result of catching 38 whales,the whale catcher/processor Tonna capsized and sank in about Lat.40-45N,Long.13-12W.

According to a statement made by the 2^nd Engineer,the Tonna which had originally sailed from Tenerife,Canary Islands on 27^th June, was proceeding southwards about 220 miles off the Portuguese coast to land her substantial processed catch.In the calm seas it is thought the Master,veteran Norwegian whale catcher Kristoff Vesterhelm became ‘a bit greedy’ and caught and brought alongside his laden vessel an estimated 20 metre long 50 ton fin whale. It was winched aboard on her port side,but during subsequent operations the whale slipped causing Tonna to keel over ,flooding the engine room.The electrical control panel then caught fire.With the winches unable to move the whale the crew started to cut it up but shortly after,the Tonna sank,her skipper sadly going down with her.The 41 survivors ,mainly South African crew but including 3 Japanese flensers managed to launch their lifeboats and were picked up by the Greek cargo ship Gomasa and landed
in Funchal,Madeira.

It was yet one more incident which helped to fuel the world anti-whaling debate. It also reinforced the belief,especially having Japanese flensers aboard,that Japan was contracting foreign operatives to catch their insatiable demand for whalemeat.

[Certain extracts from Lloyds List,with additional research by me]

[j.sabourn]

#1.. Graham one of my my first vessels in a certain section of the north sea oil industry I was on was an ex whale catcher which would have been long before the !970s when she was built and I was under the impression she had been built in Canada. During her career she had had an extra 50 feet or so put into her and had been a German coaster. She finished up with yours truly bravely sailing into the howling gales of the North sea in winter at 6 knots flat out according to the Chief Engineer and came back in at 4 knots after 5 weeks on station. Everyone thinks whale catchers are fast vessels I tend to disagree with this theory , any whale can swim faster than 4 knots , so they maybe had the wish to be caught . If you are fond of looking up ships would be interesting to know what scrapyard she turned up at. Her name was the Tamito that was her last one that I knew of anyway O.N.167042 GRT 466.76. Cheers JS....
PS Think I have said before it was very degrading when arriving back in Aberdeen where you had to inform the harbour Authorities when you were 3 miles off the Fairway buoy , They then asked you your ETA for the pilot station and when you said 1 hour and 15 minutes later there used to be a silence , they then asked you to repeat your ETA , then the penny dropped , and they said Oh its you again. I am sure I could make out the scorn in the voice. The pilots must have tossed up for whose turn it was to get a shot at this race horse of ships. Cheers JS

[Graham Shaw]

JS #2

TAMITO (167042) originally st.turbine Whalecatcher of 364 grt completed 9/481945 as SOUTHERN TRUCE by Smith's Dock,South Bank,Teesside for the South Georgia Co,Leith,(Chr.Salvesen Co).
1963 Transferred to Bernt Bernsen,Norwegian flag.
1967 Converted to Cargo vessel ,now 463grt.Renamed LOVISA,then a succession of Norwegian owners: 71 STONG,73 INGMAR,76 IVO,78 FAMITO.
In 79 Rebuilt as an Offshore Supply Vessel.
83 Renamed TAMITO ,sold to Tamis Ltd;Aberdeen.
1988 Owners listed as Peninsula Shipping Co.Ltd;Aberdeen.
1990 Sold to Henry Krampitz,registered in Cologne.
Broken up at Dunkirk in 1993.(48 years old)

TAMITO.jpg

(Photo courtesy of Michael Green collection;Teesbuilt Ships Database)

[j.sabourn]

Thanks Graham , that’s her as on her early 1988 twice I think. The only thing wrong which shows wherever you got the information from is not always correct . Her owners / managers in Aberdeen were NOMIS Ltd. and her actual owner was Norwegian. Nomis is Simon backwards so obviously someone in the family called Simon , I used to often think of him as Simple. Thanks for the info. JS...
PS your info. Mentions another ship the Famita this was a totally different ship I was also on her and was lucky to make it back to Aberdeen , I have already posted on that one, all the bottom ends were gone , we stepped off her and think it may have been the Tamito we took back to site, the Famita was sold. To North Star for 80,000 pounds the story went, they put a new engine in her and back in service , another clapped out heap of rubbish.
Cheers JS

The Famita the page in book is smudged must have got a sea on top of it. But 0.N. Looks like 7011609 grt 299
A few more of this delightful fleet were Ondur 701175 grt 269
Deventel 3369855grt 263:
Penomi 701167
A reasonable one was the Nautika . JS..

[j.sabourn]

All those ships mentioned if their Registers were available you would find my name in them. It was the only company I worked for in the North Sea that insisted that it was done deep sea style , this put in my mind that in that case you could be held financially involved in the case of insolvency, the only ship in their employ where I didn’t have to go to the Custom House to have this done was their Silver Pit, as there was no time as, as soon as arrived to replace someone else we were off. I literally for the 6 months or so before appearing at the enquiry received no communication from the office , although I had resigned 2 weeks or so after leaving the ship. It left me wondering if there could be any legal implications that could be involved. However never heard anymore about it. JS

[Graham Shaw]

JS # 4: Re That motley but interesting flotilla of vessels!


Of course John,there are always errors in indexes and databases .I mainly use R.B.Howarth’s of New Zealand Miramar Shipping Index ,which I think is rather good as well as the usual Clyde,Tyne & Tees Shipbuilt sites.

1. I attach a pic of your Tamito as the FAMITO .

Attachment 32689

1. 2.Well,There is no ‘FAMITA (with ‘A’ on the end),apart from a new coaster built in 2017,but,interestingly the Norwegian owners of the FAMITO(later your TAMITO),just before and after the conversion was…P/R Famita,Bergen-note the ‘a’ on the end of the company name,-who,more interestingly owned another vessel you named…the NAUTIKA.

3.NAUTIKA 185300 of 1955 a mfv of 421grt built as ST.BARTHOLOMEW by Cook,Weston & Gemmell of Beverley for St.Bartholomews Fishing Co.Ltd,Fleetwood.Various Brit and Norw.owners to 1980 when converted to Standby Safety Vessel.1983 NAUTIKA-owners Tamis Ltd;Aberdeen.90 CAM VANGUARD 94 JON PAUL 97 CAM VANGUARD again. Deleted 2012-existence doubtful.

4.ONDUR 641230 m f trawler built 1963 as ANNA HENDRIKA for German owners.
1975 Renamed ONDUR.94 Converted to Passenger ship.00 HILLERO
Lost 30/8/13.
No owners names in database.

5.DEVENTEL 5339949 blt 1953 as STEIGEN,Norwegian blt. Pass/cargo vessel of 292 grt.
69 LADY OF ESSEX 74 ANNE OF NORWICH 84 DEVENTEL 90 CAM OBSERVER
Deleted 4/92 as stationary Training Vessel-NUTEC PROVIDOR(sic)
No owners names in database.

6.PENOMI 5259589.Blt. As NYVOLL SENIOR in 1956 as mfv for Norwegian owners.Lengthened in 1967.VESTHOLM in 1975. 1979 Converted to Standby Safety Vessel. 1987 PENOMI. 1997. ANDFJORD 2010 GLOMAR SCOUT

Apparently still in existence. No owners names in database.

[j.sabourn]

Thanks once again Graham. But can assure you , to me the Famita was entirely a different vessel to the Tamito. and as on both one after the other I believe. Anyhow who knows what skulduggery went on behind shipowners doors. I wrote an article in the Telegraph about the stand by vessels and saying how the oil companys themselves should be made accountable for these vessels they hired, of course the usual stony silence followed. Anyhow clear of all that shennanigans now, can now lay back and peruse my anatomy and think of byegone times, Cheers JS PS The attachment doesnt work for me ? JS

[Graham Shaw]

JS #7 This is that attachment John.It's just a pic of your Tamito as the Famito. You are probably very right about a 'Famita',as you say,skulduggery of shipowners etc.!- a paintbrush to change a letter on the bow and stern,Tippex on a document,a backhander,..
Anyway,doesn't The word Tomato come to mind when thinking about the Tamito..# 'You say Tomayto,I say Tomahto...let's call the whole thing off !"#


Yes,deckhead survey due shortly methinks.
Cheers! Graham

Southern Truce as FAMITO.jpg

[j.sabourn]

#8 That ship is not the Famita I sailed on Graham. The Famita That was re-engined after being bought by North Star was a standard fishing vessel sidewinder. As said we lost the engine way up above 60 north with approaching bad weather. We had two good engineers who had an allotted time to get some movement , then I had every intention of putting out a pan messages and maydays if necessary.There were minutes in it before I would of started transmitting. We made for Invergorden or at least Frazerborough as the closest, but got egged on by the office in Aberdeen to make for home a further distance , so made the effort . Tied up in Aberdeen and the whole lot collapsed . We stepped off her and rather think it was the Tomato as you call her we reboarded for me it was the second time had been on her , and went back up north to Alaska you might say to resume sentinel duties on whatever rig we had left . The North Sea for me has 2 memories , my time on supply anchor handling tugs , which was totally different than the rag tag mob of stand by safety vessels. I can give you a comprehensive list of such vessels if you are interested. Most of which I would assume have died of old age by now . If not they would be retired if anyone had a sense of decency long ago. Cheers JS.

[j.sabourn]

Apart from the 5 stand by vessels mentioned others were as follows..
Silver Pit. 701159
Johnshaven. 701053
Burnhaven. 701005
Sandhaven 701027
Seaboard Caster. 714173
Seaboard Sovereign 714175
Seaboard Sceptre 714178
Seaboard Illustrious 308560
Seaboard Swift. 319982
Seaboard Sceptre. 714178
Veezea Topaz 715884.
A total of 16 stand by vessels in the North Sea. The only dubious privilige I suppose was that I had the choice of giving myself whatever discharge I wanted.
These do not include the other numerous vessels I served on which had totally different designations .
Some on site may recognize their names or not , I doubt if those working on the rigs would of been that interested trying to read the names of the ships they saw from the stable decks of their own work places , only wonder how they managed to work while standing on their heads during bad weather. Cheers. JS