Flights to ships

[Paul Steel]

I flew out and back for the majority of my ships.

The exception being the Dart Container ships that visited Southampton about every 3 weeks.

Even had to join one ship by helicopter off South Africa.

Got caught with 1/2 US gallon of bourbon one time on the Dart ships and whilst customs let me go, they said they'd keep an eye out for me in future. I was dreading the next trip, but when I paid off the company flew me from Rotterdam and I went through Heathrow customs, who were for the most part decent guys. You declared what you had and were unlucky if you were charged. Southampton lot would do you for one cigarette over the 200.

Shame really when I knew a good few customs people when in Southampton college. Any time they had a party, they just clamped down for a week before and voila! stacks of booze for the party.

[Jeff Glasser]

After paying off the Port Albany in Le Havre (1966) we were all flown home to Southend airport in an 'Avro 748', a noisey little buggar, but thankfully only a short flight. Can't remember the Airline.
The second flight courtesy of the shipping company was again with Port Line, this time to join the Port Alfred in Newark N.J. January 1967. A long and very noisey sleepless night flight via Gander to New York. This time in a 'Britannia' of Eagle Airways which I think was part of Cunard/Port line. (Having flown in Britannias, I wonder how it got the name 'Whispering Giant' 'cos it certainly was'nt on the inside!
the only bonus to the flight was seeing the Northen lights from the aircraft window.
Someone else posted about a couple of flakes of snow will shut down an airport nowadays. I would like to take these safety wallahs to Gander in the middle of a snow storm with about a foot of snow and ice on the runway like it was on the night we landed there!

Jeff

[Captain Kong]

I see you did not sabotage that Britannia, Gleff Jasser

[Keith Moody]

Jeff if you flew on one of Eagles Brits in 1967, then that aircraft belonged to "British Eagle Airways" who went bust in 1968, their staff had a reunion only last month on the 16 sept.
A fantastic aircraft for its day, when i left the sea in 1961 i joined them and flew as cabin crew and gained aprox 3000 hours. we flew world wide and even made some record flights, mine was from Ascencion Island to london with no stops, usualy they would fly at altitudes around 16000ft however on this flight we were up in the 30,000 level, it was called a high speed cruise which conserved fuel.
The reason it was called the "Whispering Gient" was because if you ever flew in a DC3, DC4,DC6 DC7 or one of BOAC argonaughts or stratocruisers, you would know that the sound inside the cabin from the piston engines was very noisy,, the Brit`s inside were half the noise and when at altitude only the fibration from the props would be felt. It was unfortunate that the delays in getting the Brittannia certified airworthness certificate took so long, as it came on the market only a short time before the Comet and Boeing 707. once again we see an industry that led the world but with goverments help the building of aircraft has all gone.
I did a lot of those seamens charters, along with a host of 10 pound immergrant flights to OZ, as well as military charters all over the world. some of the best years of my life but as a boy living in Dover i had the sea in my blood and still keep in touch with a few old pals from those days at sea.
keith moody
R635978
seafarer

[john walker]

Just before Xmas in 1979, a captain, ch.off. and myself (ck.stwd) received an unexpected all expenses paid holiday. We were supposed to be joining a Buries Markes product carrier in Indonesia. We met up at Heathrow for a short flight to Amsterdam. This entailed an overnight stay at the Hilton Schiopol hotel. The next morning we boarded a KLM flight via the gulf, India, Thailand and Singapore to Jakarta. On arrival at immigration in the airport we were refused entry, we did not have visa's. Neither the company's personnel department or the KLM ground staff at Amsterdam had checked to see if we needed a visa. We decided the easy way to get a visa was to go to Singapore. The flight we had arrived on was flying back to Singapore(to change crew etc.) So we reboarded this jumbo a little bemused to start our holiday. A very generous flight crew offered us food (refused) free booze (accepted) on our short flight back to Singapore. On arrival we needed a hotel to stay at to sort things out. Neither the captain or ch.off had ever been there and left the choice of accommodation up to me. Stuff staying at the usual mariners hotels (The cockpit etc.) I would have tried Raffles but new somebody would clock that I was taking the p**s. So I settled on the Ming Court in Orchard Road I had never stayed there, but knew it looked good from the street and was a luxury upmarket place. So we booked in there.The captain tried phoning the company office in London to no avail as it was a weekend. Eventually contact was made and we were put in touch with our local agents, who after a four day stay at the expense of Buries with a £5 per day ( gift) as pocket money for outside the hotel expenses obtained visa's for us. A short flight back to Jakarta, with the expectation of joining the ship. On being met by the ships agent at the airport we were informed that the ship was in Java loading palm oil and was not due in for at least a day. Oh what a shame! The agents were going to put us in some flea pit in the dock area (Tanjong Priok) I explained to the captain that it was a bit rough round the docks and that most of the places we would be put up in. were probably short time brothels. He asked me if I knew a decent hotel. I did the Borra Borra Intercontinental ( I had seen an advert in the flight magazine) So for the last two days of our holiday we stayed there till joining the ship.

[Jeff Glasser]

no Kong, I did't sabatage anything that I was actually flying in at the time!, though I think I paid a visit to the toilet on there, does that count?

Gleff

[Captain Kong]

I thought you had gone to that Mud Pit in Gerston. One day ...........
Kong.

ps. the story is on this site now Jeff.

[Jeff Glasser]

reply to Keith Moody.

I wanted to do the same as you and get into (metaphoricaly speaking) aviation i.e. cabin crew, but was too lazy to follow it up! (story of my life)
I still have, though somewhat battered, the ticket/flight info' folder. see attachment..

I was being a trifle sarcastic re the 'Whispering Giant' remark Keith, I always thought it refered to the sound the turbo props made, which as you say, compared to the other stuff flying then it was was quiet. I also thought it a very elegant aircraft. the first time I flew in a Brit' was going out to Aden (R.A.F. Khormaksar) as a kid in 1960.I think that was also by British Eagle, chartered by the R.A.F. I've attache a photo' of one at Khartoum, 1967 on its way back to the U.K.

Jeff

[Jeff Glasser]

I thought you had gone to that Mud Pit in Gerston. One day ...........
Kong.

ps. the story is on this site now Jeff.

Where?

Jaffe

[Captain Kong]

Hi Jeff,
It is in ,...Swinging the Lamp
The Potty Story of Garston Mud.

Type in Garston Mud in the top right hand corner of the page, "Search the forums" and it comes up.
It got a good reception when I put it on. and I enjoyed reading it.
Enjoy it again.
Cheers
Brian.
Maybe one day they could be resurected .