Anecdote

I am an Aussie was working on the wharfs in Durban Sth Africa trying to work my passage back when a workmate told me there as a tanker at the tanker wharf that was short of crew so I applied for a job on board, the skipper was a bit hesitant but as they were short on crew he signed me on, on the understanding that we would eventually end up in London.
That was great for me and I enjoyed every moment I spent on Amoria.
We went up the coast of Africa, out of Curacao around the West indies.
Out of Cardom Lakes Sth America and finally signed off in London.
I think I was on board 6 to 8 months and loved every minute, enjoyed the company of the crew and was put on the job of 5th engineer with the 2nd engineer.
They called me Aussie on board.
That was definitely a highlight of my life.

My father WILLIAM JAMES DAVIES WAS THE 2nd officer (engineer) on this Tanker, he lived in Cardiff South Wales and told me many things about his loyalty to his chinese engine crew.
During one trip, his fingure was severed by the machinery and the stopped the bleeding by winding cabwebs over the wound before dipping the wound in molton tar to stop the bleeding.
Prior to joining the merhant navy, he had been an officer in the Royal Navy,

I did two trips, 2nd trip was from 4 April 1963 to 28 January 1964. During the trip around the world President Kennedy was assassinated.

It was during 1950 that this ship had an accident in Helsinki Harbour. Even the Pilot in charge ordered the ships destination correctly,the ship had a collision against the pier. It was the ships engines that malfunctioned during the operation. I have the report from that time, my grandfather was the pilot in charge.

any interest in bidding on vintage artifacts from the launching of the "Donacilla" in 1966 may go online to bid begining december 12 2017 google clearing house estate sales & sign on for auction "the estate of Mrs. Maria Spaght"

This is a sad story! On researching family history I have found that my grandfather was working on the Pinna 2 (Official no. 112811) in July 1914 as an M. R. Steward. His death was recorded on 17th July 1914 as a suicide, off the south-east coast of Eire. His name was William Charles Ritchie, age 51yrs. Whether this took place because of the impending WW11 or because he couldn\'t cope with his job, I will never know. Has anyone any further information about the conditions or ship situation? What does M.R. stand for in his job title. The above information was reported in the Marine Register during the month of 1914.

I joined the Hyria in Stanlow. It was my first trip. I did nine months. Then went on the Zaphon.

I joined the Zaphon in wallsend on Tyne. On maiden voyage. Galley boy. Head cook John Roberts. I worked with him again at Clatterbridge hospital. Second cook was Billy Weir, no relation.

I joined the Zaphon in wallsend on Tyne. On maiden voyage. Galley boy. Head cook John Roberts. I worked with him again at Clatterbridge hospital. Second cook was Billy Weir, no relation.

Went through Hurricane Inga in 69, heavy with cargo .. the main deck disappeared under a white foaming sea for much of the time... we had to turn head to wind and the forward deck walkway got uprooted and was flailing about damaging the hatch covers. It took a bit of securing with wire hawsers to hold it down until a proper repair could be made.

After Inga still miles from land, steaming at 18 knots we were drying out the lifeboat sails by the expedient method of hoisting them up the mast and letting them flap... A plane descended from nowhere and \\\\\\\'bombed\\\\\\\' us. The bomb hit the ocean just by the ship and exploded into a large inflatable dinghy. As the plane zoomed off we thought the bright orange flapping sails might have attracted him. Someone must have later found an abandoned floating life-raft and wondered what happened to the crew..

Called up a drifter one night, with the Aldis lamp, off the coast of Brazil.. [red light over a white light] to find out where his nets were... \\\\\\\'I was always good at identifying passing ships\\\\\\\', turned out to be the USS Enterprise !!!

Creedence Clearwater Revival music was blasting around the ship in the Buenos Aires refinery berth one night, when the first mate grabbed a cigar out of the mouth of a stupid Argentinian visitor, who proudly arriving at the top of the gang plank .. the shower of sparks was quite spectacular as it hit the deck .. why I am still here to tell these stories I am not quite sure, but perhaps the gas oil was not feeling volatile that day!

Out at sea I found an exhausted fruit bat clinging to a deck head and took it into my cabin while we got back to land.. it became quite tame as I fed it bits from the galley, but I never liked being called Batman from then until I left Cerinthus.

Just some of the fond memories and my best regards to anyone who shared those days.

My Great Uncle Joseph Victor Wilde was 5th Engineer on the SS San Lorenzo in 1920/21. He was born in Gateshead, Co Durham and grew up close to the Swan Hunter shipyard where she was built. His younger brother Thomas Edward, my grandfather, served his apprenticeship as a draughtsman at the shipyard.

I never knew my great uncle as after a family row he went back off to sea, settled in Australia, and had no more contact with the family.

My late father Douglas , joined the San Calisto on the 30.11.1939 as a 17 year old
O/Seaman . Briefly the story goes that for some unknown reason on the fateful day of the sinking , my father could not sleep and got up early. He then went down the alleyway to a small mess room to make a mug of tea , he was in the mess when the ship struck the mine. From the resulting explosion the hot water boiler spilled over and he was quite badly scalded . He remembered his training and ran back to his cabin to don his lifejacket. When he got there he found a huge steel beam from the bowels of the ship had forced it,s way up through the deck taking his bunk and the one above, skewering them to the deckhead. That was one lucky early morning wake up. He eventually made the lifeboat and was rescued by the Margate RNLI boat.There is a Pathe news reel of the survivors coming ashore my dad is the one wrapped in a towel. He later went on to serve in the Royal Navy for the rest of the war his nickname was Happy. Think it should have been Lucky. He died aged 83 back in 2005 , he left myself and 5 other brothers and sisters.