Anecdote

in vietnam werd er een mijn aan de anker ketting van de "KENIA" gehangen en door de viet kong gedetoneerd. als er ex-collega`s zijn die van die aanslag nog fotos hebben zou ik die graag in mijn bezit krijgen.

1944 Ulithi Island and port (half way from States to PI)a suberged mine rubbed the port side while underway. Divereted my attention from fighting with a gull, about to crap on my flag bag!
Gene Dempsey

With regard to seafaring life one story I have never forgotten concerns the ruined lunch.
Seafarers, like other men, need and enjoy good food. Whether it be steamed puddings in the Panama or a forced salad in the North Sea we all needed our "scram" and enjoyed it properly when we could.
Steaming in the direction of Singapore from Vietnam we were, one morning, in a brisk following sea. The ship was on tank clean operations and I was on deck work. I took a short break on the bridge.
The sound powered telephone wailed as the engine room notified that soot was about to be blown. These deposiits would have made a mess of the deck so, according to procedure, there was a course alteration.
On the bridge that day was a young deck apprentice who by this time was very experienced. He took the call and notified the Third Mate. Sweeping aside the chart room curtain he promptly told the apprentice "starboard ten".
The apprentice told him of his concerns regarding the following sea which was on the starboard quarter but was with madrigalean directness dismissed the while being reminded that his job was to follow orders and not to think.
The apprentice disengaged the autopilot, put the helm over, re-engaged the pilot and calmly stated "ten starboard on."
As the ship came about the outcome was quite clear. The ship rolled to starboard, stopping for a lingering moment before rolling to port into the trough that followed the aforesaid wave. Secure in the clasp of the bridge wing taffrail I watched the sea roll up to meet me. The angular momentum of the roll, typical in these vessels because of their tendency to be over stable, had dreaful consequences for the anticipated luncheon.
From aft came a shout, followed by a crash which disturbed the calm of that eastern sea. This was followed by a stream of skillfully voiced invective as impressive as much for its content as for the uninterrupted delivery which ran for twenty seconds. Silence followed. It was during this period that the Third Mate, Stottie as he was known to us, realised that he should have warned the galley to rig the fiddley bars on the range whose intended function was to prevent the premature destruction of any meal during foul weather.
Stottie was not his usual bouncey self that lunchtime. Walking into the saloon he was subdued if not crestfallen. He was rather like a deflated Bagpuss whose nap in the washing machine had been catastrophically interrupted by the insult of the rotating drum followed by the injury of inrushing water. Stottie resembled this Bagpuss in that both had injured pride to repair.
The lunch had been hastily re-constructed but the pudding or "duff" was intact since it had been steaming in the citadel of a galley steamer all morning. It was served with little ceremony along with a hastily made sauce, the intended one having been discarded along with soup, entree, main course, vegetables and gravy that had been the originally intended fare.
Stottie ate in silence. There may have been commiserations offered but dark things were no doubt expressed in other places. The vindicated apprentice sat with me at our table. Stottie had the company of a Fourth Engineer possessed of a dry quick wit.
Stottie was very popular and I remember him with great fondness. He told us one evening how, during one trip, his parents told him by letter that they had moved house. Directions were, for some reason, not conveyed.
Stottie arrived at Heathrow and, knowing a watering hole roughly equidistant from the two dwellings, parked the hired vehicle and wandered in.
He was welcomed as usual and then he made to ask directions to the new abode. Asked casually who he was visiting he replied that he lived there. There was a brief silence after which directions were forthcoming followed by enquiries after his well-being.
Such stories as these form the stock-in-trade of American comediennes who use similar material to describe the dubious methods by which they discard their offspring.
Stottie had that wonderful and disarming ability to "take the mickey" out of himself. I came to learn that this is the most effective defense against anyone who would target others with ridicule.
I flew home from Singapore with the young apprentice who was as funny as he was engaging. We arrived in the middle of the three day week that some view as the worst legacy of the Heath government.
So many other things happened on that trip. Some of us encountered the Naked Pilot but that, as they used to say in never-never land, is another story.

The San Sylvestre was my first ship, having just joined the M N after 12 months as Boy Entrant in the RAF. Going down river I had my first and last taste of Sea Sickness. Felt lousy for 3/4 days until the cook came down to my cabin and hauled me out and made me scrub the galley deck until I got so fedup I forgot about feeling sick. Never sick again no matter what the weather. First trip was to Curacao.
Two years later sailed on the sister ship San Salvador. Tankers became my ship of choice. 'Those were the days'
Cliff

jaartal weet ik niet meer precies maar we vaarden veel op Puerto Rico,
daar meerden we aan vlakbij een suikerriet plantage die eigendom was van de beroemde Bacardifabriekem,
grote borden aan boord met niet roken etc,
lopen we s'nachts over dek, steken ze die hele plantage in de fik, nee lekker als je nafta ligt te lossen

The Krebsia, 1964-1965

After a cruise around the world on the Willem Ruys ( her last ) of 2 1/2 months, I went to the Royal Dutch Shell office.
This was located in Shell?s new office the first ?wolkenkrabber? located at het Hofplein.
I still remember that as the day of yesterday, after having past the reception I was directed to the (third?) floor, a not to friendly fellow was situated behind a wall, and via an opening ( comparable with older banking institute) in that wall (loket) he asked me what he could do for me.
I explained that I was looking for work on a ship that my monster boekje was still valid and I left the Rotterdamse Lloyd with HONNER!
That last is easily to explain, ALL 400 plus crew got a statement that due to the sale of the Willem Ruys they were not needed (overkompleet)
Work lust (ijver), behavior (gedrag) en knowledgeable (bekwaamheid) all marked as outstanding!
Being used trips of 2 1/2 month , I asked how long the trip by Shell could take, Mr. Voogt the fellow behind the glass answered, wherever you are in the world, Shell is going to send a plane especially for you within two months!
Was I ever impressed!
That nice company Shell was so friendly and more than kind, all upfront!
To make a long story short the trip lasted 12? months, we had a serious collision in the neighborhood of Singapore, 2 dead on a France passenger ship, and we lost a ?pompman? due to a small explosion, I remember the funeral service in a small church on the outskirts of Singapore.
During our stay in Singapore we all took out advancements on our pay, and I had to work my ass off during the rest of this long trip to make up for that.
From Singapore I remember eating ape brains in a fancy place, a combination of brothel drycleaner and restaurant/bar, getting my tattoos from a fat fellow with a miss formed hand, and being drunk often.
The Krebsia was during this long-long trip at least in 1 severe storm, the waves so high/violent and short that they caused the propeller the spin dry.
As for the collision I remember standing aft near the railing on starboard side when we hit the French ship, early in the morning, after all I was het ketelbinkie and my task was to make sure the coffee tea and what have you was ready before the crew shift.
During that moment I was afraid for a explosion, after all the Krebsia was a tanker, when nothing happened in the next few minutes I* calmed down, thought about sharks, how far we were of land, and decided not to jump!
From the time in the dry-dock I remember lividly the divers who just as in a Jules Verne movie were wearing a big copper helmed with a big air hose attached, and blowing bubbles all over!
I tried often to remember were the Krebsia went during that trip, maybe some of the readers can help me out.
I remember Ceylon, Tanjung Priok, Balikpapan, and trips between Abadan and Singapore and Indonesia, I belief that at that time Shell was breaking an oil embargo or two, we as crew were summoned not to reveal were we got our cargo!
The trip ended in Abadan in what was called Persia, we boarded a DC III, that took us after a day delays to Damascus, Brindisi to Amssterdam, the last was closed due to mist and we were detoured to Hamburg, from were we took the train.
The actual flight took more than 15 hour, and the plane was half cargo half passengers, and had to repeatedly run the full length of the runway to finally take off!
The nicer memories I have from Indonesia, Jakarta friendly people and lots of nice girls, and yes I was young shy and exploring.
From all the crew I remember a few, a stoker as blind as a bat; he lived when not sailing in a pension in the Hague what a sad live!
A sailor (matroos) from Rotterdam Krooswijk, I belief his name was Sam, who thought that he was smart but never made officer I bet, he had a nasty strike to him, well that ended up me throwing a bottle of ketchup to his head, what barely missed and splattered against the wall in the mesh room, he quitted down after that and never tried to pester this young fellow!
An other fellow, skinny and always reading the bible, crying when he did not receive a letter from his wife, who was always the first to go to the ?meiden?, what a hypocrite!
All with all my time spend on the Krebsia resulted in quitting sailing, going back to school and getting myself more organized.
After this long journey I went to the same high-rise building on het Hoplein in order to get my money, of the rest I am not 100% sure, but I strongly belief that Mr. Shell himself told me that due to the money spend in Signapore and Indonesia I owned them 100 Dutch Guilders!
Needless to say that I at that moment I told him to stuff tat!
Thinking back about that time in my life how adventuress it was, the whole world to discover for a Rotterdams ketelbinkie, during a time that traveling was not as normal and frequent as it is now.
For sure the trip on the Krebsia made me a better man, I learned a lot, worked hard for almost nothing, 144 gulden a month was what we got at that time, for working long hours, no time of, an extra duties like doing the laundry for all crew and officers, it was however a experience I think back off with a big grin on my face!
All crewmember from this particular trip feel free to email me, and who knows we can arrange a reunion of some kind.
I ended up in Canada, bought my own (small) Island and married in 2007 a beautiful girl in Chengdu China, who is now studying hard to become a Lawyer,
Garoeten van Stanley and Yuke and again don?t hesitate to contact me!

Sepia deja vu.
She was revisited by me twice after some 20 odd years, in the late 70's and early 80's.
She really looked her age then. Many times repainted, with wooden decks worn.
I felt a little sad, knowing her as the beauty she once was.

I had to carry out the Government radio survey.
On one of these occasions upon entering the midship superstructure i felt thrown back into the sixties.
Out of the 4th officers cabin came unmistakebly the voice of the young officer who occupied that cabin in 1964.
Was this real ?
Yes it was real, the very same person i sailed with in 1964, now working for the London office, was attending to some company business.
A "deja vu" experience if there ever was one.

I was 2nd Mate on the Mytilus in 1948 "lightering" Heavy Fuel Oil from Pladjoe Refinery ( where the ship was based) in the Palembang River in Sumatra, to ships waiting at the bar to be "topped" off with their cargo to take them down to their full sailing load limit. ASs such all officers were members of the Pladjoe Club and treated as Senior Refinery Staff for all benefits like Gin Ration and Food rations from the local stores as well as our normal wages etec from Shell.
The Mytilus was used by Shell as a means of exchanging Officers between Singapore and the small "Empire"Tankers ( 9oo tons cargo) that roamed around the Islands for Shell after the war.

does anyone remember my dad Robert(bob)Palfreman, who was on the San Gregorio from Nov 57 to April 58? He would love to hear from them, He also served on the San Cireo,San Eliseo, San leonardo,and san Veronico between 1955-1960

I worked with Captain Bramley, who was resident Master on the Serenia. As the Serenia operated mainly on the coast, Captain Bramley fondly called deep-sea mariners "Deep-sea Baboons". A few Officer (including the C/0, bought a few fluffy toy monkeys, and as there was some faintr resemblance between the Captain and the monkeys, we matched the likeness even more, by cutting out 'spectacles' from old chartpaper, colouring the specs black, and fitted them on all the monkeys. Not sure if Captain Bramley was amused when he did his rounds to the cabins.

Mijn 1e zeereis op de Kosicia als pantry boy. Had de zee nog nooit gezien. Samen met Ruud v Dijk kwamen wij van een opleidingsschip "De Nederlander" te Rotterdam. Op die reis, naar Curacau, vreselijk zee-ziek geweest. Maar dat hoorde er allemaal bij werd ons medegedeeld. Door de bemanning werd me wijs gemaakt dat er bij de Azoren een bootje kon komen om naar huis te gaan !! Ook dat hoorde bij de "opleiding". Prachtig ! ( Toen dacht ik er waarschijnlijk anders over ) Mooie tijd gehad bij de Shell. En geleerd wat kameraadschap inhoud.
Kent iemand nog Ruud v Dijk ??

I joined the Valvata in Gothenburg in April 1969. It was the first time I had ever been abroad. We discharged half the cargo and sailed down to Malmo to off-load the rest. We then sailed to Venezuela and I remember getting sunburnt to a crisp.
On the way back we were exiting the West Indies when the pumpman was struck by a wave on deck and broke his leg between two pipes.
We had to return and sail to Puerto Rico. We endeavoured to transfer the pumpman to the pilot boat outside the harbour but the swell was too great. With pilot on board we entered the strait leading to the harbour. We were quite a large ship and we failed. In the narrowest part of the strait we ran aground and completely blocked the harbour for the next 24 hours. There were cruise ships wanting to depart and other wanting to enter but no one could get in or out. One medium size cargo ship did try but collided with us instead.
News helicopters flew overhead and we were the major item on all the broadcasts. We shifted the cargo and had six tugs trying to pull us off. Eventually, we the help of a huge ocean-going tug, and a line that must have been a 400m in length and as thick as a tree trunk, they managed to pull us off the sandbank.
When we arrived back in Gothenburg, the Captain was taken off for a Broad of Trade enquiry but he was acquitted of any blame.