VERENA

About

Completed 1950 as "VERENA" for Anglo-Saxon. 1971 scrapped Castellon Spain.

IMO number
5378531
Call sign
MFFB
Construction number
1403
Tonnage
29.648 ton
Beam
26m
Length overall
201m
Year of construction
1950
Year of renaming/broken up
1971
Service for Shell
1950 to 1971
Cargo
Class
Flag state
Home port
Manager
Shipyard
Status
Photo(s)

Comments

Sailors

Name Job Period Details
Robert George Hill deck apprentice 1950 1st trip
C.j.h. Ennion deck apprentice 1951 to 1952
John Marriott 2nd steward 1951 to 1952
Donald Wood 5th engineer 1952 to 1953
Kenneth Hodgson 5th engineer 1952 to 1953
Paddy Kenshole apprentice 1952 to 1953
Bryan Whittle deck apprentice 1952 to 1953
Leslie Miller catering boy 1953 to 1954
William Stanley... apprentice 1953
Robert Ford able seaman 1953 to 1954
Dick Spearman apprentice engineer 1954 to 1955
Denis Mazonowicz 2nd mate 1954 to 1955
William Thomas Jones able seaman 1954 to 1955
Douglas M.C. Renton cadet 1954
Clifford Whichello efficient deckhand 1955
Robert James Allen deck apprentice 1955 1st trip
Peter Rodriguez able seaman 1955
Robert James Allen deck apprentice 1955 to 1956 junior deck apprentice
Edward Russell junior engineer 1956 to 1957
Alan Makinson 5th engineer 1957
Joe Carter apprentice engineer 1957 to 1958
Michael D.h. Hardy 3rd mate 1957 to 1958
Bob Parker 5th engineer 1958 to 1959
Harold Porter deck apprentice 1958 to 1959
Charles Stobbart assistant steward 1958
David E.c. Read deck apprentice 1958 to 1959
Leslie Henry Stocker able seaman 1958
Leslie Henry Stocker able seaman 1958
Tom Galloway deck apprentice 1958 to 1960
Alan Makinson 3rd engineer 1959
Terry Barker assistant steward 1959 to 1960
Robin Keer-keer 3rd mate 1960
Michael Kemp promoted acting 3rd mate uncertificated 1962 to 1963
Mervyn King 3rd engineer 1963 to 1964
Arthur R. Geake 1st officer 1963 to 1964
Malcolm F Childs 3rd mate 1963 to 1964
Dick Odwyer radio officer 1963 to 1964
Brian Graham 5th engineer 1963 to 1964
Jim Russell deck apprentice 1963 to 1964
Baird Ferguson deck apprentice 1966 to 1967
Siu Ming Tam 2nd steward 1966 to 1969
Philip Roy Field deck apprentice 1966 to 1967
Brian Knight 5th engineer 1966
Thomas Tom Gibb 5th engineer 1966
Anton Barkhuysen apprentice engineer 1966
James Maurice S... 5th engineer 1967
John Jones 5th engineer 1967
Ernie Milligan 5th engineer 1967 1st trip
Christopher Grindle 5th engineer 1968
James D. Jim Auton 2nd engineer 1968 to 1969
Christopher Hornby 5th engineer 1968 to 1969
Simon Reilly 4th engineer 1968 to 1969
Ian M. Bromley 3rd mate 1968 to 1969
Robin Buncombe 5th engineer 1969 to 1970
Wim Westhoff guest 1969 repatriation from Punta Cardon for Dutch Shell Tankers
Richard Basey 5th engineer 1969 to 1970
Jan Kerkhof guest 1969 repatriation from Punta Cardon for Dutch Shell Tankers
Jeffrey Davies 4th engineer 1969
Brian Hogarth 2nd mate 1969
Steve Frost apprentice engineer 1969
Howard Pownall apprentice engineer 1969
Noel Anthony Ra... chief mate 1969
Geoff Henderson apprentice engineer 1970
Desmond Doyle master 1970
Eric Freeman 3rd engineer 1970 to 1971
Stephen Taylor 5th engineer 1970 to 1971
John Chapman 1 5th engineer 1970 to 1971
William Wade navigation cadet 1970 to 1971
Donald Travis chief officer 1971
Michael F. Keenan 4th engineer 1971

Anecdotes

Date Visitor Anecdote
10/07/2013 - 07:17 John Chapman 1

Had a great time on Verena joined in Gothenberg as 5th eng first trip at sea in Oct70 and stayed until we took her to breakers in Spain in summer of 71.
Had a great group of engineers who 'fought' to keep the old girl going. Great nights up the 'Campo' in Curacao and the last night blackout in the Med before we docked when he boiler feed pump tripped. I learnt a lot that trip my family did not recgonise me when I got home!

09/03/2013 - 22:34 Howard Pownall

Joined in Nynashamn January 1969. Apprentice accommodation was essentially big steel boxes welded on top of the aft accommodation. Beautifully cool in Sweden in the middle of winter and pleasantly warm up the Maracaibo Lakes in the middle of summer. Character building

08/28/2013 - 17:16 Brian Knight

it was the worst ship i ever sailed on.

08/20/2013 - 15:07 Robert Ford

i spent year on this ship with same crew 5 trips in all happy ship alround

05/09/2011 - 21:50 Brian Hogarth

definitely the worst Shell vessel I ever sailed on even though I had my wife with me. I remember watching crude oil leaking through a corroded plate in the foredeck on route to BA (cement box repair) plus the 2 pumprooms were generally full of steam from leaking glands & on one occasion I declined to enter much to the annoyance of Noel Rafferty.
I also remember Wm Westerhof who came to visit myself & my wife while I was on study leave for Masters so if you see this Wm please get in touch. Remember our trip to the lake district when your moped couldn't make it up the hills with your girlfriend (Marjorie??) on the back.

03/16/2011 - 15:05 David Read

Who are you Jinxy 1927? I was on the Verena, finished my apprenticeship on her, when we went up to the Stanvac Japan after the terrible explosion on board her. We had been at Elephant Island in Bombay. I was on her for over ten months 1958/59. David Read

08/25/2010 - 20:11 Jinxy1927

my memory is not what it used to be/ but i,recolect being in bombay on the vereena when lying just ahead of the stanvac japan that left port a few hours before us just before we left the skipper received a signal that the stanvac japan had blown up when we sailed and reached her there wheras already an esso tanker and a cargo vessel standing by her i think that was october 1958

08/25/2010 - 20:11 Jinxy1927

my memory is not what it used to be/ but i,recolect being in bombay on the vereena when lying just ahead of the stanvac japan that left port a few hours before us just before we left the skipper received a signal that the stanvac japan had blown up when we sailed and reached her there wheras already an esso tanker and a cargo vessel standing by her i think that was october 1958

07/29/2010 - 21:47 Bob Young

I am trying to trace or run down any information about Andy Fisher who I believe was killed in an accident on the SS Verena in the late 50s or eary sixties. As far as I can recall he was some sort of Artificer or similar. He was engaged to my sister Dorothy Young now deceased. Thanking you in anticipation and hope.

04/05/2010 - 23:18 Baird Ferguson

Anyone else who was on board the Verena for the trip from Tranmere to Curacao in 1966? The crew cook died and his body put ashore in Cork. Then we had 3 fires started deliberately between Cork and Curacao.First one in the Centre Castle , next one on the Aft accommodation boat deck laundry and the 3rd one in the engineers alleyway sailing up the cut in Willemstad.Turned out it was a first trip 5th Engineer who wanted off. He had just come out of prison for arson.

02/02/2009 - 12:14 Christopher Grindle

I remember joining the Verena in Nynashamn, Sweden as a first trip fiver, on the 23rd march 1968. I was housed in a porta-cabin lashed to the funnel deck as we were carrying so many extra engineers. I spent the next two and a half weeks in the air heater of one of the main boilers unblocking air heater tubes by hand .Lucky for me Shell in their wisdom decided to pay me and another fiver off in Cardon , Lake Maracaibo and I then spent five and a half months on the Venassa .