HELCION (2)

About

Completed 1954 as "HELCION" for STUK. 27-7-1968 arrived Castellon for scrap. Had turbo-electric drive.

IMO number
5514621
Call sign
GSWC
Construction number
1815
Tonnage
19.349 ton
Beam
21m
Length overall
169m
Year of construction
1954
Year of renaming/broken up
1968
Service for Shell
1954 to 1968
Cargo
Class
Flag state
Home port
Manager
Shipyard
Status
Photo(s)

Comments

Sailors

Name Job Period Details
David Grice 5th engineer 1954 to 1955
John D. Ironside 4th engineer 1955 to 1956
John Campbell senior ordinary seaman 1955 to 1956
Juan E.shimmin able seaman 1956
Peter Maiden deck boy 1957 to 1958
John Ellison 2nd engineer 1957 to 1958
Tonykirkham engineer cadet 1957 to 1958
Rex Evans junior engineer 1957 to 1958
David E.c. Read deck apprentice 1957 to 1958
Barry Hughes deck apprentice 1958 to 1959
Roger Poulton acting 3rd engineer 1958 to 1959
Russell Porter catering boy 1958
Albert Bert Webster able seaman 1958 to 1959
Norman Mason 4th engineer, 3rd engineer 1959
Alan Greig apprentice engineer 1959 to 1960
Keith Lockyer 5th engineer 1959 to 1960
Matthew Oddie apprentice engineer 1959
Ted Craft efficient deckhand 1959
John Rex Winsor 3rd mate 1959
Brian Robert Sharpe able seaman 1960 to 1961
Philip Ablett chef kok 1960
John P M Cusson deck apprentice 1960 to 1961
Malcolm Rathbone 5th engineer 1960 to 1961
Bryan Woods 3rd mate 1961
Thomas Curry 5th engineer 1961 to 1962
Dave Hone cabin boy 1962 to 1963
William Jamieso... 2nd radio officer 1962 to 1963
Gerry Peace deck apprentice 1962 to 1963
Fred Ovington 4th engineer 1962 to 1963
Robin Ritchie engineer cadet 1962 to 1963
David Rayfield extra 3rd mate 1963
Alan Whyte deck boy 1963
Peter John Houghton apprentice engineer 1963 to 1964
Alex Thomson apprentice engineer 1963 to 1964
Jimmy Hart able seaman 1963
Bernard Jones fireman/watertender 1963
Alan Whyte deck boy 1963
Stephen Thompson 5th engineer, 4th engineer 1963 ex 5th engineer
John Peter Briand 3rd mate 1963
Thomas Geoffrey... deck apprentice 1964 to 1973
Peter Anthony Cocker deck apprentice 1964
Peter Astles apprentice engineer 1964 to 1965
Don W. Draycott 3rd engineer 1964
Donald Travis 3rd officer 1964
Douglas Bee 2nd steward 1964 to 1965
Geoffrey Walker 2nd cook 1965
Paul Garroch apprentice engineer 1965 to 1966
Edwin Mortimer 2nd mate 1965 to 1966
David Cumming apprentice engineer 1965 to 1966
Gwyn Melville W... senior ordinary seaman 1965
John J Mcdonald efficient deckhand 1965
Ian Scott apprentice engineer 1965 to 1966
Roger Duke apprentice engineer 1965
Ronald A Read junior engineer 1966
Paul Lach radio officer 1966
Allan Wild junior ordinary seaman 1966
Ken Heiser 3rd mate 1966
Patrick Moloney 1 4th engineer 1966
Nick Emerson deck apprentice 1966
Michael John Bradley 5th engineer 1967 to 1968
Arthur R. Geake chief officer 1967 to 1968
Kevin Welfare deck boy 1968
Sean Scanlan efficient deckhand 1968

Anecdotes

Date Visitor Anecdote
11/12/2022 - 17:21 Elaine Hardy

I believe my father, William J Smyth, sailed on this ship’s maiden voyage as Chief Engineer.
As was the custom, he was given the ship’s bell when she was cocooned and I now have the bell.
My father subsequently became Shell’s Chief Superintendent Marine Engineer responsible for the entire fleet when he came ashore around 1960.

09/06/2017 - 20:27 Bernard Jones

We lost the Alternators in Mid Ocean, a total blackout, boiler water got dangerously low, Engineers managed to get things going in time, also we lost starboard Anchor in Hamburg Harbour, so a pretty eventful trip, trip I done on her was from CuraA?ao to Buenos Aries Argentina, apart from these problems it was a good trip.

01/22/2017 - 15:06 David Hone

My first Shell Tanker which I joined in the London river from the pool as a 16 year old pantry boy. It was September 1962 and we loaded at Shellhaven for Avonmouth, Swansea & Dublin then headed for Curacao not returning to the the UK until the end of April 1963. We loaded for Honolulu and then back to Curacao for a couple of trips to W.Africa and then to Rouen & Rotterdam where we left 5 months 28 days into the the trip so we couldn't pay off. Mind you, it was so cold I don't think anybody would've wanted to. Back to the Caribbean but this time we loaded at St. Nicolas, Aruba (the only timr I ever went there with Shell) again for Rouen & Rotterdam and then Cardiff drydock. However about an hour out of Aruba we broke down and were towed to Curacao for repairs. We spent about two weeks there before re-loading and heading again for Rouen & Rotterdam and then Cardiff drydock. We lost a man overboard on the way home, Jock Hay, an AB from Aberdeen but that's another (rather sad) story. We eventually paid off in Cardiff the day after arriving due to waiting for a court of enquiry to be sorted out. We were given A?2 Channel Money so we could go ashore and duly spent most of it in the Ship & Pilot and the North Star Club. Eventually I got home to Yorkshire with a sun tan and a decent pay-off just as spring was at last starting to happen.

12/17/2015 - 16:28 Roger Duke

I joined the Helcion as Engineer Apprentice ( first trip ) in Cardiff Dry Dock and left at Tilbury Dry Dock 6 months later. The Vessel sailed,we had quite an eventful trip, as reported the Vessel blacked out off Belem in Brazil, The failure due to loss of fuel oil to the main Boilers. ( A Junior Engineer was to pack a Gland on the fuel system and the gland blew out due to the valve being incorrectly fitted at the previous Dry Dock ) The diesel generator was put on line, and due to a restriction of oil to the geared blower the unit failed. Engineers re metaled the two bearings, and hand scrapped them in and restarted the Diesel and again ran up the plant. The D/G had previously suffered a partial seizure, and after a few hours failed this time the crank shaft had fractured. The plant was attempted to be restarted using natural draught for the boilers and when full boiler pressure was achieved the plant was run up on one boiler. Due to humidity and steam being drawn back into the upper ER as the forced draught fans for the boiler failed. At that point the company Instructed ships staff not to try any more and the Vessel was taken into tow by another Vessel (Alkmaar) . After which a tug ( Sea Falk ) towed the Vessel into Trinidad, where temporary repairs were made. During the trip the Vessel had suffered a light Grounding in one of the rivers in Brazil. On arrival at Tilbury Dry Dock it was discovered that there was an Indentation of nearly 200 feet length, along the Stbd. side. Not only was the Ship unique in her design, She was unlucky. The ships staff were from all over the UK and were a great crew to sail with.

01/04/2012 - 11:51 John Peter Briand

Joined the Helcion in Bute dock, Cardiff on 7th May 1963 as first trip 3rd mate. My first Shell Tanker, and Sam Weller was Master, with Mr Bowtell as mate. I had just completed an apprenticeship with Runcimans of Newcastle - 3 1/2 years of tramping which saw me complete 3 circumnavigations between the ages of 16 and 19.
Magic times.

09/09/2011 - 15:51 Thomas Geoffrey...

My first ship,sailed from "the warrior" PembrokeDock on Friday 13th!! She broke down well actually the result of a mistake in engineering off the mouth of the Amazon. Originally towed out of danger by the "Alkmar" and later towed to Trinidad by a Bugsier tug called the "Seefalke". Parentsnotfied by Shell and allegedly made the national dailies at home. I was later told that the tow was the longets recorded but I don't know that for sure.