A Mystery at Sea article

What a very interesting article on the web site by Nigel Epps on Sunday – An Unresolved Mystery at Sea (Almost)

I was also in the merchant Navy but a long time before Nigel I am afraid. I went to Nautical college in London in 1949 and for my sins joined the Anglo Saxon Petroleum Company in the 1950's as a Midshipman, and served on numerous ships, and I can quite understand his comments regarding long assignments

I served on one of the biggest ships in those days, a 38,000 Ton Super Tanker, as third officer, under the Captain Paddy Dove, (who was on a Shell tanker off South Africa during the War and was sunk by the Graf Spee, was taken prisoner and about whom the great film, 'I was a prisoner on the Graf Spee' was all about).

On this particular ship I spent 18 months running from Mena Ahmadi in the Gulf to Rotterdam, a regular round trip of 30 Days, so know what he means missing family and friends.

Tanker Companies had trouble staffing ships because they were quite dangerous vessels to sail on but I would not have changed my young days for the world, saw the world and as a Midshipman was paid a handsome sum of £36-00 a month, but nothing to spend it on, as there was no shore leave in the Gulf.

Loading at 4,000 tons an hour, and an 8-hour turnaround at Rotterdam, sail through the Bay of Biscay and make sure the ship was Gas Free by our arrival at Port Said to go through the Suez Canal.

Happy Days.

AudlemOnline adds: Our photo is 'Velutina', an oil tanker built for the Anglo Saxon Petroleum Company in 1950 by Swan Hunters and Wigham Richardson, at Wallsend slipway, on the river Tyne. We hope it is similar to the tankers Paddy sailed on in the 1950s. Please click on it to get the full image.

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