The following are letters to the Editor published in the November 2014 issue.

From: Alan Dean, Wirral

I saw the letter from Malcolm Cranfield in the July edition concerning Daru/Yoma and what Malcolm stated is correct, however she actually did five voyages to Burma under the name Yoma, viz:

sailed Glasgow 26.11.65  –  arrived Glasgow 10.3.66
sailed Glasgow 18.3.66  –  arrived Glasgow 22.6.66
sailed Glasgow 12.7.66  –  arrived Liverpool 12.11.66
sailed Liverpool 24.11.66  –  arrived Glasgow 2.3.67
sailed Glasgow 8.3.67  –  arrived Liverpool 27.5.67

She then reverted to her original name of Daru and was transferred to the Guinea Gulf Line in 1967.

The ‘Elder Dempster History 1852-1985’ states that she was renamed Yoma in November 1965 with the intention of being placed on the UK-Burma service, but the voyage was cancelled. As you can see from above, which is verified by Lloyds, the comment was incorrect, and was one of many errors contained in that publication.

 From: John Gates, Australia

The article by Norman Middlemiss on Transatlantic Steamship Co. Ltd. was very interesting for me as that company’s vessels were one of the many highlights of our Brisbane shipping scene. I was a boy of 13 when I first saw a Cloud Class from the deck of the Largs Bay in Sydney. I was able, due to our family business, to visit many of the Company’s ships. I can remember asking the Chief Officer of the G.D. Kennedy why such a name was on a Swedish ship. He said that Kennedy was one of the founders of the line. Also, if my memory is correct, the Kennedy was the Company’s Training Ship .They were always in first class condition and the Cloud’s interior was simply a delight with all the subdued decoration and cleanliness. For a late years teen, many of the stewardesses were also worth seeing. The P.A.D. Line’s Paralla was the best of the 3 sisters and the Allunga was sadly always looking like it needed a refit like many A.N.L ships. Many of the Paralla’s crew lived in Brisbane with their families. Thank you for a magazine that just keeps getting better.

 From: John Webster, Lancaster

I read with great interest your article by Bill Hitchen in the May Edition of Shipping Today and Yesterday in which there is an account of Canberra Star colliding in thick fog in the Bay of Biscay on 29th June 1969. I also was on board at the time and Bill’s account of what happened on that day brought memories flooding back. I was the Radio Officer on Canberra Star and witnessed the collision from the bridge. Reading Bill’s account I never realised that we had sustained shrapnel damage aft of the bridge or that our two Port lifeboats were ablaze.
The fog was indeed very bad at the time and not having Radar on board made things a little edgy. It was the two blasts from the whistle that alerted everyone to possible danger. I was in the saloon at the time but could see through the forward window a ship coming towards us. I made it to the bridge in time to see the 28,000 ton ship bearing down on us on our starboard quarter. Our double ring ‘astern’ to the engine room seconds earlier was our only hope of getting out of her way.
But this was not possible as La Fleche smashed into our bow. There was an immediate explosion and tank lids flying as a huge fireball travelled the full length of the ship, violently shaking the bridge wing as it passed over us. There was a horrifying grinding of metal as she scraped her whole port side on our forecastle. Deck plating along with a large section of her port accommodation along with two lifeboats and their davits tumbled overboard. One of the lifeboats settled on our forecastle head. As we broke away from her she drifted clear of us in a blaze of fire and dense smoke.
I shall never forget the words spoken by the Capitan of La Fleche as he came on CH16 VHF, “Sorry Captain for hitting your ship”. He confirmed that there were no casualties on his ship as no port side cabin was occupied at the time. I spent the following few hours in the radio room handling traffic to nearby ships and Lands End Radio.
Two German salvage tugs made their way to us but our master Capt. Burns advised they should stand by La Fleche. We fought the fire raging in the forecastle and number one hold and successfully extinguished the flames after 21 hours.
We made for Falmouth, for emergency repairs, where we arrived two days later. The forecastle was sealed with concrete and we left for Hamburg in choppy seas several days later.
In the early hours of the following morning I was awoken by the lookout to go and send a telegram. We had spotted an overturned yacht in the English Channel and had rescued the two yachtsmen. The company was informed and navigations warnings given to shipping to be aware of the overturned yacht.
I do not remember Bill Hitchen but can recall the crewman at the wheel after the collision. We share memories of a very eventful voyage.

From: Graham Crook, by e-mail

I have just read something in the August edition that I thought I would never see, and it prompted me to write and ask the question, bigger or smaller world!?
I served my apprenticeship with R & H Green and Silley Weirs, which I found out was part of the P&O Family. My apprenticeship was between 1962 to 1967, however in line with the company policy I did the last year of my apprenticeship at sea as a Jnr. Eng. with the P&O SN Co and carried on for a few more years afterwards. My first deep sea ship was the Comorin (ex Singapore) and she was on the Far East run, that is Aden, Penang, Port Swettenham, Singapore, Hong Kong, Yokohama, Shimizu, Nagoya and Kobe then calling at some of the ports back home to London KGV docks.
Going through the Suez Canal we’d often meet up with a Ben liner, and a Blue Funnel liner and we’d shadow each other around the Far East. At Hong Kong we’d also sometimes pick up with one of the APL ships. On one occasion we were alongside Ocean Terminal in Hong Kong and on the other side of the pier one of the two smaller APL cruise ships came alongside. Here my memory is bit fuzzy because I can never recall whether it was the President Cleveland or the President Wilson. Anyway I had to walk to the gangway to try to have a nose on board, and to this day my biggest regret was that I didn’t walk up the gangway and ask if I could have a look round. She was a bit small compared to some of the P&O and Orient liners but nonetheless she was a stunningly beautiful looking ship, as were most of APL’s ships at that time.
The thing was that at the time APL runs were predominantly Far East but never Europe. That was mainly the United States Shipping Line and Lykes, of course there were others, as there were other Far East companies, so I was amazed and thrilled to read in your NEWS that APL ships were coming to London Gateway. I live along the Thames and I haven’t seen an APL ship yet but I shall be keeping a sharp eye open from now on! It has only taken from the late 1960’s to 2014 for them to arrive but it has been worth the wait! Which is the reason for my question is the world getting bigger or smaller!?
I take your magazine from my newsagent, unfortunately some things get torn or battered in the post and I like my magazine to be in pristine conditions as it left the printers. I am tremendously enjoying your magazine, it’s a great read. Always informative, and on occasion in the articles and correspondence a bit of provocation seems to arise! Brilliant. A winner. Keep up the excellent standard.