In late 1951 and after two years on the training ship HMS Worcester I joined the P&O Shipping Company as an indentured apprentice and joined my first ship, the twin screw MV Soudan of 9,079 grt on the 4th April 1952 and voyaged to Japan. At the end of that trip we arrived back at the KGV docks London on Christmas Day morning and just in time for me to sign off.

Because the car ferry was closed for Christmas I had to haul my duds through the pedestrian tunnel from North to South Woolwich which included a cage containing a green parakeet, which I had purchased for my parents in Karachi. At the south end of the tunnel my father met me in his car and took me home for a very late Christmas lunch with my family who lived about 25 miles away.

I had had an interesting experience in Karachi when I travelled by taxi with shipmates one afternoon to an exclusive swimming club located on a small river well out of town. The swimming area was enclosed with a boom and underwater nets but even so I had a bad fright when swimming upstream in the enclosed area and came face to face with a large snake swimming downstream. I never bothered to find out which species it was as I decided to get out of the water as fast as I could and it was later claimed by my companions that I actually ran across the water in my frantic efforts to get out. When I told the manager of my experience he only said, “Lordy, Lordy, we have not had a Cobra around here for many years”, and claimed that the reptile must have slithered

over the barrier which surrounded the ‘safe area’. It was then I made a vow to stick to swimming pools, but that resolution was somewhat dented years later when I was working in Florida and was told about a man who one morning had found a very live Alligator in his swimming pool.

After leaving the Soudan I had a short leave before joining my new ship the P&O cargo ship MV Cannanore in London KGV docks on the 31st January 1953 where she was loading for India and Ceylon. The Cannanore was powered by a single Doxford 6 cylinder opposed piston diesel engine of 6,800 hp driving a fixed pitch propeller which had four bolt-on blades and with this she could chug along nicely at 15 knots all day. The ship had five holds for cargo and also could carry twelve passengers.

As part of our cargo we had six horses in special stalls on the deck alongside number four hold and next to them was a large kennel in which four Afghan puppies were lodged. All were bound for Colombo. The horses had their own groom who signed on as a supernumerary and we cadets had the job of looking after the dogs. I addition we had six male passengers who were Colonial Officers going out to their new posting in Calcutta and one retired gentleman on a pleasure trip.

Everything went smoothly as we left the docks into the River Thames where we travelled downstream to the English Channel and started a SW journey before rounding Ushant into the Bay of Biscay and it was on to the Straits of Gibraltar and then it was East across the Mediterranean Sea via Genoa to load cargo and passengers and then on to Port Said. After transitting the Suez Canal we sailed down the Red Sea to Aden.

As we refuelled in Aden we loaded several hundred tons of edible dried fish in sacks that our agent, I was told, had been able to secure as an urgent cargo which had to be put into dry storage at its destination within a few weeks of it being shipped in order to miss the monsoons and with our high cruising speed we were the only ship in port who could meet that requirement. The filled hessian sacks were stacked on numbers two and four holds and as fresh air was considered good for this cargo no effort was made to cover it with tarpaulins. I understand that our Captain was very reluctant to carry this cargo but he was persuaded that all would be alright as we would arrive at our next planned destination of Colombo before the Monsoons arrived. However the ‘fickle finger of fate’ decided otherwise.

We set out for Colombo but next day as we were cruising along the Gulf of Aden we lost two and a half blades of our four bladed propeller. It was just after taking the noon sights and the beginning of my 12 to 4 watch with the Second Officer when there was this mighty thump’ from aft and looking aft we could see the stern going up and down like a yo-yo. We then had to dive for cover as the radio aerials which had been rotating like skipping ropes parted and came down on the bridge and smashed a wheelhouse window. The Captain who was climbing rapidly up one of the ladders to the starboard wing had a narrow escape when one of the aerial insulators came down next to him. How we lost the blades was never decided but it was thought that most probably we must have gone over some half submerged wreckage.

It was calm with a slight swell as later we lay stopped dead in the water with the engineers unwilling to start the engine until they knew the extent of the damage and after a meeting of the senior engineers with the Captain and Chief Officer it was decided to try and carry out a visual inspection of the propeller. This was to be done through the crystal clear water by a young and very nervous junior engineer who was dangling over the stern on a Bo’suns chair. Earlier, sharks had been seen swimming around the stopped ship and we noticed as he did his work he kept his feet well clear of the water and of course, we were ready to heave him up quickly if danger approached.

Later at another meeting with the Captain and senior engineers the brave young man reported that one and a half blades appeared to be still firmly attached to the tail shaft and it was decided to return to Aden for a proper inspection to be made. And so with two vertically spaced black balls hoisted on the foremast yardarm indicating ‘not under command’ and the flags Code D on the other we commenced a very slow return to Aden at about three and a half knots. Several passing ships kindly asked if we needed assistance and very politely we declined their offers.

In Aden there was a detailed survey by a hard hat diver and after his report it was decided to go to the nearest dry dock for repairs and we set out for a very long and slow trip to Bombay as it was known in those days. I remember it took over 15 days at not more than 5 knots to reach the Bombay anchorage. En-route to Bombay it was very hot and one of the horses became ill and in spite of the expertise of the groom it died and had to be dumped over the side where no doubt the following sharks enjoyed the unexpected snack.

One Sunday stuck at less than 5 knots with hours of watch keeping going nowhere was tiresome and in fact everyone onboard was slowly becoming bored stiff but then one day we cadets had a bright idea and with the permission of the Captain we went shark fishing and immediately everyone’s spirits were lifted. From time to time we had seen large sharks following the ship, no doubt hoping for another snack, and our intention was to catch one of these huge blighters. Our fishing rod was a five ton swl derrick extended over the side from the main mast and the fishing line its two ton swl wire runner. The hook was fashioned from a boats grapnel and the bait was a piece of offal donated by the cook.

With the baited hook in the water we only had to wait a few minutes before we hooked a big 9 foot plus shark. With the help of the crew the wildly thrashing fish was hauled over the side where it became unhooked. Looking rather upset it was lying motionless on the deck outside of the crew’s quarters aft when a bunch of junior officers decided to have their picture taken with it. They all clustered around the fish but I think it became peeved when one young man tried to pose with his hands clasped above him in triumph and one foot on the shark. I have never seen people move so fast.

We then received a message from the bridge that we were to give up shark fishing for the day and put all the gear away. We had decided that we would return the fish to the sea if alive but our Indian crew which contained several former fishermen requested that we give the shark to them and the best cuts were put into the freezer for their future consumption and what was left was dumped over the side for its friends to enjoy.

During the long crossing of the Arabian Sea the Monsoons found us several days before we were scheduled to arrive and in spite of being rapidly covered with old tarpaulins the dried fish got damp and in the heat thousands of insect eggs which had been laid in this cargo came to life. The insects were like large Silverfish with hard shells that crunched if walked upon. But even with Kalassies (Indian seamen) sprinkling bug killer on the decks around the mid-ships and aft accommodation 24 hours a day, we still found the little blighters in our cabins and sometimes in the bedding. Then after several days of this torture they suddenly disappeared and the fish started to rot and a terrible fishy smell.

When we arrived in Bombay desperate efforts were made to be allowed to unload the rotting fish but this was not permitted as it was destined for Colombo and also because the insurance company wanted to inspect it. But as can be seen, we had the last laugh.

Then the steering gear broke down, twice. I remember it leaked hydraulic oil in the engine room. After the second failure there were concerns that we might run out of hydraulic oil and what remained was stored away for use when we entered harbour and a decision was made to use the emergency steering system until the last moment. With the help of a boat’s compass two Sukunni then steered the ship for two hours at a time whilst a cadet manned the telephone connection with the OOW on the bridge who gave course alterations, if any. For this work I believe the helmsmen got extra money but we received none and instead were told to look upon this experience as being part of our training.

Until we had this task I never believed that someone standing up could fall fast asleep and remain standing. After spending some hours in the steering gear compartment one of the very tired cadets did just that and remained propped up fast asleep in a corner between the bulkhead and a wardrobe. He must have been there for over half a minute before we woke him.

After arriving at Bombay we sat at anchor for a further nine days as we waited for another ship under repair to leave the dry dock. Getting into the dry dock was a bit of a problem because it was not a floating dock which could be adjusted to fit a ships list (if any) and fore and aft trim. It was instead built of concrete and immovable. Our ship was loaded with cargo and trimmed by the stern and getting her onto the blocks in the dry dock was a delicate process but those in charge knew what they were doing and there were no accidents or damage. I was in the shaft tunnel with the Chief Engineer and others and could hear the creaking and groaning of the ship as we settled on the blocks. My job was to report back to the Captain if there were any problems and the Chief too busy to report them himself.

When nicely settled and the ship correctly in place, work commenced but we had to wait extra days as the tail shaft was drawn to remove the broken bolts and be straightened because it had been bent by the oscillations of the stern when the two and a half blades broke away at 117 rpm. The tail shaft supports in the stern tube also required inspection and to be replaced where needed.

So far as the repairs to the propeller were concerned, luckily we kept two spare bolt on blades in number five hold and a C class British India sister ship left one of her spares in Bombay so the job could be done quickly or so we thought.

Early during our time in Bombay the horses in their boxes were lifted off the afterdeck and transported by truck to a ship that was leaving for Colombo.

Eventually, we were released from the dry dock and after tests set off South at our best cruising speed to our next destination which was the city of Colombo.

The day we arrived in Colombo and a representative of the purchaser of our fishy cargo and his insurance agent boarded the ship and after a quick inspection which was followed by the insurance man being sick over the side they hurriedly scrambled down into the safety of their boat which caused quite a bit of amusement. Next day an empty lighter came alongside and a team of stevedores protected with masks and rubber gloves shovelled the mess over the side and took away the badly damaged tarpaulins. But I was told that that cargo was put to good use and sold to farmers as fertilizer.

As time passed the puppies grew into lovely animals but in Bombay they remained onboard as their new owner was quite prepared to wait for us to arrive at his home port of Colombo. I believe their owner was a rich merchant and we cadets were expecting a large tip from him if the dogs were delivered in good condition.

However, when we eventually arrived in Colombo with the dogs all looking fit and well they were, as required, first examined by a local Vet who gave them all a first class fitness report but also reported that all the ladies were pregnant and that the dog was looking very tired but had a happy smile on his face. And so away went the dogs ashore to other owners and equally quickly, away went our bonus. Strange as it may seem, no-one on our ship had thought about puppies growing up and the need to keep the male and females separated.

But the greatest insult we endured in Colombo was to see a seamen’s mission motor boat coming to visit us and then turning about when it got within smelling range.

It actually took many weeks before we were able to rid the ship of the terrible fishy smell and this process was helped by the Monsoon rains and a twice daily hose down of the decks with sea water but most effective was a gale filled with spray that we encountered on our way North.

After discharging most of our cargo in Colombo we started up the East coast of India to our next port of call which in those days was known as Madras, now Chennai, and after discharging our remaining cargo we set out for Calcutta,

At the entrance of the Hoogley River we anchored and waited until our berth was cleared and then we went upstream to Garden Reach and because of expected Bore tides we secured the ship alongside with anchor chains fore and aft. To do this we had to hang off both anchors and remove two shackle lengths of chain which were taken to the stern to secure us to the quay through the aft fairleads as fitted to our ship for this purpose. At the same time anchor chains from the windlass on the foc’sle were used to moor us forward to the quay

I remember that much of the time when we were working in the early evening it was bucketing down with rain and we were soaked. But the necessity for the chains was demonstrated a few days later when we experienced a Bore tide and our ship rose up several feet and surged up and down the quay.

Because other ships had taken our previously intended cargo we had to wait for more tea chests to come down from the plantations which started as a trickle but the flow got better later. We were stuck in Calcutta loading for many weeks and in a ship with no air conditioning we really suffered. There were three cadets in our small cabin and the heat and humidity night and day was very oppressive in spite of a Punka Louvre blowing air into the cabin and it seemed to me that we spent a lot of time washing our clothes and taking showers. We perspired heavily night and day and when we put out our mattresses on the boat deck to air they disappeared and we stopped that practice and our replacement mattresses with a lack of proper airing started to turn green.

We had some real light fingered visitors onboard and even my underpants which had been hung up to dry in the cadets cabin disappeared and I was told by one of the stewards that it was done by using a broom stick with a hook on the end and fishing through the open window. From then on we kept the jalousies firmly shut which reduced the air flow even more but their wire screens did stop most of the flying bugs and mosquitos from invading our cabin.

Finally, we were fully loaded and after releasing the anchor chains and putting everything back in place, including reattaching the anchors we got ready for sea. This time we went out into the middle of the river and after dropping an anchor we swung around on the flood tide until we were pointing down river which was when we weighed the anchor and proceeded downstream, As we went around Hoogley Point on our way down river the pilot told us of a ship which some time before was approaching the turn and when the wheel was put over to port nothing happened as the steering gear failed and the ship went straight up the mud on the opposite side of the river, high and dry. Luckily in our ship everything worked and we sailed around the turn.

Because of the single destination of most of our cargo we headed home at our best cruising speed calling in at Colombo, Aden, Port Said and Gibraltar before finally arriving at the KGV docks in London. In those days the owners worked their cargo ships hard and I never heard of one that was allowed to linger unnecessarily in port and the tea chests which had taken many weeks to load in Calcutta were extracted in a few days by the efficient London dockers and we set off once again.

But this time I sailed as the senior cadet and ‘such joy’ I had my own cabin.