Trinder, Anderson & Co.

Please convey my special thanks to Norman Middlemiss for his article on ‘Forgotten Fleets’ in the issue, ‘Trinder, Anderson & Co. Ltd.’, as always his attention to detail can’t be faulted.

The article was of particular interest as my first ship in 1956 had been the ‘Cormoat’ of Wm Cory & Son, a ‘dirty old north east coast collier’, discovering that the iron ore ship ‘Queensgarth’, which I sailed on during 1960, under Wm Cory & Son colours, had actually been owned by the Australind Steam Shipping Co. Ltd.

The article also revealed also a great deal of association with the MANZ Line (Montreal Australia New Zealand), which I had also sailed with, doing three voyages between the Eastern Seaboard of the USA/Canada to Australia/New Zealand on the ‘Whakatane’ of the N.Z.S.Co. during 1957/58.

A small World indeed!

Bernard Shephard

Bristol Steam Navigation Co. LTD.

Thank you for the Forgotten Fleets story in the November 2017 issue. I thought I knew most of the history of the Bristol Steam Navigation Company, much of it from the book by Eric Jordan “The Story of Lovell’s Shipping”, but Norman Middlemiss’s article was excellent and informative.

In the mid 1970s I lived in Bristol and while ‘up’ for my Master’s Ticket at Ashley Down College spent a couple of months in 1976 as relieving 2nd Mate on mv Apollo and again in 1977 as 1st Mate serving on mv Echo.

Fast foward many years and when I retired and relocated to Wiltshire one of my new neighbours turned out to be the former Chief Accountant at the main Lovell/Seawheel/BSNC office, a small world.

I was offered a permanent job with BSNC after gaining my Master’s Ticket but whilst keen I had doubts about the future of the organisation, rightly as it turned out as the company ceased in 1981. However, by staying deep sea only postponed the inevitable and by 1983 the Merchant Navy and I parted company for the last time.

Mike Waight

Bristol Steam Navigation Company

Firstly, congratulations on a first class shipping magazine.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Forgotten Fleet article, Bristol Steam Navigation Company by Norman Middlemiss. This brought many happy childhood memories back to me. My late father, Captain William Graham Sommerfield, served as Mate under Captain Jenkins on both the Apollo and Echo. My late Uncle, Alan Hill served as Engineer on the Milo.

I have many happy memories taking a journey on train from Cardiff to Bristol with my Mother to join the ship at Bristol Docks, and spending what seemed like months on board. I remember one occasion where I was in the galley and allowed to haul up the dumb waiter, but let go and forgot to let go of the natural rope. Thus having lots of splinter hairs in my hand which had to be painstakingly removed. I also recall being given a pair of sea boots and allowed to wash the deck with the ship’s fire hose. Mother was not overly amused though at my sodden state later on at dinner.

It is great to see the Industrial museum at Bristol dock. My thoughts remind me of walking over the swing bridge with my mother seeing the ship berthed at M shed.

I, myself, followed in my Father footsteps by going to sea, albeit at a very late age. I believe that I was the oldest Cadet at the time going through college, to achieve my first sea going Officer of the Watch qualification. Thanks to Craig Shipping of Cardiff who gave me a life long ambition.

I shall treasure the November edition of your magazine for many years to come

Peter Sommerfield

Swedish Contrasts

Referring to the November issue I have some comments and supplements to page 28.

The SS Aspö of Rederi A/B ‘Rex’ was very probably lost with her crew on 1st February 1953 in the furious storm which drowned parts of Britain and the Netherlands. She was on the way from Kalmar to Hartlepool with a cargo of timber. She sent distress calls in the North Sea and was sighted for a time, but went down without witnesses. She became a ‘Vessel for Inquiry’ on 4th March and was ‘Posted Missing’ on 11th March 1953. Some old bills of lading with her stamp on them were later picked up by a fishery vessel.

When the SS Bjorkö was lost by collision with the Sea Wind, there was a female wireless operator onboard, which was a rarity on Western ships in those days. The Finnish Miss Mirjam Eskola, 26 years old at the time, sent distress calls until the last moment. Together with Capt, Bostadt she was the last living person to leave the sinking ship. They were picked up, with 16 other survivors, by the German pilot tender Ludwig Plate. At the time Miss Eskola became well known in the ‘seafarers family’.

Andreas Schweimer

Wanganella

I did enjoy the history of the Wanganella. It brought back many memories.

Just one thing though, Barrett’s Reef where the ship ran aground is at the entrance of Wellington harbour, not Auckland. There was a saying in Wellington in the 1950’s/60’s that if you got 8 days of calm weather it was referred to as Wanganella weather. Apparently if the usual Wellington winds got up whilst the ship was on Barrett’s reef the ship would have been lost.

Rob Park

Heavy Lift Ships

It has already been pointed out by two correspondents that in his letter in the November edition Mr A. D. Frost was in error by stating that no British shipping companies adopted the Stulcken heavy lift derricks. In addition to the companies mentioned by Don Wood and Gordon Thornton, it should not be overlooked that Strick Line built three ships, the Shahristan and Floristan with 180 ton derricks in 1965, and the Tabaristan with a 150 ton one in 1969. Contrary to Mr Frost’s assertion, British companies rapidly followed Hansa’s lead in adopting this versatile equipment. What he is also overlooking is that many companies, including Strick, had a thriving trade up the Manchester Ship Canal, and the Stulcken masts would not pass under the bridges, hence limiting the number of ships in the fleets that could fit them.

Barry Peck

Heavy Lift Ships

With respect to my critics on Editor’s Mailbox, I did not say that that no (some) British companies took up the use of the ‘Stulcken’. After all I worked for Blue Star Line for 13 years in another life and live in Sunderland where most (not all of them) of the Harrison boats where built. But I was highlighting the fact that companies such as Clan and Ellerman were ideal candidates for ‘Stulcken’. Clan Sutherland had the largest ‘Jumbo’ fitted to a ship of 150 ton SWL, whilst the Australia Star, at the time of build, was fitted with the world’s largest single ‘Stulcken’ 300 ton SWL, even recorded in the Guinness Book of records for that year. Even the Craftsman had to use both ‘Stulckens’ in tanden lo lift heavier lifts (500 ton SWL).

I would like to point out that the first British company to adopt the Stulcken was Ivanovic/New Crest shipping’s Wavecrest (1956) and Tidecrest (1958) and not T. & J. Harrison’s ships.

A.D.Frost