Letters sent to the editor –

From: Alan Rawlinson, ex Bank Line Apprentice, 1951

Re: Unknown Ship, May edition

Great to see the old Inverbank, and to read the informative letters from readers. What may not be fully appreciated is the outstanding contribution she made, together with her 17 sisters, to Andrew Weir’s coffers over the years. Although 9 were lost in WW2, they formed the backbone of a substantial fleet which could be seen in the anchorages, creeks, and backwaters of all the world’s remotest ports. They plodded around the world endlessly. The chartroom in these ships held several thousand charts in readiness for orders to sail just about anywhere barring the Arctic and Antarctic ports. It was common to arrive in Colombo harbour, or some other maritime crossroads, to see a sometimes scruffy looking Bank Boat with the derricks swung out and winches clanking away. Sometimes, more than one. They were distinctive by virtue of the lattice type derricks that were fitted. This class may have been unattractive and somewhat unloved but together with the four Irisbank motorships of 1930 they were the workhorses of the fleet, circling and criss crossing the globe year on year during their lifetime. Despite appearances, the company kept to a good standard of maintenance given the long 2 year voyages and remoteness of some of the voyages for stores.

Serving ones time in these vessels offered a unique experience to visit a vast range of usual and unusual ports dotted all over the globe, and left a lifelong appreciation, not only of all the world’s peoples, but an appreciation of running water, and the comforts of life!

Many vessels of this class and the later twin screw Irisbank class exceeded. 30 years in constant service without a major incident, a tribute to the Masters and crew who kept them going with basic facilities, often with hand pumped water for washing, and only a fan in the cabins to stir up the humid air. A sistership Myrtlebank made 35 years. They had attractive wood sheathed decks which would often get chewed up badly in port, and then magically holystone up almost white when attended to at sea. It was a sight to behold, glistening when wet. There were open rails also, instead of bulwarks. Although twin screw, steaming along on one engine occurred all too frequently, usually with the engineers sweating over repairs or replacing cylinder liners. When this happened it was necessary to keep a lot of helm on to maintain a reasonably straight course and counteract the torque effect of the remaining good engine, and of course, the speed suffered.

Those of us who sailed on them would wait patiently for the final call to load copra in the Pacific Islands , which usually signalled a trip home to discharge in Bromboro Dock (long gone) for Lever Bros. It heralded the end of a trip which was anything other than routine, more like an adventure.

Here is my unpublished poem which attempts to encapsulate the experience:-

On Joining A Bankboat in mid winter. 

It doesn’t seem so long ago,
The winches, hissing and clanking in the snow.
A lovely smell of warmed up oil and steam,
and Copra resting on the beams.

Hoses, Cables, Boards, and Battens,
Strewn around in random pattens.
There was nothing quite like a Bank Line ship,
Home at last from a two year trip.

See the cabins painted white,
With narrow bunks,
and quilts tucked tight,
The tea, thick and treacly,
Brought by stewards ever so meekly.

After discharge we steam away
foreign going, to both work and play.
An alien world, but it should be known,
Some of us – we called it home!

From: Alan Blackwood, Troon 

I refer to Norman Middlemiss’ most excellent April edition article “Canadian Pacific Steamships, 125 Years of Canadian History” and in which he (on occasion), together with many others before him, incorrectly refers to CP’s preferred shipbuilder over many decades, the John Elder founded Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, Govan as the possessive “Fairfield’s”. Whilst a minor matter, this is however incorrect.

Unlike many Clyde shipbuilders and those of others scattered around our coasts and rivers, whose yards were often given the family names of their respective owners inducing reference to such yards such as John Brown’s, Barclay Curle’s, Caird’s, Scott’s, Lithgow’s, Cammell Laird’s, Vicker’s etc. etc., the Fairfield yard was so named after the 60 acre farm and later Fairfield House upon whose land the yard was located. Another renowned Clyde Yard which similarly springs to mind and often also so misreferred, was the Blythswood Shipbuilding Company Ltd. located at Scotstoun and founded by Hugh Macmillan of the Dumbarton shipbuilding family and Donald Bremner, previously owner of the Inch Yard, Port Glasgow, Dunlop Bremner & Co.

From: Roger Emtage, by e-mail 

Just a note to commend you for your excellent editorial log on the cruise development but more particularly your excellent and outstanding photo of Saga Sapphire in the supplement. She knocks every single modern vessel into a cocked hat! An exquisite view of her in perfect light and the Southampton water like glass.

Having been involved in and with the passenger shipping business for over 40 years and before that as a child always fascinated with ships, it is difficult to see how the continued unrelenting growth in numbers of mega ships can be other than detrimental. I had the pleasure of spending 2 nights on Britannia on her shake down cruise and the ship is undoubtedly lovely. Some of the interiors are absolutely stunning and I give credit to the shipyard in learning from the mistakes of the abominable Ventura and Azura. But the overriding fact is there were 3505 passengers on board (and the crew numbered 1384).

Quite clearly there are countless thousands of people who don’t mind sailing on a ship with those numbers on board but in my experience certain areas resemble a rugby scrum. Most particularly the procedures for going ashore and returning on board. And that is not even mentioning tendering ports which are worse than a nightmare.

As you say it will be very interesting to see where and with whom they will fill these ships. But one positive point is there will be new jobs for those who are well versed in marketing!

Best regards and thanks for the high standard of your magazine.

From: Fred Wilkinson, by e-mail 

The photograph of the Temple Hall lying derelict in Arrecife brought back some memories and a certain degree of sadness. I joined her in South Shields during 1962 and sailed lightship to Newport USA where we loaded coal for Osaka (bunkering in Hawaii on route) On leaving Osaka we again sailed lightship to Vancouver Island and Vancouver where we loaded timber for Plymouth and Greenwich. Once in Greenwich we berthed near the Cutty Sark and I left the Temple Hall. One of my abiding memories was being on cargo watch and listening to constant updates on the local radio stations regarding the Cuban Missile Crisis. A large part of the US navy was based further upriver and it did cross our minds that if the Russians were about to start a war we were in the wrong place!! Thankfully, as history has shown, it all worked out and we proceeded down to Panama in wonderful weather.