PDA

View Full Version : A little known Blue Funnel ship!

Hugh Ferguson
9th September 2006, 15:53
Could this be the longest war-time voyage of any merchant ship!?
The EMPIRE CAPULET sailed from Newport, Mon on 7th Aug.1944 And returned to Liverpool on the 3rd Oct. 1946. Ports called at were:-
St. John N.B.; New York; Norfolk,Va; Ancona; Brindisi; Augusta; Gibraltar; Casablanca; Portland, Me.; St.John N.B.; New York; Horta; Port said; Suez; Aden; Bombay; Madras; Calcutta; Ramree Is.; Rangoon; Calcutta; Rangoon;
Calcutta; Chittagong; Akyab;Madras; Ramree Is.; Rangoon; Calcutta; Port Blair (Andamans); Calcutta; Singapore; Calcutta; Singapore; Calcutta; Singapore; Calcutta; Hong Kong; Singapore; Bombay; Colombo; Singapore; Kure; Singapore; Sydney; Melbourne; Fremantle; Durban; Cape Town; Liverpool.
I was an 18/19 year old apprentice in this ship. We had been told we were bound to Montreal for grain and back to U.K within 6 weeks!
Yours, Hugh Ferguson.
hawkey01
9th September 2006, 18:12
Afternoon Hugh,
that was a real tongue in cheek statement "back in 6 weeks". Excellent. Just thought I would Google the ship and see what it brought up. There you are in person. An interesting story.
Regards
Hawkey01 (Thumb)
Hugh Ferguson
9th September 2006, 19:04
Afternoon Hugh,
that was a real tongue in cheek statement "back in 6 weeks". Excellent. Just thought I would Google the ship and see what it brought up. There you are in person. An interesting story.
Regards
Hawkey01 (Thumb)

Yes, it certainly was. We had 21 gunners on board. It should have been self-evident that they had something else lined up for us other than carrying a cargo of grain. She had been on the Normandy landings before I joined and
still had the damage occurrinf which was repaired in our first port, St. John, N.B.. Hugh.