Father's career

[D Sutton]

I have put together a log of the ships that my late father John Sutton served on from his discharge books, anybody on here either remember him or has any anecdotes they can give me. we know he was rather a stickler (i remember him standing over while i did my homework) and could be rather stern without a sense of humour.

British Strength Mar-41 captured and sunk by Scharnhorst POW for 4 years
B Honour 11.10.45 4.5.46 4th eng
B Valour 6.5.46 16.9.46 4th eng
B Pilot 10.12.46 3.7.48 2nd eng
B Duke 8.10.48 1.5.49 2nd eng
B Venture 26.7.49 24.4.50 2nd eng
B Drummer 18.5.50 7.7.51 Chf Eng
Rogue River 19.11.51 11.9.52 Chf Eng
B Merit 20.3.53 26.12.53 Chf Eng
Cottonwood Creek 24.2.54 2.9.54 Chf Eng
Smoky Hill 11.1.55 17.7.56 Chf Eng
B Navigator 12.12.56 8.2.57 Chf Eng
B Empress 9.2.57 11.8.57 Chf Eng
Red Bank 13.11.57 7.10.58 Chf Eng
B Empress 13.1.59 30.3.59 Chf Eng
Fort Frederica 11.5.59 6.11.59 Chf Eng
B Realm 5.5.60 18.6.61 Chf Eng
B Power 29.10.61 27.3.62 Chf Eng
B Architect 17.8.62 10.11.62 Chf Eng
Dunkirk Shipyard
B Diplomat 28.6.63 30.7.64 Chf Eng
Vickers Barrow in furness
B Admiral 22.7.65 26.10.69 Commodore Chf Eng
MHI Nagasaki
B Explorer 31.3.70 17.11.71 Commodore Chf Eng
Chiba
B Surveyor 28.3.72 28.3.73 Commodore Chf Eng
MHI Nagasaki
B Norness 29.9.73 13.3.74 Commodore Chf Eng

Engineer superintendant at MHI Nagasaki (R class build)until 1978 then retirement from BP

I have a fair few photos showing crew where is the best place to post them, in the gallery or in these threads? they are all BP crew

cheers
David Sutton

[non descript]

David

That’s an impressive list of ships and an impressive career; that first voyage was a bit of a rough start!

I hope that your hard work in laying out the various ships and dates brings you some feed-back from the BP members.

Good luck

[Fraserbetts]

Hi David - sailed with your old man as 3/O on the Explorer. Stood by in Nagasaki shipyard during building. Yes he was a stickler but I seem to recall(remember I was on the deck side) no one doubted his skill as an engineer. Amusingly, I remember nights in the bar when we used to pull his leg about his apparent failure to understand the complexities of the autochange on the record player; maybe he was kidding us??
Brgds
Fraser Betts

[D Sutton]

Hello Fraser

No he wouldn't of been kidding you, the words "still listening to fooling pop records" still ring in my ears. If it didn't smell of diesel, hiss with steam or float then it was the enemy.
We have a few pictures of him in the bars on board ship, when mother questioned him that he may be spending too much time in there, his reply was that the glass of beer gave him an artificial horizon to concentrate on if the ship was rolling, "so you didn't finish it off then" would come the reply.

I think I posted some shots of Explorer under construction in Nagasaki in the Tankers section.

David

[Hague]

I see you are a Builder.Did you not have the desire to follow in your fathers footsteps?

[D Sutton]

Very nearly did, loved being at sea, always been practicable, interested in engineering and hands on. But when your father tells you you're going to follow him and he has interviews arranged what is it the average 16 year old does.......the opposite and becomes a chippy!
Never regretted it but had he left me alone I may well of followed.

[barnsey]

I trust Graham Wallace tracked you down David????

He will be after those photos and details???

Barnsey

[Graham Wallace]

I trust Graham Wallace tracked you down David????

He will be after those photos and details???

Barnsey

David I never miss a chance like that. I actually found out I sailed with him for 2 months. Shows how good my memory really is.
Graham

[HENNEGANOL]

I too recall sailing with John Sutton on one of the Japanese VLCCs, I cant remember which one, but do remember that the Japanese guarantee chief was still on board. I was sailing Supernumary, installing the Shipboard Management and Stock Control Systems.

I recall that he was very pro Japanese and in a perverse way I often wondered if that would have been the case had he been captured by them rather than the Germans?

Gerry.

[backsplice]

I was in Nagasaki around August 71 while on the" Benstac " and recall seeing 3 or 4 large BTC VLCC,s at the shipyards there quite an impressive sight they were "BIG" un,s ..........backsplice (also done time with Br Tankers ....Honour....Mallard ....Judge )

[D Sutton]

I recall that he was very pro Japanese and in a perverse way I often wondered if that would have been the case had he been captured by them rather than the Germans?

Gerry.

Yes he was very pro Japanese and I would tease him about the very same thing, the funny thing was he had no problem with the Germans as he said we were at war with them, it was the french he disliked as at one time he had some "Vichy" french as guards and it was those that gave him and the other merchantmen the most grief about surrendering, and as he said "they were supposed to our allies".

He loved the build quality of the Japanese VLCC's and the fact they would stick to deadlines, I have some copies of paperwork (somewhere) where the engineers/Hull/Electricians are reporting back to UK on build progress, and the general theme is on budget, good quality and early.
Its probably why MHI became a preferred builder