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11K views 67 replies 32 participants last post by  Clifford Cocker 
#1 ·
Is there anybody out there who sailed with T&J Brocklebank (Cunard-Brocklebank) in the period 1968 to 1970?
Ships I sailed on were Masirah, Mawana, Mahsud, Mangla and (I think) Maidan.
Also, is there anybody out there who did their OND Marine Engineering at Birkenhead Tech (1966 to 1968)?
 
#4 ·
dsaile said:
Is there anybody out there who sailed with T&J Brocklebank (Cunard-Brocklebank) in the period 1968 to 1970?
Ships I sailed on were Masirah, Mawana, Mahsud, Mangla and (I think) Maidan.
Also, is there anybody out there who did their OND Marine Engineering at Birkenhead Tech (1966 to 1968)?
G'dye,
I sailed with Brocks (Thos & Jos) around about 1969/1970 time. I was third mate on the Maturata and the Masirah - both beautiful ships as I recall, and also on the Mawana, a bloody wreck. The Maturata was on the North Atlantic run on Anchor Line charter I think it was, which was a bit tough on the poor old Indian crew. She was rather small by Brocklebank's normal standards and I believe originally built for a fast tea trade which did not work out too well. Although sister ships the Masirah and the Mawana were chalk and cheese, first being in pristine condition with a good crowd of officers and a Calcutta crew; the second had a Chittagong crew with an average age of around seventy. The officers were a pretty mixed bag too with a real old rajah man for a master who was on his last trip prior to retirement and was terrified of anything going wrong. Jeez, was I glad to see Liverpool at the end of that trip.
Best regards,
CBoots
 
#6 ·
Brocklebanks

I sailed on Brocklebanks from '64 to '72 on Malakand, Mahout, Malakand in that order, oldest newest oldest (ship in the fleet), followed by Maturata, Mawana, Maskeliya, Mawana, Mahseer, Makrana, Mangla, Maihar, with coastals on Matra and Manaar and a couple of Cunard cargo "Mickey Mouse" boats to get sea time in for a ticket. I never sailed on the black four but frequently met up with them in Calcutta or Colombo.

Regards

HRS
 
#8 ·
Stuart Smith

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Yes I was with Brocklebanks from 1961 to 1966 as Marine Engineer Apprentice studying at Riversdale College for 2 years, then 18 months at sea followed by 1 year back at college. I then sailed coastal for a couple of months as 5th Engineer before reluctantly leaving to work in the Car Industry as a draughtsman. I say reluctantly but on hindsight seeing what happened to the British Merchant Service after 1968 I guess I made the correct move.
My first ship was SS Maidan followed by MV Mahout, it was her second voyage. I then sailed on SS Makrana. Each of these trips were the usual UK to India (Calcutta) back to UK except for the Mahout trip which also included the Eastern United States on the return leg. I had a great time in the Service and have thought about my time with Brocklebanks many many times. This year I sourced the two volume History of Thos. and Jno. Brocklebanks and though it only goes up to the 1950s the second volume took me right back to my youth.
I am now aged 59 and still working in the automotive industry as senior designer for suspensions for Delphi Automotive, Luton.
 
#9 ·
It was the Masirah

Marcus Cardew said:
I was an apprentice on the Maturata 1968, then 4th Mate Mahout 1969, and did the coast on Matra, Mangla, Maipura, Macharda, Maipura over the next few years. I remeber doing a Christmas relief in Dundee January 1969 on a ship with a Jute fire. Was it the Masirah? I forget.
I checked back through my sight book and found that it was the Masirah. I spent 10 days onboard firefighting 4 & 5 holds full of blazing jute
 
#10 ·
Brocklebank archive - a question for Stuart

This site is beginning to look like a Brocklebank convention.

I'm interested to hear that you have sourced the Brocklebank history. I have just received a couple of pics from Ian at Table Bay Underway Shipping, Bengali built in 1901 and Pindari built in 1891. I'm curious to know when the white band round the hull was introduced as these, certainly the Bengali, are without it. And is there any truth that the width of the band related to deceased members of the Brocklebank family, half an inch each. I can't remember if it was 21½ or 22½ inches when I was sprog. Any ideas?

HRS
 
#11 ·
Sailed with Brocks from 1956 - 62 as jun 4th - 2nd eng on various ships starting with the maiden voyage of the Masirah. The white band around the hull came from the East Indiaman sailing ships. Brocks were the only company where the band went right around the stern.
Cheers.
Bob_F
 
#14 ·
Brocklebanks MV Mahout

Stuart Smith here.
I found out some information the other day that when MV Mahout was sold off by Brocklebanks her new owners were trading in and around the Persian Gulf when she was bombed by an Iraqi plane during the Iran/ Iraq war in September 1982 resulting in the ship sinking.
Does anyone have more information about this please?
It grieves me to think of my old ship and cabin now sleeping with the fishes.

Stuart
 
#17 ·
I would love to see a pic of the Mahout. What livery is she in? The ship suited both the black and the white, but I'll always have a soft spot for the original Brocklebank livery as she was when I was sprog on voyage 4. Maihar and Mahsud (1969) came out with a blue band on white hull. Did Mahout / Markhor ever have the blue band?

Any pics of Brocklebank ships (and Moss Tankers) gratefully received, I've still got glaring holes in my collection.
Hugh
 
#18 ·
I have attached a Calcutta hand tinted photo of MV MAHOUT which I purchased there in 1964 when I sailed with her on her 2nd voyage. Have also attached a similar style photo of Makrana (was she the most photographed of Brock's ships?). I have been looking through my collection of slides, for the first time in 30 years, and have some nice photos of Makrana I took in Govan Dry Dock when she was in for a complete hull repaint prior to deep sea sailing around August 1964. I will get them scanned and will post them when ready. I also have quite a few photos of ship-mates, Engineers and Deck, I was with on Maidan 1963, Mahout 1964 and Makrana 1964 but unfortunately my recollections of names is not too good. I don,t know if it is right to post these without permissions. What is the general feeling on this?

Stuart Smith
 

Attachments

#19 ·
To Fairfield
I have not seen your photo of Markhor in Glasgow, where can I view it?

Can you post your Brock's photos as I am trying to put together a folder of Brocklebank ships and my time with them so that my children will have some idea of what their old man did when he was younger.
To anyone else who has Brock's photos is it possible for me to see them?

If anyone wishes to get in touch then please do at spkl22@btinternet.com

This site is giving me a lot of pleasure since I recently discovered it
Cheers

Stuart Smith
 
#21 ·
Stuart

You have the same pic of Mahout as me only better - courtesy, I think, of Druba Paul (may be an "H" in there somewhere) of Calcutta. Mine is untinted and try all the enhancement tricks I know the masts still barely show. My Mahseer, Malakand, Maskeliya and a couple of others come from the same source. I wondered if Mahout was photographed in the Suez Canal, seems she's flying black ball over "G" and I'm scratching my brain to remember where that was.

I've got some slides of others but at the mo I'm projecting them and using a digital camera. It works after a fashion!!! I need a film/transparency capable scanner but I'm torn between the resolution and the bank manager.

Ian Shiffman in Capetown - Table Bay Underway Shipping - has some very good shots and a web site but is still cataloguing 380,000 various photos and my request is months old.

Regards

Hugh
 
#24 ·
Fairfield
Thanks for posting the Markhor photo. I left Brocklebanks in 1966 and therefore didn't see, or remember seeing, any Brocks ships in anything but black hulls. I must say, now having seen white paint, that the black scheme is in my opinion much better. Maybe its just that its that scheme that reminds me so much of those times.
To everyone who's ex-Brocks I send regards and it seems that there is a definate cameraderie existing between us. Long may this 'bond' and web site prosper.
Keep posting those photographs.......its good to share.

Stuart Smith
 
#25 ·
The famous Mr Druba Paul wouldn't happen to be nicknamed 'The Ghost'. He used to come aboard the ship in the morning to check if anyone wanted anything up town or have mail posted, he always brought back a cert. of posting. I think he knew about everyone sailing with Brocks as we used to ask him who was on the various ship in port. I am trying to remember the barber who used to come aboard, he used to tell stories about about the senior officers when they were in the lower ranks.
Cheers.
Bob.
 
#26 ·
Ron - The Barber was definately in Cal. as we used to go up to the GOH in Colombo for a haircut, after we would sit in the lounge facing the door and eye the 'Talent' from the passenger boats that were in. I brought home a few dozen of those figures myself for the kids. Over the years, most of them have dried out and disintegrated but the wife has salvaged about 8 that we have still got. Not bad after about after about 45years, boy I feel old now.
Cheers
Bob.
 
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