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Captains of Colliers

56K views 104 replies 59 participants last post by  soniadelaney 
#1 ·
I worked in the agency department of Stephenson Clarke Shipping, mainly in the Blyth office during 1962-1965 and remember some of the names of the Masters of the vessels, mentioned in these pages, that were regular visitors to the port which I looked after.

Barford - Captain Witten
Captain J.M.Donaldson - Captain Topson / Captain Connacher
Chas H. Merz – Captain Wright?
Cliff Quay - Captain Moseley – Fleet Commodore?
Hackney - Captain McRae. Few 'flatirons' called at the port during my time and I knew Captain McRae as he lived in Seaton Sluice and it was handier for him to pick up monies from the Blyth office.
Lord Citrine - Captain Kellet
Oliver Bury - Captain Connacher / Captain Tudor
Pompey Light - Captain Tudor
Sir Archibald Page - Captain Johnstone
Sir Fon (hopper barge) - Captain Green
Sir John Snell - Captain Richmond
Sir William Walker - Captain Wilson
W.J.H.Wood - Captain Heatherington

Some of the Stephenson Clarke Masters I remember:

Amberley - Captain Black
Arundel - Captain Lawton
Borde - Captain Judge
Broadhurst - Captain Hannah
Findon - Captain Grewar
Heyshott - Captain Pryor
Pulborough -Captain Hansen
Storrington - Captain Pearson

Other vessels that were a regular visitor to Blyth and for whom SC acted as agents for were:

Ballyrory - Captain Ross; Ballyrush - Captain Adair; Firethorn – Captain Hegarty; Maythorn - Captain Lavery / Hegarty; Osborne Queen – Captain Steeley; Security – Captain Wadhams

Can anyone provide info on other Masters and their vessels?
 
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#60 ·
Rentaship,
In the second half of the sixties I somehow found the name of a Captain Bedford from Stevies Marine Personnel Dept. Never met him, but he always found me a few weeks work, if there was a reason I needed it between deep sea ships.
Looking in my book I've got a stamp for Storrington, Captain Pearson late '66, and one for Beeding '69, with Captain W.Brenen.
I can vaguely remember both of them and recall that Brenen had some health problems, although obviously not bad enough to prevent him going to sea.
My eternal memory of the Beeding is of those underwater toilets, where you had to flush and pump on a handle at the same time or "get your own back" all over the toilet deck.
 
#61 ·
Rentaship,
In the second half of the sixties I somehow found the name of a Captain Bedford from Stevies Marine Personnel Dept. Never met him, but he always found me a few weeks work, if there was a reason I needed it between deep sea ships.
Looking in my book I've got a stamp for Storrington, Captain Pearson late '66, and one for Beeding '69, with Captain W.Brenen.
I can vaguely remember both of them and recall that Brenen had some health problems, although obviously not bad enough to prevent him going to sea.
My eternal memory of the Beeding is of those underwater toilets, where you had to flush and pump on a handle at the same time or "get your own back" all over the toilet deck.
a great bloke, i was interviewed by him and thorney- gibson when i joined stevies in 1972. met him a few times in my spell with them.
i believe he was involved in setting up the collier trade on the argentine coast
 
#65 ·
i to sailed with john reay on his last trip with stevies,not sure if it was the ashington or washington but he did leave to take up some post at blyth harbour.like already said he was a nice fellow.a few more namews that come to mind are,
mike rushbrook
bill gibson
gordon young
don mc cloud
chris goddard
just a few that pop to mind any one remember them?
 
#66 ·
.a few more namews that come to mind are,
mike rushbrook
bill gibson
gordon young
don mc cloud
chris goddard
just a few that pop to mind any one remember them?
hi michael, gordon young was mate with me on the beeding, a good shipmate. i met him again when i was piloting he was then working for the met office, visiting ships in tees and hartlepool
b rgds
 
#68 · (Edited)
Pat,had a look and found my discharge books,indeed i sailed with John Reay,he was captain on the Ashington.Possibly it was one of the mates on there that went to the dredgers,mabye Davey Mc Clusky.Heres a few more names that people may remember.
Captain John Stevens ---mv Portslade (gentleman of the old school).
" Ben Wappat---mv Portslade.
" Alan Calvert (i think) paid himself off Portslade unwell,died at home next day.
" Jack Barrus from Sunderland ---Portslade & old Storrington (went ashore with health problems).
" Brian pratt (Brian was known as a witch or as he himself described it,a believer in the Old Religion.
" Bobby Thompson fron Jarrow (great singer).
" Malcom Birne.
" Brian Reid--mv Emerald.
" Cyril Twommey---mv Gem.
" Peter Dyer--- several including the tankers.

Regards
George
" Joe Johnson---I believe Captain Joe drowned in a swimming accident when in retirement.
 
#72 ·
Hello All.

My Grandad was Captain Saalman. He died about 6 years ago. Oliver Bury,James Rowan,Dane Caroline Haslett, Battersea, Brimsdown,Harry Rirchardson are some of the ships I remember on. I did trips on several of them on my school holidays!
Sailed with Mr Payne when he was first mate on the Battersea. Also remember Wally Halliday on the Rowan and Battersea.Unfortunately he jumped over the side a few years back.

Remember a police investigation when I was on board when a barrel of wine disappeared from the bonded warehouse at Shoreham.Think the lads stored it in one of the water tanks and threw the barrel over the side. I still have SS Brimsdowns chartroom barometer and clock in my house at home, removed when it was taken for scrap in the 70's. I have wound the clock up religiously for over 20 years when it was handed on to me.

Also remember a Mr Duff,first mate on the Caroline Hasslett. The guys on watch used to get me to shout down the bridge air vent to his cabin!

My brother also got his kite stuck around the foghorn cable on the James Rowan and started pulling it. When it hooted, thought it was ny grandad on the bridge.The guys sleeping off watch thought there was an iceberg!
 
#75 ·
Hi, I remember Donal Patrickson from the Washington,
Others were;
Ralph Potts
Dickie Atkinson
Neil Ramsay
Dave Carlton
Capt McQuaig
Mike Rushbrook
Chris Goddard
Harry Kay
Tony Bourne
Capt Petrie
Mel Arkley
W Sutherland
Gibson
Bill Adair
I'll have to dig out the blue book for the others

Ian Bl.
 
#79 · (Edited)
Hi all

From my coasting days [58/59] the ones I remember are;
Stewarts of Glasgow [aka Winnie Whittons]
Yewmount Tom Pritchard and Torquil McLeod

Holderness s/s Co. Holdernore Edgar Jones
Holdernook Jim[?] Hansen

Cheers

Ian

Jeesh!! Nearly forgot one of the best, my late uncle Jim Halsall of Preston. Was with Stewarts on the Yewglen? as was my father [Ch Eng] when Kettlewell's started up, bought the Yewglen. My Dad and Uncle stayed with Kettlewells but my uncle left them after s couple of years. Dad stayed with them til the end then went with Stephie Clarke's
 
#81 ·
I was on the Blisworth which became the Holdernidd for kettlewells, Jones was a relief skipper for Capt Patrick, he put us on the "Hard" leaving Newlyn,loaded with roadstone, for Depford, didn't turm out much of a problem, he had just left too early on the tide, and we had to wait untill we got more water, and went on our merry way
 
#84 ·
Master of Brimsdown

Hello
I was brand new Junior Sparks on the Brimsdown with Captain George
Gibson. The Mate was Bill Slimmin. Chief was a Mauritian whose name escapes me. I did 4 months on the ship and was constantly seasick! As she was a flatty we went all the way up the Thames to Fulham power station. I joined her at Jarrow and had my first pint of Ex in the White Lead. Bosun was a North Shields man called Billy Warmington - a real gent. I also remember well Minnie Becks, Tyne Commissioners Quay, Lampton Drops etc - we even went foreign to Methil!

Allan Pugh
 
#85 ·
Captain Adair of John Kelly Ltd



Sorry I have no new names to add, but I remember Captain Adair , then of Ballyrush very well as I grew up calling him dad and sailed with him-oftento Liverpool many times. Finding this site has brought back many dear memories of William Frank Adair and the great ships he served on!

Norris Adair
 
#86 ·
Mike Skeet

I worked in the agency department of Stephenson Clarke Shipping, mainly in the Blyth office during 1962-1965 and remember some of the names of the Masters of the vessels, mentioned in these pages, that were regular visitors to the port which I looked after.

Barford - Captain Witten
Captain J.M.Donaldson - Captain Topson / Captain Connacher
Chas H. Merz – Captain Wright?
Cliff Quay - Captain Moseley – Fleet Commodore?
Hackney - Captain McRae. Few 'flatirons' called at the port during my time and I knew Captain McRae as he lived in Seaton Sluice and it was handier for him to pick up monies from the Blyth office.
Lord Citrine - Captain Kellet
Oliver Bury - Captain Connacher / Captain Tudor
Pompey Light - Captain Tudor
Sir Archibald Page - Captain Johnstone
Sir Fon (hopper barge) - Captain Green
Sir John Snell - Captain Richmond
Sir William Walker - Captain Wilson
W.J.H.Wood - Captain Heatherington

Some of the Stephenson Clarke Masters I remember:

Amberley - Captain Black
Arundel - Captain Lawton
Borde - Captain Judge
Broadhurst - Captain Hannah
Findon - Captain Grewar
Heyshott - Captain Pryor
Pulborough -Captain Hansen
Storrington - Captain Pearson

Other vessels that were a regular visitor to Blyth and for whom SC acted as agents for were:

Ballyrory - Captain Ross; Ballyrush - Captain Adair; Firethorn – Captain Hegarty; Maythorn - Captain Lavery / Hegarty; Osborne Queen – Captain Steeley; Security – Captain Wadhams

Can anyone provide info on other Masters and their vessels?[/QUOTE

I sailed as 2nd Mate in the 50's on the Fulham V111. Capt. George Hardy and Mate's Bill Curley and ? Smith. He would never run for shelter and hated slowing down in fog. Had somewhere to stay ashore in every port ! He was quite a character.
Mike Skeet
 
#89 ·
hi as a boatman i shoreham up till 68 i remmember Capt Bilton very well he lived in Southwick so shoreham was his home port he had a big ford car Zepha
or Consol ?? and often he would take his wife with him back to Goole to see her Family he also had a son who was master in Longstaffs regards granty
 
#92 · (Edited)
I was there from March to August 1968. Charlie was Master when I joined. I joined in Shoreham and we went up to Goole, on arrival at the Spurn Pilot I was on the bridge and Charlie suddenly said "Sparks grab the wheel". That was it I did most of the steering in and out of port from then on.

I see from my Dis book he signed it with what looks like K Rurka. I believe that shortly after I left (possibly a year) he crossed the bar on the train going on leave.

captain Bilton for the record was E.H. Bilton.

Best regards

Dave.
 
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