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Camito in dry dock 1959

11K views 41 replies 17 participants last post by  Ron Stringer 
#1 · (Edited)
How many of you guys out there remember this ship?

A J McMahon
 

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#4 ·
Hi
My Grandfather was on the first Camito when torpedoed in the Atlantic in 1943.
Then my uncle was on the seconed Camito in may 1961 which sailed from Avonmouth to the West Indies according to his discharge book.
Next time I speak to him i will ask him if he can recall this trip.
Regards Oli...
 
#6 ·
Hi Tony,
Thanks for your advice on how to send attachments! I've added my engine room photos to my thread and this one here of us in a lifeboat ( A lever operated boat so there was no engine to check over!!!) The only other bloke I remember,was the 2nd Eng.,who got paid off for bedding a female passenger,and the Captain found out.(who had his eye on her himself,it was rumoured) I have stronger memories from when I was 2nd Eng.myself on the Chicanoa,perhaps because the Camito was an easy,no problem,engine room. I've also added the farewell dinner menu for your perusal.
Cheers,
Roy
 

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#32 ·
HI Roy, Whilst agreeing with you in part, as to the Camito being an easy ship to run,what dates were you there? We had two fires aboard, the one was quite serious. Another time we had the Tubo-gen set, overspeed, and put some blades through the condenser, it very nearly happened again some months later, after the first event, it was apparent the govenor was sticking. I was top side for the first event, but I heard the bang. The next time I was attempting to "Off Load", one of the pair of turbo- sets that were running in parallel. It was observed that all was not right, so we throttled back the steam, on the one we needed off and tripped the breaker at the desired point. Thanks for the menu, when I showed it to my other half she said No Way. Regards AJM.
 
#12 ·
I remember Dusty Miller,he was the first guy I ever met in Fyffes.He was leaning over the handrails looking out for the soon to be promoted Supt
Griffiths who was sailing to see a Steam plant.He mistook me as the Supt lifted my bags to the Engineers accomodation and the C/E Jock Burns,when
he heard who I was he dropped my bags.He was a real character
 
#17 ·
Bob Isbister went back a long way.I remember him in the Golfito when I was
3M there in 1954.
I don't know if Robert Walter Lundy OBE.RD.RNR had mellowed by the time he I arrived in the Camito,I served a sentence with him as 3M in the Ariguani in 1956 and I was very glad to transfer out of the ship.

Regards
David E
 
#14 ·
Tony was Bob Isbister on for a relief trip ? I sailed with him when Eric Taylor was having a trip off, I think that was only on two occasions. What other people do you recall from that time, I know the 1st Officer, had just been given command, that is Captain P A Chubb, because I sailed with him on my last voyage with Fyffes on the Reventazon, that was late '62 Best regards AJM.
 
#16 ·
Hi AJ, Bob had done at least one trip when I joined in S/pton late Aug 62, We sailed about 4 Sept. I did 6 trips before joining the Leith Hill in May 63 for just on two years.
I'm not too good with names but I think Sam Gready relieved Jock Burns, I remember the 2/Eng trapped his fingers in the fiddly door one trip what a mess. Ragards Tony
 
#19 ·
Camito (Dec '58-April '60)

That's very interesting Tony.Do you wish to give a full confession now ? I will absolve you for 6 bottles of Bass,2G&T's and a couple of ginger beers.It is interesting seeing different peoples perception of Capt.L. To get it from my perspective, I was deferred until I finished my apprentiship, then as the call up papers were coming I looked at R.E.M.E. and the R.N. engineering branches-----seeing that I was the best thing since sliced bread to come out of the trade!----Man ! What a revelation I got,when I entered the real world! However to go into the Grey Funnel fleet or REME. would entail signing up for what apparently was a lifetime. I decided being a coward that 5 years in the "Merch" was not a bad idea, if I did not like it I could pack it in and do my national service. Well can you imagine getting on the West Indies run aboard the Camito at 21 years of age.I would have saluted and painted everything in site ! The food was great and they payed a lot more than the conscripts were getting! the birds and the flying fish were truly magnificent. I think that Capt. L. did run the ship like the R.N.--probably better. As David E will recall there was a great deal of oil and water separation in those days, which was not ideal for running the best of operations,it took untill I went on the North Atlantic trade (especially in winter) to find truly intergrated deck and engine crews. Having said all that ,I do think the said Capt. had mellowed over the period that I was there,he invited me to one of his cocktail parties after I had just thrashed him at deck tennis, can't be bad! Incidently did you relieve Fred Hartry on the Box Hill,great mate of mine we served our time at the same works,Shirley Bassey was on the Production line there. Regards AJMc.
 
#22 ·
As David E will recall there was a great deal of oil and water separation in those days,
Was E&F especially bad for this? It was certainly true of the 'Golfito' when I was on her in 1960/61. Being one of the R/Os, we were in no man's land; sometimes the 'agony aunt', hearing confidences from either of the departments about the infamies committed by the other department but at other times we were the outcasts, accused of being in cahoots with either or both departments.

After I left the ship I never came across the problem to anything like the same degree in other companies.
 
#30 ·
Hi David,very interesting your recollection of yesteryear you took the clock back further. I agree with much of what you said, however as an elect on day work covering all parts, tank top to top mast I did see the odd "Old colonial Pukka-Sahib" at large. I guess the more you compartmentalize the easier it is to bring in the mushroom farm effect. They may have known what array of silver service to use, but in many aspects they were out of their depth, compounded by an overbearing/ condescending attitude. Bit like New Labour!!Except for new labour delete silver service insert Pot Noodle. Can you recall who was on the Manistee when you were there. I was st/by on the Manistee in Avonmouth Nov.58, there were three E/F ships in at the time, one was about to be scrapped. Ken Peach ,Sampson, Alan Skidmore and the chief fridge of the Manistee we would partake of the occasional tipple in the George, Regards AJM.
 
#31 ·
Sorry,I can't-it's too far back.I can barely remember the deck crowd then.I did two spells in the Manistee-one as 3M in 1955 when the OM was Barber:1M was John Beatson:2M was Ken Leslie.The second through most of 1957, as 2M:two OMs Barber,then Bill Young, I can't remember the 1Ms name and the 3M was a young Dutchman who had married an English girl and swopped to British ships. Ken Peach rings a bell-was he 2E in the Cavina ?

Regards
David E
 
#35 ·
Murder on Camito



You are quite correct in your recall - As I remember from the newspapers of the day. The unfortunate fireman was going aft along C-Deck working alleyway to call the fireman and greaser of the next watch when he saw two ABs (I think there were two but may be mistaken) throwing the Bosun's personal belongings through his cabin port. On remonstrating with the pair the fireman was assaulted and dragged to the open deck area at the stern of the ship and thrown overboard to his death. I think it was at night possibly around midnight when there would have been few others about. During the day C-Deck Starboard side was a busy place.
Many years later while serving on Camito I always thought of the unfortunate victim when visiting that part of the ship.

Jim S
 
#37 ·
Hi A.J.McMahon and ship mates,can anyone tell me the demise of barman Bill Fleming,he passed over the barr off Trinadad or Barbados after I left September 57. Five years from maiden trip as storekeeper.As for Capt Lundy I was Capt steward for many trips on the Bayano from 1953.
Regards Kenhill999.
 
#39 ·
Hi Ken, I remember Bill Fleming, I would work any repairs to bar or galley through the night, so as to minimize the disruption to the service on offer. It also gave me a clear run at the job, without people falling over my legs, whilst laying on my back with my head in the oven/ fridge. Always had a good working relationship with the catering crowd. I am not sure if it was Bill or the chef that we buried at sea. It certainly happened on one of the voyages between 1959/60. I recall the evening of the burial service, which on the schedule was a dance night. I decided that I would give the dance a miss only to be sent a cryptic message by the Old Man, to get myself down and get dancing!! Some times people would be around the room like wallflowers, at these times either he or I would start the action, I duly went and asked for a dance with the lady on his table. He sent me a G/T over later.They were good days, with some great people of all ranks.Best Regards AJMc
 
#38 ·
I did 2 trips on the Camito June -sept 1958, I remember Captain Lundy he played Lonnie Donnegan music over the tannoid nearly all day. Remember the chppy shark fishing in Montego Bay, he caught a whopper. Also in Bowden we had to walk to a bar, all going well till a car overtook us and caught in it's headlights were hundreds of land crabs, we walked a bit faster after that, no worries on the return journey, well fortified with rum
 
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