[The Loftsman]

Hello All,
Looking for stories from any who sailed on the following ships built at the Leith Shipyards of Henry Robb in Scotland, the website is building slowly and needs the input of ex sailors now to help keep the ships alive .
The ships that were built include
Yard No Name
355 TINTO
356 TRURO
357 BRAVO
358 SILVIO
359 DARINIAN
360 PALMELIAN
406 CAVALLO
407 TRENTINO
437 CICERO
438 ROLLO
439 TEANO
445 FLAMINIAN
462 MALATIAN
463 CATANIAN
471 AARO
472 RAPALLO
473 ARCADIAN
495 SALERNO
496 SALMO
497 SORRENTO
498 SILVIO
499 SANGRO
501 ATHENIAN
503 MEDITERRANIAN

A fair list you will see and if you also happen to have any photographs you wish to have shown on the website then all the better.

Thanks for your help.

[JoeQ]

I was 3rd Mate on the 497 SORRENTO, 501 ATHENIAN and 503 MEDITERRANIAN in 1974 - 75. Nice ships, Meddy with Naffi stores and general then, usually, cirus fruit home from Isreal. Did a cargo of onions to Marsailles and boxwood from Lexios in between

[Donnie More]

I did three european / uk coasts on these , around 1975 between deep seas on the bigger City boats , Salerno which became City of Athens , and City of Valletta , I heard some did a stint to montreal / hudson bay in summer time with ships staff working the cargo discharge .
One I joined in Glasgow , the catering staff knew they were all finished when they docked, due to trouble during the Meddi trip , so apart from all cutlery and plates going over the wall , the galley was sabotaged and the leckie gear got the heavy end .
good crowds and ships to sail on all the same ,

[tom roberts]

Sailed on the Anglian as s.o.s.4 on 4 off for 6 week trips up the Medi besides doing my watch I still had to do the peggies work never ben so knackerd in my life, did 2 trips left her to get my e.d.h.managed to scrape thro, also sailed around the land on the City of Khartoum in April the temprature in our cabin was up in the 70s and the mate asked me if I wanted to stay on her deep sea no fear said I getting baked alive was not on my agenda plus the food was not up to much and as for the asian cooks they made the lousiest curries Ive ever tasted.

[The Loftsman]

Thanks for the reply's and I shall be in touch when i can

[Johnny Walker]

I did the last trip on the Cicero, I joined her in the west india dock in London for about a six week trip round the med. with 12 passengers then back to the U.K. in time for a dock strike. After finally discharging the cargo a few of us stood by her getting the ship ready for sale to new Turkish owners. She was a great little ship.

[Puffin's skipper]

What happened to the Rialto? No mention of her.. I did a Great Lakes trip on her around 1962 for grain, aged about 15, first trip as a sailors peggy..
As I remember it,
Hull - Aberdeen - Quebec - Montreal, -Toronto, - Hamilton - Aberden - Hull
I paid off with about a tenner and an AB on the beach 'helped' me spend it before I even got on the train home..

[The Loftsman]

Sorry Puffin,
How could i forget, thanks for the info.

Cheers

Originally Posted by Puffin's skipper

What happened to the Rialto? No mention of her.. I did a Great Lakes trip on her around 1962 for grain, aged about 15, first trip as a sailors peggy..
As I remember it,
Hull - Aberdeen - Quebec - Montreal, -Toronto, - Hamilton - Aberden - Hull
I paid off with about a tenner and an AB on the beach 'helped' me spend it before I even got on the train home..

[Aberdonian]

Originally Posted by Puffin's skipper

What happened to the Rialto? No mention of her.. I did a Great Lakes trip on her around 1962 for grain, aged about 15, first trip as a sailors peggy..
As I remember it,
Hull - Aberdeen - Quebec - Montreal, -Toronto, - Hamilton - Aberden - Hull
I paid off with about a tenner and an AB on the beach 'helped' me spend it before I even got on the train home..

The regular sight of either the “Consuelo”, “Marengo” or “Rialto” alongside the grain berth in early 50’s Aberdeen was an influence in my decision to go deep sea. Smart looking ships.

Aberdonian

[ALLAN WILD]

Hi
I was in Rollo 1966 the year of the strike. When you shipped out of Hull in those days it was impossible to get a job on any of the 10 day boats, but as soon as they changed the articles to FG there were plenty of jobs, and thats what they did. The ship would have become strike bound, so they sent her down the Medy for 6 weeks.
As soon as she came back to Hull we were sacked and the old crew joined her again on the 10 day run to Gothenburg.
I was also on Rialto 67/68 we did a 4 month trip down to Rio, Santos, wast coast of SA.
Bassano in 64/65 did the west coast of Africa. Happy days.

[patprouse]

I did my first trip as deckboy on the Rollo straight from the Vindicatrix sea school on 1st Jan 1965. I was sick as a dog all the way
there and back to Gothenburg and swore I would not go on another ship again but the call of the sea could not keep me away and after that I sailed on the Cavallo,Marengo,Rialto,Cicero,Turo,Rollo.
I finished my seagoing career in 1986 as a Radio Op.

[Hugh Ferguson]

My uncle, Wullie Wilson, was an engineer in the Lesbian in 1917.

[slick]

All,
There would appear to be couple of Ellerman Wilson names missing from the original list.
The SMOKO the BRASSO and the F--------O.
Offered in the interests of Nautical nicknames.

Yours aye,


slick

[Aberdonian]

The Lucian was a regular sight in the London St Katherines Dock when she was on the London – Lisbon run in 63/64. At that time I was on the same trade in the MacAndrews vessel Pozarica.

Aberdonian