[fitlike]

I joined the Stratheden in Liverpool 1978, ad did the voyage, paid off in January 1979 in Singapore, any old shipmates out there
Eric Cardno

[Brandane62]

Hi Eric,

I remember you and a lot of the other guys from that trip. I was one of the first trip deck cadets (all Scottish) who joined in Khorromshar (Sept 78) and did 2 round trips to Japan before paying off in Kuwait (March 79).

Some of the names that spring to mind.... John Pringle, Gary Buck, Roger Tilley, Willie Robertson (bosun), Mick the chippy (met up with him again next trip, on Wild Marlin), and John Rome (chief errrr "cook"!!). The cadets were Gordon Coull, Steven Cassels, Stuart Ferguson, Steven James, Alec Graham, Stuart Nicolson, Steven Tait, Kenny Wilson, and myself.

Alastair Crawford.

[fitlike]

fit like Alastair

What are you doing with yourself now. I remember you well that is 30 years ago now, time is a flying, I paid off in singapore at 7.30 in the morning and our flight was at 10 at night, we were is some state.
Regards
Eric

[Pat McCardle]

Originally Posted by Stratheden1978

Hi Eric,

I remember you and a lot of the other guys from that trip. I was one of the first trip deck cadets (all Scottish) who joined in Khorromshar (Sept 78) and did 2 round trips to Japan before paying off in Kuwait (March 79).

Some of the names that spring to mind.... John Pringle, Gary Buck, Roger Tilley, Willie Robertson (bosun), Mick the chippy (met up with him again next trip, on Wild Marlin), and John Rome (chief errrr "cook"!!). The cadets were Gordon Coull, Steven Cassels, Stuart Ferguson, Steven James, Alec Graham, Stuart Nicolson, Steven Tait, Kenny Wilson, and myself.

Alastair Crawford.

I was on Somerset with Gary Buck, both of us deck boys. Roger Tilley was a class & dorm mate at Gravesend sea school. Both are now partners with their own building company in Cardiff, two good lads

[fitlike]

They were good guys, we had a good trip, we were running between the Far East & Middle East, I knew all the good bars in the Far East with being ex Ben Line
Eric

[Brandane62]

Originally Posted by fitlike

fit like Alastair

What are you doing with yourself now. I remember you well that is 30 years ago now, time is a flying, I paid off in singapore at 7.30 in the morning and our flight was at 10 at night, we were is some state.
Regards
Eric

Hi Eric,
Packed in the sea in 1981 when it was obvious there was going to be no job even if I had got a second mates ticket. Joined the Police in 82, big mistake, but stuck it out for 19 years until they offered me a pension in 2001 which I grabbed with both hands!
Now driving artics for an air freight company based in London, but I work from the Glasgow depot. Spend a fair bit of time up your way, running between Glasgow airport and Aberdeen airport. So next time your going offshore (or coming back), if you see a "Saints" truck parked up at the cargo terminal next to Bristows place, come over and give us a shout!

Al.

[fitlike]

can anyone remember what the derrick could lift?
Eric Cardno

[Pat McCardle]

I'm sure it was 300t, I read about it in 'Wavelength'.

[fitlike]

thanks Pat

I was used to old Ben Boats that was hard work on deck, then I went to the Stratheden and you did not even have to climb to the crane cabin to drive it, you just put the remote control for the crane round your neck and walk between the hatch and the ships side to see what you were lifting/landing, it was like the star ship enterprise.
Eric Cardno

[ian d.cameron]

Aye, they where 300 ton. When there was a heavy lift on the Straths you had to go down the winch rooms with a 6 x 6 to make sure the wire didn’t ride. Like a bloody oven, I remember one 250 ton lift in Phuket and we worked round the clock for 30 hours.

[fitlike]

there was 2 brothers that was on the Stratheden one was a baker & the other was AD I cant remember there names, plus there was John Pringle I went to Poland to take out the Strathettrick, I remember the stewardess came round with sweets on the Polish airlines I took 2 and I was told to put one back
Eric Cardno

[Brandane62]

Originally Posted by fitlike

there was 2 brothers that was on the Stratheden one was a baker & the other was AD I cant remember there names, plus there was John Pringle I went to Poland to take out the Strathettrick, I remember the stewardess came round with sweets on the Polish airlines I took 2 and I was told to put one back
Eric Cardno

They were the Chapman brothers. One of them was Paul, can't remember the others name......Mark?? One was an ex cadet and didn't seem to like us cadets much for that reason!

Al.

[SurveyHand]

Hi Alistair,

I well remember that trip. Do you know what happened to any of the other cadets? The last I heard Stephen Tait was joining the RAF air traffic control, Big Alec and Stuart Ferguson both joined the police, but I don't know about any of the others.

I stayed with P&O passenger division till 1990 when I got married and emigrated to Canada. I'm still offshore but as a hydrographic surveyor now. Better money and much shorter trips!

Steve James

[Brandane62]

Hi Steve,

Great to hear that you're doing well! Good move getting out of here and heading for Canada, often wish I had done it myself. In fact it might not be too late.....

Can't help much with the current situation of any of the other Stratheden cadets. Bumped into Stuart Ferguson in Glasgow city centre last summer. He is now Detective Chief Inspector Fergie!! Gordon Coull as far as I know lives in Perthshire somewhere and was working offshore. Saw Steven Cassels but it was a LONG time ago, about 1984; he was working as some sort of motorbike courier then. Keep expecting to see Stuart Nicolson popping up as the new Tommy Sheridan! Kenny Wilson was (also a long time ago) still working for P&O on the ferries somewhere. Will update my profile with my e-mail address if you want to get in touch.

Al.

[Rogbik]

Hi all,
I joined Stratheden in Gdansk as deck boy, maiden voyage and first trip to sea, Willy Robertson and Mick the Chippy were on there to, did the UK, Gulf/Japan run was told it would be a 3 month trip but ended up almost 7 months, only remember a few names, Richard Hopton (AB) Bob (Welsh AB) Donald McDonald(AB... and old scots islander whom it turned out had sailed with two other members of my family)Derek and Mick Hawkin (gally rat and messman) and Neil the chief cook.
Saw some pictures of the ship the other day, seems shes Iranian owned now


Roger (Airey)

[Ian6]

I suspect that a few other really old P&O hands will, like me, at first think you've got the wrong date for serving in Stratheden, it must have been the 1950's or 60's. I wonder if there is anyone around who served in one of the original pre-war built Strath's on the Oz mail run and in one of the later various cargo ships given the same name ?
Ian

[Kingham SJ]

Hi, Did any of you come across a cadet called Gregor Watson from Edinburgh,Iwas at collage with him 1980.Just wondered what happened to him.

[R58484956]

Greetings Rogbik and welcome to SN on your first posting. Bon voyage.

[Jerry wes]

What great memories. I joined the Stratheden in Yokohama April 1978 and left in Khorramshah 14 September 1978. We did the 1st dry dock at the top of KG5 docks in London, now part of City Airport. Great ship, and by the way you're all right, it was a 300t Stulken derrick on it.

[tonymar]

was on the eden on the uk coast 1979 ,but did 2 deepsea voyages on strathewe and strathettrick good ships .300 ton stulken and 11 liebher remote cranes
remember the bosun wally jenkins and bosuns mate john savage on the ettrick
took 6 horses to jeddah remember them in stables on the poop deck round no 5 hatch
was working out of port said about 2003-2004 and used to see a few of them going through the canal iranian flag still looked good !

[Jerry wes]

I remember Wally JENKINS from the Taupo or Tekoa a couple of years earlier, from Fishguard if I remember correctly. A real gentleman.

[Rogbik]

Originally Posted by Jerry wes

I remember Wally JENKINS from the Taupo or Tekoa a couple of years earlier, from Fishguard if I remember correctly. A real gentleman.

Not as far as I remember.. Wally was from the Scottish Isle.. could have been Stornaway.

[Brandane62]

Just some more names to throw into the hat from the Stratheden trip 1978/79:

C/O Bob? Fisher; CIO Robin Leighton; 2/O Jay Savur; 3/O Ben O'Demba.

Engineers. 3rd Andy Ramsay, 4th Jim Campbell.

Grocer - Joe Bosworth.

[jackflash]

Originally Posted by Rogbik

Not as far as I remember.. Wally was from the Scottish Isle.. could have been Stornaway.

I was on the strathettrick as a cat/boy from nov79-oct80, was my first trip, good times.

Wally had his wife on board with him, he was definately Welsh and a proper gent as was mentioned.

John the bosuns mate was a very funny man who I looked up to, he was from up on the Isles.

[Pat McCardle]

Wally Jenkins was Welsh. He was Bo'sun on SOMERSET when I joined in March 1977. He was working by & I always remember him coming into the Mess room & saying "Morning lads, please turn-to".