Grand Harbour at Valetta Malta 1960. Brocklebank's SS "Marwarri" called in for a repair.
Captain Saxty master.Bill Milne 1st mate. Posted by H Nicholson 1st R/O.
Site shows she was built in 1935 and paid off in 63, did she carry passangers ?
The tanker in the picture is a RFA "Wave" class, can anyone identify the passenger liner ?
Bruce
The passenger liner looks a bit too big to be the "Citta Di Tunisi" of 1930.
My referance shows the 1930 "Tunsi" as 5,400 tons, and as expected an older style vessel with a smaller flat topped funnel also it shows a quite large mast (with yard arm) aft of the funnel. My referance shows 500 pass which is a bit small in number for the vessel shown in the post.
I did two deep sea trips on Marwarri, she was my last ship. She had no passenger cabins. We were in for repairs to a cooling fan in the engine room, a sweepers brush had fallen into it, someone in the UK it was alledged. Bill Milne c/o was from Drumnadrochit in Scotland, I asked about him when I went through there about 30 years ago, I was told he had gone to South Africa.
Marwarri was said to be the first ship to be hit by a magnetic mine and spent 6 months sat on the bed of the Bristol channel before being lifted. She was famous for her ability to roll and hang there before she came back; could be a bit of a worry.
Drumnadrochit was master of S.A. Zebedila (South African fruit boat) in1978. Visited in Jeddah from Luminetta. Mike Alport our chief engineer knew him.
Harry,
I just realised I was standing next to you when you took this photo.
We had just come up in the lift from the dock level.
As I remembered we all escorted your good lady on a tour of the "Gut", but didn't enter any taverns, alehouses or houses of ill repute.
Seems we bought a fair ammount of wine and fed it to the ship's cat who looked very delicate next morning.
Ian
It certainly looks like Citta di Tunisi to me. - http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16223
From Bruce Carson -
Built by Cantieri del Tirreno, Genoa in 1930 for the North African service of the Tirrenia Line (Tirrenia di Navigazione).
One of four sisters, three of which were war losses.
Originally had a mainmast.
5,474GT, 411' x 51', twin screw, motor, 18 knots service speed. 100 1st, 234 2nd, 266 3rd as built.
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