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J & J Denholm

280K views 896 replies 190 participants last post by  Varley 
#1 · (Edited)
There must be SN members who have fond (or not so fond) memories of their times sailing under the "Diamond D." Let's hear them!

From memory, the following is a list of Denholm owned and managed ships from the late 60s to early 80s. There are probably mistakes, but it's a start. I know that there were 90 to 100 ships in the company at that time and I would love to hear of any additions to the list. I've named 85 ships and those I sailed on are highlighted in blue.

Additions to the original post are shown in red:

Al Dhrafrah (Tanker), Andros (Geared Container), Anglia Team (OBO), Arctic Troll (Bulk Carrier/Car Carrier), Arisaig (Bulk Carrier), Asiafreighter (Container), Asialiner (Container), Athol Forest (Geared Bulk Carrier), Avon Bridge (OBO), Bibi (General Cargo), Braveness (Bulk Carrier), Broompark (Bulk Carrier), Burmah Agate (Tanker), Burmah Endeavour (Tanker), Burmah Enterprise (Tanker), Burmah Gem (Tanker), Burmah Opal (Tanker), Burmah Pearl (Tanker), Burmah Peridot (Tanker), Carronpark (Bulk Carrier), Cast Fulmar (OBO), Cast Narwhal (OBO), Cast Puffin (OBO), Cast Tern (OBO), Chelsea Bridge (Bulk Carrier), Chemical Explorer (Tanker), Chemical Venturer (Tanker), Clarkavon (Bulk Carrier), Clunepark (Bulk Carrier), Coastal Corpus Christi (Tanker), Coastal Hercules (Tanker), Conon Forest (Geared Bulk Carrier converted to Geared Container), Craigallian (Bulk Carrier), Crinan (Bulk Carrier), Dunadd (Bulk Carrier), Dunelmia (General Cargo), Duncraig (Bulk Carrier), Dunkyle (Bulk Carrier), Eden Bridge (OBO),
Erskine Bridge (Bulk Carrier), Eurofreighter (Container), Euroliner (Container), Gallic Bridge (Bulk Carrier), Gastor (Gas Carrier), Gina Maria (General Cargo), Holness (Bulk Carrier), Industria (General Cargo), Letitia (General Cargo), Loch Lomond (Reefer), Loch Long (Reefer), Loch Maree (Reefer), Morar (Bulk Carrier), Mountpark (Bulk Carrier), Muirfield (OBO), Nestor (Gas Carrier), Nordic Ambassador (Tanker), Nordic Clansman (Tanker), Nordic Commander (Tanker), Nordic Crusader (OBO), Nordic Louisiana (Sulphur Carrier), Nordic Texas (Sulphur Carrier), Norvegia Team (OBO), Scandia Team (OBO), Scotspark (Bulk Carrier), Seatrain Bennington (Container), Seatrain Saratoga (Container), Sevonia Team (OBO), Silver Bridge (OBO), Sir Alexander Glen (OBO), Sir Andrew Duncan (Bulk Carrier/Cadet Training Ship), Sir John Hunter (OBO), Spey Bridge (OBO), Stirling Bridge (Bulk Carrier), Stonehaven (Tanker), Stromness (Bulk Carrier), Suecia Team (OBO), Sugar Trader (Bulk Carrier), Sugar Transporter (Bulk Carrier), Tor Anglia(RORO), Tor Hollandia (RORO), Troll Lake (Bulk Carrier/Car Carrier), Troll Park (Bulk Carrier/Car Carrier), Troll River (Bulk Carrier/Car Carrier), Vancouver Forest (Geared Bulk Carrier converted to Geared Container), Wellpark (Geared Container/Cadet Training Ship)
 
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#677 ·
I was with Denholm also....

Ga Chau (ex-Wellpark) /Bulk, Engine Cadet 1993-1994
Brisbane Star/Reefer Container, Motorman 1995
Uqba Ibn Nafi / Chem Tanker, Motorman 1996
Argentina Star / Container, Motorman 1996
Choyang Sydney / Container, Motorman 1997
Ahmad Al fateh / Gen. Cargo, 4th Engr. 1998
 
#686 ·
Hello Chris.

I'm sorry to hear of Bobby Kinder's passing, I liked him immensely

A larger than life character with a fund of almost believable stories, and not afraid to use a better way if older working practices were too ***bersome.

I sailed with him as Third Mate for about 8 months on the old Dealmouth.

Though he was in Denholm from an early age, I seem to remember him saying he served his time elsewhere - Salvesen perhaps?

Of those on the Beaufort Sea, I sailed with Old Man, the Mate, both Second and Third Mates, and the 4th and Junior Engineers.

Best Regards,

Roddie MacKenzie.
 
#688 ·
Hello Roddie
I took my mother (Robert's sister) to Montreal to meet up with their brother Harold who lived there in September 1965.
Whilst we were there Robert called from his ship to tell us he would be in the St Lawrence soon and would be stopping at Montreal for I seem to remember bunkers.
We all went to the ship and he sent out a boat for us to go to him.
My main memory is we were sitting in his cabin with the Chief engineer and some other officers when something stopped working, the absence of noise alerted them and within seconds my mother
and I were in an empty cabin. I heard the word Gyro mentioned so it may have been that.
Getting back on the small boat after the visit was an epic for my mother but she did succeed without falling in.
Would that have been a period when you sailed with him ?
Kind regards
Chris
 
#687 · (Edited)
Agios Nicolaos Thalassoperos

Sorry if this is in the wrong place but I'm catching up with one of Roddie Mackenzie's bulletins on missing names in Sept 2007.

I wondered if we were leaving Papanick's fleet out from embarassment or politics! (Titan Tankers?).

Further to the 'features' present on ANT when Lars Nordin's small 'prize' crew took her over in the Cayman Islands.

We had been puzzled by the loud clonking as she moved gently in the swell. This was the first symptom of the dropped rudder although visually obvious once sighted.

The HP turbine was bypassed as were the atemperators from both boilers (actually removed and laying on the plates - for atemperator consult a plumber, some sort of de-superheater I think). The burner management was 'difficult'.

She would have neatly bridged between Little Cayman and Cayman Brac and our manoevring of her in this condition almost achieved this!

Prodromos was also one of his I can't remember Ypermachos.

Prodromos (possibly AN Other) had the best electrical distribution design I had seen with separate switchboard rooms P&S and remote control in the ECR. Lars pointed out that this good was entirely undone by her general condition citing, in particular, several home made live steam pipe patches (done 'before our time' of course).

[Having slept on it it was of course Marilena with the elegant electrics and dodgy fog generation. Wasn't Prodromos the midships pumproom Gotaverken? - David V]

What about Pacific Express or have I missed her listing?

In looking at my Summer/Autumn 1981 Denholm news I see a Willine Toyo listed - I don't remember her at all.

David V
 
#690 · (Edited)
Sorry if this is in the wrong place but I'm catching up with one of Roddie Mackenzie's bulletins on missing names in Sept 2007.

I wondered if we were leaving Papanick's fleet out from embarassment or politics! (Titan Tankers?).

Further to the 'features' present on ANT when Lars Nordin's small 'prize' crew took her over in the Cayman Islands.

We had been puzzled by the loud clonking as she moved gently in the swell. This was the first symptom of the dropped rudder although visually obvious once sighted.

The HP turbine was bypassed as were the atemperators from both boilers (actually removed and laying on the plates - for atemperator consult a plumber, some sort of de-superheater I think). The burner management was 'difficult'.

She would have neatly bridged between Little Cayman and Cayman Brac and our manoevring of her in this condition almost achieved this!

Prodromos was also one of his I can't remember Ypermachos.

Prodromos (possibly AN Other) had the best electrical distribution design I had seen with separate switchboard rooms P&S and remote control in the ECR. Lars pointed out that this good was entirely undone by her general condition citing, in particular, several home made live steam pipe patches (done 'before our time' of course).

What about Pacific Express or have I missed her listing?

In looking at my Summer/Autumn 1981 Denholm news I see a Willine Toyo listed - I don't remember her at all.

David V

Hello Dave,

Yes, I remember Pacific Express, an older Seateam sister type with midships pumproom and Bergen Diesel driven cargo pumps in a pump/engine room between 6 and 7 hatch.

Friendly Carrier was of similar arrangement.

Was Pacific Express Prodromos when she came in to management? - I think Ypermachos was an ex Japanese flag ship where only the Old Man had his own toilet shower, obliging the owner and Denholm to put in a telephone box sized facility for the Chief.

Do I remember Willine Toyo was a Forest boat (Conon?) on charter to someone else?

Best Regards,

Roddie.
 
#689 ·
Hello Chris.

Yes, I was there in September 1965, though I have to say I can't remember Bobby's visitors.

I was a lowly Third Mate at the time.

If my memory is correct, we were proceeding up the Lakes to Detroit with a cargo of steel coils loaded in Glasgow.

The beneficial owners were Federal Commerce of Montreal and they may well have chosen to bunker her there.

Your Uncle - known throughout Denholm's as Bobby - was very good to sail with, and though an old ship, Dealmouth was very happy and well cared for.

Best Regards,

Roddie.
 
#691 ·
Pacific Express/Prodromos

Good morning Roddie,

Although I had plenty to do with Pacific Express I didn't see her often. She had a shaft generator driven by fixed gear. Fairly unusual for slow speed diesel. Didn't she also have a retrofit Diahatsu generator necessitated by retrofit of IG?

I had thought that I visited Prodromos in Sullom Voe (with Tommy Isbister to keep Bicycle Bill in check). Whichever this was she had a Fredrikstad IG plant, the cause of our visit, and from which I still have a sample of the 'IG' - a crisp layer of soot.

For years I didn't keep a day book now I can't remember one vast hunk of steel from another.

David V
 
#692 ·
Roddy, I recall that Gotaverken shipyard built some OBO's with midships pumprooms but they were not for Seateam. I think they did predate the original Seateam vessels, ie Norvegia and Anglia etc.
These vessels had three cargo pumps, all verticle driven from the enginerrom. " diesels (B&W) and on eturbine for the IG load.

I remember Brian French going on and on(!) about the ANT

regards Malky
 
#695 ·
Yes, quite correct Malky, but most of them were chartered to Seateam at various times by their separate owners.

I sailed on two - Friendly Ranger and Friendly Carrier.

Both had midships pumprooms.

Ranger had 3 turbine driven pumps with steam delivered along the main deck, through the pumps, then the condenser and the feed went back to the engine room along the tunnel.
The turbines were one flat above the pumps, if I remember correctly.
A small engine room midships, it worked rather well, and getting the aft tanks dry was very easy as their double bottoms were deeper than those on the real 'Team' boats.

Carrier had three pumps midships driven vertically by three Bergen Diesels about main deck level, with exhaust scrubbers on top of the pump room house.

The diesels were pretty much UMS though the engineers used to come along to start them, and a Chinese fitter kept a casual eye on them throughout the discharge.

All worked fine.

They were all almost exactly the same pipework layout as the later Seatem vessels with Red, Green and Yellow lines serving these tank sets.

Re the ANT, I think everybody who was ever on her went on about her for a long time afterwards.

She appears in the Tyne Pride gallery as Everett F. Wells - little did they know the disaster they were releasing to unsuspecting sailors.

B/R,

Roddie.
 
#698 ·
My never to be forgotten experience on the A.N.T. was rushing up to Sullom Voe to relief a C/O who was being dismissed. By the time I was allowed onboard she was all fast and had started discharging ballast to shore. I went into the C.C.R and introduced myself to the C/O as his relief. He said he was going off to speak to the old man. A few minutes later Capt. Isbester phoned down and said 'The Mate's just walked off, can you take over?' I did and we sailed on schedule but I still break into a sweat thinking about it. Discharge was lightering to 60,000 tonners off shore in the Gulf of Mexico. That was also pretty fraught when we had to seperate in a rush when the swell got up. A ship never to be forgotten on many counts.
 
#705 ·
Tommy Isbister



Would agree with all comments about Tommy Isbister. Joined the (then new) Avon Bridge with him at Fos,for a 6 month voyage. Was probably not too happy when i called him out of his bed when bound for Le Have for pay off, to report a small red glow on the distant horizon during the 12-4. Incident handled with his usual unflappable personalitty Considerable delay but well worth it as we picked up 10 survivors from liferafts from a Spanish trawler on fire following explosion. Another 2 picked up by another trawler, but 4 others never made it. Landed survivors at Las Palmas.
A true gentleman as everyone on board would vouch for!
 
#707 ·
Steve, Spence,

Can't see later post on John Corrin (your posts 2009) but I run into him occasionally (Laxey is a long, long way from Douglas).

One of his last trips would have been on Trader as her owner's favourite Master (M. De Perrot, spelling? a real merchant prince. Needed strong arm with ship manager to get Sat C fitted only to find out that M. De P happy to have Sat A to chat with John every morning).

Once ashore he was 'Our' deck man in Indonesia and then returned to the Island as Marine super with Dohle. Retired within the last couple of years.

He and Jan seem in good form.

David V
 
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