Is their anyone out there ex Eastern Ships
Tim, good to hear more about your life both pre the Muse and later. I am going to try to continue this rather personal message 'off thread' At the moment I am not sure if I remember the proper procedure. Pangbourne, by God. Have we a lot to catch up on! NickHi Nick
Great to hear from you! Thanks to our lockdown I've had time to reactivate interest in my Ships Nostalgia account, which was recommended to me by a relation who was a Master with BP and Harbour Master for Aberdeen.You must have a brilliant memory to remember all the names and dates, and of course I now remember nearly everyone, especially you, a great CO.
I left the MN once I got home after my long leave, deciding to settle down and start a new career. I was in import and export for a while then went into banking until I took early retirement 24 years ago! I've been happily married for 53 years, have 2 sons and 3 grandchildren. My eldest son was an engineering officer in the RN for a few years and is now in IT, the same as my youngest son, who lives in Haverhill, MA, and works in Boston. I found out after I left HK that you were a fellow OP, I was there from 1954 -57 in Macquarie Division, got a Marconi scholarship and did my radio training at AST, Hamble. I wanted to go into the RN but discovered I was colour blind and my maths wasn't good enough for the E Branch. At least I got an O level in Seamanship and studied Navigation!
I'll be in touch again with memories of my time on the Muse and will share lots of photos with you, do you have Google photos?
Hey Don, I tried your email shown above and it bounced back as undeliverable. I think I sailed with you on the Tak Sang. Please contact me at this email btz.19@shaw.ca. My name is Bob Tatz
Well, many thanks Nick. The more one delves the more one finds. I would certainly be interested to receive any more info on H boats that you might have in the fullness of time.Hi Don,
I guess the small tonnage hatch immediately forward of the boilers in which we would load log ends and coconuts may have been originally designed as a coal bunker.
After the sinking of the Horis I was given the job of one of the P&I Clubs to trace the bilge lines as they entered the engineroom in that area since it was thought by some to have been the cause of the sinking.
If you remember there was a small compatment at the centreline with a peak deckhead containing the valves, etc. and entered only from the boiler room. Since this was 51 years ago I cannot remember what conclusion I came to!
I have never heard of the coal burning option but the Hboat design was a pretty basis one for colliers in those days and possibly others of a similar class were coal burners, or in times of oil shortages capable of being converted to such.
Wm. Gray's built a total of 10 Empire Malta class Scandanavian Type colliers suitable for carriage of coal or the heavy vehicles or cased oil, and were classed as crane ships, Originally they had one 60 ton Jumbo at No. 2 and one 80 ton Jumbo at No.3 with detactable bulkheads between No. 1 and No 2 and No. 3 and No. 4 so heavy vehicles could be driven into the end holds.
Of Jardines five all but the Horis made it to the breaker yard in 1970, a pretty good life for a hyper economy ships. Of the other five in the class, only one made it to 1970.
The old story that they had been built to run up on the beaches at Normandy may have been true but since only the first one, the Hangsang, was completed by 6/6/44 and then only by a matter of weeks it is unlikely this ever happened though of course the beaches were used for many months until the Channel weather made it impossible in the autumn.
I have written scads on these ships and would be happy to email you what I have.
Although I sailed for over a year on the Muse I have no recollection of her dimensions. If you can find her or the Maid in The SN Gallery, one entry may have her particulars. It used to be just a matter of typing in the name but since they changed the system lately I do not know how it was done
Cheers,
Nick