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United Baltic Corp

113K views 313 replies 88 participants last post by  genealogist 
#1 ·
you don't see much about this company on here.
I was on two of their ships, the Baltic Jet which sailed out of Hull and went mainly to Finland, I also went to Russia and Poland with this company but that might have been on the Baltic Importer which went out of the Surrey Commercial Docks.
I was galley boy on both ships, it was in the late sixties that I was with both ships, probably 1967 or 8, I stayed on either ship at least 6 months which was unusual for me.
Names I remember;on the Baltic Jet, David..pantry boy, Laurie..assistant steward, Jim..chief steward, Bob Holcombe..cook, the name Dodo Grady also rings a bell, he was a giant of a bloke, worked on deck, AB I believe, I remember one occassion where the deckies were over the side on a raft, in Hull I think, they were painting over the side, they had missed locking one of the loos, Dodo Grady was storming through the ship as he got covered in something not too nice.
Really enjoyed both ships.
The Baltic Importer, I remember the chief steward was a small guy from Hull, he was a right Teddy Boy, pointed shoes and all, nice bloke, didn't interfere too much with us in the galley, the cook was a good cook, scottish bloke, he had his wife down on the ship a couple of times when we were in London.
I remember going to a pub just outside the docks, The Jolly Caulkers, I think the area is classed as Rotherhithe.
I got on really well with the assistant steward, long haired lad who came from Devon, can't remember his name but a top bloke he was.
He left and then I remember his replacement was from Wolverhampton, a big mop of ginger hair and tash as well, another nice chap, I remember the other boy was a tall kid from Auchtermauchlie in Scotland, not sure if I've spelt it correctly.
I remember getting caught with 200 cigs that I'd stashed and was fined £10 a bit stiff when you're on £24 a month.
Both ships were really good, decent feeders......though I can't ever say I sailed on anything that wasn't a good feeder, good cooks and good crewmates, some more info is coming back as I write, the bosun was a tall chap called Aiden, we had a lamptrimmer or was he the chippy, chippy methinks, I remember he broke curfew in Russia and he had his shore leave permit stopped, he was desperate as he was seeing this woman.The second steward was a real small, fragile looking Scottish guy who really kept himself to himself, didn't seem to mix with anyone, harmless though.
Anyway if I haven't made it clear both ships were really good, and again I must say that I'm surprised that there isn't more written about them.
 
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#68 ·
Mike

Were you aware Baltic Valiant made it onto a postage stamp? Admittedly it was as Lady Franklin which she was to become after UBC days, I managed to get one from Ebay a couple of years ago.
Have been unable to find out if she is still sailing or not. No info anywhere on her being scrapped.

Barry
 
#71 · (Edited)
Hi Trader, that terrible accident happened before I joined UBC, but people were still talking of it.
Whenever the subject of 'characters' comes up I try to remember the name of the old man on the Jet. The day I joined her he was handing over to Dennis Fos and when I called in to his cabin to introduce myself he came out with a corny remark that he was sure I would do well as he 'liked the cut of my jib' a remark that has stuck in my memory, as it was more Captain Birdseye than Balboat Skipper !! It was he that lost his false teeth off the bridge while weaving his way back (bridge over the river Hull, that is) and they were rescued from a ledge by a brave - but foolhardy - constable and the story appeared in the local rag. To say he liked his sauce would be an understatement !! ("Why are we heading back to the canal, what happened to Gdynia ?" hypothetical remark on the bridge [=P] )


Mike
 
#72 ·
Inthink I have all ready mentioned earlier, I sailed with Foss who was a bit eccentric, he used to call me "toffo" because of the surname Mackintosh, however he was always good to me and wanted me as the helmsman in the ice and the Thames.Collins was the other Captain while I was on the Baltic Trader, such a gentleman,really good Captain. Can'tremember most other names, but what a good company!!
Best regards,
Chris
 
#74 ·
Hello Aila "The Finnish Girl",
What a surprise to hear from someone after so many years, thirty eight in fact. I don't know you but must have seen you on board the "Express" when you came down to see Charlie.
Yes, you are right, we sailed from Kemi on that fateful trip stopping off at Oulu on the way to Methil, Scotland.
It is a trip that I shall never forget. I shall send you a private message tomorrow with more information.
It was nice to hear from you even though it was a sad occasion.

Alec.
 
#76 ·
Sailed as EDH on Baltic Sun, couple of trips Hull to Gdynia, Feb 1970, too bloody cold !!!Baltic Star, London Royalbert Dock) to Leningrad Feb 1971, even colder!!!
Baltic Enterprise, Feb 1977 Hull to Finland, paid off in Purfleet - yes you guessed it !! Bloody freezing!!!
It takes a long time for some people to get the message.

Having said that I quite liked the Baltic Boats.
The Sun was engaged in the 'breakfast trade', bacon & eggs from Poland. Rumoured that if she ever sank the N.Sea would turn into a giant omelette.
 
#78 ·
When you say a good exchange rate, presumably you mean the taxi driver rate and not the official one !! What was the name of that bar in Gdynia where everybody used to start the shore run off and change their money with some character there. (somewhere near a navy barracks as I remember seeing squads of guards marching round the street) Definitely a good run ashore though - that Polish vodka was rocket juice !!

Mike
 
#80 · (Edited)
Hi Nev,
you could be right, although it doesn't ring a bell. Just remember it as a none- girlie, restaurant type place where this big time money changer used to hang out. The name Bristol Bar also comes to mind (but certainly NOT for money changing- well maybe in another form !) also we used to end up catching a taxi to some upmarket joint overlooking the harbour - maybe Harbour View, doh. Used to be a good floor show on and enormous jugs of vodka and grapefruit juice. Happy Days !!

Mike
 
#85 ·
Ah well, sometimes it is better to live with the memories than know how a place really is now. At least the magnificent chests on a lot of the fair maidens (?) of Gdynia/Gdansk won't have changed - or has MacDonalds etc ensured that the rest of their bodies have overtaken the bosoms as per the rest of the western world ? Getting to be a grumpy old fart methinks, bah humbug !!

Mike
 
#89 · (Edited)
On the Sprite in March '66, Jackie used to lob a bottle wrapped in a towel to the SAMPO or TARNO as they broke us out. We always got the towel back. We made him a special bridge chair, what a man !
Indeed he was (Anyone know of him now ?) a gentleman in the true meaning of the word and also a character with his collection of talismen scattered across the wheelhouse - I remember Paddington Bear, complete with first aid kit and a vast assortment of Russian badges, stuck in the radar visor and a leather seal balancing on a ball wedged on the window sill 'keeping a lookout' ! I'm sure anyone who sailed with him will have their own little tale to tell.

Mike
 
#90 ·
ubc

hi all,
joined the Baltic Swift in dover, i think it was may 1963 (memory is fading a bit). from there we went to marsielle picked up a cargo and sailed to santos, we did this trip 4 or 5 times. what a great place santos was. is there any one else out there who was on this trip.
 
#92 ·
united baltic corp

does any body remember my uncle Michael Green. He sailed on several UBC ships, Baltic Importer,exporter, and the Boltrover are the ones i can remember but there may have been more. This was in the late 50s and I think he was a AB. I remember when he was in dock which was near tower bridge i plagued him to take me with him when he was working night watchman. He gave in, in the end much to the annoyance of my mother. I was only about 11 or 12 then but i am sure that is what got me interested in ships and going to sea.
paj.
 
#93 ·
A good friend has recently crossed the bar - Alan Young.
Alan was 3rd Mate in Baltic Merchant 22.1.1955 to 12.4.1956...
2nd Mate in Baltrover 11.9.1956 to 20.11.1956..
2nd Mate in Baltic Arrow 26.11.1956 to 26.3.1957 -
he then joined ASNC and Townsend Thoreson and served for 30 years - 18 years as Master.
Maybe somebody remembers Alan in UBC?
Stan
 
#96 ·
Hi lads good to see the old U.B.C.on the site can any of you remember a Captian Partridge who sailed with the company i see his daughter in the pub and she told me he was captian of the Swift and the Arrow and some others but she cannot name them he was a Hull man and passed away some time agoa at the age of 56 hope you can help sam
 
#97 ·
Hello All,

I was with UBC from Feb 1958 till Feb 1963. The masters I remember include Jackie Jones (or Jackie Ging.) as we knew him, John Collins, Joe Purdy and Captain Gawecki on the Express. I won't start telling you tales as I could go on all night, like most of the Utter Bloody Confusion crowd all I need is a bottle of gin as fuel!

Very sad that the old firm has gone, I was in Finland and I saw their big Ro-Ro Baltic Eider? going into Helsinki for what must have been one of her last voyages.

I was going to write a history of the firm, but I heard that John Clarkson and Roy Fenton were doing so. I flicked through their book at a fair at the weekend, there was a very good photograph of the Baltic Express with ice streaming down her sides. I remember this happening to us when I was third mate on her, she got quite cranky off Bornholm and we thought that we had had it!

Does anyone have a copy of the book and if so can you tell me who took that photo and if there is a reference number, as I would like to buy a copy (of the photo, not the book as I can't run to 27 quid!).

I have about 50 photos of UBC ships, mainly bought from a collector.

The Baltic Express was ice strengthened (Ice Class 1A I think) she became the MOSKA. Incidentally the postwar names were not repeated.

Roy Martin
 
#100 ·
Roy,

Baltic Express was taken by R. Brzoza, Finland. I would suggest John Clarkson could put you in touch.

Just to clarify one point you made re the UBC Company history ; I was the author and not Clarkson & Fenton as implied. They were the editors of the compendium book of five assorted company histories. Clarkson on the photographic element and Fenton on the text and both on the set up for print.

Cheers
Bill
 
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