[jimthehat]

Originally Posted by John Campbell

Bought two pairs and although they looked great when new they quickly deteriorated in the wet and snow and were a waste of money. The leather jackets went the same way which was a pity.
B.A. was a great port afor us first trippers and the beer and steak sandwiches were superb - that "First and Last " Pub was always a haunt for us. We could make our meagre subs go a long way there.

My favourite pub was May Sullivans up on 25 de mayo

jim

[Alan Rawlinson]

Originally Posted by jimthehat

My favourite pub was May Sullivans up on 25 de mayo

jim

Bought a very heavy fur lined leather jacket there, with all the trimmings and meant for severe winter weather. Just the thing for sailing in the tropics!

It was a terrific stylish jacket, but I never wore it even once - It just stayed in the cupboard gathering mould, until sold on to a very surprised Aussie wharfie in Port Lincoln.

[Aberdonian]

From what I gathered in the 50s, curios from India held a special appeal for Argentinians so there were opportunities for seamen to profit from this by purchasing wooden elephants, peacock feather fans, etc., for selling on. Matt, the Sixth Engineer, was on duty for our first night alongside so he asked me to offload a quantity of cheap Ceylonese cheroots he had bought in Colombo. This I did, flogging them in Corrientes to passing young blades out on the town.

The next evening a grateful Matt took me ashore for a steak dinner but first we called at May Sullivan’s bar where she was marking one of her “birthdays” by doling out free champaign to all hands. Unaccustomed to the stuff, I accidentally knocked over a bar stool. In the process of righting it I received a sharp crack on the skull. There, behind the bar was May brandishing what she called her shillelagh, an 18 inch varnished rod with a small wooden hammer head at the business end. She ran a tight ship, did May.

We ended up in the Club Popeye where a guitarist provided music. It came as a pleasant surprise when, after a few beers, Matt headed for an upright piano and entertained us all with his prowess at tickling the ivories. Good times.

Keith

[Alan Rawlinson]

Can't stand the silence anymore!

Looked through the photobank, and hope this amazing snap of a Bankline ship- liberty Edenbank will provoke some exchanges. Did anyone sail on a smarter ship, for instance!

[septiclecky]

Originally Posted by Alan Rawlinson

Can't stand the silence anymore!

Looked through the photobank, and hope this amazing snap of a Bankline ship- liberty Edenbank will provoke some exchanges. Did anyone sail on a smarter ship, for instance!

Sailing on that thing you could say you sailed on a right rust bucket

[Hamish Mackintosh]

No worse than the Ivybank, but it looks like they were a tad Hastie with the black ball ?

[Joe C]

Originally Posted by Alan Rawlinson

Can't stand the silence anymore!

Looked through the photobank, and hope this amazing snap of a Bankline ship- liberty Edenbank will provoke some exchanges. Did anyone sail on a smarter ship, for instance!

Is that an anchor ball and a bow wave?

[Aberdonian]

Nice photo, Alan: I wish I could find a decent one of the Tielbank.
For some reason I rarely got the camera out during the time I sailed in her.

Keith

[Alan Rawlinson]

Originally Posted by Aberdonian

Nice photo, Alan: I wish I could find a decent one of the Tielbank.
For some reason I rarely got the camera out during the time I sailed in her.

Keith

Here she is Keith, in all her glory, courtesy of Photoship. I love the profile with the t'gallent mast, similar to what we had on the Maplebank. So many owners dispensed with this great feature.

[Aberdonian]

Many thanks, Alan, a much better image than I scavenged from elsewhere.
Nice homely ship to return to after a night ashore - even if she wasn't the prettiest!

Keith

[jimthehat]

A good friend who is a retired harbourmaster from Westport has just sent me a book,Bankline 1885-1985 by Hs Appleyard so I now have a good record of ships and their details,
jim

[Alan Rawlinson]

A dramatic snap of the Kelvinbank - the Bankline liberty ship wrecked on Ocean Island.

[jimthehat]

We left the UK in 52 ahead of the kelvinbank but due to our fire and subsequent dryadic in New orleans she caught up,not sure where she wentOz or Kiwi,but we went to OZ discharged and loaded for japan,popped into nauru on qay back to Oz where we heard that she had just gone aground on ocean Island,
jim

[Alan Rawlinson]

In Apia

[Alan Rawlinson]

Here's the menu from the 1956 Xmas dinner on the old M.V. Irisbank. Quite amusing to see Consomme a la Marmite. i.e water and marmite warmed up! Not quite up to ' Ready, Steady, Cook!

[Joe C]

Originally Posted by Alan Rawlinson

Here's the menu from the 1956 Xmas dinner on the old M.V. Irisbank. Quite amusing to see Consomme a la Marmite. i.e water and marmite warmed up! Not quite up to ' Ready, Steady, Cook!

Wasn't this our Visag Christmas when we were invited on board the Russian ship and made merry with very high octane vodka?

[Alan Rawlinson]

Originally Posted by Joe C

Wasn't this our Visag Christmas when we were invited on board the Russian ship and made merry with very high octane vodka?

Believe it was - how friendly they were. The surreal atmosphere with a big picture of Lenin, and a battered and well used piano in the messroom.

[Alan Rawlinson]

Definitely not the 50's but here is my watercolour of the Doxford Teviotbank.

[jimthehat]

Originally Posted by Alan Rawlinson

Definitely not the 50's but here is my watercolour of the Doxford Teviotbank.

Nice painting,but definitely not seamanlike,derricks up whilst at sea

[bill thompson]

Originally Posted by Alan Rawlinson

Definitely not the 50's but here is my watercolour of the Doxford Teviotbank.

Lovely watercolour Alan.Bank Boats always looked a bit light on for accommodation to me.My old outfit Smiths of Cardiff built their ships at Sunderland for many years,but they always looked to have a bit more accommodation than Bank Line.

Non-the-less Bank Boats were always great looking ships and no matter where you were in the world you were never surprised to see one.

Like the rest of us I'm old now but my heart is still back there in the 50's and 60's.

[DURANGO]

Originally Posted by bill thompson

Lovely watercolour Alan.Bank Boats always looked a bit light on for accommodation to me.My old outfit Smiths of Cardiff built their ships at Sunderland for many years,but they always looked to have a bit more accommodation than Bank Line.

Non-the-less Bank Boats were always great looking ships and no matter where you were in the world you were never surprised to see one.

Like the rest of us I'm old now but my heart is still back there in the 50's and 60's.

Truly the golden era Bill no wars to fight just tramping around in great ships with great mates oh for one more trick at the wheel sailing into Kobe, nearly said sailing out of Kobe but who would want to be sailing out of any of the great ports we visited , Santos , Rio , Auckland ,oh no I better not start

[Alan Rawlinson]

Originally Posted by jimthehat

Nice painting,but definitely not seamanlike,derricks up whilst at sea

Agree Jim - was painted from a photo, and I made the same mental note.

Sailing round from Chalna to Chittagong on the Irisbank, we not only left the derricks up, but the hatches open with the boards neatly stacked either side ( for a change). As luck would have it we hit a
shallow bank. outside of Chittagong at full speed when I was on watch. ( A storm had dragged the marker buoy out of position). We rolled heavily away and a wave came up over the boat deck, sloshing down through the E.R. skylight! The hatchboards ended up in the holds, and we were lucky nothing more serious happened. Needless to say, there were a few swear words from down below.

[Alan Rawlinson]

Originally Posted by bill thompson

Lovely watercolour Alan.Bank Boats always looked a bit light on for accommodation to me.My old outfit Smiths of Cardiff built their ships at Sunderland for many years,but they always looked to have a bit more accommodation than Bank Line.

Non-the-less Bank Boats were always great looking ships and no matter where you were in the world you were never surprised to see one.

Like the rest of us I'm old now but my heart is still back there in the 50's and 60's.

Hallo Bill

Agree with your observations, definitely. I used to wonder at all the accommodation visible on some pure cargo ships that were not carrying 12 or more passengers.

Had a look at your profile, and would love to hear your observations re the difference between sailing on British tramps and the Aussie Coast. That must have been an eye opener. I was always in awe of both the conditions and the facilities on the Aussie Coasting vessels. Recall boarding some of the BHP ' Iron' ships by invitation. It was another world entirely!

[Alan Rawlinson]

A Merry Xmas to all the old timers - selection of ships I sailed on 1951 to 1961

[MikeGDH]

Originally Posted by Alan Rawlinson

A Merry Xmas to all the old timers - selection of ships I sailed on 1951 to 1961

Thanks Alan - and the same goes, to all here, from me!
Mike.
R/O on Clydebank/GKLM April 1955 to May 1957.