m.v.Berwell Adventure....ex "Bernard".........January 1974 to August 1974( Special re
m.v.Berwell Adventure....ex "Bernard".........January 1974 to August 1974( Special request by David Lorimer)
In early 1974 I was warned by the Booth office that I would be required to fly out to Gulfport MS. USA to take command of the "Berwell Adventure" ex Bernard. So about the middle of the month saw myself, Bashir Chowdrey Chief Officer, Les Collins 2/0. Bill Halewood C/E and a Second Engineer whose name I should remember, and last but not least Alfie Boyce Catering Superintendent and ,Billy Deary Cat Officer, on a flight to New York and down to Gulfport on Eastern Airlines.
The previous year a deal had been struck between Booth America and an outfit called Overseas Marine Inc, Panama for a long term charter of the ship...but the ship was arrested in Gulfport for not paying its way..And had writs on the wheelhouse windows amounted to over 2.5 million dollars. We were put up in a motel just over the way from where the "Berwell Adventure" was berthed, and after a night's sleep we walked down to the ship in the morning. The ship was rat infested, filthy as all the rooms were covered in soot from the fires the crew had been burning wood in their rooms to keep warm, the galley stoves likewise were buckled from being used as wood burners. Nothing in the Engine-room worked and the bilges were full of oily water up to the plates...hatches had been left open and the remains of the fertilizer that had been part loaded and then discharged had rusted all the hatches, none of the deck winches worked...I could go on and on but the ship was a complete mess. The crew had not been paid and left, leaving only a Greek mate who promoted himself to Captain and his belly dancer partner, who lived ashore: and a stowaway Costa Rican who could not leave the ship. The Greek Captain and his partner arrived in the afternoon arrived in the afternoon and handed over the keys to the room and safe....he handed me a 22 calibre revolver, which I told him he could keep as British ships did not carry firearms. He did not like it when he found we had changed the locks on the Bonded Stores...getting quite agitated, saying the bond did not belong to us but to some Mr Something or other in New York, until I had to throw them both off the ship. It became quite obvious that he was taking cigarettes and booze from the ship and selling them ashore, or how otherwise could he, the belly dancer and the stowaway survive. That night the police phoned up to warn me that the Greek had purchased a revolver that afternoon. The local agents seemed to have the impression that I was some sort of Company Trouble shooter....but we heard no more from the Greek, we bumped into his partner one day in the Supermarket and she shot off like a scalded cat.
So we had a plan of attack what we had to do to get the ship ready for sea....as I had been advised that we were to load a full cargo for Iquitos Peru as soon as possible. First thing was to get the ship fumigated, which meant asking permission for the stowaway to go ashore for a few days. Over the days we made arrangements for the crew to join, putting them up ashore. Slowly the days passed into weeks the ship was being cleaned up and repaired. Stores being ordered and delivered. The Stowaway was still living on the ship and I had made a deal with him, for a weekly allowance that he would look after my interests on the ship whilst we were not there. One night a gale blew up and I had a phone call from the Police on the gate that the stowaway had been there, and he needed me at the ship. I woke Bill Halewood and we walked down to the ship in the wind and rain. As the ship had been moved a few times and with no power on the ship, the ropes were only hand tight...so the wind had blown the ship off the quay side.....so the guy had climbed down the mooring ropes called me and climbed back up. Away the ropes were all secure and we thanked him and walked back home again.
A month or so passed and we were ready to move onboard but first I had to fly up the Atlanta and get the ships transferred at the British Consul there. The hotel we stayed at decided to throw us a farewell party that night and hopefully I should be back in time for that. Eastern Airlines got me safely to Atlanta and I was finished quite handy at the Consul Generals and back in the airport in plenty of time for the flight, which would get me back for about 1900hrs. Plane took off and I was settling down to the flight enjoying a drink before we came in the land at Mobile....next thing we are banked over flying round and round the control tower were there are people looking up at the plane with binoculars...what's wrong now says I. Next thing we level off and fly away from the airport and the Captain comes on the public address system to advise we are going to Pensacola Fl to make an emergency landing as the port landing gear will not lock down. Well there were people fainting and crying..The cabin crew were marvellous in handling the situation, all the hand luggage was stowed in the after toilets and anything that moved was secured. Trust me to be sitting by an emergency door, so I was given instructions how to open it in an emergency. Time came for the landing in Pensacola, more crying and screaming..we were all in the brace position, heads down as we came in to land....I just popped my head up to look out of the window as we came in the land...the runway was covered in foam and the fire tenders and emergency vehicles were running alongside us. The cut a long story short the landing gear held up and we landed safely. I had made friends with this big Texan on the flight and we both went into the restaurant for the free meal we had been offered, we just tucking in to a nice juicy steak and we got the call to board our flight....they had given us an earlier flight, more or less given us the flight other people were booked. We had the same crew as before and the drinks can thick and fast....got back to Gulfport at midnight feeling no pain, hotel driver picked me up and drove me home....everyone except Bashir was in bed so I missed the party...but what a story to tell my grandchildren.
The next day we moved from our motel to the ship..The day of reckoning had come at last, still a lot of work to do about the accommodation but at least we were stepping in the right direct. Whilst we had been living ashore a lot of the single crew members had struck up relationships with the local, and I was advised that money was changing hands that we would breakdown and have to return. So a few days later we had stand by Engines, the old Doxfords started up, the tugs nudged us out of the dock and we headed west to New Orleans. Picked to pilot up at the South Pass and proceeded on our way upriver........our speed was not to terrific but considering the current I suppose it was not bad...approaching New Orleans our speed was very slow and we had to change pilots. Eventually we docked in New Orleans and I was glad of the rest.....it was only then that Bill Halewood, informed me that they had isolated three cylinders on the way up, I had not told me in case I worried.....so we made it against all odds and things were looking up. Next day we received our stores as usual our New York Catering Superintendent, delivered the dreaded "Embassy" branded goods, nobody liked to stuff but that was all we got for years.....considering the cir***stances we were living in I thought it was disgusting. One thing I had forgot to mention was the first night I slept in my cabin...I awoke to hear this scampering noise and scratching noise, put the light on no sign of anything in the room, but the noise was coming from the deckhead..The dreaded rats. Next day Chippy and I cut holes in the deckhead and placed rat poison inside and sealed the holes up again......after a few days the noise abated but there was a smell in the room for ages.
We started loading oil pipes and drilling mud for Iquitos and after a couple of days were ready to sail again. One little incident happened whilst we were alongside one of the engineers mistakenly opened the wrong value and pumped some oil into the dock...Coast Guard were not very pleased, but after I accepted responsibility and offered to pay for the oil to be cleaned to matter was settled. Sailed that evening got clear of the passes and headed West again to Houston, the ship whilst under the new owners had been fitted with a Loran C receiver, which was a bit complicated to set up but was very handy in navigation in bad weather....so fog and mists at least were heading in the right direction. We were soon sailing up Galveston Bay, passed the Battleship Texas and up the Buffalo Bayou to our berth, and at least the weather was warm now getting into March. Quite a few oil companies were involved in the shipments to Iquitos notably BP, Occidental and a few others I cannot remember, the manager from Occidental had made himself known in New Orleans and explained what he needed in loading order. Loading progressed and myself, Chief Officer and Second mate were kept busy each day during loading. Apart from a complete Oil rig for BP, we loaded oil pipes, DC 8 Caterpillar Tractors, complete Sleeping, Kitchen and hospital units on deck and lots and lots of item all requiring careful stowage in including a small box which contained radioactive material which we stowed on top of the poop deck. We were at least two weeks loading in Houston, New York Managers did arrive and spent a couple of hours on the ship but did not take part in any of the loading or give any advice. We lost Bill Halewood and 2nd Engineer who did not want to make the trip with us......The new Chief Engineer was 73 years old, and advised he was only here for this certificate...a new second engineer also arrived. On the last day of loading the Chief Stevedore came up to my room rather sheepishly and said that they had been ordered not to give us a bonus which was usual in these cir***stances, maybe that's why the New York Managers came down for the pickings.
Glad to be clear of Houston and back at sea heading for Pensacola to load explosives. We arrived at Pensacola early morning and started loading, seemingly the explosives train had travelled through the town at night...we finished loading late afternoon and the Coast Guard ordered us to sail immediately. Anchored off Port of Spain to bunker and then proceeded to Belem, Manaus were we loaded extra cargo, certainly wanted their monies worth out of the ship. Passage up the Amazon was a lot faster on the "Berwell Adventure" as she was a lot faster than the regular ships....frontier was passed with no problems and we arrived Iquitos in good time. We had to anchor off due to the explosives, the agents wanted us to anchor opposite the town to show off the ship, this was not our usual safe anchorage but it was no use arguing. Anyway it was pandemonium, I think all the small boats in Iquitos were coming alongside to pick up their cargo; in the end it was like a small island round the ship. Anyway I went down for breakfast and was just settling down to eat, when I noticed the river bank going past. On the bridge I realized that we were dragging downstream, by now all the small boats were breaking clear with David Lorimer shooing them off. Got the engines going and just at that time the Peruvian Navy and Air force pasted us travelling upstream....what a situation. Still I managed to get the anchors up although we had the two cables fouled in each other. Steamed down to our usual anchor point....got the second mate to hold the ship against the tide whilst I shot forward to help the mate clear the anchors. Once that was done we anchored safely and it was time again to have a bite of well earned breakfast. What a morning.
Discharge went on daily it took a day to discharge the explosives, a Peruvian Army Major(Explosives unit) came onboard to oversee the discharge...the receiver had only one barge so the explosives and detonators we had loaded separate, were loaded on the same barge. The Major was doing his nut and we were all glad to see the barge leave late afternoon...Gracias a dios says the Major. Next day when he came back to get me to sign some papers he was none too pleased said that the barge owner had tied up and spent the night close to the city centre. The Occidental guy arrived and helped with the discharge of his equipment...and a few days later the BP contingent arrived...by now we had berthed at the pontoon. Barges were coming and going daily to load equipment for the journey upstream to Pucallpa.......took us over two weeks to get discharged.
Eventually discharge was completed and we left Iquitos and headed downstream:
The homeward trip is another story and I really have not got down to writing it yet. Needless to say we arrived back in Liverpool...with all the debts cleared and the ship was sold
Special request by David Lorimer
.
