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Lago Shipping Co. Ltd. London c1930's

3.5K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  62816inBerlin  
#1 ·
May also be known as Lago Oil and Transport Co. Ltd. Aruba.
This company had a tanker fleet operating between Aruba,Curaco and Lake Maricibo.
From old photos I know that my father had worked on transfer tankers in and out of Las Salinas. My sister recently found letters and Discharge Certficates for this period so we now know the ships he was an engineer on and how he returned to the UK.
He was 30 yrs. old when he first signed on. There is no Discharge Book or R# only a Discharge Certificate.
How did this company hire on crew in the UK ?
Was it some form of time contract ?
Engine room experience required ?
I have a photo of my father and another man on board SS Columbia 1938 Nov. as passengers but no details of ship or ports of call. Final destination assumed to be Aruba.
He signed on first tanker 1938 Dec. 15
Any suggestions on these unknowns welcome.
Dave
 
#3 ·
Lago Oil Company...



Dave....

Lago Oil Company was originally formed by Andrew Weir & Co and you can find out all about that phase in the company's existence in the Bank Line entries in Ships Nostalgia Directory section. The operation was sold to Standard Oil (Esso/Exxon) in 1936 which is the time frame you are looking for.

Many of the shallow draft twin-screw steamers were built by Harland and Wolff in Belfast and registered in Glasgow and British officers were employed. There was a company 'enclave' ashore in Aruba for officers in the refinery and aboard the ships to have their wives and families nearby. Google Lago Oil for a web site that do***ents the Esso period when it was "Americanized".
Alistair Macnab
 
#5 ·
Thanks Alistair, You filled in the connection between Lago Oil and Andrew Weir. I had found that Lago was listed as owner and Weir the manager. The three tankers I am tracking are registered London. Have their history.
Lago Oil Refinery and Standard Oil make interesting reading.
Dave
 
#6 ·
My father, acting on behalf of his employers Union Carbide corp. and its subsidiary Challenger Shipping co, had two of the Lago tankers converted in Curacao from steam to diesel and the bridge moved to the stern. These shallow-draft ships, the "Inverrosa" and the "Ambrosio" were then used to shuttle manganese ore from Port Kaituma in Guyana to Chaguaramas in Trinidad. I was allowed to work on the "Ambrosio" on several voyages in my teens, chipping rust etc. as a deck hand.
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