Can anyone enlighten me with the history of this old girl seen in Kingston harbour Jamaica in 1969. She was built at Hartlepool in 1947, 2239tns and was previously named the ALBANO.
Who was she built for and what was her trade or routes was Albano her original name ......??
Julian.
A little on MAGISTER from an article in The Times.
The Times, Tue, 15 Mar 1966
Ships That Brave The U.S. Quarantine
..
The only ship in [Havana] harbour just now flying
the Red Ensign is the Magister (2,750 tons),
a cargo ship registered in the Cayman
Islands, operated from Jamaica and now
under charter to a Canadian company. She
was built in 1948 for the Baltic trade and
has tramped all over the world, including
a regular trade to American east coast ports
and the lakes.
The crew make no secret of their regret
that the Cuban charter has put her on the
American blacklist. Jamaican and Cayman
Island seamen know the United States ports
as well as any, and some of them have
worked solely in the American coastal trade
for years on end, nor do they find Cuba in
any sense exotic.
The skipper is Captain Roy Scott, whose
grandfather was shipwrecked on the Cayman
Islands and brought his family from Scot-
land to settle here.
Captain Scott is 52, has been at sea for
34 years and a master for 22.
regards,
Martin
