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Shell's Missing Twenty

9K views 20 replies 17 participants last post by  alistairmontgomery37 
#1 ·
I never sailed with Shell but I kissed a bloke who did! Couldn't resist that.

A Chief Engineer I sailed with who had been with Shell for quite a few years told me this story, which was supposed to be a Shell legend.

The Shell "Mosquito" fleet, small tankers which ran up the Fly River in New Guinea and other unwholesome places in the '50s and early '60s, did their crew changes in Singapore. The incoming and outgoing crews were transported by passenger ships and a great time was had by all. Needless to say, with transport costs and wages, this was hugely expensive. The company decided to try a new method and sent a crew of 20 overland by train and whatnot to Singapore. This adventure was doomed to failure, not one of the 20 showed up. They definitely weren't eaten by a tiger in Raffles, nobody knows what happened to them.....!

Ever since hearing the story I've wondered if it was true or just a yarn. Anyone else heard this?

John T.
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
Thanks for the interesting replies Allen and Ron. Maybe it was all a myth - fortunately for the 'missing 20'. A good story though, maybe I'll write it one day.

By coincidence, I've been trying to track down the Chief who told me the tale. I bumped into him in Brisbane about 20 years ago. He'd moved back to his home town after a marriage break up in the UK. We kept in occasional contact for a few years then lost touch. I tried to locate him without success and it suddenly dawned on me that he'd be seriously old by now. I began to wonder if maybe he'd 'crossed the bar'. I rang up the B.D.M Registrar in Brisbane to ask and was told "We can't give out information about peoples' deaths out because of the Privacy Act."

As far as I'm concerned, when I pop off my death is "an open book". It would be nice to think that someone was interested. In the meantime, the search continues.

John T.
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
Thanks Colin. sounds like happy memories. Maybe that's why the "Missing 20" are missing - they were having too good a time! Lets hope so. Still haven't located my old friend either, so hope he's with them somewhere.

One story that is true is that London & Overseas Freighters relieved a tanker in the Gulf by flying the new officers out in a small charter plane. It ran out of fuel and landed somewhere and they all had a whip round to buy more. The pilot got lost and followed a pipeline across Saudi Arabia to Ras Tanurah or wherever the ship was. Indiana Jones eat your heart out. They didn't get lost though because I met one of them.

John T.
 
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