Served on Shahristan as second mate, fairly dull run UK/Cont to Doha with a full load of general and back in ballast. Interested what you say about the accomodation, Shahristan was built 1965 I think and we still had communal bathrooms. Original layout of accomodation had the old man with his own dining saloon as I recall. Happy ship with a good crowd.

regards
Dave

 

Spent a month on "Registan" as 4th. eng. in 1974, joining her in Liverpool and leaving in Manchester. That was the only occasion during my time at sea that I went up the Manchester ship canal.

 

Seistan - Bahrain 1958

I am currently researching the Strick Line cargo ship Seistan that blew up off Bahrain in 1958. 60 died in the explosion but quite a number survived including C/O Jones his wife and son. Peter the son and his mother Valerie are back in Bahrain for the first time since the explosion visiting the site of the wreck and laying a wreath to departed friends. I would be pleased to hear from any one with details and photos relating to the ship and the disaster.

 

I am currently researching the Strick Line cargo ship Seistan that blew up off Bahrain in 1958. 60 died in the explosion but quite a number survived including C/O Jones his wife and son. Peter the son and his mother Valerie are back in Bahrain for the first time since the explosion visiting the site of the wreck and laying a wreath to departed friends. I would be pleased to hear from any one with details and photos relating to the ship and the disaster.

If you have anything relating to 2nd R/O Peter Fox who lost his life in the explosion on the Seistan, the Wireless College Colwyn Bay might want to put a tribute on their web site. Peter left the College around 1958, I remember him, and I know that others at the college remember him rather better. - Many thanks.

 

Nigel

I served on the 1947 vessels you mention e.g. Registan, Tabaristan and Nigaristan. The accomodation was very good for just after the war. Please see my photos I have posted re Strick Line. Search for Afghanistan, Shahristan, Gorjistan, Nigaristan, Serbistan and Tabaristan. Very hard work in the PGulf but good return runs home e.g. Mauritius East Africa Capetown or India for iron ore.

Kind regards
Malcolm Salter

 

Taken from a history of Frank C Strick by J.E B. Belt and H.S.Appleyard
Seistan (Offical No 187620) 7440grt,433net 9600Dwt .Launched 15.5.57 completed July 57 by J.Redhead and sons South Shields Yard No 592
17th Feb 1958 fire broke outout in no 5 hold beneath the explosives magazine whilst on voyage from London to Khorramshahr with general cargo which included 170 tons of explosives,fuses and detonators.On 18th Feb anchored about 2 miles east of South Sitra Beacon Bahrein where approx 75 tons of explosives were discharged into a barge.On 19th Feb fire spread to the magazine and the subsequent explosion destroyed the afterpart of the vessel and much of the superstructure.As a result of the explosion 53 members of the crew including the master and four men in a tug alongside died and the forepart finally sank.On 5.2.59 after being raised forepart left Bahrein in tow of Dutch tug Rodezee arriving at Palermo en route to Catina where forepart was broken up.
Cheers
Spartan

 

All,
Wasn't an item called Toe Puff involved in the loss of the Seistan?
Yours aye,
Slick

 

Served my time with them and stayed until they were swallowed up by P&O a year after the rest of the companies which formed GCD by which time I was working my way up the Mates list. Like many small companies they were a good outfit to work for even if their run up the Gulf was not of the best.

The accomodation was generally good although the cabins were small by other companies standards and only the senior officers had en-suite facilities but the public rooms were deliberately large, their thinking being that there was nowhere to go up the Gulf (only four alongside ports when I joined and nowhere to go at two of them) so we had plenty of room for entertainment rather than being restricted to cabins. The older ships carried twelve or so passengeers so had a passenger saloon and lounge. These was carried on as the senior officer's saloon & lounge on the newer tonnage with no passengers until P&O took over.

 

I have just joined SN today, searched Strick Line, and look what I found! Lots of names from the past. OK, Almanac, with that record and the Scottish flag I am quite sure who you are, but own up.

As for all you others with memories, I am pleased so many others are still going and remembering. I joined in 1961 as cadet and was C/O on Serbistan when the great demise occurred. Sadly, these days I find lots of people who can remember the ships with chevrons on the funnel but don't know the first thing about them, so I have put together and given a presentation on the history of the company, lots of photos and anecdotes. Biggest problem is decent photos of pre-WW2 ships, lots of small ones but too grainy to put into a Powerpoint presentation. My big dislike of Eddie Belt's book is that although it is an excellent reference book of the ships that is all it is. What happened to the human beings? Ships didn't go from the UK to the Gulf and return by themselves, human beings took them.

A couple of recent losses some of you may remember are Clive Simmons in 2015 and Sam Household in 2016. Clive was in a hospice in Dublin at the end, and I am very glad to have visited him a couple of times near the end.

Keep the memories coming.

 

I have very pleasant memories from my time in HMS BERMUDA with Bill MacKenzie (Sp?) of the Strick Line serving as an RNR Officer in 1961-62, including an amazing 24 hour run ashore in Edinburgh when we went places I'd never been before and never found again - and it's my hometown!

Jack

 

I sailed with Mad Mac when he was Mate and Master in Stricks and he certainly was a character! I am not surprised you found some unknown 'gems' in your hometown. He used to reminisce fondly of his RNR time and HMS Bermuda and when on our ships often used to be go all RN which I was told was the exact opposite of Bill in the RN.
His standard cry when more staid counsel suggested he curb his enthusiasm was " Well they can only give me the sack!" I suspect he survived because when required he could produce the goods and some of his schemes actually worked. Never a dull moment when he was around!

 

Just noticed your request for info re SEISTAN
in case no-one else has pointed out this reference, go to
www.merchantnavyofficers.com
and look under history for the FC Strick history which has a full section on the Seistan tragedy and pictures of the aftermath

 

Strick Line brought back memories. My first voyage as junior R/O on the Armanistan (1962-1963) Manchester, Persian Gulf, India and back to Liverpool. My chief was Angus McNeil from the Island of Barra. A good ship which unfortunately had no A/C which made life abit uncomfortable up the Shatt al Arab. Still as a young lad who had never been abroad before it was a great experience.

 

Hello Pilot Mac (Dave). Is that you in the guise of a Shoreham pilot ? This is Tony Shaw, now retired, but last serving as skipper on the "Sand Serin". It was interesting to note that you were in Stricks. I served my time with them and did two trips on the "Floristan", sister ship to the "Shahristan" which you were on. I actually joined her at the builders .Anyway Dave, perhaps you can get backto me on tonykshaw@aol.com and we can have a better chat about those we sailed with

 

As a postscript to my last message Dave, I note you were 2nd mate on the "Shahristan"(I thought you might have been cadet - I thought you were younger than me !!!!!) Was John Wightman the 3rd mate ? I was cadet with him on the "Baluchistan"

 

Tony Shaw: John Wightman, his wife Chris and two children moved to the USA around about 1974. In the early 80's he set up his own stevedoring company in Wilmingtom NC. Sadly John passed away about 6 years ago. I sailed with John and family on the 'Floristan' around 1968. He was 2nd Mate and I was 3rd Mate. They were good times. John and I remained friendly up until he passed away. I was with a company that ran into Wilmington quite regularly.
Dave Parke

 

My own connection with the line was as a boy being taken to Manchester Docks by my father. We were meeting his uncle who was Strick Lines agent and had arranged for me to visit a ship - The Armanistan. I was about 9 and it was a big adventure. A real ship that had sailed to and from foreign lands. I was shall we say fascinated. I enjoyed that visit which was over far too soon, it whetted my appetite even more to go and see what lay beyond the horizon. I never went to sea, but did explore the world via the RAF, and flew many hours over the ocean watching over the mercantile marine. Sailors - well I admire them each and every one of them regardless of which flag they sail under and I salute them all.

 

Greetings The geologist and welcome to SN. Thank you for your salutations regarding seamen. Bon voyage.

 

In 1961, the S.S. NIGARISTAN transported a package desalination plant from the Tyne to Aby Dhabi, then part of the Trucial States. The Plant was designed and manufactured by Messrs Richardson Westgarth Limited (Wallsend and Hartlepool) and could produce 14,410 imperial gallons (65.6 m3) per day of fresh water from seawater. In these days there were no harbours or piers in the Abu Dhabi area, so the package plant was installed on a pontoon so that it could be lowered over the side, offshore, by the ship's derricks into the sea, then towed onto the beach (what is today the impressive Corniche) for later hauling up clear where the services could be connected. Folk appeared at the Plant with their containers to be filled, others took delivery via donkeys! At that time the populace was mainly Bedouin tribsmen who were accustomed to brackish and rather unpleasant water, literally from dug out holes in the sand, so they must have been suitably impressed with their new water supply. The new Plant could delivery about 8 kg of water for every kg of steam consumed, and the purity of the product water was less than 25 mg/litre.

 

have just been reading the threads on link for Strick Line Ltd.and of interest for me was the info on 'Seistan' lost in an explosion in the Gulf in 1958. A good friend while at Wireless college Colwyn Bay about 1956 was an Irish chap named Peter Fox,who really struggled to achieve his PMG ticket, was on 'Seistan' for his first trip,acting as 2nd r/o trainee ,sadly got killed. What an awful first trip!

 

Hi Frank,
I have asked a similar question because I also remember Peter, and I was talking to Dave Baker by e mail last week and mentioned Peter Fox and yourself, he suggested that we could put a tribute/report on the Wireless College web site if we had any details.

 

My late father, Peter Tyson was Engineer Superintendant with Stricks, until P&O took over management of them, having joined them as J/E in 1948. His cousin, Edwin Goodrich was C/E with them, retiring in the 1960's. My father and I both joined our first ship at the same birth in Newport, only mine was Ellerman's "City of Auckland", in September 1974 .

 

My Father in Law. George Grimmant was a Wharfinger for Swifts cargo handlers in Liverpool.
Done the cargo planning and stowage for Strick Line ships.
Bob.

 

I sailed in Strick's for one voyage in 1954 on Goulistan. Frankly, I could not wait to get off quick enough.

I had been in Counties' tramps before then, but even the BI coal run between Calcutta and Colombo was better than loading that grain down the river from Basra. The others said "Wait for the next voyage--in July-August."

No shifting boards and the mate on watch had to go down the hold to make sure that all the corners were filled.

De Neumann was master. He said that he would be pleased to have me as second mate. I, politely, refused to be tempted.

 

An interesting story (I thought) that my father told me about De Neumann was that, in a row with somebody he got very angry and shouted "My father was a Belgian nobleman!" to which the reply was "It's a pity that he wasn't married to your mother!".

 

The 3rd mate had to tell him the slightest course correction and his cabin was abaft the chartroom, across from the stairway, if I remember correctly. She was setting in a bit and I wanted to pull her out a few degrees so I went across to his cabin and said "Would you come out, sir, please?" I went back to the chart table and he came stumbling past me. out into the wheelhouse. I said "I'm here!" and he came back,looked at me and said "The last time an officer said that to me, in that tone, we hit an effin lightship!"

 

I sailed with "Haji" De Neumann as cadet on the "Baluchistan" and as third mate on the "Gorjistan". I was told about his 'quirks' and one night during the 8-12 I heard a noise like an owl hooting and he appeared through the wheelhouse doors dressed in Arab clothing ! On the latter ship we ran aground leaving Das Island which meant several days in D/D in Durban repairing the ship's bottom plating. I always found him ok and even though he was a bit aloof I rather liked the chap !

 

I've sailed with worse, I agree.

 

He had an outstanding war record.

 

He had an outstanding war record.

i'm so sorry but i just could'nt stop myself: was it "we'll meet again" sung by vera lynne

 

Scelerat - would like to hear more about this ! Ta!

 

Helped to secure a large German unexploded bomb that had penetrated the ER, slung it and got it out and overboard.

 

As a matter of interest to any who sailed in Strick's around that time. Seddon was mate and Jenkins 2nd mate. Great guys, both,. My beef was the run. I might as well have been in tankers and that is where I went.

My leisurely tramp cargoship routine was shaken when we were at anchor, handling the cargo, and the pilot boat came for us. I reported to de Neumann and he said "Let go the barges, immediately,and ring Stand By!" Seddon laughed at me said "You are in a big ship liner company, now, with a strict schedule to maintain. None of that,old, trampship stuff here, you know"

This tight schedule BS was brought home to me on the leg between Dover and Copenhagen. The weather was foul, visibilty down to yards, and I was on the bridge, by myself, de Neumann, probably, going over his paperwork. I asked to reduce speed and that was refused, just keep the siren going. A big freighter, to me she looked huge, came down the port side. I prayed for my watch to end without mishap and, that, decided me to leave any ideas about Stricks with my relief.