[john martin]

shipmates to rescue i hope.i was ch. cook on sulaco of fyffes in early 1960 on the yankee coast.i picked up this spider monkey that stood about 3 foot tall and hid it on board.i walked it at night at sea like taking a baby for a walk.the stewardess phylis i think used to keep it in her room at times.telling the tale at home to the grandkids and its oh oh here he goes again.i,d love it if i had some backup from a fellow lampswinger.i love this site.
ever hopefull
john martin (Thumb)

 

[John Rogers]

Did he ship out as a Fireman/Trimmer on the Cavina as there was some ugly people on the Blackgang.
John.

 

[trotterdotpom]

John, can't comment on your monkey, but there was a mysterious seafarer down the road from me in Middlesbrough who brought a spider monkey home. I say mysterious because he was hardly ever there and I don't recall ever seeing him. This must have been in the late '50s. There was hell on when it bit a baby in a pram and I think it ended up getting put down. Or maybe they sent it over the Tees to Hartlepool - I heard they like monkies over there!

John T.

 

[dom]

dom

maybe the monkey went back to sea and they put the seafarer down

sometime i sits and thinks,and some times ijust sits

 

[A.J.McMahon]

shipmates to rescue i hope.i was ch. cook on sulaco of fyffes in early 1960 on the yankee coast.i picked up this spider monkey that stood about 3 foot tall and hid it on board.i walked it at night at sea like taking a baby for a walk.the stewardess phylis i think used to keep it in her room at times.telling the tale at home to the grandkids and its oh oh here he goes again.i,d love it if i had some backup from a fellow lampswinger.i love this site.
ever hopefull
john martin (Thumb)

I have a feeling that what you say is correct! I was on the "Camito" at the time, however my long time friend, Fred Hartry was the electrician on the "Sulaco" at that time. We served our time in the same heavy engineering works. I have a recollection of him talking about it. I would have thought that was Phylis's last trip, for I do not recall any stewardess on any of the smaller ships after about '61,I believe they were only on the "Camito" & "Golfito" Your name rings a bell, did you sail with "the transatlantic submarine fleet"? I mean of course, Bristol City Lines. I can't vouch for the "monkey" till I see Fred but I will post a couple of shots, one is a sister ship and the other was still sailing under United Fruit colours, so it was just prior to coming over to Fyffes so at least the grandchildren can see the "boat" you were on. Best Regards AJM.

 

[john martin]

thanks for reply and photos.i hope fred has good memory and recalls phylis and said monkey.my galley boy,s dad was chief stwd on city boats, hamer was his name,so we used to cross visit when we were in avonmouth together.do you live near bristol as you mention the grain barges.
cheers john

 

[A.J.McMahon]

Hi John, new Alf Hammer well,good chief stwd, did live at Bristol many years back, now further North,was working grain barge between Tewkesbury and Sharpness. Cheers AJM.

 

[Bosun bill]

john martim Sulaco

hi john.
just come across your thread, don't hnow if you are still around, but i was on the Sulaco from 1959 to 1962 jointed in Garston as EDH/QM. Took over as bosun in 1960 left to take the new T boats "Tilapa" and "Turrialba" out from Germany, came back to Sulaco june 1962. Trans to the Chicanoa meamtime the Sulaco was scraped. i had to leave a model i was making of the ship onboard like to know what happen to that.{any inform}
I remember the monkey and Phyill's from Liverpool she was on board the ship when i left. She had a sister on Sinloa as stewardess.
It would be nice to hear from shipmates of those days.
see you all soon.
Bosun bill(A)

 

[john martin]

hi bill,
great to hear from you.i also flew to hamburg to do the maiden voyage on turrialba,quite a long trip for a skin boat about 7 months.len bull was bosun on that trip.we lost a seaman overboard on sulaco, roberts i think an edh.i just made contact with another sulaco man.john phillips a deckhand was on sulaco and turrialba and said bosuns mate was tony frost.say a bit more about my monkey and how phyllis used to hide them in her room.
all the best to you
john(taff)

 

[kenji]

ahh what memories from sulaco. i was sen.5th and 2nd frig eng on sulaco on the final voyage in '64. just keeping that bucket afloat was a full time job and it was a relief to shut the engines down in ghent, belgium. if anyone here has any contacts from that voyage would love to hear from them.

 

[Bosun bill]

john martim Sulaco

Hi john
Thanks for you replie I joined the Turrialba on the 15/12/61 in germany discharge at Avonmouth 20/4/62 has bosun. Master was Mullings
1st Mate Peason four months voyage, last port call New York,
will look out some photo's of Sulaco and post them when i can not to good on computers, getting to old now
Bosun bill

 

[marshynzs]

Hi All
Ah! the Sulaco,yes! i was on that ship and can verify the monkey was definately a travelling companion,cant remember where he boarded!! I also remember the bag of parrots bought by the cook in Cortz (i think). The vendor was a little late delivering the goods and had these birds in a sack which he attempted to throw on the foredeck---he missed by several feet and the poor b----s finished up in the drink, we had just cast off and the ship was a couple of feet off the quay,you cant win em all!!
On a more sombre note,iclearly recall us loosing a man overboard,everone was turned to to search,even someone in the crows nest,sadly all to no avail,a very sad day indeed.
Yes,i alsp remember Phyliss,when we finished the charter we came home with passengers loaded in Kingston (i think).
I was J/e on the ship,Sam Greedy was C/E Paddy Doyle was 3/E Brian Jenkins was 4/E Reg Cutting was 2/E C/S was Graham
A truly great experience, i joined for 26 day trips--- 5 months later,as i have said you cant win them all!!

 

[john martin]

hi all,
i had lost track of sulaco and my monkey and suddenly i hear from lots of areas about sulaco and phylis.marshy they were my parrots they were trying to sling aboard in cortez,sad day ,they sank.my boss was graham ch.stwd.seem to remember he had a girls name.lot of bristolians on trip.do you have a m.n.org.in cardiff as we do in bristol.catch you soon i hope.