Splendid collection there Cap'n Kong, the Ceramic was as ugly as the Franconia was beautiful. The one an ungainly old scow and the other a pretty lady. Perhaps the Ceramic would have looked nice in a painting though.
The Hong Kong skyline was a lot less crowded when I was there, the ferry is more modern than the ones that were there then too. Remember that film about the poor guy stuck on the ferry,"Ferry to Hong Kong". Now come on you quizzers , who starred in it?
BrianD
Ferry to Hong Kong, with Curt Jurgens, Sylvia Syms, Orson Welles, Noel Purcell
Curt Jurgens is the ferry boat skipper and Orson Welles a drunk on a trip to Macao
Orson Welles has no passport and he cant get ashore in Macau and cant get ashore in Honkers, so he is stuck on the ferry until they are attacked by pirates.
They were making the film in Honkers when I was there in 1959, on the Good Hope Castle, we had just taken her to Junk Bay for scrapping. We were there for two weeks hanging around. waiting for an old Dakota to find Hong Kong and take us home. I went into a tailors shop in Kowloon and there was Curt Jurgens being measured for a suit. I thought if the tailor is good enough for him then he is good enough for me. So I got the best suit I have ever had and so cheap.
Last edited by captain kong; 02-21-2009 at 04:42 PM.
A nice old picture of the White Star sisters in Gladstone dock in 1934. The Georgic is on the right and her appearance only differs from the Britannic in the shape of her streamlined bridge.The Georgic was slightlly heavier at 27,759 gross tons against the Britannics 26,943 gross tons. At the time they were the largest motor vessels in the world.
BrianD
Good ones of two famous ships,
Here is a different type of photo
It is me as a Captain over the bow rigging a sling on the anchor to remove it as it was damaged.
The crowd didnt want to go over the side in case they fell in and got their feet wet, modern "ABs".I was nearly sixty years old then so I had to show them what being an AB is all about, I must admit, I did enjoy doing it.
Last edited by captain kong; 02-22-2009 at 08:41 PM.
Thanks for showing the Britannic and the Georgic, Brian. I spent hours
along the Dock Road and the Pier Head in the 30's. Whenever I got to the
Landing Stage it seemed to be almost a certainty that one or the other would
be there - they were a wonderful sight. If by chance they weren't there it was
usually the turn of either the Apapa or the Reina del Pacifico. Any chance of
seeing a photo of either of these in due course,please? Stan H.
Glad you like the pics StanH, Cap'n Kong was quick off the mark there with those great shots. Let's hope we can keep digging in to those photo albums and revive some more memories.
Tonight we have a picture of a really special square rigger, the "Lightning".
She made her maiden voyage from liverpool to Melbourne in 1854 in record breaking time.Outward bound she did 2,188 miles in seven days.She served succesfully on the Liverpool Melbourne for over 10 years. She was destroyed by fire in 1869.
BrianD
Many thanks Cap'n for such a quick reply. You've left me not a little
intrigued concerning the Reina but I wont press. I only remember her as a
frequent visitor and very attractive looking ship. The Apapa was a recent addition to Elder Dempster, if I remember rightly- didn't she replace the Accra ?
Stan H.
Hi Stanley, the Accra and the Apapa were sisters, built in 1947 for the West African trade. Passenger and cargo. They were scrapped in 1967 and 68
here is a photo of the ACCRA
The Reina Del Pacifico was not always a popular ship to sail on as a seaman.
There was a Captain Whitehouse and Bosun named Lah Murphy, whose favourite saying was "Get up and be logged", which meant after a night on the ale in Valparaiso, you would end up adrift or in gaol and so you had to go up on the bridge in front of the Captain and be logged a couple of days pay. At the end of the voyage you always got a bad discharge in your discharge book, but if you sailed again in her he would wipe it out and give you a good one.
A DISASTER The Reina del Pacifico, after a refit in Harlands, Belfast to fit her out for peacetime service.
The accident occurred approximately 7 miles north east of Copeland Island in the North Channel of the Irish Sea at 16:46 on 11 September 1947."
The Belfast Weekly Telegraph reported a week after the accident, on 19 September 1947:
"In an instant the engine room was a shambles, the lighting extinguished, ladders and access platforms destroyed and the atmosphere thick with smoke. When rescuers entered the engine room they found fires breaking out and bodies everywhere. The appalling result was that twenty-eight people died, either instantly or from their injuries, and a further twenty-three were hurt. "
div>
"HEROIC SERVICE ... For three hours, Dr. Hamilton, in his first medical appointment, worked like a Trojan. He had himself lowered into the devastated engine room and with the assistance of the First Officer waded knee-deep in oil and other debris while striving to free those who were trapped. Then he organised a first aid service in the second class lounge, while stewards tore sheets and tablecloths into bandages. He is estimated to have bandaged nearly 60 men himself."
a photo of the ACCRA
Last edited by captain kong; 02-23-2009 at 04:42 PM.
The Blue Riband started in 1838 for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic. the first ship was the Sirius, the Hales Trophy started in 1933
The winners of the HALES TROPHY FROM 1933
1933-1935 Rex Italia Line 28.92 knots
1935-1936 Normandie Compagnie G?n?rale Transatlantique 29.98 knots
1936-1937 Queen Mary Cunard White Star Line 30.14 knots
1937-1938 Normandie Compagnie G?n?rale Transatlantique 30.58 knots
1938-1952 Queen Mary Cunard White Star Line 30.99 knots
1952- United States United States Lines 34.51 knots
The Queen Elizabeth 2 never went for the Trophy, Cunard always believed that safety was more important than speed. BUT if she had gone for it I think she would have won it. After leaving Japan last March, 2008, we did over 35 knots bound for Honolulu, she was then approaching 40 years of age. A fantastic vessel. that should have been retired to Liverpool instead of being turned into a Frankenstein Monster by the Arabs.
That is why I have includued her here.
Last edited by captain kong; 02-23-2009 at 05:22 PM.
I have just recieved this email from CUNARD, It should be interesting.
Cunard Features in BBC Documentary
Dear Captain Aspinall
As a valued Cunard guest we thought you may be interested to hear of an exciting BBC broadcast this weekend involving the world's most loved ship, QE2.
A BBC film crew joined our beloved QE2 on her Final Voyage last November and we are pleased to advise you that 'QE2 - The Final Voyage' will be broadcast on BBC TWO's Timewatch series on Saturday 28 February 2009 at 8pm. We hope you enjoy the programme and that it will bring back fond memories of QE2.
The vessel shown is a barque and the men are taking in the lowest sail on the mizzenmast. This was called the crossjack ( pronounced crojack).
This is from a painting by Claude Muncaster, a marine artiost who knew his rigging.
BrianD
This is a Nippon Yuson Kaisha liner ,the Chichibu Maru. She was built in 1930 for the Orient /California service. A motor passengerliner of 17,000 tons she was 560 feet in length and had a beam of 74 feet and a depth of 42 foot 6 inches. A nice solid looking vessel. I wonder if she was lost in the second world war, anyone out there know her fate?
Here is me leaping aloft over the futtock shrouds, to furl sail on the ship Leuwin in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Australia,, I was 72 years old then, not bad for an old timer
Last edited by captain kong; 02-23-2009 at 09:24 PM.
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