Gangway No.1 Spring 1976 - BlueStarLine.org

Gangway
Number 7 Spring 1976
Journal of Blue Star Line, Lamport & Holt Line
and Booth Line
Contents
1 Blue Star-the position today
1 Mrs E H Vestey launches Almeda
Star
2 The family company wins
3 News Afloat
News Ashore
Lamport & Holt Line News
Blue Star Ship Management Ltd
Postbag
'Srarman Express'
A million tons of UK trade for J S S
Which Ship?
Papa Papa cleared to final
Securi-Bore
Half a Century with BSL-part five
A Century with Lamport & Holt
Red Ensign versus Red Flag
Escape from Singapore
Stranded in the Bitter Lakes
The artist at sea
Answer to 'Which Ship?'
News from Australia
Kiwi column
Springbok column
News from the Amazon
Fleet list
Fleet personnel news
3
4
5
5
6
7
7
8
8
10
11
12
14
15
16
16
17
18
20
21
22
24
Cover: Starman end on to quay at Tees
Dock, Middlesbrough, preparing to roll off
the largest piece of cargo ever to enter a
UK port (see page 6).
Correspondents
News, views, and photographs for publication
should be sent direct to any of the
correspondents below, to reach them by:
1 January for Spring issue
1 April for Summer issue
1 July for Autumn issue
1 October for Winter issue.
Whilst every effort will be made to include
all contributions submitted, lack of space
may make it necessary to hold over the
publication of some articles until a later
issue.
Australia
R Walker
Blue Star Line (Aust) Pty Ltd
37-49 Pitt Street
GPO Box 1575
Sydney
NSW 2000
Argentine
P McGuinness
Agencia Maritima Mundial, SA
Avenida Cordoba 653
Buenos Aires
Brazil
R J Burnett
Agencias Mundiais SA
Caixa Postal 190
Belem
Para
F C Tate
Companhia Expresso Mercantil
Avenida Rio Brance 25, 10 Andar
Caixa Postal 969-ZC-00
Rio de Janeiro
New Zealand
W Smith
Blue Star Port Lines (Mgt) Ltd
PO Box 192
IBM Centre
157 The Terrace
Wellington 1
North America
E A Gilbert
Blue Star Line
650 California Street
San Francisco, Cal 94108
USA
Republic of South Africa
G G H Jefferys
Blue Star Line (South Africa) Pty Lt<
PO Box 4446
Thibault Square
Lower St George's Street
Cape Town
United Kingdom
D Green
Lamport & Helt Line Ltd
Booth Steamship Company Ltd
Albion House
James Street
Liverpool L2 7PS
G E Gunner
Blue Star Ship Management Ltd
Albion House
J ames Street
Liverpool L2 7PS
RA Russell
Blue Star Line Ltd
34 Leadenhall Street
London EC3A 1AR

Blue Slar­
Ihe position
loday
W/e are now well into 1976 and it might be
worthwhile reflecting on our results for
last year. Compared with 1974, our figures
last year took a significant turn for the
worse. In 1974 nothing went wrong, and
with full ships throughout the year, high
charter rates, and everyone clamouring for
space, it was easy to trade profitably.
Last year the inevitable happened. Most
of us felt that the shipping market was
probably destined to fall with a crash, and
it did. \Ve operate in a world market, of
COUIse, but it often seems as though the
shipping market takes after the British
stop-go economy, and in 1975 it stopped.
As the year moved on, cargoes fell away,
the beef mountai n grew, and European
exports to Ollr traditional areas declined.
The only buoyant area was the Persian
Gulf, being the one spot where chartering
opportunities were to be had.
However, when one hears of the disasters
that have befallen other shipping
companies, nmably tankers and bulkers,
our performance was not too bad. We were
nm forced into lay-up, our fruit ships were
fully occupied, albeit wi thout profit, and
above all our container services are
gradually proving to be the best investment
we have ever made. So, with a struggle we
Mrs E H Vesley
launches Almeda Slar
Almeda Star, the fifth of Blue Star Line's
new series of 'A' class refrigerated reefer
ships, was launched at Smith's Dock,
Middlesbrough, on 21 November. The
sponsor was Mrs E H Vestey, wife of BSL
chairman Mr Edmund Vestey.
Four of the new ships, Afric Star, A vila
Star, Andalucia Star, and Avelona Star
are now in service. The first three of these
specialist vessels have been operating since
June under contracts for the carriage of
bananas from Central America to Europe,
North America, and the Persian Gulf. The
contracts have been extended to cover
voyages to the end of this year.
ended 1975 in a just about break-even
position, having made good profits in 1974 . .
As far as the fieet is concerned we are
still managing, despite the gloomy prognostications
of a few years ago, to trade our
ships for most of their useful life and not
dispose of them prematurely. During 1975
we have sold Adelaide Star, Tasmania
Slar, and Wellington Slar. We were also
offered a good price for M ontevideo Star
and she has gone too.
New reefer ships
The most noteworthy event of 1975 has
been the arrival of the new reefer ships, our
first new series of ships since before
containerisation. Afric Star entered service
in February, A vila Star and Andalucia
Star in June, and Avelona Star in
December. Apart from a few teething
troubles, all have been trading well and
carrying exactly the sort of cargoes for
which they were designed-not alas at the
right sort of Freight Rates, but I have
referred to that above.
Two ships have been in the news- New
Zealand Star was in Luanda for many
months during conditions of war, and all
credit to those on board for their spirit and
enthusiasm during difficult times.
Secondly, Scoltish Star, long since the
property of insurance interests, came out
of the Suez Canal looking from all accounts
in quite reasonable nick.
What of 1976 and the future? As far as
profitability is concerned, we are still
bumping along the bottom, but one or two
isolated signs of improvement are appearing,
so wc are hopeful. The fleet will be
fully occupied until mid-year, and in
particular reefer cargoes are picking up
somewhat. Our problem areas are the
Crusader trade and South America. In the
Crusader trade we face stiff container
competition and we are studying the
future in depth to see what our next step
should be.
As for South America, there is an
announcement elsewhere in the magazine
about the cooperation between BSL and
L&H. Wc have decided to amalgamate the
management of L&H and BSL South
American trade, and based on Liverpool
the changes should bring about useful
economies.
Further ahead, the new ACTA
containership will be delivered in 1977, and
at the time of going to press we are
considering a further heavy lift ship.
Costs spiral
One tires of writing about the cost spiral
but it is the most important issue of today.
True there has been some improvement in
the UK due to Government legislation, but
in other parts of the world the problem has
worsened for us, particularly due to the
fall in the value of the pound-in itself a
by-product of our own troubles. Australia,
sadly, is rapidly losing out with fruit being
forced by their own costs out of world
markets, and it now costs us more to load
meat conventionaUy in Queensland than
was our total ocean freight rate just truee
years ago; we cannot recover this sort of
increase from our customers.
H owever, we are doing all we can to
develop new business and to find ways and
means of improving what we have. There
is no reason why our problems should not
be overcome and why we should not
continue to expand.
BR Hazlitt
Mrs E H Vestey
fAlmeda Scar l hits lhe water
1

The
COl
wins
The f ollowing is the text DJ a speech made by
Mr J G PaYlle in Grimsby Town H all on
5 December 1975 at a dinller given by United
Towing alld H umber Tugs:
At a time when I suspect we are all
scratching to keep our head above water or
more definitively when we 3rc trying to
retain in our businesses a positive cash flow
it is probably worth once again having a
look at the basic elements which make a
shipping company's profit and loss account
good, bad or indifferent.
On 1 April 1974 I gave the Reginald
Grout M emorial lecture in the City of
London and the subject was 'British Liner
Shipping: Future Prospects and Problems'.
I then said British Liner Shipping should
have three principal objectives-these
were:
- that if we were to remain in business
that we account on a replacement cost
depreciation basis
-next, that we must continue to improve
the efficiency of our ports and transport
network
- and last, that we must work closer than
ever with our customers.
These remarks were made at a time of
relati ve economic boom-it does however
seem to me that the remarks have possibly
even more force at a time of economic
decline.
I do not intend to dwell on accounting
problems tonight as Mr Sandiland and
others are tending to gi ve us all mental
indigestion at the moment, nor do I intend
to talk about customer relations, despite
the importance of good customer relations.
It seems appropriate whilst here on
Humberside to simply state the essentials
of a good port from a shipowner's point of
view.
I make no apologies for stating the
obvious because we tend to live in an era
when the obvious or the truth, if you like,
is clouded by other issues, at worst
political issues or a genuine fear of the
truth.
Costs of ships and equipment escalate
at a rate hitherto unknown-here may I
illustrate that container ships which were
delivered to us in 1969 should have cost us
about four million pounds, will probably
end up costing us eight million pounds
because of the declining value of the pound
and similar ships to be delivered in 1977
will probably leave us no change out of
twenty-five million pounds.
\'qith tugs, supply boats, ferries, tramps,
bulk carriers all costing two or three times
the amount they would have done five to
ten years ago the one thing that shipowners
are aUlooking for more than ever before is
maximum utilisation of their assets. Ships
at sea make money, ships in port cost
money. ] n other words we all want our
ships in and out of port in the shortest
possible space of time. \'\lhat, therefore,
apart from an efficient tug service, makes a
port work-probably three or four things
only :
- the right equipment, there is nothing
more soul destroying than the wrong
equipment
-the right amount of space in which to
operate
-good management
-and last but not least, the desire on the
part of the men in the port to work.
Funnily enough, good management and
good men working in harmony can overcome
poor equipment and a shortage of
space-therefore one must put the men in
the port and their attitude to the job in
hand as the essential ingredient of a
successful port.
What creates harmony in a management!
men relationship? Much has been written
by so-called experts on this subject. To me
the essential factors are:
-an identifiable, accessible and respected
boss who is not a faceless wonder
-and men who desire to work and are
willing to accept that some disciplines
are necessary for a job to be done
efficiently.
Many of you will say 'what about the
Trade Unions in all this?' Their role to me
is a complementary one. The U nions
should ensure that the men get a fair deal
and protect the individual against bad
management. Unions should negotiate
agreements on behalf of the men-if that
is necessary. But having negotiated an
agreement, I do believe the Unions have a
very real and ultimate responsibility of
making sure that their members abide by
that agreement. If an agreement simply
becomes a basis for further negotiation
then in simple terms 'all is lost' . Nothing
will ever work efficiently on that basis. I
do not accept however that Unions are
essential, if for no other reason than that a
Union which cannOt or will not control its
members is probably our worst enemy
today. Unions require good management
just as business requires good management.
Might I liken a Union which has lost
control of its members to business management
which has lost control of its costs.
The end result is chaotic.
No doubt many of you will be sitting
here tonight saying 'easier said than done',
and I agree-most things are easier said
than done. But has not the time arri ved
when each and everyone of us, whether we
be manager or clerk, director or crane
driver, chairman or office boy, should ask
ourselves one simple question-are we
worth the money in our take home pay?­
are we giving a day's work for a day's pay?
1fnot, what is stopping us-is it indifferent
management, lack of leadership, an undisciplined
work force or the mistaken
belief that 'she'll be right', to coin an
Australian expression. One thing is certain,
nothing will ever be right unless a lot of
the nonsense which goes on at the present
moment is very firml y sat on in all places
in our society. \'\le all have a responsibility
in this regard and all I simply suggest is
that unless we all discharge that responsibility
we are not playing our part.
Gentlemen, if I sound like a politician I
apologise. The simple fact is that good
ports employ good men who do not
tolerate nonsense. Men and management
working in harmony dispose of nonsense
quicker than any Union agreement, work
procedure or terms of reference. \'\le can
have all the pieces of paper we like in the
world, but none will ever be able to replace
that very essential ingredient in life-all
of us working as a team together. Nobody
in the company which employs me works
for me, I hope they all work with me for
the company.
May I just say one thing in conclusion,
not with the deliberate intention of embarrassing
Mr \'\lilbraham. My remarks are
addressed to those who work with him. I
have only known Mr Wilbraham about
two years. During that period a friendship
has grown up between us based on, I
believe, mutual respect-for my part it is
based on respect and admiration. Your
companies, T ony, are essentially family
companies where the boss is anything but a
faceless wonder-I too work for a family
company, but have had the opportunity to
work in other environments. There is no
comparison between working with a family
company and working in other broaderbased
companies. The family company
wins every time. This country was
essentially built on family companies and
it is in these great family companies that
one observes the complete lack of nonsense.
] consider myself privileged to work in a
fami ly company and also to be associated
with other fami ly companies such as yours.
On behalf of all your guests may I not
only once aga in say thank you, but also
wish you personally, your family, and all
your staff who work with you, every success
for the future-thank you.
[Mr A B (Tony) Wilbraham is Chairman
of United Towing and Humber Tugs. The
Wilbraham family are majority shareholders
of the Companies.]

News Alloal
Marriage
Blue Star Line
K R W Doxford, 3rd Engineer of Afrie
Star, was married on 12 July 1975 to
Christine Watson at St John Lee Church,
Acomb, Hexlam, Northumberland.
Christine is now enjoying a delayed honeymoon
aboard A/rie Star.
Obituaries
We record with great regret the following
deaths:
Blue Star Line
Leonard Luter, on 11 November 1975
after a short illness.
Mc Luter served as a Bosun with the
Company from 1958 until shordy before he
died. For ten years he worked on the South
American Trade and in 1968 transferred
to Tasmania Star for three years. After
1971 he served in various Blue Star Line
vessels.
Thomas L Hatton, on 16 November
1975, aged 77.
Tom Hatton joined Blue Star Line as a
Junior Engineer in January 1927 and by
December 1938 was Chief Refrigeration
Engineer on Scottish Star. He remained in
that ship until she was torpedoed in
February 1942, and completed his war
service in Empire Galahad and Empire
Falkland.
After the war, Tom served in various
News Ashore
Appointments
Blue Star Line
Mr J G Payne has been elected Chairman
of the Council of European and Japanese
National Shipowners' Association. He took
up his new responsibilities in December
1975.
Mr R H Bray has been appointed a
Director of Star Offshore Services Limited
from 1 January 1976. He will be responsible
for Supply Boats, and D eputy Managing
Director of the Star Offshore group of
companies.
Mr D Barrac10ugh will be appointed a
Director of Transatlantic Container Transportation
in place of R H Bray, who will
resign from the Board of the company.
Mr M G Van der Gucht has taken over
the responsibility of coordinating the
functions of the Research and Development
Department.
Departure
Blue Star Leisure
Derek Wray left Blue Star Leisure early
in November 1975 to take charge of a
leisure complex set up by the local council
at Hemel Hempstead. Derek joined the
Company in December 1945 and after a
few weeks at West Smithfield was transferred
to the Blue Star Line passenger
office at Regent Street. Except for his
Blue Star vessels, notably Hobart Star
which he joined when she was being built
in Germany and served in for eight years.
His pride in that vessel will be recalled
by everyone who visited his refrig flat,
which was kept immaculate at all times,
with every nut in sight highly polished.
Tom retired in May 1967. Having been
a widower for many years, he emigrated to
Canada in 1968 to li ve with his brother in
lie Perrot, Quebec Province. He returned
twice to this coumry on holiday and kept
up contact with many of his friends on
Merseyside, including J Rigiani (now of
Albion House, Liverpool) who informs us
that Tom's last few years were lived very
happily and that he retained his interest in
photography throughout.
Lamport & Holt Line
Captain Alvin Penrice on Il December
1975, aged 80, at the M ariners' Home,
Wallasey. Alvin Penrice ioined Lamport &
Holt on 20 October 1915, following in the
footsteps of his father who was at that time
still a sea-going Master with the Company.
Serving through the difficult years of the
twenties and thirties, he had reached the
rank of Chief Officer by the outbreak of
war in 1939; his war service included
appointments as Liaison Officer aboard a
number of troopships.
Captain Penrice's first command was
Empire Pellryn in May 1946. In 1954,
whilst in command of the Delane (one of
only two Lamport 'D ' Class vessels that
had survived throughout the war) he
transferred to Blue Star Line, and the
De/alle was renamed Seaule Star. The
National Service from November 1948 to
June 1950, he stayed with this office until
the main passenger operations finished in
1972. He then became Manager of Blue
Star Travel and subsequently Manager of
Blue Star Leisure in charge of reservations
for Caravel and Sun wise Holidays.
We wish him well in his new appointment
and he has asked us to say that any
of his old colleagues who find themselves
in the Hemel Hempstead area are welcome
to call in and see him.
As a memento of his long service with
the organisation his colleagues and friends
presented him with a handsome briefcase.
Retirements
Blue Star Line
Captain S A M ('Sam') Dickers retires
on 31 March after 38t years' service with
BSL. An appreciation of his long and
eventful career will appear in the next
issue.
The end of 1975 saw 13 of our staff leaving
the Company. Most of them had reached,
or were over, retiring age and had remained
to work with us for a fe w years longer, but
two were tea ladies who had fallen victims
to the invincible vending machines.
A party was held on Thursday 18
December, in Albion House, at which
presentations were made to all the retirees.
(A mention must be made here of the hard
work which went into the preparations for
the occasion by E lsie Cannings, assisted
by Ann Sciberras and Brenda Key.)
remainder of his sea-going service was
spent with BSL until he retired in 1960.
Captain Penrice continued his family's
long connection with the South American
Trade; he was also active in the Master
Mariners' Association, to which he devoted
considerable time as an officer and later as
President. He was the proud possessor of
an 'extra Master's ticket', and his passing
regrettably diminishes the number of our
'old and bold'. Our deepest sympathy goes
to his daughter, who maintains a connection
with the sea as her husband is a
Mersey pilot.
John Brown on 2 1 November 1975,
after an illness patiently borne for about
twelve months. John Brown joined
Lamport & Halt Line on 20 April 1947
and retired on 31 December 1965. He
served as Radio Officer in many vessels
during the period when the Company
maintained its own wireless establishment.
Our deepest sympathies are extended to his
family.
Andrew Mclnally on 29 December
1975. Mr McInally joined Lamport & Halt
Line on 15 August 1958 and served as
Chief Engineer in Rubens, Crisp;ll, and
recently in Dominic.
Booth Line
Samuel Emrys Thomas on 20
December 1975, aged 92. Mr Thomas
joined the Company in 1906 and reached
the rank of Chief Engineer. He retired in
1946, since when he lived in Wallasey with
his sister, Miss Dora Thomas, to whom
we extend our deepest sympathy.
Mr B R Hazlitt spoke of the invaluable
contribution they had all made to Blue
Star's progress, including Johnnie
Johnston, who, whilst he had officially
retired earlier, had had no previous
opportunity to say farewell to his friends
in Blue Star.
Mr Hazlitt spoke briefly about each of
those present:
Johnnie Johnston served Blue Star for
almost 52 years; readers will know about
some of the many exciting and interesting
events that happened to him during this
time from the articles which have appeared
in Gangway.
C W Judd joined Eldorado in 1951, and
transferred to BSL in 1963. Mr Judd was
Credit Controller in Eldorado before they
went out of business, but Mr Hazlitt
hastened to add-amid much laughterthat
the two events were not connected.
Mrs E lsie Weston had worked in the
Accounts Department since 1958 and was
held in particular esteem for her unassuming
and kindly manner. She was
particularly remembered for the cheery
smiles she used to give everybody during
the half hour or so she patiently waited for
the bus in Leadenhall Street after work.
R Hadley joined Blueport in 1968 after
previously retiring from Furness \Vithy,
and was the only one p.: esent born during
the 19th Century. He was looked upon as
something of a marvel who still indulged in
such youthful pastimes as mountaineering.
Mr Hazlitt could onl y attribute this to Mr

Hadley's having a much younger wife !
'Monty' Brown of the Insurance and
Claims Department joined Blueport from
the Port Line Auditors of Baker Sons and
Bell. A keen sportsman and cricketing fan,
he was aptly said to have carried a straight
bat during all his time with us, and he was
held in grea t affection by his workmates.
Mrs Mabel R obbins had been our tea
lady since the buildi ng opened in 1956.
She remembered serving M r Hazlitt his
tea when he was a mere lad in the Freight
Department. In those days only tea was
served-no biscuits-and a collection fo r
the cost of this was made at the end of
each week !
I W 'Ben' Bennett, our H ead
M essenger in Blue Sta r since 1969, had
ruled the M essenger Service with a rod of
iron-but his unifo rm jacket was known to
hide a heart of gold.
G E Johnson , another original Blueport
member, joined in 1972 and had helped
Mr Bennett since 1973 in the BS M essenger
service. H is kind, unassuming, and efficient
manner was appreciated by aB those who
knew him.
Alec Harrison joined Blueport in 1968
and fo r most of this time worked in the
Traffic Department, until Bluepon came
to Albion House, when he moved over to
the Freight Depan ment. Alec was renowned
fo r his cheerful manner, which
was possibly due to the accuracy of his
horse racing forecasts!
Cha rlie Fielder joined Blueport in
1973 and fo r a time looked after that
Company's messenger service. He was
well remembered by Mr Hazlitt, who could
rely upon him appearing instantly, like a
genie, whenever wanted. More recently, he
has been working with the BS Freight
Department and has made a name fo r
himself as someone who gives a great deal
of attention to customers' requirements.
Robbie Robinson was the most highly
articulate member of our staff. He joined
us in our messenger service in 1973 to
escape the rigours of teaching, and presumably
found our life more amenable.
He later transferred to the Freight Department.
Mrs Brenda Key was the other half of
the T ea Lady Service on the ground floor,
having joined us in 1973. She was always
willing to tackle any extra work when the
occasion arose.
A J Mayna rd had been with us only a
year in Al bion House, serving tea and
coffee. After serving as a steward at sea
with Blue Sta r and various other companies,
he had come ashore in 1969 and worked
with Blueport at the London Dock Office
fo r five yea rs.
Obituaries
We record with great regret the fo llowing
deaths:
Blue S tar Line
Henry Taylor , on 7 November 1975. M r
T aylor was Chief Superintendent of BSL
when he retired in December 197 1. An
appreciation of his life will be given in the
next issue.
Lamparl & H all
Ernest T em p leton Courtney, Chief
Cashier of Lamport & Holt Line Limited,
on 8 November 1975.
Mr Courtney joi ned the Company in
M arch 1913 and retired on 3 1 March 1957.
He was an example to others for the way
he overcame the severe handica p of a 1914-
18 war injury, which he never allowed to
get the better of him. Having enjoyed
eighteen years of retirement, he was predeceased
by many of his contemporaries,
and his wealth of anecdotes about 'Lamport
happenings' between the wars will be
sadly missed by all those who knew him.
Blue Star Line
New Voyage and Contract
Costing Section
As a res ult of the increasing need fo r
competi tive quotes in specialised reefer
markets, a Voyage and Contract Costi ng
section has been formed within the
M anagement Accounts D epartment. The
section will cater for reefer and voyage
projects and other contract costing for both
BSL and BSPL.
The new section is headed by A C
Radford, assis ted by D N P owell, and
will provide info rmation required by the
Service M anagers.
A taste of the Caribbean
a t the annual dance
A total of 357 staff and guests of BSL and
its associated companies packed the second
annual dance to be held at M ecca's Colonial
House in London on 12 Decem ber.-We
didn't require a rail-strike to get full
attendance this year !
All the ingredients fo r a good evening
were there in plenty (fo r only £ 1'50 per
head)-a Christmas-style d inner with a
choice of wine, and a versatile dance band
with a very persuas ive MC who allowed no
resting. Anyway, who wanted to sit down
wi th Spot prizes such as a tube of toothpaste
or a bar of soap for the taking !
A taste of the Cari bbean was brought
into the evening by a steel band, who
played fo r two half-hour stints and encouraged
guests to dance calypso style.
From comments overheard during and
after the dance, it seemed that 'a very
enjoyable evening was had by all'.
lamporla Hollline News
T he accompanying photograph shows a
167-ton transformer from General Electric
Company, Stafford, being loaded onto
Ronmey at Liverpool. The transformer,
accompanied by va rious other heavy lifts,
was being shipped to Buenos Aires as part
of the El Chocon Dam Project, a hydroelectric
complex in Argentina.
Romney is a veteran in the South
American trade and on this voyage, after
loading at Liverpool, Swansea, and
G lasgow, was filled to capacity both below
and on deck for her voyage to M ontevideo
and Buenos Aires via Las Palmas.
J S N owery
Mrs E Wor sley, who joined J S Nowery
of Glasgow as Assistant Cashier and Bookkeeper
in April 1969, retired on 3 1
December 1975.
Mrs \Vorsley's calm disposition and
cheerful manner wi ll be missed by everyone
wi th whom she worked at Scotch
Corner. All her colleagues send her thei r
very best wishes for a long and enj oyable
retirement.
4

a:Z
BLUE STAR SHIP MANAGEMENT LTD
The last passenger ship
lf1el/illglofl Star joined the list of ships with
which we parted company in 1975. She
was sold, like Ro'and~ to Greek interests,
while stiB in Sydney in December. Now
that Auckland Slar's accommodation has
been converted, we no longer have any of
the fine series of ships that offered comfortable
accommodation to twelve passengers
over many years.
Anniversary
I January saw the official first anniversary
of the birth of Blue Star Ship Management.
The occasion was celebrated by the issuing
of a new BSSM tie, which has since become
the admiration of many-particularl y our
colleagues in Leadenhall Street. Qualifications
for wearing this tie are extremely
strict : at least twelve months' hard labour
in Liverpool has to be done before
applications will even be considered!
Eric Usher leaves
The end of January saw the departure of
Eric Ush er . Eric joined Blue Star in 1964
after a period ashore with ICI in their
design department, before which he had
sailed with Ben Line.
During his brief period at sea with Blue
Star, approximately 21 months, Eric saw
service with such ships as Queensland Slar
and Hobarl Slar ,. his last position as a
seafarer was Chief Engineer in Genova
Slar.
On completion of this tour of duty he
took up the appointment in which we all
knew him best, Engineering Personnel
Superintendent, a post which he has held
to date.
The call of the sea
Eric felt the call of the sea again and has
left the Company to take a seagoing
engineering appointment with Kuwait
Shipping Company. There, no doubt, he
will take great pleasure in watching [he
Personnel Department trying to sort out all
the many problems of himself and his seafaring
colleagues! All of us were extremely
sorry to say goodbye to Eric, who has done
a magnificent job in the Personnel Department
for many years. He willingly moved
with us to Liverpool, where he has
obviously settled very happily, because he
and his wife, Audrey, intend staying on
here. \V/e hope that we shaH see a great deal
more of him over the years, and we are sure
he will always be guaranteed a good
welcome on any Blue Star ship that he may
find himself lying alongside in some remote
part of the world.
On his departure, W J Murray was
promoted to Assistant Fleet Personnel
Manager, and will look after the bulk of the
work for which Eric had been responsible,
particularly the appointment of senior
Engineering Officers. \Ve have endeavoured
to spread the load a little in that Department
and are in the process of sending
details round to all Engineering Officers
concerning the individual responsible for
their welfare in future. G F Wady, who
has been acting as one of our technicians
for some time, has joined the staff of the
Personnel Department as an assistant to
Mr Murray.
I N Milwa rd
New Staff
We are pleased to welcome the following
members of staff and wish them well in
their new appoinnnents :
Captain D J Thomas from Blue Star
Postbag
Magicstar's engine
Some notes on my career with Blue Star
Line may be of interest to engineers.
I do not think that there will be many
of the present Engineers in the Company
who have sailed with a reciprocating steam
engine of the type which was fitted in
Magicslar.
I was appointed to the ship as a fourth
engineer in 1919 after the vessel had had a
refit at Smiths Dock Company, South
Bank, Middlesbrough; the Chief Engineer
was J Coombes.
You can imagine my surprise when I
surveyed the engine: it was a tripleexpansion
model, with a Marshal! Gear
valve mechanism which had only one
eccentric for each cylinder-ahead and
astern movements. It was so different from
the standard arrangement of Stephenson's
link motion where two eccentrics are
always used for each cylinder that it took
some time to work out the function of the
reversing gear.
New experience
Since I had had earlier experience at
Smiths Dock Company, in the design of
triple expansion engines for trawlers and
other vessels, I looked forward to running
this unusual engine as a power unit. The
voyage to the River Plate was fascinating,
and enabled all the engine room staff to
learn more of the complexities of this
engine, and to calculate its horse power and
balance. le was definitely as efficient a
steam engine as its competitors.
The layout of the other machinery in the
engine room was such that two large
ammonia refrigeration machines were
placed one either side of the main engine
on the bottom platform. At times it was
extremely difficult to remain down below
when the refrigerator compressor glands
started to leak ammonia.
In May 1920, I was transferred to
Norman Slar and a year later to Doric Slar.
The latter was, I believe, the first Blue
Port Line Management, who becomes a
Ship Manager
C Wright, who transfers from Blue Star
Shore Gang to Engi neers' Dept
B 0 M ead, who transfers from our sea
staff to our Engineers' Dept
Mrs J Preston-Office Manager's Dept
M Lorimer-Purchasing Dept
T Rickard-Fleet Personnel Dept
Wedding
Our congratulations to T G Scott of
Purchasing Dept on his recent marriage to
Miss Kathleen Wrigley. The wedding
took place at 11 am on Friday 28 November
at Alexander Hall Registry Office, Crosby.
G E Gunner
Star Line vessel fitted with double reduction
geared turbines.
After her maiden voyage to China, I
came ashore to further my career in shiprepairing.
R Dixon
Ex-Manager, J Russell & Co
Ship Repairers
For lovers of sail
I photographed this Thames barge running
up the Solent from the Needles on a
sailing holiday last August, when we were
an hour and a half out of Shalfleet, IO\V,
making for Keyhaven on the mainland.
The barge, named Dobbie, possibly
registered in Rochester, made a fine sight
under sail with everything drawing. Moreover,
in view of the diminishing number of
these working craft, it was a memorable
sight to see her in her natural surroundings.
A surprising thing about the vessel was
the speed she was making through the
water, even allowing for a favourable tide,
which accounts for the fact that the name
on the stern could not be read.
To a lover of sail from Merseyside tlus
was the highlight of a successful week
afloat aboard a Fairey Atalanta in the
Solent, along with three companions.
I am sure that this picture will stir the
memory of all shellbacks in our Company,
as well as lovers of beauty on our London,
provincial, and overseas staff.
J W H Brereston
Lamport & Holt
5

'SIarman Express;
..
Starmall continues to lead a very active
life. As reported in the last issue of
Gangway, an accommodation module with
its own helideck was loaded at Port Arthur,
Texas, for Roncrdam. Its dimensions of
66' x 44' x 22', with the hexagonal helideck
on top 83' across, presented quite a few
problems. To clear all obstruccions, the
module had to be loaded onto hardwood
pedesmls 4' 6" high, leaving the base overhanging
8', and the helideck 23', on the
starboard side. As welding had been
expressly forbidden, the Starman team had
to design and build a steel-pipe lattice
structure, itself weighing 11 tons, to
The M odule alld helideck are landed onto blocks
anchor the module to the deck in 44 places.
Securing was also a problem inside the
module: everything had to be taken carc of,
incl uding washing machines, conference
tables, drinking foumains, chairs, desks, a
pool table-right down to the last toothglass.
Underdeck was a cargo of drill pipe,
collars and drilling spares, and a loaded
groupage of 40' containers. The operation
proved a complete success, for even a
brief encounter with hurricane Doris, off
Miami, failed to budge a single item. Thus
opened BSL's latest container service:
'Starman Express Gulf Service', at 12 knots!
The module was offloaded at Rotterdam,
whilst the remainder of the cargo was
carried on to Aberdeen. After a brief stay
at Smith's Dock for modifications, it was
off to Skikda, Algeria, with cargo of eight
pressure vessels from Middlesbrough.
The longest load
On return, SZarman loaded at Dunkirk the
first and largest pressure vessel for the new
ICI works at Wilton, Teesside. This was a
caustic scrubber 187' long and 22' in
diameter, weighing 268 tons. This voyage
put Starmall into the Guinness Book of
Records, as the pressure vessel was the
longest piece of cargo ever to enter or leave
a UK port.
Starmall has secured the contract re
carry ten such vessels from Dunkirk [0
Teesside, for ICI at Wilton, as well as
seven pressure vessels from Rotterdam re
the new Monsanto extension at Seal Sands,
Teesside. As the length of the cargoes
prohibits any road movement the second
group will have to be rolled off at
Monsanto's small private jetty on the ri ver.
These 17 vessels will keep us busy throughout
the winter.
To fill the gaps between voyages, we
have taken earth moving equipment to
Flotta, in the Orkneys, five pressure
vessels from Rotterdam to Mersa-EI­
Brega, Libya-the largest 184' long,
weighing 220 tons-and eight leg sections
of a jack-up drill ship to Piraeus. This last
cargo was loaded wholly on deck and had a
total volume of nearly 5000 cubic metres.
D R Parks
Starman Limited
The eig/I! jack-up drill leg secriollS, bound for Piraeus
l
~
,.
Pare of tht £2 millioll load
The caustic scrubber comes aboard

A Ions
of UK Irade
for ISS
johnson ScanStar took rime off on 15
January [0 celebrate its onc millionth [On
carried to and from UK ports with a party
in the restaurant of Liverpool's Holiday
Inn. As Mr Payne remarked in his welcome
to the Lord Mayor of Liverpool and the
180 other guests, it was a family affair in
the BSL and Lamport & Helt Line
tradition, with wives, daughters, and giclfriends
joining in the celebration.
Bur the evening's star in every sense was
Blue Star Line's containership Columbia
Star, which discharged the millionth ton
at Liverpool's storm-swept Royal Seaforth
Terminal on the night of 2 January.
Photographs taken during that call, as well
as colour phmographs of the ship were on
display, but they were eclipsed by a large
and striking oil painting of Columbia Star
in stormy seas, which became a focal point
for both hosts and guests. The picture is
the most recent work of Gordon Ellis, the
Liverpool marine artist, and was borrowed
for the evening from a local gallery.
johnson ScanStar's General Manager,
Goran W'inberg, and the Marketing
Manager, Goran Ohlander, had come
across from Stockholm for the party, while
Mr Payne represented Blue Star Line, a
JSS shareholder, together with the Johnson
Line of Stockholm and the East Asiatic
Company of Copenhagen. Gordon Gibson,
General Manager of the UK General
Agency for j SS, was supported by Ron
Dunon and j im Lowe and the marketing
team from Liverpool. jane Goodlass and
Linda \Vorthingron added their charm and
distributive skills with flowers and
chocolates.
Which Ship?
This interesting old photograph was taken
by G H Tucker in the summer of 1936.
Once you've put a name to the ship, try
guessing the location; the lighters may
provide a clue. Answer on page 16.
The milJiOlllh IO" is Im/oaded from Columbia Star at Seaforth
Top of the docks
Mr \Vinberg pointed out that johnson
ScanStar began its service on 1 May 1972,
just one day before the opening of Royal
Sea forth terminal. Since then 173 calls had
been made there by JSS ships. He went on
to praise the service offered at Liverpool:
'Since we are a multi-port operator, we
can compare Sea forth with several other
ports in Europe and the UK. We have
concluded that facilities at Seaforth are
excellent, absolutely at the tOP of the list, '
Mr Winberg ended with the prediction that
'\Ve will be back to celebrate our second
million in a much shorter period of time.'
Mr John \Vilkinson, representing the
British Shippers' Council, and Mr Owen
Doyle, the Lord Mayor, both paid tribute
to the excellent service provided for
Merseyside and the North \Vest by
Johnson ScanStar, and particularly to the
Company's policy of direct calls, which
suited their customers,
Before supervising the draw for prizes
by the Lady Mayoress, Mr Payne
congratulated Mr \Vinberg, on behalf of
the shareholding lines, for running what
was not only a well-organised and happy
service but a successful one.
He then told a cautionary talc about the
young man from Liverpool's Nautical
Catering College who had made and iced
the large cake in the form of a containership
for the parry. Unfortunately, Mr
Payne pointed out, he hadn't got the flags
right, 'He was sent to sea yesterday!'

•
Hamish M cKean beside his CessnQ 150
Anybody can fly a plane: most people can
take off without much difficulty, and the
only snag is that it's a bit more difficult to
land again. But to help you overcome this
obstacle, an increasing number of fiying
dubs are opening up all over the country.
To begin a fiying course leading to the
Private Pilot's Licence, you must be over
17 years of age, reasonably fit, have good
eyesight (though spectacles may be worn)
and be reasonably intelligent. Combine all
these with a genuine enthusiasm for flying
and a will to learn, and the serious
instruction can start.
Firstly, you must 'log' at least 40 hours
under the direction of a qualified flying
instructor. During this period (which could
be crammed into a month, or stretched
over a year, depending on the time and
finances you have available) lectures have
to be attended on navigation, aviation law,
aero engines, airframes, and meteorology.
In this way, the trainee becomes properly
equipped to pass the Civil Aviation
Authority examinations for the PPL.
The economics of taking to the air are
less frightening than one would suppose.
At £6.68 + VAT per flying hour, iar
example, at the Three Counties Aero Club
in Hants (including ground lectures) it is
neither as difficult nor as expensive to
reach your first solo flight as it might seem.
Something between £70 and £90 should
be enough to give you the doubtful
privilege of going up on your own.
Knobs and dials
Perhaps I should point ou[ that fiying solo
is not the ultimate aim; it simply means
taking off, having a flip round the airfield,
and landing after about ten minutes. But
even this obviously cannOt be done without
having thoroughly learned how to fly
straight and level, to climb, descend, turn,
stall, spin, take off, approach, and land.
One of the most difficult things is learning
to understand the maze of dials and levers
called the instrument panel. That the
strange-looking dial in front of you is really
an artificial horizon, and the one next to it
an airspeed indicator, to the right a mixture
control lever, and so on for 40 different
dials, knobs and controls.
Checks are remembered by mnemonics.
The code-word BUMPF stands for Brakes,
which should be off, Undercarriage, which
must be down, Mixture, which is set to
fully ri ch, Propellor pitch fine, and Fuel
tanks which should contain enough for an
overshoot. At first, the aircraft's radio handmicrophone,
one's contact with Air Traffic
Control, is an instrument of embarrassment.
You look at the letters G.AWPP on
the panel in front of you and say into the
handmike 'This is Golf Alpha Whiskey
Papa Papa,' fully expecting the Air Traffic
Controller to say 'So what?' Bm he does
nOt; he is polite and helpful, and if you
forget the name of your plane, he gets it
right.
No room for both of us
Recently I was flying from Glasgow to
Prestwick. Dark rain clouds streamed westward
off Goat Fell on the Isle of Arran. It
was one of those evenings when, after rain
and cloud had been blowing through the
skies all day, nothing was left bm exhausted
cumulous shapes and long acres of clear
ai r lit by brilliant sunshine. All went well
however, as I was cleared to land on
Prestwick's long west-east runway. Reporting
finals for runway 13, it was easy keeping
the small Cessna ISO on course for landing.
In the down-wind position on my second
ci rcuit my two-way radio gave me some
trouble, so I requested a change of radio
Securi-Bore
Roger Gibson d£scovers lhat a trip la Israel
is 110l exactly a holiday.
During October I was offered the somewhat
dubious privilege of representing
Blue Star Line at two Conference meetings
being held at Tel Aviv, Israel, and as that
part of the globe isn't visited too frequently
by Gangway personnel, I thought I would
make a few notes.
Departure was scheduled for 1 pm on 7
October, and check-in procedure at
Heathrow appeared normal until we were
told that hold-baggage had to be retained
for thorough examination after proceeding
through a special Tel Aviv channel. All
baggage having been checked, and the
metal detector barrier safely negotiated, we
proceeded to the gate where we were
subjected to yet another search of handbaggage
plus the now customary body
search.
I hoped for the usual 10 minutes or so
wait in the departure lounge before
boarding the aircraft; but after half an hour
had elapsed, I began to wish I had visited
the 'boys room'. Eventually an announcement
was made apologising for the delay
and explaining that unfortunately the flight
was likely to be one hour late. A visit to
the 'boys room' now became a must, so I
sought permission for a temporary checkout.
This sparked off an animated
discussion amongst the security staff and I
began to feel somewhat embarrassed at
having caused such a stir, which was
probably just as well, si nce I was eventually
allowed to proceed provided I was escorted
there and back. It is some time since I had
to have such a service rendered!
Aerial prayer meet
At last we boarded the aircraft. Lunch was
served, and shortly after that interlude I
noticed a great deal of activity up and down
the aircraft, apparently stemming from a
group of four heavily bearded gentlemen
attired in Homberg hats. It seems that they
were endeavouring to muster a quorum of
other gentlemen of the appropriate faith
(only about three of us weren't anyway)
in order to hold a communal prayer session.
This duly took place amidships in the
aisle, thus effectively putting a complete
stop to any fore and aft transit.
Ultimately we arrived at Ben-Gurion
airport with a warning that passports
should be at the ready in our hands and
that we should not be observed delving
into our hand-baggage for any reason
whilst in the terminal building. In the
minds of the majority this seemed [0 imply
that we might be shot on sight if the
warning was disregarded. Needless to say,
we all meekly obeyed!
The easiest method of travelling to one's
hotel in a strange place is to fall straight
into a taxi, but wishing to sa mple as many
local mysteries as possible I elected for the
bus to town. This mode of travel was
obviously reserved for the local 'peasants'
-I think I was the only passenger wearing
a jacket and tie. Nevertheless, we arrived
safely in town after half an hour's drive and
I checked into the Hilton Hotel shortly
before 9 pm, having been met by the
doorman with loud greetings of 'Shalom 1
Shalom!'
The following morning sa w the start of
the \'\lestbound Conference meeting-a

CONT1NUE CUI.la
AI 611 In
..
-
rAI

Holl 0 Century wilh Blue Slor line-parI five
By Johnnie Johnston
THE
POST
YEARS
In 1946 I settled down ro become a shorebased
civilian once more, I muse confess
that this was difficult after fOUT eventful
years at sea. I had m.ade many fnends,
both in the ships on which I served and )D
different portS around the world"
However; back I went to che Inward
Freighr Depanment in AsIa House, Lime
Street. London was now, engaged in a
large-scale rebuilding programme, made
necessary by six years of devastation, In a
'J'he trams had v4nWl,;d and crolley bilSfS nota pUed the 5tref/{!J"
(photo: London Transport)
way Hitler had done us a favour by
destroying many antiquated old buildings}
particularJy in [he narrow streets around
{he warcr front near London Bridge and,
nearer home, che cOlire left hand side of
St ,\1ary Axe together with the streets and
alley-ways behind,
Rebuilding the fleet
Trade also had [0 be rebuilt, which in our
case meant ships to be builr as welL Until
1947 our fleer consisted of some ten vessels
(which had survived from a prewar total of
39) augmented by ships managed on behalf
of the Minisrry of War Transport" In 1947)
Argentine Swr and her three sisters
emerged to swell the fleer and provide a fast
fOrtnightly service between the River Plare t
Brazil: and the UK"
We made fuU use of the vessels at our
disposal and operated a com~ehensive
programme which eventually ~egan to

A Cenlury wilh lamporll Hall
reach back to the high standards of our
pre-war services. As the years went by, we
expanded by adding new ships for the
Australian, New Zealand, and South
African services. Ships of the Adelaide
Star class (built 1950) and the Wellingt01l
Star class (1952) provided a fast, largecapacity
carrying service. By the mid-fifties
we were handling full cargoes and our lives
became very busy indeed.
For someone like me, who had been
virtually absent between 1942 and 1946,
postwar London presented great changes.
Take transport, for example. All the trams
in the City together with the huge terminus
at Aldgate had vanished and trolley buses
now plied the streets. Buildings no longer
relied on hydraulic lifts. This was a fastchanging
world on the upsurge of a boom
and demanding more and more goods and
services.
Albion House
We moved into the Company's new office
building, Albion House, in October 1955.
All the BSL departments were under one
roof for the first time since 1940. Some idea
of the scale of our fleet and services at this
time can be gleaned from the figures of
inward freight arrivals. In the late 1950's
there were well over 100 a year; in 1959,
for example, we handled 130 arrivals
(Australia 31, New Zealand 27, South
America 55, and North Pacific Coast 17).
These figures formed the panern, with
minor variations, until the end of 1967.
Cargoes were usually similar CO those of
the prewar years, especially refrigerated
goods such as meat, fruit, and dairy
products. However, refrigeration, packaging,
and cargo-handling methods had all
been improved.
During these busy years our staff was
expanded to cope with the ever-increasing
volume of business. The section in my
charge was responsible for freight collection
on all services ; there was always a very
happy atmosphere, making it possible for
us to cope with a large volume of business
in a spirit of friendly and efficient cooperation.
Many of the events I have recalled here
are common knowledge, but I hope that
they will still be of interest, especially to
our younger staff. I hope to complete my
, 50-year saga in a later issue.
J L AlIenby, who served in a number of
Lamporc & H olt Line ships between 1926
and 1951, has sent us the followhzg article in
which he recalls his family 's long association
with the line :
When, through the good offices of Blue
Star Management (Sydney), I came into
possession of the first issue of Gangway, I
was delighted; and doubly so when I read
'An outline of the history of Lamport &
Holt Line'.
I had recently had a document restored
by the' Mitchell Library in Sydney entitled
'Ordinary Apprentice's Indenture';
it is between William Spratly aged fourteen
of Liverpool and Robert J efferson of
Whitehaven, and dated 16 May 1859.
William Spratly served his apprenticeship
'to the satisfaction of his employers on
board the Barque Antigua of Whitehaven'
under the command of J oseph Wide of
Liverpool, until 1863. He stayed in sail
until he became Master of the Kaffirland
and then 'gave up the Sea and went into
Steam'.
He joined Lamport & Holt about 1869,
and another faded document before me is
a paper discharge from the old Kepler,
which was, I believe, Lamport's first
venture into steam without sail. This is
dated 26 February 1880 and shows he was
First Mate. He had joined her in London
in November 1879 and left her in London
on 25 February 1880.
From my research into old copies of
'Lloyd's Register of Shipping' for those
years, I find he came to command in early
1881 in the Rubens and was still shown as
her Master in 1883/84. In 1885 he was in
command of the Moz art, and I remember
reading an old letter of his written in New
York and sent to my mother, describing
General Grant's funeraL The New York
Times of that date shows that the Lamport
& Holt steamer Mozart arrived at lOam in
the morning-so he did not waste any time
calling on his Agents!
He held various commands until March
1900, and whilst on leave was recalled to
join the Cuvier in place of Captain Quinton
who was ilL He sailed from Antwerp on
9 March 1900, and at 5 the next morning
was run down by the Norwegian steamer
Dovre which went astern, opening the
breach. The Cuvier sank immediately.
There were only three survivors-the lookout,
the man at the wheel, and the Second
Officer.
Continuing line
So, the career that ~ tarted on 16 May 1859
ended on 10 March 1900. But not the
association he had started with the line.
His son, Charles Sprarly, joined the
Company about 1899, and my only record
here is that he served for many years and
was Second Engineer of the old Vauban.
when he 'swallowed the anchor' in New
York, about 1919.
Captain Spratiy had two daughters and
one son. I am a son of his eldest daughter,
Irene. My mother made many trips with
her father, and very nearly joined him on
his last ill-fated one.
My eldest brother joined the firm in 1921
and served in various ships, including the
Meissonier, Phidias, and Plutarch, until he
too 'swallowed the anchor' in New York.
I myself joined the Meissonier in April
1926 (under Captain Turner) and the
Bernini in 1927 (Captain Pugh). On this
voyage I remember, in Buenos Aires, being
introduced to three portly, distinguished
looking gentlemen as 'Old Spratly's grandson'.
They all shook hands rather solemnly
- and then enquired after my mother! All
Lamport's Captains of that era (starting
with Captain Fisher, Marine Superintendent,
No 1 Shed Royal Albert Dock!)
seemed more interested in my mother than
in her son and I had to remember that
those (to me) elderly gentlemen were the
'Old Man's' officers during my mother's
voyages. She was very keen on the stars
and knew quite a bit about navigation!
During my research I found out that the
old Bernini was subsequently lost as the
Mount Dirfys on 26 December 1936, on
Frying Pan Shoals, whilst on a voyage from
Tranvacore to Wilmington, North
Carolina. I also served in the Marcono
under Captain George (of happy memory)
in 1936.
The uncrowned King
After the outbreak of war I met another of
the family who was an old Lamport's man
-my mother's cousin, Jack Edge, onetime
Chief Steward and then Ship's
Chandler at Santos. But when I returned
there after the war Jack Edge had passed
away. Nevertheless, I spent a happy
evening with some of his old friends,
throwing dice in a cafe in the main square,
and many were the tales they told of the
'uncrowned king of Santos'.
The continuity of the association remained
through 1949 and 1950, when I
served in the Byron (Captain Byrne) and
the Devis (Captain Sweeny). I then joined
Argentina Star and 'swallowed the anchor'
in 1951, settling in New Zealand before
coming to Australia in 1962.
I understand that a nephew has served
with Lamport's and with Blue Star in
recent years; al so that Captain Sprady's
younger daughter married into an old and
much-respected Liverpool family to
become a Mrs Lunt, a surname I note
among the present serving sea staff of
Lamport & Holt. So it might well be that
the association Captaih William Spratly
started in 1869, and which brought me
much happiness in the formative years of
my life, still continues.

The ever-growing share of world trade
carried by Soviet bloc vessels is now being
recognised as a serious danger to the wellbeing
and prosperity of all Western merchant
fieets. The 1l0n-corr&nercial practices of the
Eastern fieets are a threat to the livelihood
of everyone in British shipping. In order chat
Gangway readers may appreciate the facts,
we reprint here the recem statement by the
General Council of British Shipping.
Introduction
British shipping is a major national
industry. It provides a vital economic lifeline
for Britain. Any threat to its future
well-being can only be a threat to Britain
itself. Such a situation is now developing.
British shipping operates successfully in
the top league in an intensively competitive
international market because it is an
efficient industry with a modern and
technologically advanced fleet . And it earns
and saves substantial sums in foreign
exchange.
British shipping believes it can compete
effectively with all-corners on a basis of
fair competition. But its competitive ability
in many parts of the world is increasingly
threatened by severe rate-slashing and
other non-commercial practices of Eastern
Bloc merchant fleets, above all, the Russian
fleet.
Soviet lines are fixing freight rates
substantially below those charged by free
enterprise Western shipping lines including
the British. Rates of 20 and 25 per cent
below existing levels are widespread.
There is evidence that the Russians
present the greatest threat and that their
considerable new building programme
gives added cause for concern.
Russian fleet growth
The Russian merchant fleet has been
growing fast.
Ir now ranks sixth in the world. Eighteen
years ago it was away back in twenty-sixth
place.
And Russia has the largest conventional
cargo liner fieet in the world-6.9 million
gross registered tons in 1974. (British total
6.4 million grt.) _
The Russians have announced that by
1979 they will have a substantial volume of
large, modern and fast container or roll-on/
roll-off ships in service. It is reported
that at least some of these could have
speeds up to 36 knots and carry up to
2,500 20-foot containers.
The Eastern Bloc, according to 'Fairplay
International' and other sources, could
account for up to 20 per cent of all liner
tonnage on order. Most of this is for
Russian flag.
How and where, then, do
their extra liner ships find
employment?
The Soviet Union has a very limited deepsea
liner cargo trade of its own. Most of
the new ships they are building can therefore
only be used in cross-trades which are
already more than amply covered by
existing tonnage. So, they must continue
RED ENSIGN VE
to concentrate on trade other than their
own and very largely from/to Western
Europe, Japan and the USA.
Their principal method is to undercut
drastically the freight rates offree enterprise
Western shipping lines, including the
British.
The Russians also indulge in other noncommercial
practices which control the
routeing of their own national cargo by
stipulating the terms of sale-purchase.
How are they able to do this?
Because their fleet exists to serve state
policy, they are not subject to the commercial
disciplines of the West and have
quite different accounting systems.
The political and economic system in
Russia and other Eastern European
countries makes profitability irrelevant
compared with the dominant aim of
earning or saving foreign currency, as well
as political considerations.
They also discriminate in favour of their
own ships in their own trade. For example,
in 1973, as a result of cif/fob manipulations
by Soviet monopoly trading organisations,
UK ships carried only 15 per cent of all
UK exports to Russia (Soviet flag 82 per
cent) and only 5 per cent (Soviet flag 79
per cent) of UK imports, excluding iron
ore.
Bloc shipping companies are at liberty
to establish agencies under their own
control, and to solicit cargo, in most
Western and developing countries: ship-
.,!/!
/ . - •
owners of these countries have no
corresponding freedom in Bloc states.
Low wages for seamen give a substantial
cost-advantage to the Russians in operating
cargo and, especially, cruise ships in the
international market.
Officers and crews of the Russian
merchant fleet and navy are reported to be
regularly exchanged, with the naval budget
bearing a large proportion of merchant
fleet operating costs.
In some trades, by taking advantage of
their powerful state-supported bargaining
position, Bloc lines have secured conference
membership with substantial rights as
cross-traders, on occasion beyond the 20
per cent which even the UN Liner Code
Convention envisages as reasonable for
sharing amonst all cross-traders.
The rapid growth of the Soviet merchant
fleet is probably intended, as a first step, to
gain foreign currency.
But the coupling of economic and
strategic considerations is obvious and has
been recently re-stated in an East-German
shipping publication, 'Okonomie des Seetransports',
which says that socialist
shipping has a military-strategic objective
demanding a large and suitably structured
ocean-going merchant fleet.
Three dangers
A three-fold danger therefore confronts
British and Western shipping:
• World shipping is passing through a
•
Right: the Russian Ro-Ro ship Suurlaid in
lhe Thames estuary
(Photo ~O l,JrU: 5Y of Lamence Dunn)
12

SUS RED FLAG
difficult period because of a deep trade
recession. Our stake in world cargo liner
trade is bound to be eroded by substantial
concessions to developing countries, and
Bloc fleets already have considerable shares
in many trades. Any further inroads by
such lines will further impair the ability of
established lines in conferences to maintain
the level of their services.
• Rate-slashing, if allowed to continue,
will present an increasingly formidable
challenge : loss of freights, and inability of
conferences [0 maintain rates at adequate
levels because of Eastern Bloc undercutting,
will restrict future investment in
free enterprise shipping, and seafarers' jobs
could be put at risk. Meantime, Russian
and other Eastern Bloc fleets continue to
grow.
• The third danger arises from the
developing nature of the threat. If the
present trend of rate-cutting and fleet
expansion continues unchecked during the
next five years, Eastern Bloc shipping
could attain a dominant position in world
trades. Shippers might then lose the
traditional flexibility, adaptability and
guarantees of regular service, which British
and other lines provide; and there could be
severe and irreparable damage to UK
owned and registered ships which in 1974
contributed a net £789 million to the
balance of payments, plus a gross figure of
£381 million for import savings.
Some examples
Here are a few instances of the degree of
rate-slashing over a number of major
conference trade routes. These are only a
sample.
North Continent/St Lawrence and Great
Lakes and vice-versa-up to 25 per cent.
North Continent/West Coast South
America-up to 30 per cent.
UK/East Africa-up to 30 per cent.
North Continent/Australia-up to 40
per cent undercutting by Polish Ocean
Lines. The Baltic SSCo of Leningrad is a
conference member in this trade, and the
Bloc has the best of both worlds by its
freedom to operate both inside and outside
the conference.
Japan, Hong Kong, Philippines,
Singapore to and from West Coast of the
United States and Canada-up to 40 per
cent .
There have already been serious effects.
For example:
Did you knOW ?
THAT rate-slashing by the Russian Fesco
Line in recent years has disrupted several
trans-Pacific conferences?
THAT trades between Europe and
United States ports are being increasingly
infiltrated by Soviet lines, mostly as nonconference
operators? They already carry
12/ 13 per cent of the large trade both ways
between the Federal Republic of Germany
and the U nited States with relatively
••
inefficient and slow ships.
THAT whilst Eastern Bloc lines have
joined some liner conferences, Russian
shipping in particular operates mainly as
outsiders in world-wide cross-trades and
has 50 :50 bilateral arrangements with a
wide range of countries?
THAT the Russians as outsiders are
making a determined attempt to disrupt
the Europe/East Africa and M ozambique
trades? Their aim is to secure 30 per cent
of the U K outward and homeward traffic
at an early date.
THAT Eastern Bloc shipping companies
on the D anube have driven nearly all
Western shipping lines out by operating
cargo routeing controls, rate-slashing and
a freight rate freeze since 1955?
THAT the Odessa Ocean Line has com e
into operation as an outsider between UK/
North Continental ports and South East
Asia in both directions?
THAT the Europe/Far Eastern Freight
Conference faces two-pronged competition:
from the Odessa Ocean Line and
from the Trans-Siberian Railway?
Together these could undermine the commercial
viability of the whole organised
Western sea-tran sport system between
Western Europe and the Far East.
THAT by 1974 the conference lines in
the Far East/Europe trade both ways had
lost at least 7 per cent of their cargo volume
to the Trans-Siberian Railway?
Over-riding problem
The over-riding problem British and all
Western shipping faces with the Russian
and Eastern Bloc threat is not competition
but the nature an d source of the competition.
No amount of commercial
expertise can alone counter rate cuts on
such a scale.
Unless checked, West European trade
could come to depend increasingly on
Eastern Bloc tran sport within the next
five years.
The threat is not limited to sea transport.
Road haulage companies, railways, coastal
and inland waterway carriers are also
affected to varying degrees, and Bloc
pressures are increasing.
Reduced participation or elimination of
Western transport undertakings in serving
their national and international trades
could have much wider strategic as well as
commercial implications for the West. If
the Eastern Bloc gained a monopoly and
the opportunity to capitalise by raising
rates to whatever levels it chose, there is
little doubt that it would so act.
The way ahead
Satisfactory solutions to the threat could
be achieved by n egotiation. But if commercial
negotiation fails, we believe the
threat could only be averted if-
Western Governments, and other
Governments similarly minded, are prepared
to con sider concerted action against
un commercial Eastern Bloc practices.
and
Shippers sensibly evaluate the immediate
attraction of uSing Soviet cut rates
which will be only short-term and for
which a big longer-term price would have
to be paid.
The time for action is NOW.

Colonel U A Vowling was one of the wartime
evacuees who sailed from Singapore in 1942
aboard the 'Empire Star'. A letter to BSL
recalls the drama of the rescue operatioll alld
the bravery of tlfe ship's crew. t:t7e reprint
Colonel Dow/ing's letler~ the reply frolll
Captaill Dickers, alld a summary of the
episode based 011 the CompallY's Official
History:
Colonel Dowling's letter
Dear Sirs,
I am trying to trace the Company to
which Empire Star. a cargo boat, belonged.
The reason for the enquiry is that in a
recendy published book in the series
Famous Regimews, the exploits of Empire
Scar in the evacuation of Singapore in 1942
are referred to, but no mention is made of
the subsequent award to her gallant crew.
The author could not have known it.
Unfortunately, the notes I made at the
time Cl was one of the evacuees) were lost.
If, by any chance, the ship is/was yours, I
should be grateful if you could let me have
the wording of the citation and particulars
of the award. The book in question is a
history of Queen Alexandra's Royal Army
Nursing Corps. The omission could be
published in the Corps Gazette which is
circulated to retired members worldwide.
There are many survivors like myself, who
owe their lives to the endurance of the crew
of the Empire Star.
U A Dowling (Colonel Retd)
4 Maple Close
Barton-on-Sea, Hants
Captain Dickers' reply
Dear Colonel Dowling,
In answer to your enquiry regarding
Empire Star, she was indeed one of our
vessels and at that time was one of our
latest class of ship built especially for the
Dominion Refrigerated Trade and of very
advanced design and speed for those days,
a fact which was to cost us dearly, as our
vessels were in great demand for Malta
Convoys and, except for about a dozen
older vessels, invariably sailed independently.
I have enclosed the Master's Official
Report of the action, his eventual recommendations
for outstanding conduct and
the excerpts from our Company's Official
History covering the Singapore incident
and the later loss of Empire Star,. also two
photographs taken during the Singapore
trip.
Of the personnel mentioned in the two
recorded incidents, Captain S Capon,
Chief Engineer R F Francis, Chief Steward
C E Ribbons, Cadet R Perry, and Bosun
W Power were all lost as a result of enemy
action. As a further item of possible
interest to you, at the outbreak of war we
had a fleet of 38 vessels of 381,000 gross
tons of which we lost 29 ships totalling
309,390 gross tons and of personnel, 11
Masters, 47 Navigating Officers, 83
Engineers, 500 Ratings, 78 DEMS Gunners
and 272 Passengers. Incidentally, some of
the vessels lost were owned by the Ministry
of \Var Transport but managed and
manned by us.
Captain S A M Dickers
Blue Star Line Ltd
ESCAPE
FROI1
SINGAPORE
Empire Star survived three direcl hits
Evacuated lroops aboard Empire Stur Iille up for a we/come hot meal
14

The escape
The Japanese attack on Singapore began
on 6 February 1942. In the early hours of
12 February, the 10,800 ton Blue Star ship,
Empire Slar, commanded by Captain
Selwyn N Capon, with the Gorgon,
escorled by H M ships Durban and Kedah,
sailed from the city for Batavia with
evacuated military personnel and civilian
refugees.
Empire Star, already heavily loaded with
RAF equipment and stores, was a crowded
':ihip: according to her Master, she carried
some 2160 people, but this was probably
an under-estimate. This number included
35 children and 160 women, mainly nurses
of the 10th and 13th Australian General
Hospitals.
The convoy had only just cleared the
Durian Strait, just south of Singapore,
when six enemy dive-bombers came
hurtling down. The guns of all the ships
burst into action. On board Empire Star,
RAF gunners supplemented the vessel's
normal armament. One plane was brought
down, and splashed into the sea, disappearing
in a sparkle of red flame and a
pyre of curling black smoke. Another was
hit, and fled with smoke pouring from its
tail.
But the Japanese were determined ;
Empire Star sustained three direct hits,
which killed 14 people and severely
wounded 17 others, amongst them the
Second Officer, J D Golightly. \'

The artist at sea
"
CA Jackson, a BSL Chief Officer, took up
painting in 1964. At that time he was 4th
Officer of Scoccish Star and before beginning
his new hobby had never been very
interested in art or received any training.
He began by trying to copy paintings
which took his fancy, including many
famous canvasses by Van Gogh, Turner,
and Constable. Mc Jackson comments that
if they were alive today those famous
gentlemen would probably fail to see the
resemblance between their own works and
his copies!
Eventually he started to make his own
original paintings from photographs in
books and magazines, altering the colours
and subject matter to suit his requirements.
He still works from photographs today,
using black and white shots many of which
he takes himself with a view to using them
for paintings.
Prizes
In 1968 Mr Jackson entered a painting of
fishing boats in the Seafarers' Education
Service Art Competition and was surprised
and delighted to find that he had won
second prize. He has entered the competition
almost every year since then, collecting
another second, a third, and a first prize.
He tells us that the SES were instrumcntai
in developing his interest in painting. For
instance, when he was on a short regular
run to the UK he requested that books on
art be included in the ship's library; the
SES 'were always most generous and helpful
and sent me scores of beautiful books.'
011 the 'Ways'
During onc voyage on BI:enos Air:!s Star
the SES art tutor, Peter Knox, was a
passenger and gave tuition to anyone
interested in art. This was C A Jackson's
first encounter with a professional artist,
and he recalls that 'watching Peter Knox
work made me aware of my own severe
limitations.' However, he found it a great
help to have access to skilled tuition: 'many
of us aboard learned a great deal in the few
weeks that Peter was with us.'
CA Jackson is not a very prolific painter
and usually produces only two or three
pictures a year. A large percentage ofthese
go on the scrapheap, so he has made only
a small collection, even after 11 years of
painting. He has had a go at painting most
things, but his favourite subject has always
been small fishing boats. Recently, however,
Mr Jackson has taken an interest in
industrial subjects and has made a great
many photographs which he hopes to be
able to work into paintings at a later date.
While observing the construction of
A/ric Scar he hit upon the idea of making a
series of paintings illustrating this. He has
completed an oil sketch and two charcoal
drawings, but says that at his present rate
of progress the series will not be finished
until the turn of the century!
Answer to
'Which Ship?'
The ship is Celtic Star) lying at Taku Bar,
Yellow Sea, North China. She has JUSt
finished loading frozen eggs from the two
lighters. Sharp eyes may have spotted
Chinese characters on the side of one of
the lighters; they translate as 'Taku Tug
& Lighter Co Ltd.' The year is 1936.
Blue M ow
16

News from
Australia
Visitors
The preceding three months have been
rather quiet, W F La mbert of Blue Star
Port Lines, Wellington, NZ was our only
overseas visitor.
Office happenings
Barbara Kendrick has left us, and her
place at the book-keeping machine has
been taken by R ob yn Wal1ace.
Dor een Darga n of our Accounts
Department received a colourful bouquet
of flowers to mark 25-years' service with
Port Line, Joint Cargo Services, and Blue
Star L ine. DOfeen is an avid stamp
collector and regularly swaps Australian
stamps with her colleagues in the London
office.
The PorI of Brisbane slory
A little bit of history
Back in the early 18205 the Brits decided it
was time to establish a branch office away
from Sydney. They were particularly
interested in that big, empty hunk of
unknown land up North. They were concerned---or
so the story goes-that those
hordes of people in South East Asia might
sweep down and seize the land before they
could officially 'acquire' it for King and
Empire from the local population.
British diplomacy being what it was in
those days no one got around to telling the
aforesaid local population that there was
going to be a change in management. CA
mere technicality, old boy', one admiral
was heard to splutter.)
The bloke they sent north was named
Oxley. He was a product of the Royal Navy
and British to the yardarm. It showed
through in everything he did. For instance,
when he sailed into Moreton Bay he
automatically headed for the most inhospitable
spot for a settlement. He worked
on the premise that he probably wouldn't
have to live in the joint-so why should he
care?
High motives
With these high and mighty motives to
urge him ever forward, he spurned more
promising foreshore sites and bumped his
boat over the sand, mud and rock bars at
30 years old and still going srrong
One for the engineers
We found this British-built Lister twin
cylinder diesel engine at Mookerawa, near
Wellington, NSW. It was installed in 1946,
and has not required a single service or
repair during its 30-year life.
The unit is fixed permanently to a tree
fork which is then bolted to a concrete
foundation. It is a simple matter to free
the unit, whip a rope around the fork, and
tow it to a new location. The engine is
kept in constant use pumping water for
irrigation and milling timber.
the mouth of the Brisbane River and
resolutely headed upstream.
Oxley obviously came from the Nelson
school of thought, which held that 'if you
can't see it, it won't hurt you'. So, he
turned his back on the noise of rattling
spears and scorned the unwanted attention
of the swarms of flies, mosquitoes, sandflies,
and bities.
14 or 15 miles upstream, he ordered the
anchor to be tossed overboard, sent one of
the braver crew members ashore to hoist
the flag, and announced to the world:
'It's time for my afternoon tea. This is as
far as I bloody well go'.
The year was 1824 and Brisbane was on
the map!
The Port of Brisbane today
Today Brisbane is a major port of national
and international importance, with a population
rapidly approaching the one million
mark. I t is the capital of Queensland and
the third largest city in Australia.
Brisbane is about midway between the
northern (Cape York, Queensland) and
southern (South Cape, Tasmania) extremities
of Australia's eastern sea-board. The
climate is pleasant sub-tropical. A low
(winter) temperature would be 10°C, and
the maximum (s ummer) is usually about
2SoC to 29°C.
Early port facilities were established well
upstream, close to the heart of the growing
Ignition!
With valves lifted, the engine is swung
at a fair rate: at a call, the right cylinder is
given compression and invariably fires first
time. The left is then dropped in and away
she goes, with the operator disappearing
in a cloud of black smoke.
These engines are used far and wide
throughout Australia fo r many jobs, though
principally as a source of power in shearing
sheds. Surprisingly enough, even in the
heat of summer and after eight hours
continuous operation, the water tank
remains relatively cool at the intake level.
city. However, with each succeeding
generation, the port, its wharves, sheds,
and general facilities have edged further
downstream.
At the moment, the main port activity is
centred on the Hamilton and Bulimba
reaches ofthe river, about 15 km upstream.
Port limits embrace the whole of Moreton
Bay (about 2700 square km) and the
navigable waters of the rivers and creeks
communicating with it. The port is
managed and operated by the Port of
Brisbane D ivision of the Harbours and
Marine Department.
36 berths
There are 36 berths in the port, providing
about 5500 m of wharf frontage. These
wharves are mostly operated by private
companies and include 16 for general cargo,
a container terminal, three container/Ro
Ro terminals, seven for oil and petroleum
products, two for bulk handling of grain,
two fo r meat, one for cold storage, two for
chemicals and fertilisers, and two more for
repair work.
The port handles between 1300 and 1400
ships a year and total cargo movement is
increasing steadily. Blue Star Line ships
are frequent visitors. They service several
routes and are linked to important trade
partners and pacts, working under such
names as PACE, ACT A-ANL, and Blue
Star/Salen Reefe r. These services bring

Amanda Miller. a 66.000 dwt oi/ tanker. berths at the bulk oil pump-ollt wharf 011 the
Fisherman Islands
about 50 ships a year into Brisbane.
Largest dry dock
The port has the largest commercial dry
dock in Australia-Cairncross. The dock
can accommodate ships up to 85,000 dwt
(which is about 60,000 dwt more than
other commercial dry docks in the country).
The dockyard has just completed an
extensive expansion and modernisation
programme and is recognised as the leading
ship repair centre in Australia. With an
average of 2740 hours of sunshine a year
(that's 7-! hours a day) the local climate is
ideal for the painting of ships and general
maintenance work. A full range of workshop
facilities have been established inside
the dockyard gates.
So far, the biggest trading vessel to call
at Brisbane has been the 78,000 dwt oil
tanker, Amoco Yorktowll, berthing at the
Bulwer I sland wharf of the Amoco
Refinery. But it is not unlikely that even
bigger ships will call in the years ahead.
Big new development
The big news for the port of Brisbane is the
decision by the State Government to
accept in principle the basic proposal that
the Fisherman Islands, at the mouth of the
river, should be developed as a new port
site for the region. The move follows years
of study and investigation which confirmed
that thl! present river port has just about
reached the limit of its economic development.
A master plan is being prepared. Preliminary
estimates are that in the first ten
years about 850 million will be spent on
the development. Over 15 to 20 years the
total could be as much as S100 million.
It is hoped that the first wharf on the
islands will be completed early in 1978.
The Port of Brisbane will then be able to
accommodate general cargo and container
ships of up to 60,000 dwt. Extra depth will
be obtained by easy dredging and there
will be more than enough back-up land
available.
As part of the planning and preparation,
the Port of Brisbane General Manager,
Frank M Wilson, recently undertook a
world tour during which he spoke to the
top executives of 13 shipping lines in
order to assess their future requirements
from the port. Mr Wilson reports that he
was made very welcome everywhere and
that the proposals for the port's fmure
had created 'tremendous interest'.
Kiwi column
Retirements
Our best wishes to Captain F M Barton
who retired on 30 November 1975 after
having been at sea with Port Line for
a towl of 43 years. Since the formation of
the joint Management Company, Captain
Barton has continued to serve in our
integrated conventional service between
Europe and Australasia and will have been
a familiar figure to many of our branches
and agents throughout this area.
A function was held in Wellington
recently where his senior office colleagues
wished him well for the future. A small
presentation was made to him by Mr K H
Churchouse. We all wish Captain Barton
and his good lady a very long and happy
retirement.
We also extend our best wishes to
Mr J N Armstrong who retired from
the shipping Department of J E \Vatson
& Co, our Invercargill Agents, on 31
October 1975.
Norman, as he was well known to all
his many associates, spent his whole
working life of 48 years serving the
shipping industry, having started work
with the Union Steam Ship Company of
New Zealand in their Wellington Head
Office way back in 1927.
In 1938 he was transferred to
Invercargill, where he gained valuable
practical experience, particularly in the
Bluff-Melbourne trans-Tasman Service
that was then operating. He moved to J E
45 LONG TON
PORTAINER CRANE
(65TON HEAVY lifT)
CONTAINER BERTH
-
The Port of Brisbane offers the most comprehensive modem facilities. as t"is partial plan shows
18

Watson as their Shipping Manager in 1954,
thereby beginning what proved to be a
very happy and efficient representation of
both Blue Star and Port Line's interests.
In 1963, Norman and his wife Jessie
visited the UK, Scandinavia, South Africa,
and Australia as guests of Blue Star Line,
an experience he says he will never forgetand
one which proved of great value in his
work during the years to follow.
Norman is currently a Director and
Deputy Chairman of J E \X1atson and an
elected member of the Southland Harbour
Board and will continue in these positions
after his retirement. In addition, he will
still be looking for spare time [0 devote to
the Invercargill Orphans Choir, of which
he is both conductor and accompanist, and
also to take [0 the skies (he is the holder of
a private pilot's licence).
Norman recently travelled to Wellington,
accompanied by his wife, to attend a
function held in his honour with Senior
Management of Blueport and ACT. Mr K
H Church ouse presented him with a
watch, purchased from contributions
received from his colleagues throughout
New Zealand. We all wish Norman and
Jessie many years of happy retirement.
How cricket got its name
Sunday 1'f pecember 1975 turned out to be
a hot, sunny, tranquil day with most of the
local populace going about their peaceful
pursuits and taking full advantage of the
balmy atmosphere. I emphasise 'most',
for there was a band of characters on the
loose intent on doing battle, causing the
peace to be disturbed by the sounds of
splitting wickets and rending the air with
their fearsome blood-curdling cries of
'OWIZEE?' or, for the short of breath,
'OWZAT?!' Yes, the gentlemen of Blueport
were pitting their skills against their
contemporaries from ACT at the noble
game of cricket.
Blueporr was first to bat and made
steady progress thanks to a very fine halfcentury
from Captain John Mould, ably
supported by scores of 21 each from Mr D
1 Binnic and Martin Smith. The rest
of the team all swished purposefully to
avoid any 'ducks', and managed to add
valuable contributions to the scoreboard.
The last Blueporr wicket fell at 178, aided
by the consistency of the ACT bowlers
and their persistence in doing things in
duplicate: Don McKernan took two
wickets for four runs, Trevor Munro two
for eight, David Gill two for 14, and
David Newton two for 28.
Sheet-anchor
This consistency continued throughout
ACT's innings, and proved to be the
decisive factor in producing the required
number of runs. Peter Churchill and
Richard McKenzie both top-scored with
33, while the Captain, Bob Curtis, played
a sheet-anchor role to score 25 not out,
steering his side to victory at a time when
Blueport were really rampaging through
the wickets.
The outstanding bowlers for Blueport
were Mr D I Binnie, who spun out two
batsmen for no runs before spinning himself
out with a twisted knee, and Bill
Smith, who performed like a dervish just
captured from the bush, producing two
wides, one-no-ball and three wickets for
21 runs.
On the following Monday it was painfully
obvious how the game derived its
name, for most players were suffering from
twinges in JUSt about every part of the
anatomy that was designed to move. The
object of the game could easily have been
interpreted as 'if it moves--crick it!' Oh,
by the way, ACT won by just 1 wicket.
A firsl-class evening
On 19 December the Con 2 Club once
again held a highly successful Christmas
Party at the Wellington Overseas Passenger
Terminal. All ACT and Blueport staffmembers,
together with their partners,
were invited, as also were those evergreen
pensioners who continue to thrive in the
kind Wellington climate. There was
dancing for the energetic, followed by a
scrumptious Buffet Supper. A first-class
evening, throughly enjoyed by all.
Children's Chrislmas Parly
Numerous junior members of staff families,
including grandchildren, are convinced
that Father Christmas's Wellington pad is
on the fourth floor of the IBM Building.
The annual pilgrimage to this office took
place on 6 December. Excited children
(dragging their parents) took the lift to the
foyer, where they entered a darkened room
to view Batman, Micky Mouse, and
Donald Duck. Parents waited for their
children in the Luncheon Room where
they admired the wonderful spread of
chippies, peanuts, popcorn, sandwiches,
saveloys, and chocolate biscuits organised
by the Social Committee.
Peace reigned for an hour. Then, armed
with paper hats, trumpets, and whistles the
little darlings descended on the goodies
like a cloud of locusts.
To continue [he programme, a lolly
scramble lured them into the beautifully
decorated Santaland where they sat in
anticipation of the coming of Santa.
Heralded by a carol and a loud 'ha ho' the
genial gent arrived, warming up the
audience with his cheerful patter.
Santa sat down and called each child up
to receive a present. Some were timid,
some were brash, but all enjoyed the great
moment of sitting on his knee and receiving
the gift. But all too soon it was over, and
weary and worn the tired parents dragged
their excited charges home, clutching their
presents to their bosoms.
Resignation
Mr G D Cook has resigned from his
position as Branch Manager of our
Christchurch Office in order to devote his
full time to a private venture (which is not
connected with shipping).
Mr Cook has spent 30 years in the
Industry. He started with Parr Line as an
apprentice in 1946, came ashore in 1949,
and spent four years in London Head
Office. Then he moved to Wellington
where he served a further five years before
transferring to Christchurch.
Mr Cook was appointed Branch Manager
on the formation of a Blueport Office in
Christchurch in 1971. All his colleagues
throughout New Zealand wish him well in
his new venture.
Appointment
Mr P A Spratley has been appointed
Manager of Blueport's Christchurch
Branch with effect from 1 February 1976.
Mr Spratley joined Port Line in London
in 1958, gaining considerable experience in
both Inward and Outward Freight
Departments.
He was transferred to ACT in London
in 1968 and spent two years there, involved
with marketing activities, before emigrating
to New Zealand and joining
Blueport Auckland as a Marketing Officer.
He gained promotion to the position of
Marketing Manager in March 1975.
Birth
We congratulate Colin Elms (Chief
Officer Timaru Star) and his wife, Clare,
on the birth of thei son, Jonathan
Stephen, on 7 December 1975. Clare (nee
Bazalo) will be remembered by many in
Wellington Office where she used to work
as a private secretary.
19

Richards Bay - Soulh Africa's major new port
Springbok column
New agency appointment
Following a visit to Genoa by G G H
Jefferys in November, Compass Line have
been appointed Chief Representati ves for
Ignazio Messina of Genoa, Italy, for the
Republic of South Africa, South \Vest
Africa, Rhodesia, M alawi, and
Mozambique.
Messina Line operates a monthly service
in both directions between Mediterranean,
South African and Mozambique ports
within the Conference, and their port
agents (except at Beira) are Freight
Services.
From January onwards, Compass Line
(which is managed by Blue Star Line of
South Africa) will coordinate and control
the Messina Line Agency throughout the
area mentioned, and we are looking forward
with great enthusiasm to this new
responsibility.
Visitors
Mr and Mrs A G Cooper (Mr Cooper
retired from Blue Star Line in 1974 and
was well known over many years' service
as a Purser/Catering Officer) wi ll once
again be visiting South Africa to spend
about six weeks with Jean a n d Cecil
Crocker in Durban. Readers will recall
that the Coopers stayed with the Crackers
about a year ago.
Cecil Crocker is a regular contributor to
our house magazine and maintains contact
with his many friends in the company,
made over the best part of thirty years'
service with our Agents in South Africa.
Cecil's uncle was a Master with the
company many yea rs ago.
Departure
Derrick Newson, who has looked after
passenger bookings and travel in Cape
Town for several years and who was
previously with the Passenge r Department
in Lower Regent Street, left us in
November to return to the U K. Derrick
has become keenly interested in horticulture
in recent years and will soon
decide whether to continue in travel or
take up horticulture as a career. We are all
sorry to lose Derrick, but hope to see him
back in Cape Town in the not too distant
future.
Overseas holiday
Elfr ida E dmunds returned to Cape
Town in September after an extended
holiday in Europe and the U nited States
with her husband and daughter. Her visit
to London was reported in an earlier
edition of Gangway. She also called on
M r Ar chie Gilber t in San Francisco.
20
Rapidly taking shape on the East Coast of
South Africa, approximately 180 km to the
North of Durban, is Richards Bay, a
massive harbour and city development.
Only a few years ago, Richards Bay was a
flat Virgin stretch of seaboard, but in the
not too distant future it will rival the Port
of Durban itself. There will be a city of
over half-a-million people, providing
employment for thousands of africans from
the nearby Kwazulu Homeland.
The lagoon has twice the water area of
Durban harbour, and by effective planning
and optimum utilisation of the si te, more
facilities) longer quays, and deeper berths
than those in Durban Harbour can be
provided in a roughly equal area.
Export contracts
The Port Captain is established in office)
and the new coal appliance will be ready to
welcome the first vessel in April. Comracts
have already been signed for the export of
millions of tons of coal : the largest single
comract is with Japan for the delivery of
27 million tons of low ash coal over a
period of eleven years. Export contracts
have also been signed with France, Italy,
Germany, and the USA.
Originally, Richards Bay was designed
as a port for bulk traffic only, but it has
now been decided that general traffic will
also be handled there. The bulk traffic will
include bituminous coal, amhracite, coking
coal, petroleum products, sugar, maize,
alumina, chrome ore, and various other
minerals.
The overseas trade for bulk cargoes is
highly competitive, and fo reign markets
can only be obtained if raw materials can
be exported in bulk in large ships so as to
gain the advantage of reduced rates.
Because of this, the harbour will be dredged
to provide a depth of water of 19m, which
should be sufficient for ships of 150,000
tons deadweight; with further dredging to
a depth of 23m the harbour will be capable
of handling ships with a dead weight of up
to 250,000 tons.
Since harbour developments will take
place over several decades, there will, at
the beginning, be large undeveloped areas
of the bay. Should the need arise, and the
cost be justifiable, provision could even be
made to allow fo r ships of 300,000 tons
dead weight to enter the port. The hard
rock below the bay is mostly located at a
great depth so there would be no insurmountable
problems in providing the
necessary clearance for large ships. The
port could also be extended to the Western
portion of the lagoon at a later stage with
access gained by means of a suitable
opening.
To prevent any possible damage to
harbour workings from flood water, flowing
from higher ground areas into the undeveloped
part of [he lagoon, a drainage
system will be installed with outlets to the
sea. At present, the water level inside the
lagoon is hardly affected by tidal movements,
but once entrance works arc built
and the entrance channel is dredged the
level will naturall y rise and fall.
Olympic yacht course
When the harbour was planned, recreational
areas were not fo rgotten, and already
aquatic sports take place on the lagoon.
The total area available for aquatic sports
will be the size of an olympic yacht course
-and a yacht club has already been
formed.
Numerous factories are under construction,
and many companies have
already opened branches in Richards Bay.
\'\lork will begin shortly on a big hotel, and
large numbers of houses for employees are
also under construction. The township is
developing alongside the harbour, and it is
estimated that by 1980 40,000 persons will
be living in Richards Bay.
The city centre will be made up of three
large blocks, with commercial activi ty
centred on one block for the next 15
years or so while the other two blocks
accommodate service industri es, and municipal,
provincial, and administrative
activities. There will be a total integrated
shopping complex with approximately
18,000 square metres of selling space. The
problem of keeping traffic away from
pedestrians will be solved by building a
system of tunnels under each block for the
circulation of service trucks. There will be
a system of airconditioned malls leading
from the parking area to the heart of the
complex.
The first vessel will arrive in the new
harbour in April. The Richards Bay
development is just onc example of the
way South Africa is preparing for the
tremendous growth she expects to achi eve
during the next decade.
Cecil Crocker

~
iNews hom Ihe
Amazon
Visitors
John Nickels, General Manager of Booth
Line, paid a visit to the Amazon area in
November for discussions wim Agencias
M'undiais Management about the Booth
Line Service and associated matters. Mc
Nickels took the opportunity of holding
shipper functions in both Manaus and
Belem where he met the principle exporters
and importers in the Amazon basin. From
Belem he travelled (0 Rio de Janeiro for
various conference meetings, accompanied
by Robin BurDett, Vice-President of
Agendas Mundiais, and Freddy Tate,
General Manager of Cemil in Rio, who had
also been present at the discussions held
in. Manaus and Belem.
Phil COXOD of Cemil also paid a very
brief visit to Belem and Manaus. We hope
to see more of him in the future when our
respective Travel departments merge. It is
not very often that our colleagues from the
South venture North and we hope they
will come more often.
We also welcome Alao Stevens who has
joined us in Belem after spending a number
of years as Supercargo Engineer aboard
Atahualpa. Alan has taken up the position
of resident engineer of the Workshops (or
rather Estaleiro Padre Juliao) as we now
prefer to be known.
Robert Sulzberger arrived in Belem
on 13 November after a long trip down
from England. He travelled from New
York on the Booth Line vessel Gyrii, which
called at Miami, Rio Hiana, Guadeloupe,
Martinique, Castries, Vieux Fort, and
Barbados. Unfortunately, owing to visa
complications he had to discontinue his
voyage at Barbados and return to Miami
by air to complete all the necessary documentation
requirements for his entry into
Brazil.
He was successful in getting a two year
visa and completed the journey from Miami
to Belem by air; needless to say, he was
very much relieved when he finally arrived
and was glad to have a permanent roof over
his head once again. He has settled down
to his new way of life in Belem after
suffering from the usual new arrival
problems occasioned by change of environment
and different types of food.
David Bungard, Manager of the Belem
office, recently completed a onc week trip
to Porto Vclho in the Brazilian Province of
Rondonia, and Riberalta in Bolivia, to
investigate the facilities at those ports for
an anticipated large shipment of cargo to
Bolivia in the near future.
Macapa office
We are happy to report that construction
of our new office is now well under way
and that it should be ready by the beginning
of March. Although called the Macapa
office, the new office is in fact situated 25
kms away in the port of Santana, so we
shall be nearer to our work and life should
be easier for all concerned.
Manaus office
Our new office in Manaus should be ready
in August. Being on the 15th floor, the
view over the city and port is delightful.
The manager, George C larke, has already
moved into the new manager's residence
completed in November and appears to be
comfortably installed.
Sports News
Our five-a-side football team has taken full
advantage of the new sports centre and we
must congratulate Waldemir Carvalho
and Gilberto Sena for the work they have
put in organising tournaments. We are not
quite ready for the big time just yet, but
with further practice we hope to enter a
local minor league before very long.
Christmas party
19 December was a relatively quiet day
compared to our normal agency activity,
with only one grain ship in port together
with two American ocean-going tugs, so
there was nothing to interrupt the festive
atmosphere of our annual Christmas party.
This was the second year that the usual
routine of drinks and canapes served in the
office had been changed. As in 1974 we
reserved a section of a local Churrascaria
Bar-b-que, and the staff, together with
wives, husbands, or llamorados turned out
in full. The ambiente was light-hearted and
the food plentiful, with slices of succulent
meats served from huge joints on typical
barbeque swords, plenty of cold beer, or
wine if preferred, and ice cream made from
tropical fruits such as bacuri, capllacll, and
passion fruit. After dinner we had the
customary exchange of presents known as
amigo illvisivel (invisible friend) whereby
each member of staff buys a present for
some other member and the name of the
giver is not revealed. All in all, everyone
enjoyed themselves and it was a good
opening for the Christmas festivities the
following week. Not quite the 'Blue Star
Ball', but nevertheless a happy occasion
with a real family atmosphere.
For the record
Agencias Mundiais of Belem attended 206
vessels during 1975-any challengers?
Facts that astound the
visitor to Belem
The city of Belem was founded on 12
January 1616, not as a trading post or town
for exploiting the interior, but as an
operational base to be used for putting out
the English, Irish, and Dutch from the
Amazon. That accomplished, it became a
trading post and a town for exploiting the
interior.
Today Belem, the largest city of the
Amazon with a population of over 800,()(X),
successfully blends its colonial inheritance
with the airs of a modern city.
The caboclo who populate Para State's
interior (to many, authentic aborigines)
are a mixture of indian and white blood
that has not been re-mixed in over 250
years. 65 per cent of Para's population is
mixed indian and white blood; 15 per cent
is indian and black; 25 per cent is black
and white and only 5 per cent is considered
pure-Portuguese, English, Lebanese,
Japanese, German, American, Spanish,
I talian and others.
The term caboc/o, which for city
inhabitants describes native dwellers in
the interior, is used in turn by the caboclo
himself to describe an Indian.
The Amazon River is responsible for 20
per cent of the river water of the world and
from its mouth flows 3,400,000,000 gallons
per minute or 7,500,000 cubic feet per
second. Try to imagine that!
The giant piranha, five times larger than
its ferocious red cousin, is in fact, less
dangerous.
Brazil nuts are supposed to be one ofthe
most nutritious nuts in the world, coming
in third place after the Pecan and Walnut.
SlOp Press
South American Trade
We have reached agreement with Furness
Withy to work together in the South
American Trade. The UK-East Coast of
South America services of Lamport & Holt,
Blue Star Line, Royal Mail Line, and
Houlder Bros will be combined and
operated as a joint service. A Management
Committee from the two Groups, chaired
by Mr D A Barber, will supervise all
aspects of the servic! . The management of
the Blue Star South American service will
shortly be moving to Liverpool and Mr
\'(Iortley will be retiring,
21

Blue SIar line
AFRIC AMERICA ANDALUCIA AUCKLAND AVELONA AVILA
STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR
G Ferriday H K Dyer It Calabrase HO Windle R M Burns E J Jones
H N Owen OS Fforde G Murch G R Hcndcrson T C Black C Jackson
gj:r~ffice r
2nd Officer AS Whittard LA DcLczamcta GM Clarkc G W Gitau P F Lamb M S Clare
3rd Officer PM M oorc C E RebelJo N B Meek C E Gibson C P R Clarke S J Wadhwani
Deck Cadets R C Page: M T Tyson Grayson JGFBall M J Haincs R Wareing
P B Duwn I> W Newton J H Barwis O /T H A Robem P Dawson
arr A J Wilson
Chief Engineer Officer P Smith R Mclntosh OH Jones J G Stables FA M cKenzic o A Brown
2nd Engineer Officer A H Curry M J Boater T G Fontcr B R Hendricks RA Fletcher A Gough
3rd Engineer Officers K Doxford M Haig G J Mintcrn C I T owers L Pol itowicz o Woodhridge
C A Wynn
4th Engi.neer Officer J M FentOD A W Gadsden J 0 Manson WC Gilroy WE Adlard N A Cornford
5th Engineer Offi(!ers R J Czachcr A Cockram D A Winkworth P Cartcr I> K Bowdcn
ET G ray
Junior Engineer Officer P Watcher R Knox
Engineer Cadet. A S Watt RA McCann J A McCurry M K Dennington-
Holdrick
D McNab
I Donald
Chief Ref'rig. Engineer Officer J C Rendall D K Coils G E Harfonh W Lauglan R Boyd W L Stother
2nd ReCrll'. Engineer Officer
R G Puddicombe
C hief Electrical Officer J Crawford F Stutchbury J A Tobutt B McArdle J J W Masscy I Hamilton
2nd Electrical Offi(!er
RP Leary
Purser/Catering Officer S Oastur J Grace J Stretton B Bowler R Roud I' McPoland
Boaun A MacKinnon P Kelleu W Cruickshank N MacKenzie D Sh~herd
Carpenter P Holdroyd B Mills L Springtho r~ F Spencer M T d
Donkeyman H Swift R Bolstridgc M McLaughhn 1 McLellan A Foley
Mechanic.
A Hamilton
M McCleary
2nd Steward M Will, P Collins J Shel?herd A Gallagher J Segar
ChieC Cook P Czupronka J Donaghue H Blalr E Bolton R Buss
BRASllIA BUENOS AIRES CALIFORNIA CANTERBURY COLUMBIA FREMANTLE
STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR
D M McPhail R A Young J G King G D Easton o R Mackillop W G Jone$
ghf:(~ffi ce r
J R Webber J W Bottwood C l Mackillop M J McGilvray J F Rowe C J I>oulter
2nd Officer R A Cawthorne K hMoore 01 Wadlcy J R Moxom RH Foden J Franldin
3r d Officer K M Chester G H Wilson T > G reen T K Orrell R Hill I H Venables
Deck Cadets G A Browne P Barley l' G Lopes A Hillier C M A Nicholson L Mitchell
O/T P D Bennelt A Liuleton OfT A W Rcader G W J C larkc O/T M J O'Keeffe
O/T J B Peanon O/T S A Whittle O/T A Tibbotl
Orr P A Owen
Chief' Engineer Officer I Guild TO SCOll C W H Roc R Coult K W Goldsmith J Phillips
2nd Engineer Officer AB Dobbie H W Colliru A Wilkinson B Ashley R A Verity G Harrison
3rd Engineer Officer. R J Spencer RA Hjlls H B J Hay P E Catchpole J Adam C P Curry
J R C C larke
4th Engineer Officer. M Walker WO Evans J B MeCaIl M J Wilmot T Maxwell
M Seahill
5th En~neer Officer C R C Wilkie K R Spencer D R Heath A R Benstead M W Sturdy
Junior ngineer OfficerS A R Ounbar D Smilh G H Rawlings M J Calvard
G Yule
P C Jennings
Engineer Cadet. J B C Jones o W Francis P M Field
W A Crassley
G E Hookway
C hief' ReCrig. Engineer Officer LP Noble D Oalton J S E Sargeant K E Champ
2nd Refrig' Engineer Officer D W Turner
C hief' Electrical Officer D J Sellers R K Thomas J W Hind C Skellett DJ Rhead GC Smart
2nd E lectrical Officer
D McGregor D C Graham A E Mllhcr
Purser/Catering Officer A Illt" c inley G BurghalJ W Milligan J Hoopcr R Draper M HarJllnd
R08un K Karle C Button M Richmond G Chor[ton J Spinks
Carpenter R Surtees J KilIeen o Jeffery
Oonkeyrnan M Hodder A Folt J McGiven A McCormack A Musgrave
Mechanics A Stooks N Green A Dale G Curwcn J Campbell
D Robetts
2nd Steward M Savage F Holdroyd R O'Arcy D Grcen o Alkinson
Chief Cook Y Young Lok Hau A Baird G Jones E Green
GLADSTONE HALIFAX HOBART MONTREAL NEW YORK NEW ZEALAND
STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR
Captain OS Gilmour R J C McDonald J 0 White M J MacNeil D Newlin A J Cheshire
Chief Officer G E Round eR Mundy D Craddock D Barnieoat T J Burleton G H Saylc
2nd Officer K Wadia D G McNcil K O'Brien J Rogets S J Nichols T C Kclsey
:trd Officer R C Corfield N Shillito G Gillies A Lunn G P Sandhu D J Bclts
Deck Cadets J 0 WiIlis-Richards M M Goodfellow P C Jarvis M T Gaudion A Parker A M Ashton
H H Trom~rt o J Dawson RE Tallis
H J M cLuckic
E Moschllkis
0 11' G L rawford
O/T D R Johnston
OfT J S Gay ton
C hief Engineer Officer J F Anderson BM George A Carr W A BclJerby P Glecson M Barber
2nd Engineer Officer A J Kemp MS Bowen T P HoUey P A Petenon
T W Griftiths
3rd Engineer Officer , E ViDl~ R R Sinclair R Wells M Ste~g l es ~ ~~r5~~~lde R W Banks
4th Engineer Officer ) R Corkhill S Astorina L A Shah G E WaddelJ A V H Gulvin P N Osbornc
5th Engineer Officer P Blathwayt C Carter J Frost R M Turnbull A V Webb R Langford
Junior Engineer Officer C P Blackford A H Jamicson B I Rowlands D J Hall Z Jankowski
E n~inee r Cadet.
J Spanswick
Chief'Refrig Engineer Officer o T Whenray C Wheeler M GeevCll o I Corke , P Doogan
Chief Electrical Officer H E East ham J I'arry .I Lang R Bushel! I M Rawding J K Dale
2nd Electrical Officer T Man hall I D Cogdon
P u rser /Catering Officer E Weihs M l' hilpot J Humble H Plummer R Sibson M Svmes
Bosun o McKinnon G MacKinnon
Cart)enter C Donnelly W Niel
Donkeyman D McNeil A Whi te
Mechanic WKozak B Powis
2nd Steward J Roberts A Rice
C hieC Cook D Vary K MlIwson

Captain
Chief Officer
2nd Officer
3rd Officer
Deck Cadets
Chief Engineer Officer
2nd Engineer Officers
3rd Engineer Officer
4th Engineer Officer
5th Engineer Officer
6th Engineer Officer
Junior Engineer Officer
Engineer Cadets
Chief Refrig. Engineer Officer
Chief Electrical Officer
2nd Electrical Officer
Purser/Catering Officer
Bosun
Carpenter
Donkeym a n
Mechanics
2nd Steward
Chief Cook
ROCKHAMP-
TON STAR
W A Wilson
KO P yketl
P J Newton
o 199o
BM Campbel\
A J Ddaney
OfT R W Travis
OfT S M Ross
L A Hutchins
N Cobb
C A Grieve:
H HighfieJd
L A Matusic:wicz
J Suathdee
P B Smith
C M Kemp
HR Hughes
AT Mulhall
J Pollard
SOUTHLANO
STAR
E C Smith
I LMoist
A Osman
A I Middleton
RE Lough
o Hocking
GO W Wheat
J R Tarn
M Robinson
R S Lucas
BD Kilgour
o J Roberlson
RH Buswdl
B J Corrall
P Rauigan
A McGaskill
G Daw50n
J O'Riordon
A Brash
C Young
G Leith
TIMARU TOWNSVILLE ULSTER
STAR STAR STAR
G J R Bowden J G Reeve J R Howarth
C E Elms o J Jones
J H Meyrick M G D Sharif S G Willis
M J Selby
J Sarat Kumar
N J Brierley PC Mitchell OfT 0 P Webb
A T King OIT C B Manic O/T 0 R Morgan
R Berry W G Luney J J Ritchie
DC Cheyne G A Rutherford OM Marshall
M Fktchcr R W Taylor P D McMahon
J F Auld G K Pedder J M Kitney
K Groombridge OF Peck P 1 Arnon
o J Bconctt
R W Griffin J Charlton
W Bemard
G S Boume
R Gibson
K D Docwra
G H Goffe
W Duncalf
o Kennedy S Lasham
G Clarke
A Greaves
D Murray
D Stewart
W Evans
R Howell
R I'atrick
W Boxhall
C Lome
Captain
Chief Officer
2nd Officer
3rd Officer
Deck Cadets
Chier Engineer Officer
2nd Engineer Officers
3rd Engineer Officers
4th Engineer Officer
5th Engineer Officer
Junior Engineer Officer
Engineer Cadets
Chier Rerrig. Engineer Officer
Chier Electrical Officer
2nd Electrical Officer
Purser/Catering Officer
Bosun
Donkeyman
Mechanic
2nd Steward
Chief Cook
ACT I
G H Stubbings
I' Hurlock
M F Chinn
A L Stout
I S Black
A M Jenkins
J A Scon
K J Spratt
C R Scudamore
J A Hillary
D C Evan~
H R Cuttlcr
ER Boyd
P J L Stuart
T Scoles
PE Hoyland
D G Wilson
R Taylor
Moore
J McPhillips
R Richards
A McFadyen
I' Marcar
ACT IV
J Hutton
P Hollby
PM Bidawski
D Bourne
T R Hancock
W J Powel!
J B Shaw
D R Severn
CH Hunter
J E Taylor
E G Gibbs
J Porter
ACT V
A W Kinghom
JAHGray
PT Durham
J V Daymond
C G Burling
J A Dick
O fT M Daniels
G R Hall
H B Qng
J McClafferty
C Hawes
E S Edwards
A Forbes
B N Murphy
J H Conn
S G Poore
D W Robens
A Plummer
STARMAN
J Suddes
J E G Wilson
H Schuening
M Joschko
G Nerenberg
W Schrocler
A Spannfellner
S Rey-Rodrigue2;
H Mocseneder
Captain
Chief Officer
2nd Officer
3rd Officer
Chief Engineer Officer
2nd Engineer Officer
3rd Engineer Officers
4th Engineer Officer
Chief Electrical Officer
Purser/Catering Officer
BoOlh line
CLEMENT CUTHBERT
D A Norris J S Garrett
BA Chowdrey M J Locke
G N Steedman A M Nazim
G Thorburn
W l K Copland
A Barren A amen
Partridge J Rutherford
J McWiIliam G D Swaby
EA Thompson
M Marinovic
G Wade
J Graham
R Howell
W Bage
CVRIL
N F Sharp
N J BarT
AD Thompson
B Newberry
D Price
F Srinehcombe
G Copsey
D Marsden
1 G Smilh
R Evans

lamporl I Holl line
RAEBURN RAPHAEL ROMNEY RONSARO
J K Schofield R K BillOn E Slake J r J OOC$
g~f:;~ fficer
J H Mo

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