Orient City (3)

Comments from the forum - 1

Joining in Assab. I was instructed by RSL to join the Orient City at Assab, Eritrea in July 1965. As instructed, I sent my Discharge book and Seaman's Card (I didn't have a passport then) to the London Office so that they could obtain an entry visa.
When I arrived at the London Office, I was informed that they hadn't been able to get me a visa. Cardiff Office then told me to go to Ethiopia anyway and try and get a visa there. So off I went.
The flight went from London to Cairo (British Airways). After an 8 hour wait in Cairo I travelled on a Royal Ethiopian Airlines flight to Asmara on an old Boeing707. On arrival at Asmara, I had to spend nearly an hour trying to convince the Immigration Officer that my Discharge Book was my travel document. Eventually they agreed to give me a visa stamp in my Discharge Book, under pressure from the onging airline staff who were holding up the Assab flight for me.
The plane that took me to Assab was an old Second World War Dakota, which didn't fly very fast or very high. Most of the time on the flight was over desert and the plane was all over the sky due to thermals. People who know me, know that I am not the best sailor in the world. There was a lot vomitting going on, and I wasn't the only one.
On arriving at Assab Airport,just after noon (just a shack in the desert)I was met by the Agents Runner, who took me into Assab, a distance of over twenty miles, in an open jeep. By the time I reached Assab I was well cooked. On arriving at the Agents Office the Agent offered me a cold drink which I swallowed quickly, this gave me "Fireman's Cramp". Not very funny.
Eventually, I arrived aboard the ship which was loading salt for Japan. It took me quite a few days to acclimatise to the Red Sea temperatures.
The only people I remember aboard were Hary LLoyd-Evans was Master, the second eng was Bob Harris and the fourth eng was "big" John Walls from Falmouth. I joined as third eng. Trevor Graham-Russell. Posted on forum 8th March 2010.

I was 3/E on the trip on the Orient City 1965/6. From memory, the list of Officers were as follows:-
Master: Harry Lloyd-Evans, C/O: George Ellerby, 2/O: Dickie Vanner, 3/O: n/k, R/O: John Matthews ? , C/S Norman Parsell, C/E: John Dutton and Bertie Lester, 2/E: Willie Munro, 3/E: Trevor Graham-Russell, 4/E: Billy Young, J/E: Bill Tuttle, J/E: Bob Day, J/E: David Hayes, Elec: Ken Hampton,
cadet Phil Trott. Other Cadets not known.
The voyage was over ten months long and we paid off in Gibraltar as we were passing on our way to Karachi. We flew home on a BEA Comet from Gibraltar. Trevor Graham-Russell. Posted on forum 2nd November 2010.

For most of the voyage on the Orient City we were on charter to Central Gulf Line of New Orleans. We just kept going around the world loading and discharging general cargo. Some of the ports I remember were Penang, Port Swettenham, Singapore, Hongkong, Kaohsiung, Keelung,Japanese Ports, through the Panama Canal to Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, Jacksonville, Savannah, Baltimore then somewhere in New Jersey. After a few problems on the US East Coast, we were paid off at Gibraltar on our way around the world again. There were other ports, cant remember at the moment.
Somewhere along the way we loaded grain in Baltimore for India or Pakistan. Tha "old man" gave me a telling off for borrowing a forklift truck at the layby timber wharf.

On passage from Baltimore to India/Pakistan we came across the rowing boat "Puffin" with two British sailors aboard. They were trying to row across the Atlantic Ocean, they didn't make it. The boat was found capsized some where in the middle of the Atlantic. We gave them some supplies and a correct position, then we continued on our way. Trevor Graham-Russell. Posted on forum 16 December 2010.

Disclaimer: The statements on this page are the views of the person who posted them on the forum. The events took place many years ago and in most cases rely on those people's memories, and so we cannot guarantee the accuracy although every effort is made to check it.

Orient City. Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
Memories from RSL staff. Page No. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]