Indian City (4)

Comments from the forum - 2

I was the R/O on the Indian City for two trips in the early seventies, accompanied by my wife Elaine. Does anybody remember us? We were on board during the ship's conversion to a car carrier in Hamburg, followed by several trips between Japan and the USA carrying mostly Datsun 240Z sports cars one way and coal the other. I could write a book about our time on board. One incident which comes to mind concerns one evening when I was showing a movie. We were sailing across the Pacific in a very steep swell, I was desperately trying to keep the projector upright. We hit a particularly nasty wave and suddenly there were chairs, bodies and glasses flying in all directions. I ended up grasping the projector which was still rovolving and by now illuminating the deckhead. Everybody rushed over to the C/E (Bob Chambers) who was lying motionless in the corner, glass of beer in hand. Don't worry boys, he said, I haven't spilled a drop. Andy Vost. Posted on forum 8th April 2011.

I have been visiting my family today and Andy you are remembered by my wife and two children who accompanied us and Elaine on the trip to Brazil.
After the conversion in Hamburg during one of the coldest winters sailing in January on the Sanko time-charter - do you remember receiving a message informing Evan Warmsley that he had passed his Masters Certificate as he was sailing as an additional Second Officer on board. Griff Jones. Posted on forum 8th April 2011.

What a wonderful surprise to hear from you Captain Jones. Please convey my very best wishes to your delightful wife and children. As you will remember Elaine and I were just married when we joined the Indian City, and so it was a honeymoon trip for us and a very enjoyable one at that. Next month we celebrate our ruby wedding anniversary. Doesn't time fly?  After we paid off the Indian, I decided to work closer to home for a while, and secured a job on the ferries.  In due course we had children of our own, (one of each), who have now flown the nest.  Life at sea continued for me, with various companies until the dreaded INMARSAT took over completely, and I finally retired from the sea in 1998. I'm afraid I cannot remember the telegram you mentioned but I imagine the news was a good excuse for one of our many celebrations! I have some photos of the trip which I hope to be able to post in due course. I'm sure that we will be in contact again in the future. Andy Vost. Posted on forum 12th April 2011.

Sailed with Robbie Bell on my first trip as Senior R/O on the Indian City. According to the RSL newsletters Jackie was still onboard the Indian on 4th November that year well after we paid off in Providence on October 1st. He disappears from the crew list on 4th December

I remember the end of that trip very well as we were delayed arriving at Providence due to engine and gyro compass problems. It was my 21st birthday 2 days before we arrived in Providence and a few of the engineers knocked up a plaque with a large key on it, it still resides in my loft to this day some 36 years later. Thought you might be interested in the full crew list for that voyage as follows:
Captain J. Vaughan, C/Off E.W. Walmsley, Snr 2/Off D.J.A. Nicholl, 2/Off J. Ashley, 3/Off S.P. Hodges, R/O M.W. Savory, C/Eng M.E. Rayner, 2/Eng R.U. Bell, Jun 2/Eng J.D. Chatten, 3/Eng A.W. Warburton, 4/Eng N.G. Whitby, Jun/Eng L.R. Gale, W. Blunt and C.C. French, Elec K.W.G. Hampton 2nd/Elec T. Moore, C/Stwd F.W. Lever, Deck Cadets M.J. Voisey, T.S. Lawrence and S.R. Breedon. Spares Supers P.W. Evans and R.A. Peach. Mike Savory. Posted on forum 23rd June 2011.

I was J4 and then 4th Eng on the Indian doing a 12 month trip either side of the Hamburg conversion. I wish I could help with details of the work done but with the Elbe Tunnel and St Pauli so close to the B&V yard,,, the two months work seem to be shrouded in a bit of a mist.
I was not intimately involved with the deck work anyway as there was plenty to keep me busy in the engine room,,,we took the opportunity of doing a lot of work during the conversion, and that was one of the reasons for me doing a double trip,, it was going to be a relatively easy trip.
The memory of taking Fuel bunkers before we left Hamburg will stay with me always,,,, it was a fearsomely cold winter on the Elbe and the ice-flows jamming with the incoming tide kept the bunker barge on the wrong side for a week. By the time the oil arrived alongside it was well chilled and I couldn't sound the heavy as it was piling up inside the tanks,,,,,,, so I had to take the hatches off to watch it heave in!!! 12 hours I was on deck,, I've never been so cold before or since. When it was done,,, a Deck Officer and I easily polished off the cottage pie that the cook had mistakenly made for 8 men.
Do you remember the storm when crossing the Atlantic from Hamburg???? force 12 as I remember ,, and the steam heating pipes to the forward heavy tanks split inside the tanks and inside the pipe tunnel allowing about ten tons of heavy to lollop down the tunnel to the engine room door before anybody noticed. An attempt was made to dismantle the pipework and drain the tunnel mid-Atlantic during the storm but the work had to be completed by a shore crew. I remember working in the oil soaked tunnel watching the long row of bulkhead lights rippling as the ship flexed in the heavy sea. It might have been about that time that I started wondering about my future in the MN. Julian Rockey. Posted on forum 7th September 2011.

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.

Indian City Page No. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Memories from RSL staff. Page No. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]