Post.....15, Somewhere on the Chinese coast.

We left H.K.as quietly as we sailed into the harbour in the evening dusk,
full ahead for a destination in China which until this day I don't know or can not remember the port of call.
All I know is that it was at night when we arrived,really cold,damp,rain and dark,.
I believe it was just a port of call for re-fuelling. maybe the oil was cheaper there.
Nobody that I know of went a shore, not even the passengers.
I spent a lot of my time in the engine room at this particular time,
It was warm and comfortable down there.
We left as quickly as we arrived, a stay of no more than 12 or 16 hours,the next port of call was Kobe in Japan.

Post 14.....Hong Kong

A 24 hour turn around in Darwin was ok with me, not really a tourist place in those days, but just a stopping off place for refuelling and provisions.

We left Darwin and headed straight up to Hong Kong, very cold and misty place, and I think I can use the words mysterious also.
We had a 5 day turn around here, the chinese flooded aboard, set up shop in the ships alleyways,and sold just about everything you could imagine.
I purchased to suits, made in 24 hours, and kept them for at least 3 years after that.
We had chinese in the engine room bilges, cleaning and painting,and smoking opium at the same time, at least I think it was opium.
While this was going on,there were chinese outside chipping and re painting the hull of the Chusan white, extraordinary sight to see, all these guys balancing on ropes hung down from the railings..
Surprisingly nobody fell into the water or got hurt.

I had several trips ashore with my fellow engineers, while off watch, we took the ferry to Kowloon and toured the red light district of clubs and pubs and beautiful girls.
My eyes were opened wide on this visit, but sorry no details..
All in all, Hong Kong was my first visit to the far east, and I remember it today, as clear as it was in 1967.

A great visit, then we upped anchor and left, destination CHINA,

Post 13.....

We headed out to the great blue leaving circular quay behind, I was off watch and at the stern of the Chusan, so I saw the Sydney harbour bridge get smaller and smaller as we sailed away from Sydney.
Our next port off call was Auckland,New Zealand.
From there we went to Fiji in Samoa and up to Darwin, Australia.

This was a very dry and desertless place,
I through an apple in the sea water,it was devoured by fish in a matter of seconds, scary thought if you decided to go for a swim.

post 12.....Just returned from Sydney

We have just returned from our visit to Sydney,the last visit was over 40 years ago,
when SS Chusan called into circular quay and stayed for 6 days on a short maintenance period to take on supplies and passengers.
Wow!!, What a beautiful city, so many changes and modernization over the last 40 years.
Peter Doyle's restaurant on circular quay, at the foot of Sydney Harbour bridge was my favourite restaurant of all the restaurants that we dined in , super food at a reasonable prices, bravo Peter..
We found Darling Harbour, not only a beautiful family corner, but a very friendly tourist area with so many things to see, with a very high quality of restaurants of different types of cuisine.
A plus, was the things to do, to see, we loved the harbour movements with the ferries and cruises,darling harbour to circular quay and visa versa, is my favourite, under the bridge,the smell of sea air and the magnificent views,..
Bravo Australia !!!!.
Sydney, I like you, a city you are, a city that talks,
A city of the old ways and a city of our new modern ways.
You won me over and I,we, will come again, soon I hope...............

But now I must return to my younger days of 1967, and complete my voyage.

Part 11..... Sydney, half way point.

It's funny, but today I leave for Sydney,7th February 2010,
In 1967, it was my 1st visit there.

From Melbourne to Sydney Harbour (Circular Quay)was a very calm an uneventful journey of a few days.
It was a pleasure to see,also a pleasure to leave.

I will be spending a few days in Sydney so I will hold my conversation until I get back, surprises are waiting for me,that I am sure.
40 years and more after my 1st visit, the changes must be enormous.
So let's go on vacation!!.

Part 10.....Arrival at Melbourne.

The bay of Melbourne was huge, we docked like we do in most other ports.
This time I had shore leave and managed a trip around Melbourne city with some guys who were working the same watch as I.

What I always remember about Melbourne, even today, is the old train from the port to the city boundary.
This was an old train with hard wooden seats,a sight which was really from the old days, the colonial days, but this was my view and picture in 1967.
I wonder if it's still there?.
Also I remember walking through the shopping centers to adjoining shops across the high streets by overhead enclosed walk ways, unusual for me to see this, as it did not exist in the UK at this time, 1967.
We,as young guys checked out the local bars, but no heavy drinking, watch keeping and work were the order of the day and waiting for us on our return.
Not much to say about Melbourne, just that it was a very large city,very busy,and really Australian, real nice place.
I know we did a lot more things and saw a lot more, but I just can't remember at this moment in time,never mind ..

Part 9.....Well talked about Australia.

Little did I know, but this huge great Continent as the World knows as Aussie today, would be come a great talking point in my life, and in fact change my life.

We left Perth under blazing sunshine (en route) for Adelaide, a few days at sea, 'getting to know you time' with the new embarked passengers, some for a short trip, others going back to Southampton ,England.

We arrived at Adelaide, with an approx. 24 hour layover, disembarkation, embarkation was the order of the day.
No shore leave, so I didn't get to see this city, just the same it had
a very dominant Colonial look about her.
We sailed from Adelaide the next day for Melbourne where we would stay for about 3 days.
Maybe here I will get the chance to visit another part of AUSSIE.

All these 18th century sailors, world conquerors, James Cook being the number 1 in the English Language.
These times must have been fantastic, not knowing what to expect, eat, see, the people they would meet,(hostile or non hostile).
I did not actually feel like they did, but the excitement and curiosity was there for me, each time we arrived at another Port or destination that had been discovered by our predecessors.
They also sailed all this way in small WOODEN galleons or ships with wind sails...
Fantastic achievements when you consider the distance, time it takes today, and the weather changes.
Not forgetting the Academics of those days, who thought the world was FLAT.

We approached our destination, Melbourne, first visit for me, I am not James Cook, or a Captain, just a young man, satisfying his adventurous needs,
And this first trip at sea for me is certainly adventurous and far from over.

Part 8..... Perth, a quick visit.

We pulled along side the Quay.
The mooring ropes were quickly handled and looped around the monstrous dual mooring bollards, found all along the quay, every 20 yards or so.
I could see the tall buildings of Perth in the distance, but unfortunately, I had very little shore side leave to visit Perth on this trip.

Although I managed to have a quick visit and walk around, I do remember Perth as being a very clean and beautiful city.
These are my words of how I saw the city in 1967.
Today, I imagine Perth as a huge beautiful sprawled out city, which yet I have to return and confirm my words.
Passengers disembarked here and Chusan took on more passengers for Sydney and various other ports.
SS Chusan took on provisions, fuel oil, so she could continue on her way to Sydney,
Next port of call.Adelaide..

Part 7.....The long haul towards Perth

After our visit to South Africa, Chusan sailed for Perth on the Western Australian Coast.
This is approximately an 8-10 days sailing, plenty of time to get to know the passengers,on board ship activity's, sun permitting if the activity's were outside on the various levels of ships decks.
For ourselves as Engineers, it was the ideal opportunity to shut down and do some minor maintenance on units that could be isolated or were not being used.

This distance from one Continent to another was, as I found in my trips to follow,
long and boring, especially if the weather was not favourable for shipboard activity's.
I remember this time well, for reading, studying, catching up on sleep, socialising, partying, just generally passing the days away until we arrived at Perth.

I must say that there were always the dolphins/porpoises that followed us, either side of the Chusans Bow (front end).
This was quite remarkable to see and gave me great pleasure, (being a person who appreciates natures in all it's wonderful, marvellous forms).

At the end of our 9th day at sea, I was off watch, late evening, I could could see in the distance, as dark as it was, shore lights.
This I thought, was the West Australian Coast and my first visit down under, (As it is known to us Pommy's).
Welcome to Perth, Paradise state of Australia, I have heard people say............

Part 6..... Capetown, South Africa

Table Top Mountain stares right down at you when you are at birth along the quayside, as flat as the postcards show it to be.
South Africa, I am here, you are as beautiful as everybody tells me you are, very scenic and very " grandiose ".
Well I managed to get some shore side time here, not much but enough for Capetown to make it's impression on me!!.
I went ashore with some of the other officers on the same watch as I.
We were all very curious to see this very well talked about country, if I remember correctly, it was President Jozua Francois Naudet who was in power at this time,I believe, (1967-1968).


The very first thing we noticed was the awful reality of what Apartheid was all about.
Seat benches, shops, train station quays, walk ways, bars, you name it....
For blacks only................Ditto for..............Whites only..
This shocked me coming from a democratic country ie: United Kingdom.

Ignoring what we saw, we looked, registered many thing mentally, but continued our walk around the city.
We visited the Park at the end of the main street,very interesting. I fed large numbers of tree squirrels there, cute little critters.
As a tourist visiting Capetown, my thoughts were deep. I couldn't live here, you could feel the civil tension in the air around you.
What if we made conversation with the blacks or coloured people as we know them today?
What would happen to us, it's hardly worth thinking about, you just don't do it.
Beautiful city, spoilt by inhuman Politics or Policies.................
That's my thoughts.

I managed to get to the top of Tabletop Mountain, by cable car, only to find it was not at all flat, but scattered with very large Boulders, so we went into the restaurant for a nice cup of tea and a sandwich, as every fine young Englishman should do.
An check out the scenery down below , after a nice "cuppa" from the local view point.

I think we were in Capetown for at least 2 days, refuelling,taking on provisions etc.
I had been perturbed a little about what I had seen here,
I did not like what I SAW IN FACT..
Segregation, in it's purest form, disgusting and inhuman...............
I thought about this a lot for a few days,,
Especially when we sailed for Durban and Port Elizabeth, where in fact I did not go ashore because of this Apartheid policy..

Part 5.....Crossing the Line Ceremony

En route to South Africa, means crossing the Equator, and that means fun for passengers if it's their first time..
Magical moments for children and adults to meet King Neptune, Master and Keeper of the High seas.
Which consists of a shaving, soapy suds and all, with a dipping and inauguration into the ships swimming pool, fun for all, including myself as it was my first time also.
The ships entertainment, 1st and 2nd class, were of high standard, especially as we were heading into the Southern Hemisphere , where the weather is of summertime temperatures.
Good entertainment all round, inside as well as outside on the decks.

My responsibility's as a junior engineer, were going well,
I was learning to handle the situation and responsibility I had been given to the best of my ability.
That's to say, as yet,no complaints from my Superior Officer.

So we continued to sail southward to Cape Town, 5 to 6 days at sea,
The ocean was calm, so no sea sickness felt by myself recently, although I have to be honest, I felt rough going across the Bay of Biscay where it's said, that many seas,oceans. meet and that's why this area is always fairly rough.

Part 4.....Disappointed

After a few days sailing, we arrived at Dakar, excited and curious, it was my first visit to Africa.
When we were tied up at the quay. I was fortunately off watch, so I took the time to go ashore and investigate, "AFRICA."

Well, to be honest I can not remember very much, so my first impressions must have been very disappointing, I do remember my shore side visit was short and very quick.
The quay was full of merchants selling wooden carvings etc, A tourist rip off if I had ever seen one.

In 1967, Dakar, as I found her, was very dirty, hardly any vehicles, dirty streets, not at all the place for a tourist drop off.
But for those people, like my self, it showed another part of the world that I had not seen before,
A very disappointing view.
I remember seeing the poverty in town, dilapidated buildings and all needing renovation, or a coat of paint, white seemed to be the colour of the day.

My visit was short so I returned to the ship for a shower and my next watch.
So Chusan left Dakar with her tourists some happy some disallusioned, I assume, like my self.
We left port about 12 hours after we arrived.
The next port of call being, Cape Town.

Part 3.....Southward Bound

Bunkering ( Refuelling Finished ) we left Cherbourg in the early hours and out into open sea, across the Bay of Biscay, known for it's hatred of ships.
In fact, the crossing was relatively calm and there was a call for Captains Cocktails, for all passengers,1st class one evening, 2nd class the following evening.
This was to welcome the passengers on board, those who embarked at Southampton and Cherbourg.

We as Officers, young, old, with or without seniority, queued up to be introduced to a family or individual passengers.
Known as, ( getting to know you )...........
My experience from this first Captains Cocktail party, happened to be a very nice family, mother, father and if I remember correctly 2 young daughters.

I was ushered over by a purser at the entrance of the ballroom, to meet the family, and then led away to a free spot on the dance hall area, where we were immediately approached by a waiter
offering drinks and nourishment of all kinds.
What so special about this meeting, is the following.

'' Pleased to meet you Sir, my name is Appleby, David Appleby", he said to me, priceless words I have never forgotten.
The very first time I had been called 'Sir', and the very first time I had met a complete stranger with his family, who, I found very interesting.
He explained to me everything about a simple coat hanger!!!. ( he designed them, all sorts!! )..
Mr David Appleby was taking his family on a world cruise, and a most interesting thing happened on board another ship that I was on with regards to this family, that I will explain later on.

I completed my first two Captains Cocktail party's, with a slight ignorance and inferiority, because of my young age, (21 years, approx. ) but I learnt many things during these few hours about human relationships.
Memories, never forgotten !!!

Chusan was en route for DAKAR,, our first call on the African Continent..................
Yes Sir, my very first visit to Africa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Part 2.....Sydney here I come

I think I was on board 2 days, then SS Chusan released her self from the Quayside, assisted by Tugs, pulling her into the middle of Estuary, then down to the English Channel towards the Isle of Wight.

During the 2 days at quay, I familiarized myself with the Refrigeration department, deep down in the ships Belly, underneath the cold stores,
This was divide into 2 sections, the first contained 2 enormous centrifugal steam turbine compressors, in which we used freon 22, a liquid gas used for refrigeration.
In the second section was around 6 V block compressors, motor driven, in which we used freon 12, also a liquid gas used for refrigeration.
We generated, cool air for the numerous cold rooms also for Chusans air conditioning system.

I was leaving Southampton on the 8-12 watch, In which I would hold until we arrived at Sydney.
This was not the ideal watch for socializing, as an Engineer Officer, we were permitted to go on decks, 1st as well as 2nd class to mix with the passengers.
But, being my very first trip, Deep Sea, One can expect this...............the 8-12 watch was the social life killer.
Work and sleep mostly, but that was OK, I expected this, seniority will come over time, then there will be another young Officer doing the social life killer watch, ie: 8-12.

I really don't want to go into detail about the work I did while on watch ( boring), but I remember the time as being very satisfying, also very hot and the 4 hours that each watch consisted of, passed very quickly.

Our first port of call was Cherbourg, this is where we did the (Bunkering) take on the fuel oil for the burners which heat the main Boilers, plus mail, food, freight etc.

This layover is normally around 24 hours, but maybe shorter in some other calls.

Southampton to Cherbourg was just a few hours sea time, but my dream was becoming a reality, soon the Deep Blue, en route to Capetown, South Africa,, WOW ,,,

Part 1..... How it Begun

I had arrived at the ripe young age of mid 20's and all that came to my mind was,
( Now move on )..
My apprenticeship was behind me, 5 years in her Majesty's Royal Dockyard,(Portsmouth,UK. ) learning my chosen trade for, hopefully, a bright future, ( Marine Engineer, Fitter/Turner ).
This is the field of study I undertook, working in the classroom, also on Destroyers,Frigates,Submarines,Tugs, basically anything that floated on water.

It was mid Summer 1967, I wrote to and contacted P&O Lines, London, a major world wide passenger and cargo shipping company.
With the hope of being selected and hired as a young Engineer Officer.

### This all started around the age of 15 years, when the very popular film ( Mutiny on the Bounty ) starring Marlon Brando who played Fletcher Christian, was showing in most cinemas in the UK.
I went to see this film every night during it's showing in Portsmouth, it was at this moment in time that my decision was made, my wanted career chosen, to put it in other words.

Seeing all these young beautiful bare breasted Tahitian girls infatuated me as a young man, at the time not realising that this was a Hollywood style Movie.
I had to go there and see the Island, Hence, Find a ship !!!!.###

After many interviews, medical, I was hired by P&O as a 3rd Refrigeration Engineer an appointed to SS CHUSAN a white hulled passenger ship with a very large yellow funnel.
I spent 2 Weeks running around specialised Tailor shops, who sole intention was to equip' you with everything Naval, a uniform down to buttons and badges, blues and whites.
Eventually, equipped and ready to go, I arrived at Southampton Port, passed the security guy guarding the entrance gates, and made my way down the Quay.
Look at these monsters, I thought, these ships all looked like overgrown Swans,WOW.

SS ORCADES, she was the first in line, SS ARCADIA followed, SS ORIANA the newest and latest in the P&O fleet, now she was beautiful with a very sexy rear end ( STERN VIEW ).
Then, there I was, as the foot of the gang plank of SS CHUSAN, my very first passenger ship.
Beautiful in her own right but not as nice as the Oriana, well ( BEGGARS CAN'T BE CHOOSERS AS WE SAY ).
I hauled my suitcase aboard, presented my self to the Master in Arms and then I was directed to the Chief Engineers cabin.
After a short discussion with the Chief, I was appointed my cabin, told to settle in and when ready, report to the Chief Refrigeration Engineer.
My cabin was about 4 yards long and 3 yards wide with an alley leading to a porthole and wash basin etc, isolated by a heavy drop down curtain.
A cupboard, bed, bunk type ! but comfortable and quite large, a large chest of draws by the side of it, which was also convenient as a high bedside table.
One chair and table.
This was going to be my world for the next 7 months.. as I had previously been told we were to visit at least 70 ports from leaving Southampton in September 1967 and arriving back in Southampton in April 1968.
All I had to do now was see the Chief Refrig Eng' find out what my duties are and what roster or shift I would be working from Southampton to Sydney.
Then ..............................This is it...........May my life commence....