The photo in the article from the Belfast paper about the “Princess Victoria” is the after end of the coastal tanker “Pass of Drumochter” and the lifeboat in the water was survivors of the sinking as can be seen the tanker still had both lifeboats in the davits a real tragedy I was at school when this made the news and it was shown on Pathe News at the flicks
Thanks Derf for the Pride photo.
You’ll, if you so wish, be able to follow her breaking on the Dover Ferry Photos site. If I get my hands on any which are not copywrite I’ll post them here.
Such a sad end for a ship I sailed on in her first week of service.
backsplice:
The photo in the article from the Belfast paper about the “Princess Victoria” is the after end of the coastal tanker “Pass of Drumochter” and the lifeboat in the water was survivors of the sinking as can be seen the tanker still had both lifeboats in the davits a real tragedy I was at school when this made the news and it was shown on Pathe News at the flicks
After Wheelnut’s useful deduction I looked up Pass of Drumochter and discovered a lot more Passes( 
), but no sinkings.
Are you saying, Backsplice, that she came to the aid of the Princess Victoria and that that was one of the latter’s lifeboats?
Still a bit of bungle by the ‘Telegraph’ though.
I was still at school too, but no telly, no flicks for us, I was at boarding school. We had to make our own entertainment. Illicit girls in the spinney 
We were upmarket- we had a bike shed!
Pat Hasler:
Wheel Nut:
I am looking forward to hearing more sea man tales. I love ships, seas and sailing and believe I could have been at sea in a former life.I used to think the Townsend boats from Felixstowe were the epitome of maritime luxury
Here’s a tale for you Wheel nut
When I worked for Fed Ex I entered into my second marriage in 1990 and decided to go on a sort of honeymoon to Jersey, only problem was that being the huge fan of alcohol I was, along with a few others on the team including the general manager for Fed Ex Systemline UK they nearly all decided to come on my honeymoon with me
Hop Scotch’s words when we set foot on land once more ! … “I’ll never get on a f*****g ship again”
By all accounts the old Queen Mary had a reputation for rolling and coming back again that could beat just about anything else afloat.
Carryfast:
By all accounts the old Queen Mary had a reputation for rolling and coming back again that could beat just about anything else afloat.
She didn’t roll much when I was on her - she pitched, and how.
The Mary was my 2nd ship. I had deserted my normal ‘Pool’, Prescott St. in London and registered at Southampton, staying with my Auntie Beryl while I waited for a Castle boat berth to come up. I had long wanted to visit South Africa. Union Castle had me ‘working by’, labouring on their ships in dock and I was on an unusual one. The Reina del Mar was white hulled, not the normal mauve, but there wasn’t a berth for me when she sailed.
I was taking it easy at ‘home’ one morning when there was a phone call from the Pool, how quickly could I get down to the dock? The Mary was sailing and they were one short. I was soon on the quay looking up at this enormous ship. Close up it looked like a block of flats. My berth was in a foc’sle head cabin (she was a very old ship 
) deep down below the water line with about 4 or 5 other blokes.
We were up on deck to cast off, and that was the last I saw of the outside world till I got to New York. The storm hit us almost immediately and continued unrelenting the whole way. My dimming memory tells me it was 10 days, or perhaps it just seemed like it. The front end of the ship where we were just went up and down without pause, pivoting on the centre of the ship. When she went up it was just like being in an extra fast skyscraper lift, our legs were compressed into the deck. I sympathised with fighter pilots and astronauts subjected to enormous G forces. When she went down we were in the same lift, but this time almost weightless, our feet barely touching the deck. The reason we were battened down was because she dipped her nose into every wave which washed with violence over the foc’sle head.
I have been seasick 3 times in my life. This was the first, and the least embarrassing because I was in very good company. I spent most of the voyage sugeying (spelling(?), I have never seen it in print) the bulkheads. Washing the walls of the accommodation down. I had a bucket with water and sugey (liquid soap) in and a cloth. To start with, having had a meal or two the telltale carrot cubes could clearly be seen on the walls, I was sick so often that I gave up and used the same bucket. Before long, with an empty stomach, no-one could tell. Not that they could see, or care, there were old hands on there, at sea for 30 years or more, veterans of the Arctic convoys, who were in the sick bay with ruptured stomachs because they had continued to retch when there was no more to part with but lining. The only respite was at smokoh (break) when I would lie on my bunk and close my eyes. The only other cure for seasickness at sea that I have found is to stand on deck and train your eyes on the constant horizon, if you can see it. But we weren’t allowed up top and probably couldn’t have seen the horizon if we were.
At last, New York, sightseeing, parties, girls, politicians, I think Goldwater was the latest Presidential candidate. Then home, calm, don’t remember a thing about it.
Hullo Spardo,
The Reina del Mar was white hulled, not the normal mauve, but there wasn’t a berth for me when she sailed.
I think you have got your Ships a little bit mixed up mate. The Riena del Mar, and the Riena del Pacifico, were not Union Castle Line Ships.
They were ships of The Pacific Steam Navigation Company. Liverpool. They were as you rightly say White over the Wall, Red Boot Topping
with Yellow Funnels. The Pacifico had two and the Mar had one.
The Union Castle Line, were as you again mentioned were French Blue Hulls (not Mauve) with Red Boot Topping. The Funnels were Red and
Black topped, although there were a couple of the Cargo Vessels ( the only one I can think of at the moment was Drackensburg Castle) that
were Black over the wall with Red Boot Topping. When I went to Sea there was only the Riena del Mar and the Riena del Pacifico, left as the Passenger Ships for P.S.N.C. They did the West Coast of South America, through the Panama. I was on a few of the Union Castle Line ships though, two out of London and two out of Southanpton.
Cheers, Archie.
Hullo Spardo,
I seem to owe you an apology mate. So I am sorry. I have just been reading about the P.S.N.C, as this subject suddenly awoke an Interest in me. Apparently eventually there was a Get Together of P.S.N.C. and the Union Castle / Clan Line ( I was a Purser on the Clan Line ) and the ship went onto a long term lease to Cayzer Irvine Group (Union Castle / Clan Line) and was then rebuilt and painted in Union Castle Colours, this was in about 1965 I think. The Riena del Mar then struggled on until 1973 when it was Scrapped.
Cheers, Archie.
Spardo:
Carryfast:
By all accounts the old Queen Mary had a reputation for rolling and coming back again that could beat just about anything else afloat.She didn’t roll much when I was on her - she pitched, and how.
The Mary was my 2nd ship. I had deserted my normal ‘Pool’, Prescott St. in London and registered at Southampton, staying with my Auntie Beryl while I waited for a Castle boat berth to come up. I had long wanted to visit South Africa. Union Castle had me ‘working by’, labouring on their ships in dock and I was on an unusual one. The Reina del Mar was white hulled, not the normal mauve, but there wasn’t a berth for me when she sailed.
I was taking it easy at ‘home’ one morning when there was a phone call from the Pool, how quickly could I get down to the dock? The Mary was sailing and they were one short. I was soon on the quay looking up at this enormous ship. Close up it looked like a block of flats. My berth was in a foc’sle head cabin (she was a very old ship
We were up on deck to cast off, and that was the last I saw of the outside world till I got to New York. The storm hit us almost immediately and continued unrelenting the whole way. My dimming memory tells me it was 10 days, or perhaps it just seemed like it. The front end of the ship where we were just went up and down without pause, pivoting on the centre of the ship. When she went up it was just like being in an extra fast skyscraper lift, our legs were compressed into the deck. I sympathised with fighter pilots and astronauts subjected to enormous G forces. When she went down we were in the same lift, but this time almost weightless, our feet barely touching the deck. The reason we were battened down was because she dipped her nose into every wave which washed with violence over the foc’sle head.
I have been seasick 3 times in my life. This was the first, and the least embarrassing because I was in very good company. I spent most of the voyage sugeying (spelling(?), I have never seen it in print) the bulkheads. Washing the walls of the accommodation down. I had a bucket with water and sugey (liquid soap) in and a cloth. To start with, having had a meal or two the telltale carrot cubes could clearly be seen on the walls, I was sick so often that I gave up and used the same bucket. Before long, with an empty stomach, no-one could tell. Not that they could see, or care, there were old hands on there, at sea for 30 years or more, veterans of the Arctic convoys, who were in the sick bay with ruptured stomachs because they had continued to retch when there was no more to part with but lining. The only respite was at smokoh (break) when I would lie on my bunk and close my eyes. The only other cure for seasickness at sea that I have found is to stand on deck and train your eyes on the constant horizon, if you can see it. But we weren’t allowed up top and probably couldn’t have seen the horizon if we were.
At last, New York, sightseeing, parties, girls, politicians, I think Goldwater was the latest Presidential candidate. Then home, calm, don’t remember a thing about it.
The Mary was fitted with stabilisers to stop the rolling she was known for and you probably went on it after that 
.
sterling.rmplc.co.uk/history/stabiliz.html
I looked over the old ship during my first trip to the States which was great because I’d been reading all about her exploits in the book The Only Way to Cross which I’d read on the way over there on the old QE2.They’ve really kept it in a great condition.It’s amazing and well worth a look.
The swells on the Atlantic can often make even the best of them pitch even when it’s not all all that rough.
youtube.com/watch?v=T2ztV7W7VY0
But like you say it can get interesting if it’s really rough though. 
I got married on the bridge of the Queen Mary in October this year!
She is in a bit if a sad state in places now though.
W.
Interesting stuff there.
Firstly, no need to apologise Archie, to be honest I assumed the Reina del Mar belonged to Union Castle because it was the latter who were paying my wages and sending me to work on her. I might have thought that she was under their management perhaps but the issue didn’t really interest me at the time. I didn’t know she went down the west coast of S.America, if I had, despite fancying a trip to South Africa, I probably would have taken the trip if it had been offered as I had already been on the east coast with South American Saint Line and liked the Latin American countries.
BTW, I hesitated before describing the the UC’s colours, hovering between pink, purple and mauve, but French Blue?? What’s all that about? 
Carryfast, you are probably right about the stabilisers, I was on the Mary in 1965, which incidentally ties in nicely with Archie’s assertion that the Reina del Mar passed into UC ownership that year.
PilotWolf, where is she these days, Long Beach isn’t it? Nice that she is still in existence after 80 odd years but sad if they are not looking after her properly.
KR79,i see you have put the free enterprize up,i was one of those lucky ones to have missed here,was on my way back from essen in germany when i had a double blow out just after i left the boarder at venlo,i also did the maiden voyage on here and to day still have the old leather passport holder that i was presented with,rip to those who didnt make it back(crew members/drivers)theres one thing for shaw in life,we know not the day or the hour. 
lookin at the old paddle steemers on this thread remind me of when i was a lad living in lymington,there used to be two of them running across to the isle of wight,i remember one of them being called the freshwater, cant remember the name of the other one(its the old grey matter you know)but the freshwater very often used to get stuck on the mud flats going out of harbour,and you very often saw her with one paddle out of the water,dont know where these ferries landed up though. may be someone on here has a photo or two.
Spardo:
Interesting stuff there..
BTW, I hesitated before describing the the UC’s colours, hovering between pink, purple and mauve, but French Blue?? What’s all that about?
Hullo Spardo,
Cheers, Archie
Archie Paice:
Hullo Spardo,
Cheers, Archie
None of that went on in the deck crowds I was with, kept well clear of the blokes in white suits carrying trays.
Spardo:
Archie Paice:
Hullo Spardo,
Cheers, Archie
Oi you!!! I was one of those. Bloody Hell I’d better rephrase that, had’nt I.? I started of as a Bell Boy, and Steward, I was always in a White Coat. I then went into the Kitchen (Galley) 2nd Cook and Baker, Chief and Ships Cook, Chief Steward and on to Purser/Chief Steward. By the By, do you know that a Ship is not able to put to sea without a Ships Cook Ticket, signed on the Articles.
Cheers, Archie.
Evening all, I and probably many others are really enjoying this thread. You Gentlemen have some real background! I always was fascinated by the sea…but the furthest I got was the BCN, (Birmingham Canal Navigations).!!
But I did use some ferries, some smooth, some less so! I always remember standing on a Hull dockside, looking up at a rather care worn ship, with it has to be said some concern, when the Danish driver, (all of 7ft tall), stood next to me said, “is it your first time on the North Sea”■■
If they served the Smorgensbord in the dock…well it was going to be rough!!! Gosh I was glad to see those coal heaps on the dock at Esbjerg!! Still, those strong chains kept my little Fodens chassis straight.
Funny, this connection between lorries and ships, my pal, the late John Ball, used to make me cry with laughter at his maritime exploits, (as well as his Middle Eastern ones)!!
I sailed on many ferries, and it remains that I enjoyed everyone of them, la Manche, the North Sea, the Irish Sea, and I regret never taking the offer made by the Directors of Geest to sail with them from Barry, when I ran ERFs on contract to them. But when I go to the Isle of Man, well I always use the 0.200 sailing from Heysham. Brings back happy memories!!
My maritime exploits, …smoothly bringing a 70ft narrow boat to within 5ft of the bank, then leaping ashore with 4ft of coiled rope in my hand…oh dear, as well as cold , the"cut" do arf stink…Cheerio for now.
Saviem:
My maritime exploits, …smoothly bringing a 70ft narrow boat to within 5ft of the bank, then leaping ashore with 4ft of coiled rope in my hand…oh dear, as well as cold , the"cut" do arf stink…Cheerio for now.
Hilarious
Spardo:
PilotWolf, where is she these days, Long Beach isn’t it? Nice that she is still in existence after 80 odd years but sad if they are not looking after her properly.
Yes, she is in Long Beach but owned by a hotel chain.
It’s sad to see her uncared for as a ship, the quality of the maintenance in the cabins and externally is appalling. You can’t see a lot the ship and numerous parts have been modified for commercial gain.
I guess it’s better than being broken up for scrap but still sad from a seafarer’s point of view.
W.
Like Spardo I was a Deck Ornament. Might have liked being a Steward but I failed mincing and lisping so that was that.
I served on this fine vessel, CS John W Mackay, as 4th and then 3rd Mate and we always loaded telephone cable at the Pirelli Berth, 108 berth up at the top of the western side next to the dry dock so spent time in Southampton and saw a lot of the Union Castle, the Queens and all the big passenger ships but I never fancied them for work. How would you describe the UC hull colour, indeed? Faded Purple?
What was that Pub called where the UC crowd went in Southampton? The Juniper Bush was it?
I’d worked as a driver on and off during my aprenticeship after I got my licence in 68 and I signed off the Mackay in 72 in order to go doing the Middle East. When Grangewood packed up in the 80’s I was happy to get back to sea but, during a rush of blood to the head, I signed onto Texaco and stayed there till I came ashore.
Still more happy days!
David