Hostile Waters

[john walker]

If I remember correctly when entering the designated war zone of Vietnam the war bonus was paid on your basic pay at 100% but not on overtime pay. I have received 100% of my total pay when sailing to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia on several occasions with two different companies during the Iran/Iraq war in the mid 80's .I received nothing for working in Southern Sudan in 82/83 when the Southern Peoples Liberation army were fighting a civil war with the North of the country. I received 200% of my salary while working in the Yemen during the first Gulf conflict in the early 90's this was because Saudi Arabia had had kicked out all Yemeni nationals from the kingdom as they and their government were firmly on the side of Iraq and against the western coalition and The Saudi's were expecting an attack in the south of the country by the Yemeni army .Most of the Western Embassies had closed and repatriated their employees including the British Embassy due to the strong possibility of civil disturbances and the animosity of the local population . I had heard that there were only about 150 expats left in the country. We had a meeting with a very senior Presidential officer who had promised us that not one hair would be harmed on any expats head if we stayed and if need be they would assign two members of the presidential guard to each individual expat. The Yemeni government considered it vital to keep the oil production going (About !60000 barrels a day) As the production facilities at Ma'rib were surrounded by a very heavy military defence force and the two expat camps in Sana'a were well guarded and any travel that I had to do was by helicopter I stayed and considered it money for old rope.

[Fred F Ravenscroft]

This was one of my ships but before 71 did she still have the gas tanks?

[Archie Macdougall]

Hi I done a trip on the Cerithinthes I can't remember if this how it's spelt .1967 joined in Greenock in drydock a lot of welding was done on it all the seadoors port holes were all welded up .we to a few places in South Vietnam and remember going to Cambodia and was told they called it Campochia if that's how spelled .the captain told us not to on deck only if special needs .good crew some of the deck hands put the fear of into me .

[david spengler]

- - - Updated - - -

Our first trip to Saigon 1967 Tet Offensive. we arrives at Vung Tau and anchored waiting for the pilot. The Marines boarded with our security detail. They started by throwing anti-personnel mines overboard. I was chatting to a 19 year old Marine when he started shouting at a Viet-Cong floating towards the ship in a coracle. At 10 meters he raised his M16 and shot him between the eyes. The Viet-cong dropped into the water and sank.


There is lots more. When you get used to war you get very blase about it. I used to love watching Phantoms ,as a pilot to see the Phantoms at 100 feet dropping those Nalpam canisters and then hitting afterburn as it cascades across the land, it is a sight that lives with me everyday.

.......Thanks for that Bob, good to hear other peoples experiences and that was some experience. I was on the Haustelum in 1968 and as a 17 year old JOS I was busting to do vietnam but we went in the opposite direction and as a 68 year old and having seen my share of the not so nice side of life I'm bloody glad I didn't. But as a great friend always use to say, "It's all a part of life's rich tapestry"

[Stephen Lee]

Hello Bren,
I sailed as an Engineer Apprentice on the Hyria frm Jan 1969 to Aug 1969. We did Singapore (Pula Bukam) - Nah Bay, Singapore - Hong Kong, Singapore - Nah Bay, for the 6 months apart from 2 weeks in dry dock in Singapore. The Hyria had two LPG tanks mounted on the foredeck, it was the Eng Apprentices job to discharge the LPG from the pumproom between the the tanks. The first time I did this I was in the pumproom when I heard an almight great "bang" don't think I have ever moved so fast. There was a large howitzer on the Caltex jetty adjacent to our jetty and this had just opened up!!!
As a 3rd year App my monthly pay was around £25 bvut once we entered Vietnamese waters we went on to double pay ...very nice!!

[Peter W Gould]

Hi Bren

I was on a Shell Tanker Hemisinus towards the end of that period and we were running between Singapore and Saigon with aviation fuel. There was also another ship, I think she was called Hyria providing a similar service.

Regards
Peter

[Ken Greendale]

I sailed on the Athel Knight to Saigon in 1968 and one of our ships, the Anco Queen went tonSaigon and was hit by 3 rockets just as we were leaving in 1968

[Tony Taylor]

Hi Bren

I was on a Shell Tanker Hemisinus towards the end of that period and we were running between Singapore and Saigon with aviation fuel. There was also another ship, I think she was called Hyria providing a similar service.

Regards
Peter

I was on Hemisinus in 74, by which time she had two large propane tanks on the foredeck. We carried mogas, avgas, jp4 , avcat and gas oil to Da Nang and Na Trang.
This was around the time when the Yanks were baling out big time. We moored on buoys at both locations with fire axes by the mooring lines and engines turning slowly, just in case we needed to do a runner.

[Michael colwill]

Hi I sailed to North Vietnam slightly before the years you mentioned. I was on the SS Eastern Queen and we sailed 8 times into Haiphong from some of the French Pacific Islands ie. New Caledonia. These were not happy trips at all as we were taking Vietnamese people who the French had taken to the Islands before the Indo China war. Happy to provide more information if anyone is interested.

Mike Colwill

[j.sabourn]

#39 Michael ref.the Eastern Queen can you describe this ship ? I have memory’s of its name being mentioned to me about 1970. The owner of the vessel I was on made a visit to ship I was on in Singapore. He was a son of Harley Mullions, he said they were thinking of buying it cropping off a lot of accomodation and putting it on straight cargo carrying. So I had visions of it being a passenger ship , if all went to plan he offered me the masters job. After him flying back to Hong Kong I had words with the master I was with who reckoned I was relieving him and he was going to the Eastern Queen . At the time there was talk about putting the ship I was on , on the Hooghly as a lighter ship carrying freight out to ships in deeper water, the dilapidated vessel I was on was capable of 4 knots and as there is a 6 knot bore current on the Hoogly I said no way Hosea , that and a few other arguments and I walked off in Japan.However I knew nothing about the Eastern Queen and often wonder if all these plans made by mice and men had come to fruition how life may have taken a different path. Was the Eastern Queen a passenger vessel as I was lead to believe ? Cheers JS