Twenty Years Before the Antenna Mast

Trip: Nine and ten

Call Sign: GYYV

Company: Shell Tankers

Specs: 105138 GRT (250000DWT) 28000 SHP

Rank: R/E/O

Joined: Mina al Ahmadi 3/1/72

Resigned Articles: Milford Haven 25/2/72

Departed: Singapore 3/6/72

This was a Shell 250,000ton super tanker, which took crude oil from the Persian Gulf to the UK and Europe via the Cape. We also did one trip from the Persian Gulf to Singapore. The ship was powered by steam turbines, as at that time, it was still the only reliable way to obtain the huge engine powers needed to drive such big ships. Later, even the super tankers were Diesel powered as engine designs improved. The Diesel requires only a fraction of the fuel that a steam turbine uses but needs greater maintenance and its initial cost is higher. It's a trade-off between fuel prices and maintenance costs. As the price of fuel increased and reliability and better design decreased the maintenance required for Diesel engines, they had a clear lead, despite their greater initial capital cost.

I flew out to Kuwait on the 29th December and was met by the ship's agent at the airport. We drove for an hour or more into the desert, along a nice new road, which suddenly just stopped in the middle of nowhere. A few hundred yards of bumpy desert followed, then a temporary road started again, leading into the port area. I was taken to the Missions to Seamen's hostel to await the ship. I was a bit disappointed, as I was hoping for a nice hotel. It was clean, but a bit Spartan and the food was somewhat plain. Unfortunately the ship was delayed a few days, and it was not until after New Year that I finally made my way up the gangway.

Kuwait is of course a "dry" country, so I couldn't even toast in the New Year. I went to bed at 10pm with a glass of orange juice instead. Happy New Year I said to myself!

It was my first close view of these massive ships and I was very impressed. Climbing up the accommodation ladder when in light ship was like climbing the side of a 4 or 5 story building. It was hard work and a very long way! Luckily, some sailors hauled up my baggage on a rope as I looked on apprehensively. I arrived puffing and blowing on deck, only to be greeted by a 200ft walk to the accommodation and another 5 flights of stairs up to my deck. I was just about dead when I arrived at the radio room!

The radio equipment was relatively good, consisting of the Marconi Crusader 1.5KW SSB transmitter and (of course) the ubiquitous Atalanta receiver. Each cabin had its own radio antenna outlet from a Pantenna communal aerial amplifier to prevent the otherwise usual forest of wires strung all over the ship. The main and reserve HF transmitting antennas were strung from the mainmast on top of the all aft accommodation, to two Sampson posts near the manifold amidships. The sheer size of the ship meant that they were high, long and efficient. We had an immense range on 500KHz CW and 2 MHz SSB R/T. The high power on 500KHz meant the aerials had to be extremely well insulated and maintained to prevent flashover or arcing across the insulators. Despite being fairly modern, the ships still relied on hand sent Morse code telegrams and the odd R/T call for all urgent changes of orders, cargo information and general management operations. Ship radio telex was still in its infancy and satellite communications were still in the future.

The workload was fairly high but people were expert in imparting maximum information in the smallest number of words. Some of the messages we had to send and receive were cryptic to say the least, and were often coded using the company's private codebook to compress them still further. We were fitted with Marconi Argus/Hermes Radar's, which was almost the ultimate in complexity for civilian systems at that time. Stabilized North up, True and relative motion with or without picture offset. It even had a simple form of analogue computer using capacitor storage and integration techniques in a so-called "dry box". It was all valves and had an impressive output power of 75KW. The scanner was large and perched right on top of the main mast, around 30 - 40 meters or more above sea level.

I used to be somewhat nervous of heights but after having to go up and down this mast a few times (no one else was going to look after the scanner!), I became quite blasé about it. The first time though - talk about white knuckles! Wow! From above, one got a superb view over the ship and the surrounding sea, which made up a bit for the effort of climbing up there. I was higher than any lookout in the days of sail, and people on deck were small and insignificant. On a hot still day, there was always a breeze up there, so I sometimes used to "service the radar scanner" and admire the scenery. It was great for spotting whales and dolphins too.

The radar used to tick madly when in operation (The sampling relay for the true motion computer was quite noisy). The Ledex motor for the remote switching also made a great noise on changing ranges or other operational parameters. The radar display and transceiver unit used to sing tunefully to themselves as the ranges were changed too. It gave a good picture though. I never did manage to find one fault however. It was an intermittent one, and I ended up chalking a cross at one particular point on the side of the radar display, with a note: - If it doesn't work, kick it here. It used to work for weeks afterwards without problem.

We had a nice swimming pool on the starboard side of the accommodation. This was a favorite spot after the watch. In hot weather we used to throw the beers into the pool to keep them cool. One had merely to dive down and grab one. It was even illuminated at night with underwater lights!

Another way of passing time off duty was stargazing. At sea, there is no "light pollution" as found ashore. The ship is blacked out at night except for its navigation lights so one can lay on deck and have a magnificent view of the cosmos. On clear moonless nights the sky was literally ablaze with stars. Shooting stars were often to be seen, sometimes really bright with long tails and very occasionally even colors. On moonless cloudy nights of course, it was profoundly dark and somewhat eerie!

Although I often looked, I have never seen a UFO or anything that could not be explained as a natural phenomenon. Sometimes the sea would glow with phosphorescence, the whole hull being outlined in a blue-white or greenish glow. I have seen dolphins outlined in a glowing light streaking around under the water, and brilliant, almost dazzling explosions of light from the bow wave. The deep ocean at night can sometimes seem like a magical place.

The ship was so big that it took 10 minutes or more to walk up to the bow. To increase efficiency, we had two bicycles for getting around. In bad weather however they were too unsafe and we had to walk! In fact, the deck area was so big one could almost get lost when going for a walk at night. I sometimes used to do this after the watch on fine nights. The quarter hour slow walk up to the bow, with the bright stars slowly moving above as the ship rolled, was a great way to relax - except when the night was really dark. Then the ever present, creaks and groans emanating from the pipe-work as it moved to the ship's motion sounded very eerie indeed. Looking back aft from the bow, one could only see an indistinct silhouette of the accommodation block against the sky. All forward facing cabin ports were blacked out and the only lights were the port and starboard navigation lights and the masthead lights, which shone out brightly. All engine noises were blotted out by the restful susurration of the sea hitting the bow and washing against the hull.

Quite often when passing Cape Town crew Relief's were undertaken. The Suez Canal was closed and ships of this size would be unable to pass through anyway. Cape Town was a convenient point; about half way through the month or more needed for the trip. The Relief's were done either by helicopter or by boat, thus not requiring the ships to enter port. The helicopter used to sometimes land on our deck or sometimes hover just above whilst people got on and off quickly. This was a masterly feat of flying in blustery weather and over a rolling and pitching ship too. It was much preferred by those who had to use it to the small converted fishing boat needed if the helicopter could not fly (perhaps due to bad weather or other engagements).

The seas around Cape Town can be very heavy and it was often a long, wet, uncomfortable trip, and a somewhat dangerous business getting ashore or to the ship with the boat. The helicopter or boat also brought out food stores', mail and spare parts required for the vessel. The ship very often only slowed down for a while during the transfer, then continued at full speed. The whole operation only taking a half-hour or so. Occasionally, we would go close inshore near to Green Point, just off Cape Town itself. This would allow the boat to come out when weather conditions were too bad further offshore. It was wonderful on a warm calm night, just drifting about one or two miles off, watching the lights, and listening to the hum of the city. So near, but yet so far, and totally unattainable. At least we could get some good music on the radio.

It was during this period that two sister ships to the Melo, (the Mactra and Marpessa) exploded violently within two weeks of each other, whilst tank cleaning off West Africa, with some loss of life. News photographs showed the deck plating rolled back like an opened sardine can and the entire ship aflame. Two officer's wives were sunbathing on the Monkey Island (above the bridge) on the Mactra but they were incredibly lucky. They heard a loud Woompf but the blast wave passed over their heads and they survived unscathed.

The Marpessa sank, very slowly. Her bow being visible above water for several days, slowly getting lower. The rest of around 800 feet of ship just hung down in the water like a huge whale. She was the largest single shipping loss ever suffered up until that time. The Mactra however, due to some heroic work by her crew, did not sink. Her quick thinking captain ran her astern, so the flames blew away from the accommodation. She retained power and could fight her fires. She was eventually towed to Durban, virtually rebuilt and sailed again.

Super Tankers were rather new, and unknown effects occurred. The tanks had to be washed with boiling hot high-pressure water jets to remove the oil sludge and sand in them. The sand is often in suspension in the crude oil when it is pumped aboard. It settles out during the voyage and must be cleaned out of the tanks from time to time. Hot water dissolves the oil, but the sand must often be shoveled out by hand, usually in Dry Dock when the tanks are guaranteed gas free. The oily water mix from the tank washing was pumped into a settling tank. When the oil had settled at the top, the water was pumped off. The oil and sludge was then mixed in with the next load of crude (The so-called load on top system). Sometimes it could be pumped ashore: to be processed at the loading port. It all cost money however, and some refineries could not accept the oil and salty water mix as the investment in separators had not been made. It was not unknown for unscrupulous Captains to pump the slops overboard during the night, then pocket a large back-hander for saving costs. The oil slicks, sometimes tens of miles long, were often observed from aircraft. Positive identification of the offender however was almost impossible at that time, unless he was actually seen doing it. Today, modern satellite observations can pinpoint oil slicks and even analyze some of their constituents to identify the oil type and perhaps even from which ship it came from. Oil pollution of the world's oceans however, still presents a very serious environmental problem.

During tank cleaning, the almost boiling water is pumped into moveable high-pressure jets (guns) which automatically rotate vertically and horizontally, spraying the hot water at high velocity around the tank walls. They are similar in principal to the garden lawn sprayer, but vastly bigger and much more powerful. Due to the way the voyages are planned, most of the hot washes take place on the return trip to the Gulf, about a week after leaving Europe. This puts the most dangerous time of the voyage off West Africa. At the start of washing there is so much gas it is not possible to have a tank explosion. There is not enough air to burn. At the end of the tank washing, there is very little or no gas. It is thus also not possible to have a tank explosion. Between these two extremes though, there is a point where a spark with enough energy, can ignite the gas in a tank as big as a church. The energy released is enormous, and the results only too evident on the Mactra and Marpessa. Immediately after the explosions on board our two sister ships, we were ordered by an urgent telegram to all M-Class vessels to cease hot washes. (Imperative. Whatever it is you are carrying out with regard to tank washing, stop at once.)

Much later modified tank cleaning guns were fitted which lowered the high static build-up alleged to have caused the explosions. Reportedly, experiments on another "M-Boat" to purposely cause an explosion failed to do so. It was however found that the high-pressure water jet and the clouds of steam acted just like a thundercloud. Sensitive cameras photographed sparks inside the tanks. The huge tanks were big enough for these "flashes of lightning" to contain enough energy to ignite the air-hydrocarbon mixture inside, with disastrous results. It was thought the ships effectively blew themselves up with their own miniature thunderstorm. It shows how unpredictable the subject was and also how much value was placed on finding the cause. Shell Tankers were willing to sacrifice another ship to do it!

We also had an adventure with an old Line Throwing rocket during one lifeboat drill. Sometimes the outdated pyrotechnics (rockets, flares etc.) are kept for practice purposes during lifeboat drill instead of being dumped. This was against regulations, but many Captains thought it gave an element of realism if rockets were actually fired. I always sent a navigation warning to all ships in the area saying were doing so, thus preventing any untoward panic. In this case, the line-throwing rocket broke its line and flew free...nearly knocking a hole in the ship (which was fully laden with oil at the time!) and causing much excitement on the bridge.

These rocket lines are used for getting a light line across to another ship or ashore in order to haul a heavier rope across. The heavier rope can be used to ferry people ashore with a breeches buoy, or to heave a large towing line aboard for rescue purposes. A very shaken and sooty Chief Officer told how the rocket line jammed in the holder when he fired it as a demonstration. Until this time, we had often used old pyrotechnics for demonstration purposes. In this case, the old rocket sat at the end of its 8 feet or so of wire strop right in front of him - he was holding the container and aiming it like a gun. Finally the wire strop broke (we found it was rusted) and the rocket flew free without the stabilizing weight of the line behind it. It flew high into the air looped back and fell into the sea close amidships. I was on the bridge at the time, testing the lifeboat transmitter on the bridge wing. I remember seeing (and hearing) the rocket soaring high overhead, leaving a dark trail of smoke behind. Perhaps I should add that the rocket was made of steel and rather heavy. If it had landed on deck, it almost certainly would have made a hole, or maybe even have penetrated through the deck plating. Underneath were the oil tanks full of crude oil and gas! The mind boggles at the possible consequences.

After this occurrence, All old pyrotechnics were hastily dumped and we never used any for training purposes again.

We had a somewhat hairy passage through the Malacca Straits, between Malaysia and Indonesia. It is one of the busiest shipping areas in the world, rivaling and perhaps even surpassing the English Channel. It is narrow and only just deep enough for the biggest tankers like us. We were so deep (drawing over 60 feet of water) that we could not alter course and had to stay within the marked channel. We had a Marconi Metron shallow water indicator which sometimes showed there was only a foot or so of water under us. This caused the Captain and Pilot many a nervous moment. At night there are numerous small fishing boats drifting about between Malaysia and Indonesia. Many are nothing much more than rowing boats with a small outboard or maybe only just a sail. They are mostly wooden and do not show up on the radar. They are also mostly without lights. Sometimes we would see a flickering flame close by the bow as a fisherman set fire to a piece of paper or rag to show us he was there. It could well be that we hit some. We would never know and were unable to maneuver anyway. Fishing in those waters is dangerous. The visibility can also sometimes be very poor due to heavy rain or squally showers from thunderstorms. Dense rain can hide even big ships, both visually and from the eye of the radar. An unlit small boat would never be seen, and of course never noticed, even if we hit it.

Some bigger ships insisted on the rule of the road but we were unable to change course. We had lights and signals saying we were deeply laden and not maneuverable but the 'small ship' Captains still tried it on. I remember looking forward as we gently nudged a small coaster out of the way without touching it. Our bow pressure wave was enough to do it. Years later, navigational warnings were broadcast, naming the ships and times they would be passing various points of the Malacca Straits, so that this sort of thing was less common. A collision in this waterway could block traffic for weeks, with subsequent horrendous costs due to re-routing, not to mention the environmental pollution it could cause.

Despite this, no effective policing of the Malacca Straits exists, even to this day. Piracy even then was becoming a problem. Anywhere where ships had to slowly move in confined waters or where they lay at anchor, was an attraction. Pirates are active around West Africa, the Malacca straits, Indonesia and China. Even the really big tankers (such as ours) were not exempt. Today it is not unknown for a complete ship and crew to just disappear, then a year or two later the same ship reappears with a new name, a new crew, a different port of registration and new owners. The ships are practically untraceable, and have only been found through some dangerous adventures by insurance investigators and a lot of luck. It is well known that virtually every ship has large quantities of cash on board to pay bills in ports where cash dollars open doors and reduce prices. This tends to be a magnet for gangs of thieves. Real pirates though are interested in the ship or its cargo, not the cash. An extra twenty thousand dollars in cash is just a sideline. Even a small tanker has several million dollars worth of oil or products on board, which can easily be pumped into smaller ships or ashore. The ship itself is worth another million or so. With this sort of money, human life has no value at all. The advent of high-speed boats, cheap weapons and finance from the Mafia or drug dealers make it even more attractive. Also many countries do not have the will or resources to combat such gangs.

We experienced a "pirate" attack off Singapore whilst at anchor, though they were, luckily, more petty thieves than pirates. These amateur pirates were discovered by the 3rd mate when he heard noises whilst making himself a sandwich after the 8 - midnight watch. One threw a knife at him and ran off to where their boat was tied up. The Third Mate wisely ducked behind a bulkhead and shouted. The thieves only made off with a typewriter and a mechanical adding machine, but they were OURS! We had some sailors patrolling the deck and they came running when they heard the 3rd Mate shout. Luckily none of us was hurt but one of our AB's (a tall heavily built guy) threw a heavy cast iron scupper plug at one of the pirates. It hit him on the head when the boat was trying to make its getaway. (They had trouble starting their outboard motor.) He never moved afterwards, and was probably severely injured if not killed. Despite multiple radio requests the police only came out the next day, and even then were not really interested. The Captain gave the AB a telling-off for losing a scupper plug (but not very seriously) then commended him for his actions.

No British ships carry weapons. We are all instructed in case of hijacking or piracy, not to show any resistance, and give them what they want. Easier said than done when it's your HiFi or watch that's being taken! About the only ships that do not get attacked are the Russian vessels. They are almost always heavily armed with automatic weapons and have persons trained in their use. I have served with one Captain who has been tied up and robbed of the ship's cash three times by thieves. He had taken to carrying a handgun with him, but admitted he was not sure if he would ever really use it.

These huge ships hardly move even in the heaviest seas. With 60 or 70 feet of ship under the water, and only 6 or 8 feet above, they are like icebergs. Heavy seas tend to break right over them as they have too much inertia to rise to the waves. A tanker is a little like a submarine and all deck entrances or other openings are fitted with heavy waterproof doors to guard against flooding if the deck should be submerged. They do not go over waves they go through them!

Tankers are built to take massive stresses, but for all that they are delicate and loading or discharging the cargo holds in the wrong order, or with incorrect quantities could snap them like an old stick. Some nasty accidents have occurred in loading and discharge ports where exactly that happened. Another problem is that the bow of the ship is so far removed from the bridge, and the ship itself is so massive, that in heavy weather it is difficult to judge how much punishment the forward part of the ship is taking. The blunt bow is almost like the side of a multi-story building being forced against the sea by a 20,000 horsepower engine developing hundreds of tons of thrust. This, plus the immense inertia of over 300,000 tons of ship and cargo moving at nearly 20 miles an hour, makes these ships the nearest thing to unstoppable moving objects yet built by man. When hit at 15 knots, water is hard, and imposes immense stresses.

After some heavy weather, which buried our bow a few times, we found our forward pump room full with water one fine day. It was caused by one of the heavily secured anchors (each weighing 50 to 70 tons) being forced back against a massive thick steel reinforcing plate by heavy seas, and puncturing through. All we felt on the bridge was a light bouncing. Some supertankers have even had their bow and fore deck pushed in by the force of seas they encountered.

It was on this ship that I experienced some of the heaviest seas I have ever seen. We were virtually hove to in the Bay of Biscay, a notorious area for bad weather. At one point, when standing on the bridge of the ship around 20 meters above the sea, I was looking UP at foam covered wave crests! We could see one large container ship a few miles away battling through the huge seas. At times its bow was thrown completely clear of the water. We could see right under the fore part of the ship, then the next moment it would be completely submerged as it pitched into a wave, being covered with green water and spray almost up to the bridge. Our saloon, several decks below the bridge, had big picture windows. When sitting at meals in rough weather it was sometimes a bit unnerving to see waves towering above us: awesome to say the least. It made eating an adventurous pastime!