Dear Member,

Despite falling numbers, not helped by the clouds of volcanic ash emanating from Iceland which grounded many flights within Europe, which in turn prevented many of our guests from travelling to Cardiff, this year’s annual dinner held on 16th April was still a success both socially and financially.

During the evening three awards were made, the first being to Mr. John Davey, MD of Cargo Services, the Cardiff based stevedores, who had qualified for membership of the Institute with his dissertation on the ‘Pro’s and con’s of a ‘SEVERN BARRAGE

 

 

Chairman Theo presenting John with his 'membership certificate’

You will remember in issue 39 I wrote about the Desmond Williams Memorial Award given by the Graig Group in memory of their late Chairman, to be presented annually to the Branch student gaining the highest pass mark in the year’s exams. This was won by one of their own employees, Steve Davies, who had gained a distinction in Shipping Business in the 2009 examinations.

 

Graig Finance Director Chris Davies presenting the Desmond Williams Memorial Award to Steve Davies, the Company’s Ship Manager

The third award, the Imerys Award, given by Imerys Minerals of Fowey, to a member or employee of a Company Member who had made a special contribution to the Branch, was won by Mrs. Allison Taylor, also of the Graig Group for her sterling work in collecting and administering the Levy Fund on behalf of the Cardiff Ship Owners Association and the ICS South Wales and the West Branch over a number of years

Mrs. Allison Taylor receiving the Imerys Award from Chairman Theo Coliandris.

Many congratulations to all three.

We are very grateful to Allison for her hard work in contacting the various agents in the South Wales ports and collecting the levy on the many ships that call here. Well done, Allison!

Our share of the Levy, funds the Branch and enables us to help students with their Warwick Prep fees if they get no financial help from their employer It also helped with the funding of the tutorials introduced this year to provide additional tuition and advice on exam techniques that so often students studying by correspondence course need.

None of this would be possible if it were not for the Levy as apart from a profit on the dinner, (not guaranteed) and an occasional donation from the Bristol Ship Owners Association, we get no other financial help. This year we had as many as 17 students at one time attending the tutorials although they were not all sitting the examinations. We hope that the taster they had this year will bring them back next year and that they will be persuaded to sit the 2011 exams.

 

From time to time a friend, who knows of my interest in ships and shipping sends me pictures often taken in embarrassing circumstances, embarrassing for the vessel’s master that is.

 

 

 

 I really get those brakes fixed!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

COMMITTEE MEETING

From time to time members of the Branch management team visit other parts of our area so that other members do not have to travel so far. During June, the Chairman, myself, Messrs. Challacombe, Kerslake and Morris went to Fowey in Cornwall for a meeting which meant that Alan Humphries and Ben Jones did not have to go very far, in fact, Ben only had to walk across the yard as far as the Seafarers Mission. I think this is the favourite venue for a meeting in the whole of the area as the lady who looks after the Mission (Elaine) provides us with a very good buffet lunch and then, around 3.30pm when we are just bringing the meeting to a close, produces a genuine Cornish cream tea. Which has to be partaken of to be appreciated!!! It is no hardship to go to Fowey I assure you. Our thanks are due to Ben for making the arrangements and booking hotel accommodation where needed.

 The last time we met in Fowey was in 2007, so it was time we went there again. Applicants for a vacancy on the committee please form an orderly queue!!!

It does not take much to amuse me these days so when I saw a car boot sale on the quay at Kingsbridge during my stay in the West Country, I was happy to wander around and view the various goods being offered for sale in the hope of finding that ‘miracle’ buy that will make thousands on the ‘Antiques’ Road Show’ next week! No such luck, of course, but I did find a couple of back copies of “Sea Breezes”, the magazine of “SHIPS AND THE SEA” available for £1.00 each. Only after I had purchased them did I notice that one was the April 1988 edition and the other from May 1994.

Both magazines were chock full of useful information of interest to seafarers and anyone shore based although most of it out of date now.. The 1988 copy featured ships of the Blue Star Line from 1935 such as the ‘New Zealand Star’ and the ‘Imperial Star’

Coming more up to date new tonnage featured in 1988 included the ‘Arco Arun’ built by the Appledore Ferguson Shipbuilders of Devon for one of the UK’s leading dredging concerns, ARC Marine Ltd. Ships were also becoming larger than ever in 1988 with the launch of tonnage like the product tanker ‘Chisholm’ with a capacity of 84,000 dwt and the bulk carrier ‘Jasmine’ at 188,100 dwt..

LIBERTY SHIPS.

Most of our younger brokers will never have come across a Liberty ship. Introduced in the early stages of WW11 to combat the Nazi U-Boat threat and keep Britain supplied with essential goods some 2751 were built in the USA “by the mile and cut off by the yard”, one of them, the ‘JEREMIAH O’BRIEN’ (pictured) was destined for a unique place in history.

How else to explain why, of the 5000 + ships which comprised the great ‘D-Day armada This ordinary merchant ship is the only remaining survivor still working and looking as good as the day she slid off the ways 66 years ago. Launched on June 19th 1943 in Portland, Maine she was built in 6 weeks, but that was not unusual for a Liberty ship. With a crew of 42 plus 28 Navy Armed Guard she loaded a cargo of steel and grain in Boston to supply the war effort in the UK, then joined a convoy for Halifax where more ships were added and they then started the hazardous voyage across the North Atlantic.

After more similar voyages up to 1944, she was ordered to Normandy as a participant in Operation Overlord, a part of the greatest armada in history. The Jeremiah O’Brien made 11 crossings from Southampton to the beaches at Utah and Omaha with one side trip to Belfast to load Patton’s Third Army. The vessel’s last voyage (in her first life that is) was to the Far East with tanks and other military equipment and then to Fremantle, Australia for a cargo of wool and hides plus 9 war brides, 3 with small children for the voyage home. The ship arrived in San Francisco in January 1946, discharged her passengers and cargo and prepared for lay-up. She then entered the US Government’s Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet the next month. In the following years the ships around her were sold for scrap or altered for other uses, but that was not the destiny of the ‘Jeremiah O’Brien’!..

A guardian angel in the form of Rear Admiral Thomas J. Patterson, who was the Western Region director of the Maritime Administration took a liking to the ship and kept moving her name to the bottom of the various scrap lists! He organized a group of dedicated volunteers and arranged to have her main engine overhauled, created the National Liberty Ship Memorial and begged and borrowed time and money for the project.

In 1979, after 33 years on scrap row the ‘Jeremiah O’Brien', under her own power steamed out of the Reserve Fleet and into history, the only active ship in the world which took part in the D-Day invasion.

(The photograph of the ‘Jeremiah O’Brien’ and the accompanying article’ is condensed from the “Sea Breezes Magazine, the Magazine of Ships and the Sea” issue 581 May 1994 and re-produced here by kind permission of the Editor for which my grateful thanks, DM.))

EDUCATION:

The examination time table for 2011 has been published. The 2011 exams are to be held in the usual various centres from Monday April 11 until Thursday April 21st both days inclusive.

The tutorials organized by the Branch Chairman, Education Officer and Secretary in Spring this year were well received, well supported by students and potential students and we hope to repeat the operation in the Spring of 2011. Watch this space and the Branch web site www.ics-sww.org.uk

SICK LIST

John Bolt – Has been back into hospital for a hernia repair which did not go 100% the first time, but I am pleased to say he is now a lot better and enjoying the recent warm weather.

Jack Spackman sounded a lot more positive when I spoke to him last week, saying that both he and his wife are feeling much improved medically. Jack is enjoying his painting (water colours) and recently enjoyed a day’s course at Duffryn Garden’s.. His work has been exhibited in these pages!!!

John Iles – I am sad to report that John, who introduced the DCOP to Bowls, including many shipbrokers, has had to give up playing. He has developed arthritis in his knees and you do need to be able to bend easily to play a reasonable game.

Ken Brown – I’ve been in touch with Ken this week and he remains very positive over his various health problems. If he has a complaint at all it is that his Doctor will not allow him to fly.

Ken Thomas – Another member who has not been well recently having suffered a loss of blood. Ken says he is making slow but steady progress towards better health.

We wish them all a quick return to better health.

If you know of any one else who is unwell and would like a visit or a telephone call, please let me know.

John Iles has asked me to try and find someone who would like a set of bowls. He likes to think of things being useful and not lying idle. I also have 1 other set of bowls for disposal, John’s are size 4 and are genuine woods; the other is size 5. A donation to charity would be appreciated If you are interested in purchasing either of the 2 sets please either telephone me on 02920 892419 or email moor.e@talktalk.net or John direct for his set 02920 562810.

That’s all for this issue. Copy for the Autumn issue due end September next will be appreciated as I have been scratching for this one. Eg: Have any of you your own experiences of Liberty ships. If so, why not share them with us. Drop me an email, say 250-300 words, with a photo if possible. If no photo of a ship available, why not enclose one of yourself – go on – be a devil!!

Have a good summer. Those of you who attended the tutorials but did not sit the exams, do consider registering for the 2011 exams and then enrol for Tutorship and any Branch tutorials next year.

My apologies for the delay in producing this issue but I have been without a serviceable printer for over a week.

 Best wishes.

Yours sincerely

DAVID MOORE
(Branch Hon. Secretary)