Spring seems at long last to have
arrived here in the UK, with the last few days more like June here in the
North. Apart from the pleasure of getting the boat out of winter lay-up, with
much polishing and trying to fathom out the spinnaker rigging again, there is
the less unwelcome requirement to wield the lawn mower again!
This week, of course has
been tinged with sadness at the passing of the Queen Mother, many will like me
have watched the pageantry on television with nostalgia.
Since the last Gangway I have been
fortunate to obtain a considerable number of documents relating to the Arandora
Star and her pre-war cruises, fifty-five in all. Unfortunately this has
taken up much of my allowable (by the family) computing time. Some snippets
have already appeared on the WebPages, but as there are many images to process
it is a long process. Eventually I hope to have several pages relating to the Arandora
Star.
I have also received several fine photographs from Gary
Allenby, Jim Ball, Roger Corfield, Peter Stacey, Tim Lopez, and Steve Nick to
name but a few. Special thanks to Richard Summerfield who has scoured the
markets of North Lincolnshire on my behalf.
News:
With sadness the death of Don
Sievwright was reported on the 2nd April 2002 at Concord Hospital
Many of those in Blue Star
Line, Associated Container Transportation and P & O vessels, would know
Don Sievwright, principal of Anchor Instrumentation Services of Sydney, Australia. The
funeral service was at Rookwood Crematorium East Chapel on Thursday 4th
April.
Eulogy by Tony Smith:
Don was
the closest friend that I had in my 55 years involvement in technical matters of
the shipping industry. I guess he
had more friends than most people.
For twenty
years from the 1940s – 1960s the automation and control of machinery was
achieved by large numbers of men opening and closing valves and pushing levers.
A change then took place and men were replaced by solenoids, diodes and
microchips at an accelerating pace.
The
complexity of unproven new equipment in a variety of new ships was confusing to
say the least. Fortunately I came upon the help of Don Sievwright, who was at
that time employed by English Electric installing advanced control equipment at
the Longford offshore gas liquefaction plant in Victoria.
Don
was undaunted by any challenge, and was able to grasp at problems, not only by
recognizing faulty components, but also by visualizing the overall picture. He
had a way of calming the concern of ships’ technical staff and sorting out
their problem wherever it was located amongst the complex machinery, or deep in
the cargo holds, tanks, navigating equipment or whatever.
His rapid
response and calming approach, was shared equally with a multitude of clients,
the State Brick Works, Love’s Bread Factory, hospital blood dialysis
equipment, phone answering sets that he installed and maintained, the Waverley
Garbage Incinerator, Sydney Ferries and the construction of a furniture foam
factory in New Guinea. As a property owner in Wagga Wagga, he continued to be
full of new ideas and schemes.
For my 60th
birthday Don signed me up for membership of Ulysses Club a motorcycle-touring
group dedicated to “growing old disgracefully”, with Ulysses’ historic
determination to find new challenges to overcome.
Together with
other close allies including Don’s cousin Ross McLearie, we spent almost a
year in planning and preparing to ride our bikes right round Australia.
Typically, in the early stages our odyssey in 1996, Don’s mind was churning
guiltily of jobs and people left behind, and this forced him to abandon the
project and return across the Nullabor. His part in the planning enabled others
to successfully complete the tour.
Don’s
closest and most cherished are his charming and technically competent companion
Li, his sons David and Tony, his grandchildren Andrew and Monica, his brothers
Ross and Alby and his sister Betty. To them, and to absent friends we give our
thoughts.
Even at
the end, Don objected vigorously to being impeded by his illness, and was eager
to move on and face the challenges ahead. There
is surely a special place set aside for the few like Don.
Tony
Smith.
I received this email today,
which someone may be able help with a photo of the Norman Star:
Hi Fraser I had my first meeting with
Blue Star in 1945 with the Norman Star a real oldie unfortunately we got bumped
at the bottom of the Thames limped round to Southampton where they put a
big wooden patch on our side all the necessary plates and insulation
material in the hold, and sent us on our way to B.A. for permanent repair, three
days in convoy and then make our own way which we did and spent four glorious
months between Monty and BA loaded part cargo in BA then down to
straights of Magellan to complete, were homeward bound and bunkering in Pernambuco
on V.E. day. have tried all over to get photo of Norman Star but to no avail any
ideas? Later sailed on Timaru Star and Melbourne Star Jim Truelove was
Bosun on all three ships
Regards
Ken Roberts
New Members:
Andrew Way who runs a
small shipyard in Guernsey specialising in fast ferries wrote:
Have just found your Blue Star Line web site, which I have
very much enjoyed looking through. I haven’t looked through all the Gangway
articles but it was nice recognising some familiar names - particularly the
poem on the maiden voyage of the "Australia Star". I joined her as
5th Engineer at North Shields and did the maiden voyage finally getting off in
Kuwait on the second trip back up to the Gulf.
My main reason for sending this E-Mail was to try and find out info on the
Vestey Group Shipping Association. Charlie Ballinghall has suggested I should
join in a Christmas card received from him today but maybe you have some info
on whom to contact. Unfortunately, I was only with Blue Star from 1973 to 1985
but I am still very much connected with the sea and shipping and would like to
make contact again with ex. colleagues. Drop me a line if
you can assist. Andrew Way
Brian Dobbie who many will know and I relieved on the Canterbury Star
wrote|:
For your information
I remained with Blue Star till the end.
P&O Nedlloyd
bought us out in 1998 and finally shut down BSSM in March 2000. The entire
fleet of P&ONL is controlled from Rotterdam and I have been sailing on the
P&ONL Lyttelton for the past few years. She operates on the
Singapore/New Zealand run being back in Singapore every 28 days.
Not sure how up to
date you are with Blue Star sea staff? There are only a few of us left now as
the top two are Brits and the rest Filipinos or Polish in the case of the
Lecky.
Chris Williams wrote:
My name is Chris Williams and I was 5th then 4th Engineer on ACT 1
from14th Jan 1972 till 26th Sept 1973. Then I did one trip on ACT 5 (quite
enough for anyone!!) from 14 Dec. 1973 to 21st March 1974, when I left Blue
Star to do my 2nd's ticket and then join British Rail Ferries. I also did one
trip on ACT 2 when I was a cadet.
Kind regards,
Chris Williams
Colin Collier sailed on the Argentina
Star in the late 50's. He read John Dicks article on your web site. We
posted details of my father who is looking for crewmates. Subsequently a chap
from Australia has been trying to contact John Dick. They had been in contact
until a few years ago. He is asking for help to contact John Dick. He has not
had any contact for the last couple of years.
Dick Young wrote:
Hope I am sending this to the
right place Fraser! Heard about the Gangway newsletter when I met up with Ian
MacKillop last year but have only recently graduated to the Internet era and
would like to be added to the mailing list. I served with Blue Star from 1952
to 1978 in all ranks from Cadet to Master and have recently printed off this
year’s copy of Gangway and it was good to hear of some old shipmates and
acquaintances. May also be able to forward some old photos and crew lists of my
era in due course.
Regards
Dick Young
George
Cato’s son wrote
My father George Cato served through the
war years as an engineer with Blue Star Line in the Royal Star, Empire
Talisman, Empire Might and several other vessels. He left the sea after the war
and worked as a Marine Superintendent for a trawling company in Fleetwood where
he still lives. He has contact with one of his old shipmates "Crasher
Nash" and I would like to see if there are any others of his era still
about whom he may have sailed with. He is 80 years old this month and if I
could trace an old shipmate for him to contact it would make his day.
His
younger brother Tom also served with the Blue Star Line after the war and was
apparently something of a character. Unfortunately Tom died a couple of years
back but no doubt his name will stir a few memories.
Gerald Sewell wrote:
I have just seen Bob Smark's (I
think he was on board with me) photograph of the poor old Scottish Star.
I did a tour of duty from July to October 1968 as additional third Engineer. My
previous vessel was the Paraguay Star with Murdo MacKenzie. I would like
to hear from ex GBLA members - I still have my original
membership card signed by Captain Starky.
Rick Andrews wrote:
Hello, My name is Rick Andrews; I
was born in 1942 and joined my first Blue Star Line ship in 1959 the Scottish
Star after my first trip to sea on the Kenya Castle. In the
following years I sailed on 11 Blue Star ships as follows, Tasmania Star
(2 trips), Paraguay Star (1trip), California Star (3 trips), Uruguay
Star (1 trip), Royal Star (last voyage before Caledonia Star)
Imperial Star (1trip), Canadian Star (2 trips) Uruguay
Star (2 trips), English Star (1 trip to Baltic Ports), Canberra
Star (1trip), and Argentina Star (1 trip).
After leaving the sea I worked in
the Marine Dept at Albion House, Leadenhall Street and at the Royal Docks. Now
my wife and I live on a farm in West Wales, I still miss the Blue Star and have
a good collection of memorabilia, china, silver, paperwork, photos etc. I have
a friend who works for P&O Nedlloyd in Philadelphia and so I have items
dating from Arandora Star up to present day. I'm new to the computer set and I
was so glad to find your web page, I've just downloaded your screen-saver It’s
brilliant. Although I was on deck at sea I'm sure I must know many of the deck
and engine room officers you sailed with so many great characters.
Thanks for your enjoyable site.
Richard Haslam-Jones wrote:
I was delighted to find your
website and to further find myself in the lifeboat of the Auckland Star! What a
nostalgic site to find! I send you greetings from Japan, where I am looking
after the construction of cruise liners for Princess Cruises. I have covered a
lot of ground since leaving the Mother Company in 1986, as I am sure you have,
and I been involved in some very interesting ships. I will update you further
when I have time, but in the meantime drop me a line at this address.
Roger Barnett wrote:
I have recently found you on the
web, (very new to all this)
My name is Roger Barnett and I
served with Blue Star Line for 20+ years as Purser Catering Officer on various
ships, a brief outline is listed:
Brasil
Star
1964
Assistant Steward
Uruguay Star 1968 Second
Steward
Colorado Star 1969 Purser Catering Officer
English Star
1972
"
"
California Star 1973
"
"
ACT 1
1979
"
"
Australia Star 1980
" "
Mandama
1981
"
"
Scottish Star 1985 to 1986
"
"
Plus quite a few other ships.
I was standing by the Paraguay
Star as Second Steward in London when the fire broke out 12/08/1969 and I remember serving
afternoon teas in the passenger dining saloon to Ronald Vestey and his
entourage who had flown from Scotland ( first day of the grouse shooting
season) the ship was listing so much that l could only half fill the cups, not
sure what the " tab nabs " were though. Reading through the Gangway
magazines has been very interesting, with lots of names popping up. Would like
to be added to the mailing list please
