Staff
Captain Adie and Captain Prowse on the bridge approaching our berth at
Hong-Kong in 1967. That's possibly Phil Jackson (Chief officer) in the background.
A light drizzle
was falling as we came alongside in Suva, Fiji, taking the berth that
Oriana had just vacated.
Courtesy
of Roger Lownsborough
Once alongside
we started day work which involved antenna maintenance, and offering some
splendid views from the dizzy height of the foremast top, and of another
P&O ship berthed alongside, Arcadia.
Courtesy
of Roger Lownsborough
The warmth of
the sun and the sight of our own lifeboats suggested that it was going to
be a perfect day for a boat trip.
Courtesy
of Roger Lownsborough
A couple of
phone calls were all that was necessary to persuade the 8-12 watch to come
out and play, and armed with a couple of cases of beer and a few cold
chicken legs, we set off.
L-R
Pippa
Sheen (Social Hostess), John (The Bopper) Englefield (2EO), Roger
Lownsborough (3RO) at the helm, Rodney Boswell (3O) watching how not to
steer a lifeboat, ??, ??, ?? (8-12 watch keeping engineers).
Courtesy
of Roger Lownsborough
Rodney Boswell
posed coyly with a beach towel whilst Bopper took the helm.
Courtesy
of Roger Lownsborough
Rodney Boswell
ensured that everyone took suitable precautions against the heat, and kept
our liquid levels up - I think he was sponsored by VB!
Courtesy
of Roger Lownsborough
Feeling
absolutely no pain whatsoever, we sighted a small sand spit, and gently
ran the boat ashore.....on a falling tide!
Courtesy
of Roger Lownsborough
Within a few
minutes we were hopelessly aground!
Courtesy
of Roger Lownsborough
I seized the
chance to claim this newly expanding sand spit in the name of Her Majesty,
in the true tradition, and christened the new found land in honour of the
only female in the party, Pippa Sheen. so "Pippa Spit" it was.
Courtesy
of Roger Lownsborough
It seemed only
right that we should raise a toast to Pippa Spit...
Courtesy
of Roger Lownsborough
L-R
Roger
Chapman (1st RO), Pippa Sheen (Social Hostess) Huw Williams (Chief RO)
(deceased), ??
Courtesy
of Roger Lownsborough
Behaving as a
senior officer should, Roger Chapman tried to make contact with Himalaya
to inform them of our plight - but in the true tradition of the Radio
Department - the batteries were flat!!
Courtesy
of Roger Lownsborough
While the RO's
were arguing about who was to blame, Pippa somehow lost the top of her
bikini, and to protect her modesty flung herself, face-down on the
sand.
Courtesy
of Roger Lownsborough
Whoever said
that Engineer Officers were not chivalrous? Well this guy certainly was.
He jumped out of the boat armed with a bailing pan....and rushed to her
side....
Courtesy
of Roger Lownsborough
Where, with the
ferocity of a Jack Russell terrier he proceeded to dig a trench into which
his colleagues, armed with an oar, proceeded to demonstrate the first
order of levers...!
Courtesy
of Roger Lownsborough
Needless to
say, it was sunset before the tide rise sufficiently for us to refloat the
lifeboat and return to the ship - where we received a monumental
bollocking for our prolonged disappearing act.
What
happened to the photo of the levered over Pippa?
Above
is the Purser's department onboard Himalaya taken on 14 October 1974! This was my first ship....joined it in March and did not get off until the ship docked in Hong Kong prior to being broken up.
L-R Back Row:
John
Bonham (D/P Cat), Mike Andrew (D/P Admin), Tony Boxall (D/P Accom), Barry Mulder
(Purser), Denis Rogers (Chef), Alex Graham (Writer), Graham Mansell (AP), Charles
Caton (AP).
Front
Row:
Judy
Smyth (S/WAP), Val Jones (WAP), Vicki Russell (WAP), Daphne Cutler (Ch Ho
- daughter of Capt Roger Cutler), Lauraine
Mulberry (JWAP), Ian Rover (Crew AP).