ADVENTURE & LAUGHTER
ADVENTURE & LAUGHTER.
It
was the 27th September 1967 when I started what turned out to be one
adventure after another and laughter from start to finish. Oh yes it was hard
work but so much fun, so much a challenge. I joined Collins Submarine Pipelines
in Khafji, the Neutral Zone between Kuwait and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
I had returned from South Africa to Tina and the
family in Clevedon unemployed. But I had acquired some reputation for
seamanship in the salvage of a Korean Fishing Vessel on the Skeleton Coast of
Namibia. I had been encouraged to contact Mr.S.V.Collins a Texas maverick, who
was dredging diamonds from the sea off the African Coast. [The following link
will give you that story http://shillingfordslate.com/page29.htm
]
He offered me a job as Master on a former German Salvage
Tug tending the operations off the Skeleton Coast. Now I was big tough [had
played rugby in South Africa] and certainly knew that coast but I did not
relish the idea of taking a very big tug into the dangerous surf and double bar
of that area. They had already lost a big barge with loss of life. I turned
that post down and he offered me another job as Fleet Captain based upon Ras al
Khaji. And so I ended up in charge of approximately 50 staff from England,
Germany, the United States, South Africa, Greece and Italy. There were 150
staff from Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, the Hadramaut, India,
Kurdistan, Yemen, Baluchistan, Jordan, and Pakistan. I had 22 vessels, mostly
small tugs, and 12 huge flat top barges, I had cranes side booms, diving
equipment, and a base camp up a Wadi. I had to feed this mob, ensure their
health and welfare; law was decided by the Emir of Khaji. We had contracts with
Iran, with Americans, Saudis, with the Japanese. It was organised mayhem but it
worked. It worked for the following reasons:
·
Everyone
knew their job and did it,
·
Everyone
was paid well and according to his profession or skill,
·
Everyone
was treated with dignity and respected,
·
Enthusiasm
was the tone of work.
·
Anyone
who did not fit with the above was sent home immediately.
I was the
only person with the unlimited Master’s Certificate so I had the final word on
marine matters.[My predecessor was Guiseppe Tramontano, a Venetian Captain who
went to work for Getty Oil. Joe was a
really nice guy who helped me settle in.] The Americans were the Engineers and
mechanics and Fred Bailey had the final word on those things. George Todd, a
former RN Diver decided on all diving contracts and activities. London River
men as Skippers manned all the tugs. They were all like Del Boy in “Only Fools
& Horses” nothing was sacred, everything was a laugh, they made fun of each
other, worked like billy-ho, the American contractors worshipped them. The
banter went on and on but the job went well. They were in like a shot to help
each other. Their tugs were like new pins; their Arab crews would do anything
for them. It was great. Mind it was a constant bustle and much was innovative.
This was the birth of offshore oil.
I was
with Collins until July 1970 when Sammy Collins sold out to Arab and French
interests and the outfit was broken up. I joined Cunard following a visit of
Lt.Commander Howarth to Khaji earlier that year and his report to them in Great
Yarmouth.
It was a
great adventure and I could really write a book about all that took place such:
·
Smuggling
barges and cranes from the foreshore in Iran whilst avoiding the Shah’s
gunboats,
·
Rescuing
a rig struck by a katabatic wind and snarled with giant wires and anchors,
·
Moving
rigs in waters loaded with gas leaks,
·
Building
an aviary for a rescued macaw,
·
Dealing
with unexploded dynamite in Abu Dhabi,
·
Taking
2 crews to the USA via London!
·
Bringing
two small vessels from Morgan City, Atchaflaya River to Jazirat Shaik Shoab,
via Barbados, St Helena, Capetown, past the pirate strongholds and through
Hormuz.
You will get a flavour of all this from the
following photographs.
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