# Exciting Places !



## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

Found this among old photographs. So often there is no clue as to where anything is, , but this had the name of this port on the back. Not so much a port really as a surf port. It is Cape Palmas in Liberia. Last topping up with logs lifted straight out of the sea. C/O's favourite!! 

Breaking the rules slightly with the Capt's stood next to me, He said I should call the agent - Patterson Zochonis - on 2182 and give our eta etc. Never used much 2182 in those days, but one call and he answered instantly - certainly quicker than trying to raise Monrovia/ELC on 500. 

David
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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

The trick with ELC and a lot of those crap stations down there was to wig in to their HF skeds, they seemed to turn up for them. 

Am I the only one around who thought Monrovia was a hoot?

John T


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

Another exciting place with an equally exciting run ashore !! Someone must have been there !

David
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## Dave McGouldrick (Jan 1, 2007)

trotterdotpom said:


> The trick with ELC and a lot of those crap stations down there was to wig in to their HF skeds, they seemed to turn up for them.
> 
> Am I the only one around who thought Monrovia was a hoot?
> 
> John T



Enjoyed a few good times in Monrovia. So much so that I got onboard via the pilot launch as the ship was sailing for Freetown. Seaman's book
turned up just before sailing Freetown fro the States (that would have been interesting for US Immigration). Reason for missing the ship was the usual - booze and women.


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## trotterdotpom (Apr 29, 2005)

#4 . Ha ha. I remember standing on the key at Gateshead shouting: "You can't sail without me!" As the ship disappeared down the river. Luckily she was only going to Hartlepool and I caught the train.

John T


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## Frank P (Mar 13, 2005)

david.hopcroft said:


> Another exciting place with an equally exciting run ashore !! Someone must have been there !
> 
> David
> +


It looks like Mina in Kuwait.......


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Mina...what a dump. I laughed when I saw the place bombed in the gulf war...probably improved it.


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

Yes, it was Mina -9KM. But at least there was somewhere to walk to even if it was the Seaman's Mission. 

At this one, there was no where even for that.This is HZY - Ras Tanurah. Unless you were leaving in which case a taxi ride across the desert to Dharan airport and home. The standard reply to the question of 'Where are you from' by Customs at Heathrow was usually 'You haven't got any booze then !!' I do though remember Tuborg 'near beer', 0% alcohol at the hotel waiting for a flight the next day. 

Google earth shows something different to this photo, but it was a very long time ago.

David
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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Ahhh, Mina...memories flooding back...they would only allow the mate down the gangway to read the draft marks...no one else was allowed ashore...not that we minded..


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## Moulder (Aug 19, 2006)

You could exchange a pint of blood for 10 dinar at Mina Al Ahmadi if I remember correctly.

(Thumb)


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## BobClay (Dec 14, 2007)

Spent a Christmas tied up alongside Rastanurah in the 70's. No booze, a soldier with a rusty sub-machine gun on the gangway. Ahhh the excitement of going to sea. (Night)


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

The electrician and I managed to fit 6 cases of beer in the back of the main switchboard...(*))


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## Varley (Oct 1, 2006)

You should have found another hiding place. Rumour has it that one model making third his brass model in nearest Sunderland Forge MSB panel on the approach of the Chief. Well, they usually burn to the ground all by themselves, in this case the model helped no end.


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## Troppo (Feb 18, 2010)

Cardboard cartons, no worries...

I was just was the mule - the lecko did the actual placement....(Pint)


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## NINJA (May 8, 2006)

The only good thing about Mina was it was an easy standby. Full ahead rang in no time at all.


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

The mission at Mina was though a cheap source of commodities that could be sold on elsewhere at a tidy profit !!

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## Naytikos (Oct 20, 2008)

Monrovia: No, but Buchanan down the coast had a decent restaurant run by a French lady. My wife and I decided to walk back to the ship but fortunately got picked up by a drunken light-skinned local chap in a Sunbeam Alpine who took great delight in trying to run down some dark-skinned chaps who were walking up the road.

Rastanura: In the days before VCRs, if you had a pornographic movie to show the religious police when they came aboard on arrival you were fine. I used to hide beer on top of the lift (elevator) and the steward would collect empty Coca-Cola cans to serve it in; the pilots loved that arrangement. The pilots would also appreciate a few pounds of bacon.

Mina al Ahmadi: Never had a problem getting ashore, even from the sea island. The agent would usually arrange a car to the town and it was easy to get a taxi back. We landed the Chief engineer's wife there once, with pregnancy problems; she nearly miscarried when we carried her down the gangway in a Neil Robertson stretcher held over our heads. She spoke Arabic fluently so it wasn't an issue to leave her there to find her own way home.

So many stories about PG ports its hard to not include them all in one post.


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

Here is another one ! Clue: Not far to go to the Ferryboat Inn.

David
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## hawkey01 (Mar 15, 2006)

David,

River Fal for lay up?

Neville


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## Michael Taylor (Aug 31, 2008)

Would purchase a couple of gold sovereigns in Kuwait and with a little mercury from the spare in the Brown gyro room turn them into what looked like rupee coins just enough to get through the gates in Bombay and make a handsome profit. Never thought of the danger but the gentleman who heated the coins is probably gone by now.


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

Not quite Nev. This is a few miles from Sapele, up the creeks, whilst keeping the Creek watch before spending 12 days on the sawmill berth. At least this was alongside though, but the downside was that the ship alongside had to do the Guard Watch keeping the first half hour of each watch as a coast station for any traffic coming/going to the creek berths. There was a messenger boy assigned to run QTC's to the agents. There were also trips to the OK Bazaar, shopping for you and others, only to find that many items on the list were 'still down No2 hatch' . The Ferry Boat Inn in Sapele was 'an experience' to be savoured later !!!.

This was the Lokoja Palm/GWWJ passing Portishead 21.7.66, two years after I left. If you zoom in, the door behind the wheelhouse was the Radio Room - No inside access - where the T10A, G12/13 and SB186x HF tx were to be found. 

David +


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## oca999 (Aug 16, 2015)

Dakar in 1967 was a dump...called in again on the qe2 whilst on a cruise...guess what still a dump


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## Wismajorvik (Dec 29, 2011)

david.hopcroft said:


> The mission at Mina was though a cheap source of commodities that could be sold on elsewhere at a tidy profit !!
> 
> ++


We frequently ran between Mina and Naples . The crew would purchase cases of cigarettes in Mina for sale in Naples. One departure from Mina the orders were LEFO which caused much consternation as thousands of cigaretes had been bought. There were smiles all round when, in the western
Med, orders came to turn around and head for Naples. The Mobil E boat had run aground in the bay preventing discharge of its cargo. Procedure in Naples was either a speedboat came alongside to receive the goods or more commonly a truck, with police guard, would come onto the jetty.


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

It was Bataan Oil Refinery in my time. The Chief Customs Officer came aboard on time, and leaning on a wardrobe door with a number of cases, said he knew we sold the odd cartons for going ashore money, and it was the big guys he was after !! and the proceeded to offer $4 a carton !!

David
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## freddythefrog (Dec 15, 2007)

Hyer David
Minaalahmadi, that picture reminds me it was there I had my 21st birthday
on Border Terrier/MSDL, unfortunately only drinking cocao cola!!
Made up for it in Japan though with plenty Kirrin beer Hic!!
cheers 73's de ftf


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