# Johnson Line



## hasse neren (Oct 20, 2006)

Johnson Line nostalgia , please dig in your archives and photos, and if you find some new unseen Johnson line photos please put the in the gallery for us [=P] ( specially me) to scare.
Hasse.


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## hasse neren (Oct 20, 2006)

Come on all you Englishmen, you must in your life had been connected to some of the Johnson Line ships in your ports, and have many nostalgia stories to tell, isn't this a nostalgia forum?
I am waiting for photos an stories in this matter, Now!!!!
Regards to you all, the Lonely Johnson Line collector Hasse.


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## Tony Selman (Mar 8, 2006)

Hasse, the only story I can relate is that I went on to a Johnson Line ship in Long Beach in 1969. At this distance I cannot remember if it was the Golden Gate or Portland, which I seem to recall is one of your old ships. I was working for Brocklebank's at the time and was on one of their modern ships called Mahsud which was on charter to Mitsui on the Japan to USA run. I was becoming a bit restless at the time and fancied working for a Scandinavian company where I knew conditions were good. I had previously applied to Maersk but they had no vacancies and I thought I would nip over to a Swedish ship and see if they took British R/O's, there was also the off chance that the R/O might be female and pretty as well. This Johnson Line ship was on the other side of the pier in Long Beach and this was the ideal opportunity. No such luck the R/O was very friendly but in this case was male. However, I was invited for a meal on board and then I had a good evening with him and some of his colleagues. I remember being particularly impressed with the quality of the ship considering her age and she was in excellent condition. Good memories but not a very exciting story I am afraid. I don't think I have any photos but I will have a look through my slides and check.

I never did join a Scandinavian company and in fact joined P&O at the end of that voyage.


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## hasse neren (Oct 20, 2006)

Tony, this is a great story!
I was on M/S Portland in 1969-70, in this ports, an maybe we did meet on some bars by the way?
The story is the same only on different ships, different company's and different language's, but the feelings when working on the ship or ashore must have been the same.
Take care, and the best to you Tony, Hasse.


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## Tony Selman (Mar 8, 2006)

Hasse, I have checked in my voyage log and working out the schedule I would have been in Long Beach in November or perhaps early December 1969. If you were on Portland at that time and on the West Coast it is possible the ship I visited was Portland and we might even have met!! Small world. It would be good to remember precisely but after 40 years the memory is not what it was.

With very best wishes

Tony


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## hasse neren (Oct 20, 2006)

Hi again Tony!
Sorry for this late reply.
At that time Nov.-Dec. 1969 i was in the ports of Göteborg and Stockholm just home from a South Pacific route, on are way out for the La Plata route.
I will try to find in one of my old Swedish Shipping magazines from that time witch ship that you did visit in Long Beach.
Kind regards Hasse.


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## scorcher (Jul 2, 2007)

I have uploaded a photo I took of Johnsons Canada
in the London docks in the 60s.
URL;http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=510
best wishes scorcher


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## hasse neren (Oct 20, 2006)

Many thank´s for that!(Thumb) 
Regards Hasse.


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## Hugh Ferguson (Sep 4, 2006)

I have two, Axel Johnson & the Montivideo, both of which I piloted into the Thames a long time ago. Do you wish me to put them in the GALLERY?
Regards, Hugh Ferguson. See Gallery-I've just up-loaded photos of Axel Johnson and the Montevideo.


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## hasse neren (Oct 20, 2006)

Hi Hugh!
Yes please, that would be great.
Regards, Hasse.


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## vikspan (Sep 12, 2011)

*Margaret Johnson*

hasse:

In 1939, when I was a child, my parents and I travelled on the M/S Margaret Johnson from Antwerp to Puerto Colombia, Colombia. This was the first ship to bear the name (there was a second one later on.) 

The ship was a mixed passenger-freighter that carried 50 passengers. Most of us were Spanish Republicans fleeing from Spain at the end of the Civil War.

I think we sailed from Antwerp in May or June. If anyone can tell me how I can find out the exact date I should be most grateful.

If anyone is interested in more information on the Johnson Line you can do a Google on Svenska Lloyd.

Vikspan


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## Aberdonian (Apr 7, 2011)

*MS Pacific & MS Suecia*

In July 1971 stevedoring company Scruttons Maltby sent me to Gothenburg accompanied by a small group of fellow employees, namely a Terminal Foreman, a Shop Steward and four Crane Drivers experienced in operating Munck gantry cranes. The object of the visit was to familiarise ourselves with handling methods while the _MS Pacific_ of Johnson Line prepared for her maiden voyage by shipping empty platforms at Skandia Terminal using two 30 ton ASEA ship gantry cranes. Operational meetings were held with Capt E Arvidsson and Capt B Jakobsson.

These platforms, measuring 34 ft 4 ins x 6 ft 10 ins, were stowed 11 high in the holds (3 lifts of 3 plus 1 lift of 2 ) and 3 high on deck.

A total of 1194 platforms were shipped into the _Pacific_, destined for Vancouver where they would be individually loaded with packaged timber for the return voyage to our 46 Berth Terminal, Tilbury Dock. Here the laden platforms were taken from ships side to bedding out areas using Douglas Tugmasters and Mafi trailers. On completion of discharge at Tilbury, and with all empty platforms reshipped, the vessel made for Gothenburg where each platform would take two Volvo vehicles for Vancouver discharge. A sister ship, _MS Suecia_, also of 23,587 tons and built at Turku in 1971, plied the same route using an identical cargo handling system.

We continued to discharge packaged timber from both ships, certainly up until 1974 when the Port of London Authority took over all Scruttons Maltby stevedoring operations causing me to leave and head for Saudi Arabia. The ships were sold in 1979, the _Pacific_ renamed _Pacific Lumberman_ and the _Suecia_ renamed _Pacific Forrester. _

Keith


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