# Begona



## Fairfield

Here/s a shot I took of MONTSERRAT/S running mate in Southampton in 1973.In the black looked very smart.


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## FILIPVS

*Begoña*

Hi folks...

I live in Vigo so I have these 2 pictures of the "Begoña" and "Montserrat" visiting the city. 
The aerial view is the "Montserrat" in 1961. The other picture of the Begoña I do not know the date.

The difference between the two vessels is "Montserrat" had a deck less. You can apreciate this in the pictures...

They were sailing in the route Southampton, Vigo, Tenerife, Port of Spain (Trinidad), La Guaira (Venezuela), Cartagena de Indias (Colombia), Kingstown (Jamaica), Curaçao (Dutch Antilles) and back to Spain.

Regards


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## johno2449

Happy days. In my day (1969 -74) these ships arrived in Southampton carrying mostly Galicians who worked in the UK catering and domestic sector and Jamaicans who had settled here and had been visiting home. The port authorities sometimes boarded by tender in order to ensure a quick turn-round, most formalities being completed between Cowes Roads and Southampton. The Fundador was good.


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## asturbama

I was in the Begoña in Oct 1974 when was adrift for several days in the middle of the atlantic. When in Tenerife having engine trouble was said whole not sail due to the nature of the damage but pressure from more than half of the passengers coming from Southampton destined to Kingston Jamaica forced the captain and the Trasatlantica Española to sail to La Guaira Venezuela and then Kingston we did not make it. The engine died and there was a fire trying to restart it. And on October 12 after drifting for several days without electricity not food. My mother kept my brother and I alive thanks to tubes of condensed milk she had.bough in Tenerife and bottles of water she manage to get from the waiter that used to serve our table prior to the trouble. we were rescued and towed by the towboat Oceanic that came from Cape Verde. The towboat would not tow us to La Guaira or kinston because all the passengers would have been put on quarantine due to the risk of diseases. Intead they towed us to Barbados where no quarantine was would be issued, and then via airplane to Venezuela. Many of the Jamaican-British passengers revolted not wanting to leave all their baggage in the ship to be send via merchant ship. I don't know the outcome of that situation because our mother took us on the first.chance they had a.taxi to the airport and then to Venezuela. My father was frantic in Venezuela not having any news of us and the ship, all they told him there was no communications with the ship. I was 10 at the time and was a very traumatic time for me. I hope someone that was on the Begoña then could contact me to talk about those moments. My email [email protected]


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## R58484956

Greetings *Asturbama* and welcome to *SN*. An interesting story you have told. Bon voyage.


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## FILIPVS

asturbama said:


> I was in the Begoña in Oct 1974 when was adrift for several days in the middle of the atlantic.


According my information, the ship was not drifting too much time. Before the sttopage, the ship have had many problems in the boilers, sailing at reduced speed during days. For this reason, as precautionary measure and beforehand, the Captain required one tug to escort the ship (german tug Oceanic). So when ship finally stopped, she was in a very isolated area of the Atlantic with no commercial routes near, but the salvage tug Oceanic was only 200 miles away. 
I think that the tug could reach Begoña's position in less than 24 hours.


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## johno2449

I ate a delicious spicy stew with rice for lunch in Southampton. One of my colleagues told the purser (whom we always referred to as "Napoleon") how we were all enjoying the meal and asked him what it was. He replied "Horse stew".


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## Sharon-T

My father sailed on the Begona in 1960 from Jamaica to Southampton via Vigo, spain. He told me fascinating stories about the passengers and treatment meted out to him. Thanks for the forum


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## TIM HUDSON

Hi there Filipvs
Check out my pic of Begona in Gallery, manoeuvring at Las Palmas 1962. Taken during my first deep sea voyage. Nice looking ship. 
rgds Tim


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## dbrown

asturbama said:


> I was in the Begoña in Oct 1974 when was adrift for several days in the middle of the atlantic. When in Tenerife having engine trouble was said whole not sail due to the nature of the damage but pressure from more than half of the passengers coming from Southampton destined to Kingston Jamaica forced the captain and the Trasatlantica Española to sail to La Guaira Venezuela and then Kingston we did not make it. The engine died and there was a fire trying to restart it. And on October 12 after drifting for several days without electricity not food. My mother kept my brother and I alive thanks to tubes of condensed milk she had.bough in Tenerife and bottles of water she manage to get from the waiter that used to serve our table prior to the trouble. we were rescued and towed by the towboat Oceanic that came from Cape Verde. The towboat would not tow us to La Guaira or kinston because all the passengers would have been put on quarantine due to the risk of diseases. Intead they towed us to Barbados where no quarantine was would be issued, and then via airplane to Venezuela. Many of the Jamaican-British passengers revolted not wanting to leave all their baggage in the ship to be send via merchant ship. I don't know the outcome of that situation because our mother took us on the first.chance they had a.taxi to the airport and then to Venezuela. My father was frantic in Venezuela not having any news of us and the ship, all they told him there was no communications with the ship. I was 10 at the time and was a very traumatic time for me. I hope someone that was on the Begoña then could contact me to talk about those moments. My email [email protected]


Hi my name is David. I was also on the Begona in 1974. I am the eldest of then five children for my mother who was on the boat when it left Southampton on 10th September 1974. My father stayed back in London as he had not sold a couple of houses he had.

I was ever so glad to finally hear from someone who was actually on the boat back then. I am still looking for pictures of the Begona but so far am unsuccessful.

I was 15 years old at when I entered the boat. My youngest brother was just two years old. My recollection is the boat was a Spanish liner whose original captain was not on board as he told his bosses he didn't think the boat would actually make the journey to the West indies. We set of on 10th September 1974, went to Spain, Tenneriffe and then set off across the Atlantic. Three days later the boat not only broke down, but started taking in water and listed. We ran out of food, water and the large fams that were on the three lower decks stopped spinning. This meant that below decks were so hot and uncomfortable, that many brought their mattresses to the dinning room and other places where they could sleep. We did that a few nights too. There was a lot of choas during this time as lots of people had children and babies and there was no food or water made available to them. The racial segregation of black and non black restaurants added to the already stressful situation. My mother struggled to get food for us and especially my two year old brother. He was still on bottle at the time and I remember the moment he took it out of his mouth and threw it in the ocean.

An SOS was sent out and the Oceanic (which was then the largest tug boat in the world) picked up our SOS and came and towed us to barbadoes. The first thing they did was give all the children a bowl of porridge which went down well after days of not eating properly. The Oceanic took three days to get us to barbadoes. It took another three days to fly out all the passengers to their various destinations. We flew out to Jamaica on the third day. We had two large crates on board which we eventually received. I witnessed other crates in the large holding areas on the boat damages and many things scattered. they were held behing large giant bars so no one could actually reach some things, but others were actually at hands reach.

Funny point. My dad had a minibus whcih he brought over from the UK when he eventuall came over to join us in Jamaica. The minibus kept breaking down and we (the kids) nicked named it begona.

It was a time I will never forget. My mother who is still alive, started writing a book about the experience. it is still to be published. I can be contacted on email: [email protected] if anyone wishes to contact me regarding their experience of pictures of the Begona.


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## FILIPVS

dbrown said:


> My recollection is the boat was a Spanish liner whose original captain was not on board as he told his bosses he didn't think the boat would actually make the journey to the West indies.


In Madrid there were contacts with Cunard to buy the FRANCONIA in order to substitute the old Begoña. Finally no purchase agreement was signed with Cunard... and Begoña was not retired.

So, the company told the Captain that Begoña had to be provisionally repaired and make one more trip... 
The Captain was in time to go home for rest, so the chf officer took the command of the ship in Vigo.

Regards and thanks to Tim for the photo!!!(Thumb)


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## FILIPVS

Hi there

Well, some years ago last Begoña's Captain (Mr Carlos Peña Alvear) wrote his professional memories. I attach here a picture of the book's cover whith one Begoña included in it (this paint was made by the Captain I think). The book was published in Spain and in reduced quantity. But I have one, so If anybody want ask something about book's contents, pls do not hesitate in ask here. I will translate to english all info that you need.


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## Samsette

Did any nation, other than Spain and Holland, convert the wartime-built Victory type ships into passenger ships?


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## FILIPVS

Samsette said:


> Did any nation, other than Spain and Holland, convert the wartime-built Victory type ships into passenger ships?


Also Italy. In fact, the ss"BEGOÑA" was the ex-CASTEL BIANCO (1957) and she was, together CASTEL VERDE, part of the *SITMAR* fleet before being adquired by Spain. Both ships were Victories converted in liners


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## Samsette

Thanks for that, Fil.


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## FILIPVS

Samsette said:


> Thanks for that, Fil.


Glad to help. I forgot to mention six Argentine vessels, all of them Victory type ship converted in emigrant ships.
After WW2 Argentina opened doors to emigration from Europe. About five millions of europeans went there (mainly from Italy and Spain). And these ships were adquired to be employed in this service and were converted in italian shipyards. The ships were:

CORDOBA ex-Nyv Victory
MENDOZA ex-William and Mary Victory
BUENOS AIRES ex-Smith Victory
SANTA FE ex-Gustavus Victory
TU***AN ex- La Crose Victory
ENTRE RIOS ex-Rock Hill Victory

All were part of_* COMPAÑIA DE NAVEGACION ALBERTO DODERO*_.


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## ben27

good morning filipvs,yesterday.00:26.re:begona.i have watched your clip re:compania de navigation.very informative.great photos.and historical content.great post,p.s your English is o.k.i don't think many menbers speak Spanish?have a good day,ben27


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## KatyG

*Begona 1960*



Sharon-T said:


> My father sailed on the Begona in 1960 from Jamaica to Southampton via Vigo, spain. He told me fascinating stories about the passengers and treatment meted out to him. Thanks for the forum


Hello Sharon-T, my Father also sailed on the Begona in 1960 and I would be grateful if you could share some of your Father's stories with me as I do find history very intriguing. My late Father passed in April of this year and I would love to hear from others who also had parents that travelled on the Begona in 1960.(*)) I am new to Ship Nostalgia and I am loving it already.


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## MauriceHall

*Re: Memories*

This is a fascinating forum. I travelled with my parents from Southampton to Kingston in January 1969 on the Begona. I was amazed to find a picture of the ship in this forum and I have some memories of the journey. Both of my parents have now passed on so it fills me with great nostalgia to hear stories of what happened to that venerable ship. I don't know when it went out of service, but this ship and the Montserrat were famous in Jamaica for taking people to and from England as they emigrated back and forth between the former colonies and the "Mother Land."


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## KatyG

Hello Maurice, I am not always on the site due to time constraints. Is it possible that I could supply you with a contact number and I can hear what information that you have you. Not only do I like to hear about history about the Begona but also to share your parents experiences of what they endeavoured when they came to England. Kat


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## FILIPVS

Begoña was a really little ship. Here we can see her in Tenerife between two giants!! But she was the best liner of Spain during years.

She was transfered to Cia Trasatlántica Española on 16th march of 1957. Her first captain under spanish flag was Jesus Meana Brun. Her firtst trip was Barcelona-Genova-Naples-Coruña-Vigo-Tenerife-La Guaira.
During first years she had white hull. Later she was painted in black (also the funnel) which was the company colour from XIX century.

In 1958 she called in Southampton for first time. She was the first spanish liner calling in that port in 20 years!! The trip was Southampton, Bilbao,Santander,Coruña,Vigo,Cadiz,Las Palmas,,Tenerife,,LaGuaira,Cartagena de Indias,Kingstown,Curacao,,LaGuaira, Trinidad,,Tenerife,Vigo,Santander and Southampton again. Tge capacity was 830 pasengers in an un ique class. On main deck there were two saloon and dinner room. There was a swiming pool on the stern. All cabins were for two, four or eight persons with bathroom (and air condition installed in 1962).

In 1965 she was in charge of salvage of norwegian cutter Mary Norman in front of Grenada (antilles) being the crew disembarked in La Guaira and sent to Norway by the embassy of such country.

In 1970 she carried one monument of Simon Bolivar...


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## FILIPVS

Begoña 1957 ex-Castel Bianco 1947 ex-Vassar Victory 1945 (photo)


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## purvisgary

*any photos of the ship Entre Rios*

are their any photos of the ship Entre Rios or Rockhill Victory ?


FILIPVS said:


> Glad to help. I forgot to mention six Argentine vessels, all of them Victory type ship converted in emigrant ships.
> After WW2 Argentina opened doors to emigration from Europe. About five millions of europeans went there (mainly from Italy and Spain). And these ships were adquired to be employed in this service and were converted in italian shipyards. The ships were:
> 
> CORDOBA ex-Nyv Victory
> MENDOZA ex-William and Mary Victory
> BUENOS AIRES ex-Smith Victory
> SANTA FE ex-Gustavus Victory
> TU***AN ex- La Crose Victory
> ENTRE RIOS ex-Rock Hill Victory
> 
> All were part of_* COMPAÑIA DE NAVEGACION ALBERTO DODERO*_.


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## David Buff

*My Wonderful Begona Experience part 1*

Hi Forum
I am happy I found this blog as I have been long searching for fellow passengers of the ill fated final voyage of the "BIGONA" that queen of the Atlantic sea to exchange experiences.
My experience began back in 1966 when my late Grandmother traveled from Port of Spain, Trinidad to Southampton, England to take care of me, 2 years old at the time. In 1966 I accompanied my Grandmother on the return trip to Trinidad and then went back to England in 1968, needless to say I was to young to remember those early voyages and I guess they were uneventful since I never heard any stories to the contrary.(Thumb)
In 1974 my Mother was "divinely inspired" to emigrate back to the land of her birth along with me 10 and my two sisters 2 & 3 at the time. My Father was to follow Christmas of the same year after finalizing the sale of the house and business. Prior to securing passage with full payment the sailing was postponed twice due to the vessel being repaired in dry dock. During that time they (my parents) put our Stoke Newington home on the market. By September when a buyer began the purchase it was announced that the ship was finally ready for what was to be her final trek across the Atlantic. My mother proceeded to purchase passage but by this time all the lower fares were sold out and only cabins above deck were available for a premium price of course... but little did she know that this would turn out to be the greatest blessing when the tide turned after disaster struck upon leaving Tenerife.
On September 27th 1974 we along with approximately 800 souls departed Southampton to the shouts and tears of joy from friends and relatives to what was to become an EPIC journey. As the custom was back in the day we also had all our earthly possessions neatly packed in 6 large crates and two trunks. New furniture and household appliances in three, food stuff in one and my fathers tools and other used and personal items in the last two. (more about these at the end of this tale) The trunks accompanied us in the cabin with a view (Gleam)(Gleam) and the crates were in a large shaft in the middle of the ship. I could see my family jewels through the very large prison bar like en-closer from certain stair wells which were really out of bounds to adults but prime exploring turf for a young adventurer.(Thumb) It was this same adventurous curiosity which gave me a unique vantage point for what was to unfold in the coming weeks. 

Tune in to part 2 for my recollection of the "Middle Passage" I would love to hear more from others to enhance my understanding of the events that unfolded.


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## David Buff

*My Wonderful Begona Experience part 2 (Tribute)*

Hi all
Unfortunately from my research I cannot find recollections of the events that truly encompass the full story and by "full story" I mean the emotions like Joy, Fair, Despair or any that capture the heroics of the Captain- *Jose Luis Tome Barrado* (please excuse the lack of accents for the Spanish names) and his crew 120 strong. Nor do they capture the prays of the 800 plus passengers or the anxiety of expectant family and friends at their respective destinations in Venezuela, Trinidad, Jamaica and other islands on which the ship did not call but had natives on board. And how about some respect for that Faithful old Lady- The BEGONA 29 Years old at the time, for decades she had survived war as the Victory, ferried countless Australian migrants as the CASTEL BIANCO and who can underestimate her role in shaping the immigration of Spain and England with countless migrants criss crossing the Atlantic from the respective Mother Lands and there past and present colonies as the "BEGONA."

In an age where Trans-Atlantic travel via jet planes is as easy as boarding a bus it is hard for some of the younger generations to truly appreciate what our for parents went through to secure a better life for us and the BEGONA played her part in this rich history- Thanks Transatlantic{Trasatlantica} her owners from Spain for your Vision.(Thumb)

To those unsung Heroes who sailed on that Massive Powerful tug THE OCEANIC (the largest in the world at the time) Thank you for coming to our rescue and literally finding "a needle in a hay stack" and providing us with much needed bread, water and light as well as the tow to Barbados. It might have been all in a day's work for you guys but to us you were God sent... Thanks

No Tribute would be complete without thanking GOD for sparing the lives of the entire cast and crew on board in 1974 when in the middle of the hurricane season(Cloud) we sat in the middle of the Atlantic with a big hole in the middle of the haul slowly sinking to what could have been a watery grave. Again thanks to GOD not one life boat was launched and all on board were saved. 

My Name is David and I was there and survived to tell the tale. 

Stay tuned for intriguing part 3 (life on board)


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## David Buff

*My Wonderful Begona Experience part 3 (life on board)*

Hi All
This segment is dedicated to all who were too young to remember, too old to care and to those who have been longing to know what the real scoop was- Just what really happened in the Mid Atlantic four Decades ago??
Well the journey started on the 27th Oct. 1974 When 800 + passengers, 120 crew and *Captain Jose Luis Tome Barrado* boarded the Bigona in Southampton, England and set sail for the West Indies with scheduled stops in Vigo, Spain and Tenerife before crossing the Atlantic to Kingston, Jamaica, Port of Spain, Trinidad and La Guaira, Venezuela.
Apart from the fact that the voyage had been postponed twice prior to this date due to repairs been carried out in dry dock none of the passengers could have suspected what would unfold in the coming weeks. Possibly the ships Regular Captain- Captain Alvear Carlos Peña had a premonition because after pleading with his company (Transatlantica) to postpone the voyage until everything was ship shape and they paid him no heed, he took his vacation which was due and his second in command took charge. 

Among the throng of excited Passengers was a young mother 29 at the time her 10 year old son and two daughters age 2 & 3. It was probably just coincidence but worthy to note that the two ladies- the BIGONA and Mother were the same age. You probably figured it out by now- the boy was me and no one could have been more excited and ready for adventure.

We were escorted to our cabin on the port side upper deck a modest home away from home for the journey. It had a double bunk full toilet and bath and a nice big oval shaped port window that could open for fresh air even though the cabin was air conditioned. Later this feature would prove to be our saving grace. By Most standards the BIGONA was of modest size 455' long by 62' wide but what she lacked in size she made up for in features.

She had a beautiful swimming pool in her stern bounded by a nice recreational area, several dining rooms, lounges and a cinema where among her amenities. I would like to state categorically for the record that *no area of the vessel was segregated by race* - she was outfitted and marketed as a single class vessel. For obvious reasons a ticket for a cabin above deck cost more than one below but they were all fitted out basically the same - there were 2,4 & 8 person capacity cabins. In order to avoid chaos groups of cabin numbers were assigned different dining areas but the menus were the same and all the dining areas were beautiful and clean with their gleaming white table cloths and silverware on each table, the service was 5 star. I REPEAT no racial segregation for any areas on the vessel. 

My personal favorite pass time outside of exploring every nook and crany of the ship was watching people shoot skeet's... PULL. There was lots of night life too but I was too young to participate so i can,t comment on the after dark activities save remembering happy people passing by my port hole window. By night I slept but by day I was the "Great Indiana Jones of the High Seas". From the crack of dawn to sun down it was my time... yea baby! It was this said spirit for adventure which led me to witness two off the most game changing events of the voyage. 

From the Bridge to the engine room and all points in between the crew new this little curly haired explorer. I would go chat with the captain and even though my Spanish was English and his English was limited we communicated just fine. Little did I know that later on my knit with the captain and crew was going to be worth its weight in gold for my family and me.

Part of my daily routine was to watch the water foam and go by as the ship cut through it so when we left Spain the drop in speed was noted but I thought nothing more of it at the time. When we left Tenerife the drop in speed was much more noticeable and confirmed that the ship was not 100% but I didn't care I got to see more dolphins.(==D)

That's all for now folks till the next installment "the Middle Passage"


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## David Buff

*My Wonderful Begona Experience part 4 (The Middle Passage 1)*

Well folks
For those who have followed me on this journey to this installment you are in for a treat so strap on your life vest and enjoy the voyage.

It was a beautiful sunshine glowing, fresh breeze blowing morning October 3rd 1974 when to the thunderous BORRN....! of the BEGONA's fog horn we sailed into Tenerife's picturesque harbor aglow with the colors of the rainbow.(Jester) This scene was in stark contrast to the Monotone cloud covered dreary looking Southampton port we had sailed out of about a week past.(Cloud) 

We joined an excited bee line of passengers heading down the gangway to mingle with the natives of this delightful little town, once on the ground it was shopping and site seeing. My Mother took the opportunity to buy a post card (as was the custom before instant messaging) stamped and mailed it to her big sister in Trinidad. I suspect she didn't realize that the mail service of the day depended on the same vessel she was on to get her card to its final destination. So the message read in part " Ship limping may arrive a few day's late". No wander young folk use terms like "Snail Mail" when referring to our very efficient... mail era. 

After a beautiful stop over it was time to say Bon-voyage to Tenerife and head out into the big blue Atlantic. Oct. 4th early morning big commotion on deck, angry passengers mobbing the Captain...I was too young to venture into such a situation so it was only after reading someone else's blog that the true nature of the hostilities was revealed.(Cloud) And it all adds up because what I do clearly recall is guards were posted at the entrance to the Bridge and Captains Quarters from then on. Of course all the crew knew the curly head little explorer was no threat to the Captain as a matter of fact we were friends so my visiting rights were never curtailed by the guards. By the way the commotion was set in motion because the Captain wanted *to end* the journey there believing the vessel would not make the trip due to the mechanical issues but the majority Jamaican delegation would have none of that so they pretty much forced his hand... a decision they must have come to regret in the ensuing days.(Frogger)

After we left Tenerife it was easy to see from the small wake at the aft of the vessel that we were not even going half our normal speed but for the time being we were moving....Yea! Then came that faithful morning Oct. 6th as my custom was I was up at the crack of dawn pairing over the balcony, we were motionless because the water had stopped speeding by. While my gaze was fixed on the dark blue water a loud Todd... was heard and *I saw with my own two eyes -* *a large green fire ball whooshed out from the side of the ship below the waterline.* My instant thought was that we were under attack from a submarine and a torpedo had just burst through our hull. I quickly scurried up to the bridge were for the first time there seemed to be pandemonium and the Captain could not talk to me. I then ran down many flights of steps in route to the engine room but was turned back by the ships mechanics that were hastily running up the stairs. Something big was going down.... _*The Ship....*_ literally. I ran to our cabin to tell my mother. There was no message over the loud speakers but everyone knew the unthinkable was taking place but to this day I believe I was the only person out of the 1000 + souls on board that actually saw the moment when disaster struck because I do not recall any one else looking over the side when the flash of the fire ball shot out and disappeared as fast as it came.(Ouch)(EEK)

Till next time the saga will continue with the next installment (The Middle Passage 2)


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## Julia Greaves

*Begona 1974*

Hello there, 

I was on the Begona 1974 and was so excited when I found this website. Never in my life did I expect to read information about it. 
I recall the ship tilting to one side and the hysteria of the passengers, many of whom were Spanish.
I also remember the smaller boat that took us to safety.

Looking forward to make contact with other passengers and sharing photos. 
(Sent 2 emails)

Julia


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## David Buff

Hi Julia nice to know someone who can relate to the experience has read my blog.
were you an adult or child at the time if you don't mind me asking?


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## kypros

Apologies only just come across this thread,but what an interesting story of the experiences endured by the passengers and crew.Thanks to all contributors looking forward to Davids conclusion.KYPROS


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## Julia Greaves

David Buff said:


> Hi Julia nice to know someone who can relate to the experience has read my blog.
> were you an adult or child at the time if you don't mind me asking?


I was only seven at the time so my memories are slightly different from yours. I was aware of the engine problems because our rooms were near to the engine room!


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## Jamaica1964

I am interested in the S S Montserrat, particularly details relating to its 1964 sailing on Friday March (13th?) from Southampton to Kingston Jamaica: passenger list, crew members etc
I have already been thrilled to find the picture of the Montserrat in Vigo in 1961.


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## asturbama

I was there in sept/October 1974 I was 10 then and remember drifting and people that had fishing poles trying to catch dinner, also the night of the smoke and we had to take the mattresses to the pool deck and sleep outside only to wake up raining and had.to run inside. We were getting a bottle of water every day and I had to eat dry cod fish and onions, luckily my mother had some condensed milk tubes we kids liked and she will.give us a little everyday I don't know exactly how many days we were adrift but felt like a long time . Then the tow boat Oceanic came I remember October 12 and tow us when the tow boat came everybody went to one side of the ship to see the rescue boat and the Begoña started to tilt and the crew came and told us we have to move to the other side, I remember the.creamy soup the brought from the tow boat it felt really good to us kids.


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## Clifford Cocker

I had an Austin Cambridge


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## Jennifer73

Hi 
I'm new to this site and have enjoyed and appreciated the knowledge and experiences of those who have contributed here. I travelled on the Begoña with my grandmother in May/June 1973 to Jamaica and was 8 at the time. 
We sailed from Southampton. It was a traumatic time for me because I realised at the last moment as we were boarding that the rest of my family would remain in England. I was crying my eyes out and my grandmother could not console me. It was an older member of the crew on the Begoña who did magic tricks and made me laugh that helped to turn my experience into more of an adventure.
Is there anyone out there that travelled the same time? Hellloooo...?


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## asturbama

Here are two pictures.of the German rowboat Oceanic the towed the Begoña on Oct 12 1974 to Barbados
Btw talking to my mother she told me she traveled on the Begoña from La Coruña to La Guaira on Feb 1962 and met my father in the ship and dated after and got married in Oct 1963


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## asturbama

My first trip on the Begoña was the same year 1974 but was in July from La Guaira Via Port of Spain, Madeira, Tenerife and Vigo. I think it was going to England after Vigo but I'm not sure
The ship was having problems then because it slowed down sometimes 
I remember runing down the hallways and feeling weightlessness when the ship when up and down.
We had a cabin on the lower deck the last one in the port side and some nights will get so hot we could not sleep so my mother asked the cabin steward if she could open the port hole to get some breeze and he said ok but if the sea gets rough close it or water will come in. The sea was very calm couple days and felt so good to have the breeze that we slept soundly till one night when we were sleeping the seas got bad and we were awaken by a wave coming in to the cabin my mother that was sleeping on the bottom bunk by the port hole got soaked wet my brother and I were on the opposite side and did not get wet but there was about 10cm of water on the floor and my brother and I started splashing and playing that was fun for us kids while my mother was frantic trying to close the port hole. The steward came and cleaned the room and that was the end of opening the port hole. 
I also remember sliding down the stairs banister many kids will do that 
Playing ping pong at the stern and the balls kept falling at the sea because there was no net and they told us they run out of balls.
I will remember her the 70s music the band played at the club when I hear some songs at the radio even now 43 years later.
I'll be posting more as I remember


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## asturbama

I remember seeing the cars inside the cargo area one time we were exploring and the loud noise of the engine room


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## Jennifer73

Hello Asturbama
Thank you for sharing these lovely experiences. I remember our first stop after Southampton was in Spain. I don't know which port it was but it was a steep climb to the shops that my grandmother was heading to. It was also the hottest weather I had ever encountered in my life. She made several purchases but the one that stuck out in my mind was the largest bottle of liquor I had ever seen . I think it was brandy. She wasn't a drinker but loved to entertain.
I remember the breakfast on the Begoña. There was always a mountain of boiled eggs on a morning (that's what it looked like to me) and orange juice.


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## Cooltru

Hello,
I just decided to look online to see whether I could find any information about what happened on the Begoña in 1974. Unbelievable that I never came across this site before. This is not the first time I have looked online to see what I could find about this incident. 
I too was a child on that ship! I was with my mother we were going back to Jamaica from England. I don't remember much about what happened (I was seven) but do remember it being very traumatic. I know we were adrift in the middle of nowhere for a while. I had heard that it was a German tug boat that came to our rescue. I remember we were taken to Barbados and from there we flew to Jamaica. I didn't know it was because of a quarantine. I do remember not having a lot eat, but also remember having some hard rolls and water brought to us. We shared a cabin with another Jamaican lady and her daughter. I also didn't know we Jamaicans forced the issue with still trying the trip after engine trouble, that's fascinating. Why would a Captain be so swayed by the passengers? I remember hearing before we left that this would be the last voyage of the ship. It was old, and they didn't think it could make the trip. Reading the posts here did jog my memory. For example, I had forgotten about the fact that the trip was delayed due to the need for repairs. I remember Vigo and Tenerife though. 

What else do you remember? Did you find news articles about the incident?
It would be nice to fill in some blanks. Do you know if David ever posted anything else?


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## Jennifer73

Hello Cooltru 
Like yourself, this website is a new discovery for me back in January this year. It has been interesting to see other people's accounts of their voyage on the Begoña. Asturbama responded to my first entry on this site. Which was great! I unfortunately have no other links. My journey on the Begoña was a year earlier than yours and was not the same trauma that you faced. 
Being of Jamaican heritage myself, I know that we can quite vocal. It is fascinating trying to piece our experience together. If I happen to come across move information, I will post it here. Please let me know how you go.


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## Cooltru

Thanks Jennifer73! I hope asturbama posts more memories. You are right, we Jamaicans can be quite vocal


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## JOSEVAZ7

I was only 5 year old when i travelled on Begoña from La Guaira to Vigo. But i remember the pool, and the night cinema.

I asked Spanish Omelette for lunch everyday. It was really tasty.

I appreciate if you can put photos.

I beg your pardon because my poor english.

Thanks


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## JOSEVAZ7

asturbama said:


> My first trip on the Begoña was the same year 1974 but was in July from La Guaira Via Port of Spain, Madeira, Tenerife and Vigo. I think it was going to England after Vigo but I'm not sure
> The ship was having problems then because it slowed down sometimes
> I remember runing down the hallways and feeling weightlessness when the ship when up and down.
> We had a cabin on the lower deck the last one in the port side and some nights will get so hot we could not sleep so my mother asked the cabin steward if she could open the port hole to get some breeze and he said ok but if the sea gets rough close it or water will come in. The sea was very calm couple days and felt so good to have the breeze that we slept soundly till one night when we were sleeping the seas got bad and we were awaken by a wave coming in to the cabin my mother that was sleeping on the bottom bunk by the port hole got soaked wet my brother and I were on the opposite side and did not get wet but there was about 10cm of water on the floor and my brother and I started splashing and playing that was fun for us kids while my mother was frantic trying to close the port hole. The steward came and cleaned the room and that was the end of opening the port hole.
> I also remember sliding down the stairs banister many kids will do that
> Playing ping pong at the stern and the balls kept falling at the sea because there was no net and they told us they run out of balls.
> I will remember her the 70s music the band played at the club when I hear some songs at the radio even now 43 years later.
> I'll be posting more as I remember


 I was 5 when made the same trip on Begoña. From La Guaira to Vigo. Despite mi short edge for the time, i remember a lot of things. Regards!!!(==D)


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## asturbama

Nothing wrong with eating Tortilla Española everyday 
No tengo fotos del viaje en el Begoña .pero si alguien las tienen espero que las muestren 
I don't have any pictures of my trip on the Begoña. But if any body has any we'll appreciate seeing them


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## jesson

Hi wanted to know if anyone could help me I was born on board the begona in august 1972 and am trying to find out where I was first registered as I have lost my birth certificate my mum says it was definitely port of Spain Trinidad but they have no record of me. I was also christened on board my god father being captain Carlos but we lost touch 40+ years ago if anyone can help it would be much appreciated. Will attach photo of my christening on board ship.
Jesson Charles


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## Genz

Hello! Well, I must say that my situation is rather different from the people who are in this forum. Nevertheless, I would like to reach out to see if anyone might have some information that could be interesting. My grandfather shipped on the Monserrat boat in 1961 (the 21st to be precise), making it rather difficult to obtain any information of when he was there. He travelled from the Port of Spain (Trinidad), and arrived to Southampton 12 days later. 

If anyone could offer any images, memories or information about this specific situation, please respond to this post. Anyhow, for the rest of you who are looking for something, I hope you find it


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## Paulie2906

I was on the Begona in 1974, with my sisters and parents, heading to Jamaica.

My mother expressed concern about the state of the ship before we boarded in Southampton. The entire hull was rusty and the ship look old. We later learned the captain did not believe the ship to be seaworthy and had refused to take it out. Not wanting to return the monies paid by passengers the ship took to the sea under the command of the first officer. 

The Jamaican passengers were unhappy because they’d been placed in cabins on the the lower decks which lacked portholes and hot and stuffy. Meanwhile white passengers had been placed in better cabins. 
When it came meals we had to wait to be served after the white passengers.

I recall stopping in Spain. where my father bought all there of us señorita figurines and then Tenerife before crossing the Atlantic. It was then the ship began to experience engine trouble. They managed to get it going several times before it broken down altogether. Fresh water supplies ran out and they began boiling sea water which caused sickness among the passengers. Food supplies also ran low. The toilets on the lower decks flooded and many people had to bed down on mattresses in the bar area. I recall there was a genuine fear among some passengers that we wouldn't survive. 

There was a debate about what should happen. The whites wanted the ship to travel to Venezuela leaving the Jamaicans and Trinidadians to fend for themselves. The ship sent out a Mayday which was answered by a passing boat. They couldn't tow the ship but did send on supplies. Later a large tug arrived and the ship was towed into Barbados. 

The various governments were alerted and the Jamaican authorities were the first to send a plane to collect its nationals. My parents had Jamaican passports but my sisters and I had individual British passports. The cabin crew had strict instructions only allow Jamaican passengers to board and it took my mother half an hour to persuade them to let us onboard. We departed Barbados that evening and landed in Kingston hours later to greeted by TV cameras. Our furniture was shipped to us several weeks later. 

I still tell this story at dinner parties and no one believes it could actually have happened.


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## Stephen J. Card

Paulie2906 said:


> I was on the Begona in 1974, with my sisters and parents, heading to Jamaica.
> 
> 
> I still tell this story at dinner parties and no one believes it could actually have happened.



Hi Pauli,

Have you ever been 'cruising' since then? 

Thanks for your great posting. Welcome to SN!

Stephen


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## Stephen J. Card

Pauli, I thought your voyage made me think a bit. Anyhow, just in case anyone ever questions... hit them with [email protected]

Great Passenger Ships of the World, Vol. 5. KLUDAS.

Page: 72.

BEGONIA

1974. Sept 27. The BEGONIA left Southampton for the West Indies with 800 passengers. On October 3 she put into Teneriffe with engine trouble but able to continue her voyage for the next day after repairs. In the Atlantic she broke down completely and after drifting helpless for a few days was towed to Bridgetown by the German tug OCEANIC, arriving on October 17. December 24: Arrived at Castellon, having been sold for scrapping there. End.

Here a couple of photos of BEGONIA. Did you keep any photos of the ship on that voyage? With the tug OCEANIC towing?

How did you get back home after your 'cruise'? 

Again, thanks for your great post.

Stephen


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## Paulie2906

Hi 

I thought I'd post again about the Begona because my earlier account had errors that I couldn't correct. Also I talked to my father and elder sister to get their accounts. 

The ship carried black West Indian passengers and white Venezuelans. Right from the start the white passengers received preferential treatment. They were given better rooms than the black passengers who ended up being placed near the engine in rooms that lacked portholes. They dined first and separately and the rumour was they were given better food. When the black people tried complaining the crew pretended not to understand English. The ship broke down twice once it hit the Atlantic. The crew managed to get it going when it first happened but could do nothing the second time. 

With the engines gone the toilets backed up. Rooms nearby flooded and the passengers had to sleep in the bar and on the decks. The refrigeration system failed and a lot of food had to be dumped overboard. The food attracted dolphins which followed the ship. My sister swore she saw sharks. 

The ship was carrying cargo which caused it to list to the side. Passengers were asked to stay on the opposite side in order to compensate, which of course didn't work.

I saw a comment claiming this only lasted a day or so. That's incorrect we were out there for more than five days. Meals were scanty and there was a shortage of fresh water. The toilets were still out order and some took to using the deck as a latrine. No surprise that many became ill. Some believed they would die and began holding prayer meetings at night up on deck. 

When a tug boat finally answered the ship's mayday there was conflict over where the ship should be towed to. The Venezuelans outnumbered the West Indians and they insisted the ship be towed to Venezuela. That would have left the West Indians stranded in a country where none of them spoke the language. 

In the event, the boat was towed to Barbados. At first the crew refused to allow anyone off. My father and others demanded their passports and papers, which were being held by the crew. When my father got his papers, he disembarked, borrowed a bike from a passing local and cycled into town. He returned with food and a BBC Radio crew who interviewed passengers. 

The ship had been reported as missing and once the news that it has arrived in Barbados reached Jamaica, the then government immediately dispatched two planes. Jamaicans were the first to be flown out and home. 

My father and others applied for compensation but got nowhere. I'm surprised there isn't more about this anywhere it's been great to talk about what was a very significant event in my life.


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## Dawn Brady

Sharon-T said:


> My father sailed on the Begona in 1960 from Jamaica to Southampton via Vigo, spain. He told me fascinating stories about the passengers and treatment meted out to him. Thanks for the forum


Dad
Hello Sharon, My sons father came to the UK on the 1960 crossing and I have searched to find passener lists of the journey I found him a Henry Allen on one search and wondered if maybe your Dad might of mentioned that name at all and maybe they stayed in contact once in the UK. Thank you in advance.


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## Mbsearch

MauriceHall said:


> *Re: Memories*
> 
> This is a fascinating forum. I travelled with my parents from Southampton to Kingston in January 1969 on the Begona. I was amazed to find a picture of the ship in this forum and I have some memories of the journey. Both of my parents have now passed on so it fills me with great nostalgia to hear stories of what happened to that venerable ship. I don't know when it went out of service, but this ship and the Montserrat were famous in Jamaica for taking people to and from England as they emigrated back and forth between the former colonies and the "Mother Land."


I am trying to locate 2 teenage brothers who were on that ship from Southampton to Jamaica in early 1969. Clifford and Ben Benson. Please email [email protected] Thank you


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## Ridge2

Hi All
So pleased to have found this site about the ship BEGONA which I travelled on from Jamaica to Southampton in 1969.
I have fond memories of that trip. Would love to hear from anyone who made that journey in the summer/autumn of 1969.

Thank you.


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## El zipote.

Hi. Have enjoyed getting to know this ship a little through your posts. Was on the Begoña with parents plus brother and sister going to Jamaica winter of 69. Have a picture of a swimming pool that I think is the Begoña’s. And have a memory of a prison/cage, with a ball and chain in it, located down inside the ship that I think is real. Perhaps i’ll get confirmation here.
Take care.


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