# Ships of Otto A. Müller



## Bootsmann (Feb 12, 2006)

Hello everyone,
I was wondering if the British or Irish shipspotters have any photos of the Otto A. Müller fleet from Hamburg and would be so kind to post them by any chance.
I started my seagoing carreer on "Gretchen Müller", a GT 999 built 1951. The main business of the company was trading coal from UK ports. We visited ports like Leith, Middlesborough many times, Stockton/Tees, Goole, Great Yarmouth, Newlyn (the fishing port in Cornwall, I still can´t remember why), Avonmouth, Belfast and Irish ports like Dublin, Drogheda, Arklow many times, and New Ross. So hopefully somebody spotted one of these ships:

Gretchen Müller,
Else Müller,
Rethi Müller,
Ortrud Müller (1) not Blackbird,
Birgit Müller, sank twice in English waters (collisions on Humber and Thames).

I have got a few pictures from Skyfotos and one from Teesships but maybe there are some more around.
Thank you very much in advance.
Best wishes from Hamburg
Manfred


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## Hague (Feb 23, 2007)

Bootsmann said:


> Hello everyone,
> I was wondering if the British or Irish shipspotters have any photos of the Otto A. Müller fleet from Hamburg and would be so kind to post them by any chance.
> I started my seagoing carreer on "Gretchen Müller", a GT 999 built 1951. The main business of the company was trading coal from UK ports. We visited ports like Leith, Middlesborough many times, Stockton/Tees, Goole, Great Yarmouth, Newlyn (the fishing port in Cornwall, I still can´t remember why), Avonmouth, Belfast and Irish ports like Dublin, Drogheda, Arklow many times, and New Ross. So hopefully somebody spotted one of these ships:
> 
> ...


Manfred,
Whatever happened to the OAM fleet. Understand Kai Peter now running things.
Rgds
Hague


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## Tony Crompton (Jul 26, 2005)

They were great ships to "Practice" on as a young Pilot, or as it was more frocibly put by the older men "Get aboard one of the Muller ships for experience."

We particularly remember the Master of the "Rethi Muller", useds to be very scathing about us young Pillots. "Old Four Eyes" as we called him, never know how he managed to see out of his enormously thick glasses. Used to dread being on turn for his ship!!!

Happy days!!
-------------------------
Tony C


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## Peter4447 (Jan 26, 2006)

Tony Crompton said:


> They were great ships to "Practice" on as a young Pilot, or as it was more frocibly put by the older men "Get aboard one of the Muller ships for experience."
> 
> We particularly remember the Master of the "Rethi Muller", useds to be very scathing about us young Pillots. "Old Four Eyes" as we called him, never know how he managed to see out of his enormously thick glasses. Used to dread being on turn for his ship!!!
> 
> ...


Sorry Bootsman I am unable to assist with photos but looking at the above post would just like to mention that we have in Torbay a retired Pilot who is blessed with a wicked sense of humour and a few years ago joke shops started to sell these novelty very thick pebble glasses. It was too good an opportunity for this gentleman to miss and on one occasion we had a foreign VLCC coming in to anchor in Torbay for the first time. On boarding he apparently fumbled his way onto the bridge wearing a pair of these glasses and introduced himself to the Master as the Pilot. As he said afterwards the Master's face was a picture! (Fortunately he could also take a joke!!!).

Peter4447(Jester)


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## Tony Crompton (Jul 26, 2005)

Really nothing to do with Muller ships but Peters post reminds me of a story told by a Panama Canal Pilot at an International Pilots Conference some years ago.
Apparently they changed Pilots sometime during the Passage and the Pilot told the Master that the new Pilot was fine but unfortumately rather deaf and he would have to shout to be understood. He then told the relieving Pilot that the Master was very deaf also. The story did not relate how long they shouted at each other before realising the "Joke"!!!
----------------------
Tony C


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## Bootsmann (Feb 12, 2006)

Hi Hague,
Kai-Peter Ottmüller took over in 1988 after Otto A. Ottmüller and his wife Ortrud died in a plane crash near Johannesburg 1988.
2 newbuildings in 1998 for OAM after 25 years, Eva Maria Müller and Monika Müller from a Slovenia yard, managed by Jürgensen & Brink & Wölffel Schiffahrt GmbH of Flensburg. Not much news lately.
Best wishes from Hamburg
Manfred

Thanks Tony and Peter for your kind contributions!


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## Tony Crompton (Jul 26, 2005)

This is the only pic that I have. I think it is from Skyfotos of "Gretchin Muller"
so you possibly already have this one.
---------------------------
Tony C


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## Hague (Feb 23, 2007)

Bootsmann said:


> Hi Hague,
> Kai-Peter Ottmüller took over in 1988 after Otto A. Ottmüller and his wife Ortrud died in a plane crash near Johannesburg 1988.
> 2 newbuildings in 1998 for OAM after 25 years, Eva Maria Müller and Monika Müller from a Slovenia yard, managed by Jürgensen & Brink & Wölffel Schiffahrt GmbH of Flensburg. Not much news lately.
> Best wishes from Hamburg
> ...


Heard about the death of his parents. Certainly knew how to read a charter party. Problem was that he knew the distance from say Runcorn to Stade. Dividing this distance by the C/P declared speed and 'thats it'. No river transit allowance. No wind above Force 2 allowed. But one gentleman. I wish him well.
Brgds
Hague


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## Bootsmann (Feb 12, 2006)

Hi Tony,
that´s my "Gretchen Müller" allright (from Skyfotos) as she is located on the wall right behind me. Thank you very much for your kind effort anyway.

And Hague, it´s the gentleman that counts I believe.
All the best,
Manfred


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## Dbauer (Mar 4, 2009)

*"Ships of Otto A. Müller"*

Good afternoon from Hamburg
Otto A. Müller has a very good website with their history :

http://www.oam.de/history.html

here are some pictures which I`m allowed to post with the kind permission of Mr. Kai Peter Ottmüller

Tschüss from Hamburg
Dierk


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## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

I can remember the Muller vessel's and I also remember it was "rumoured" that some had re-furbished U-Boat engines fitted in them, could anybody confirm is that correct or incorrect after all these years please.


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## Bootsmann (Feb 12, 2006)

Hi Dierk,
thanks alot for this link to a really excellent website with a complete company history, especially the coal trading with the UK.

Hi Geordie,
I served on GRETCHEN MÜLLER (built 1951) in 1966/67 and she had a 4stroke 6cyl 1.100 bhp Krupp engine fitted which was built in 1941 and was meant to be or was put in an Uboat at Kieler Howaldtswerke. The builder of the engine is not known but to a Krupp Germaniawerft design. However I find no confirmation that it was an engine from a number of sunken Uboats at the yard end of 1944.
Sistership ELSE MÜLLER got a simular engine built 1942. 
Best wishes, Manfred


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## stan mayes (Jul 22, 2006)

Hi Manfred,
I am pleased to see you have received much useful information about one of the companies you sailed with.
I can remember seeing a Muller ship occasionally.
Best wishes
Stan


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## Bootsmann (Feb 12, 2006)

Hi Stan,
BIRGIT MÜLLER sank after collision with the Greek MV ANGHYRA at Gravesend Reach on 25 October 1967. She was raised and towed to shallow waters and later sold to Pollock of Faversham, maybe you remember?
Best wishes, 
Manfred


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## Dbauer (Mar 4, 2009)

*Otto A. Müller*

Good evening from Hamburg,
here is another link, it`s about the grounding of "Rethi Müller", posted by Peter Hartung from the german forum "forum-schiff":

http://www.forum-schiff.de/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2213

Wish you all the best

Tschüss from Hamburg
Dierk


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## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

Bootsmann said:


> Hi Dierk,
> thanks alot for this link to a really excellent website with a complete company history, especially the coal trading with the UK.
> 
> Hi Geordie,
> ...


Sorry for the delay Manfred in getting back to you and many thanks for the info(Thumb), so the rumour was partially true, I remember Mullers picking up crushed blast furnace residue, Gertrude& Otrude early1950's? at a chute at Cargo Fleet and it was one of those things that came to mind in regards to the engines fitted to some of that fleet. Best Wishes to you and yours.


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## riversea (Jul 19, 2007)

Yes in the days of my youth on Teesside, early 1960's they were very regular on the Tarmac wharf at South Bank, loading the enormous amounts of **** from the steelworks tips in that area.

Edit .... the site does not seem to accept the word s l a g !!


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## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

Thats why I had to use the wording "furnace residue".(Jester)


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