# British Fidelity



## sleighcrane (Jan 14, 2013)

Anybody out there serve on the Fidelity in the early 70s? I think the Capt. was named Coates. We caught fire in Lagos but managed to avoid too much damage


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## Dickyboy (May 18, 2009)

I was on the Fidelity late 60s early/mid 70s sometime, also on the Nigerian Coast, Lagos/Okrika, I don't recall any fire when I was on her.


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## sleighcrane (Jan 14, 2013)

There was a story in the fleet newspaper about it. Is there anyway to
find any copies of those? I had 1 for years but it sadly was misplaced
I believe it was 71-72


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## Dickyboy (May 18, 2009)

Go to Shipping Companies/BP Shipping and ask around. There are quite a lot of people who keep records of BP Fleet News, also plenty of threads there that you may well be of interest to you.


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## David Campbell (Mar 11, 2008)

Just for the record, I was 2nd Engineer on British Fidelity January 1956 to August 1956 ( the 1937 model)


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## sleighcrane (Jan 14, 2013)

Thanks Dickyboy I will give it a try


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## linglis (Oct 28, 2005)

I was on the British Fidelity 1973-74,Cpo, no mention of a fire, Jasper Cliff was the oldman.


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## sleighcrane (Jan 14, 2013)

The skipper was perhaps a fellow named Guy. We were on the Lagos Okrika run as well. John Smith was bosun. It was my first trip after coming out of the Gravesend school.


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## Charlie_Wood (Jan 29, 2006)

sleighcrane said:


> Anybody out there serve on the Fidelity in the early 70s? I think the Capt. was named Coates. We caught fire in Lagos but managed to avoid too much damage


It would have been August 1972, I remember it well as I was Cadet on Clan Line's "Hector Heron" on charter to BP and back to back with the Fidelity. I believe it was a discarded *** end from one of the fishermen under the jetty (where the abattoir outflow was) that started things off. We were very happy that it was you lot alongside in your modern ship with fire monitors and other such fancy dan kit whilst we were still rigging windsails!

HH was the only tanker in our fleet at the time (the last remnant of the whaling fleet) and was normally the punishment ship but I had volunteered as she was on a Mobil charter out of Oz to the South Sea islands. Imagine my joy at being sent out to Lagos. 6 weeks of Lagos-Okrika was enough to confirm my wise decision not to join a tanker company!!


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## brooksy (Aug 24, 2009)

That would be Jimmy Guy.He was one of the Masters on the Forties Kiwi.


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## Graham Wallace (May 6, 2006)

sleighcrane said:


> Anybody out there serve on the Fidelity in the early 70s? I think the Capt. was named Coates. We caught fire in Lagos but managed to avoid too much damage


Hi,

I recently received a crew list for the Fidelity July 1972( OriKa?), I know a few people aboard her, it seems your name is also there JCS(?). JWM Guy was her Master he had left by August ,new Master E Coates, but you are still hanging in there.

Graham


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## GrahamBurn (Sep 10, 2012)

Skipper would have been Eddie Coates aka Fast Eddie, top captain I sailed with him on one of the big ones slow steaming between Gulf and Europe.
Graham


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