# M.V. Valdes



## Lynnelle (Jul 9, 2011)

Hello all

Does anyone know anything about the above named ship or anyone who sailed on her from this list?

Lynnelle


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## Lynnelle (Jul 9, 2011)

back again....

forgot to mention a friend of mine sailed on her during the year of - 1959 - sailing between London and Spain.

Lynnelle


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## BillH (Oct 10, 2007)

Lynnelle said:


> back again....
> 
> forgot to mention a friend of mine sailed on her during the year of - 1959 - sailing between London and Spain.
> 
> Lynnelle


I think this is the vessel in question

VALDES (3rd of name in fleet) (1955 - 1968)
O.N. 186173. 2,200g. 972n. 2,570d. 334’ 4” x 45’ 6” x 18’ 1”
Two, 10-cyl. 4 S.C.S.A. (400 x 600mm) oil engines made by Maschinenbau-Augsburg-Nuernberg (MAN), Nuernberg, single reversed geared to screw shaft. 3,800 BHP. 15 kts.
12 passengers
18.9.1954: Launched by Werft Nobiskrug, Rendsburg (Yard No. 572) for MacAndrews & Company Ltd., London. 
12.1.1955: Completed. 
1968: Sold to Ocean Shipping & Enterprises Company (Liberia) Inc, Liberia, and renamed OCEAN CHEER. 
1969: Sold to Tunas (Hong Kong) Ltd., and renamed SUMBER TUNAS III under Somali republic registry. 
1975: Sold to Tunas (Pte) Ltd., and transferred to Singapore flag. 
1976: Sold to Tunas (Hong Kong) Ltd. 
1983: Sold to An Chi Shipping Corp S.A., Panama, and renamed AN CHI. 
1984: Delivered at Shanghai for demolition.


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## Scurdie (Aug 6, 2009)

Yes, I remember her and her sister VELAZQUEZ: well-kept, white-hulled cargo ships. A search of the Cargo Ships gallery on this site should reveal at least one of the pair. They ran a regular service between London and Spanish ports. In those days before containerisation, their cargoes could be a total mixture from perishables (fruit, vegetables) to hardware, and therefore something of a nightmare to unload and dispatch. Like many ships, they did offer 12 passenger berths, the maximum allowed before having to reclassify as passenger vessels.


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## Wilco (Aug 12, 2005)

I served on the Valdes as 2nd mate for 6months back in the 1950's. We always loaded a cargo of "clean" general in the old London Dock & always sailed on the p.m. tide on a friday returning, like clockwork three fridays later. We would call at sometimes 12 to 15 ports in Spain starting at Cadiz right up to San Felieu & Palamos up near the french border. The range of loading ports in Spain was dictated by the fruit season in various areas; cork was also a major cargo from the area north of Barcelona. In those days Macandrews would call at any port for a minimum of 50 tons. The Valdes carried 12 round trip passengers usually of the more senior citizen variety. Because of the short trips there was very little crew changes, the majority being expatriate Poles who had stayed on in the U.K. after the war, hence Mac's was known, in London, as the Polish Navy.
Wilco


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## Bill J Price (Dec 1, 2011)

*M.V.Valdes*



Lynnelle said:


> Hello all
> 
> Does anyone know anything about the above named ship or anyone who sailed on her from this list?
> 
> Lynnelle


Hi Lynelle,
I served on the Valdes between 1958 and 1959.
Cpt. Porter was Master at that time.
What is your connection ?
Regards
Bill


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## MikeK (Jul 3, 2007)

Didn't see the company mentioned, it was MacAndrews a very old Med trading line

Mike


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## Bill J Price (Dec 1, 2011)

MikeK said:


> Didn't see the company mentioned, it was MacAndrews a very old Med trading line
> 
> Mike


That's right Mike, She was a MacAndrew Line Ship. I still have and use a couple of MacAndrew Line coat hangers from my time aboard her.
I think they still have an office in Santander, or Bilbao.


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## MikeK (Jul 3, 2007)

Bill J Price said:


> That's right Mike, She was a MacAndrew Line Ship. I still have and use a couple of MacAndrew Line coat hangers from my time aboard her.
> I think they still have an office in Santander, or Bilbao.


Not sure about Santander Bill, but we used to call in Bilbao where they had an office. I believe they ended up with a small container berth and German chartered ships covered the Macs run. (I seem to remember I was on the Cortes then)

Regards

Mike


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## Bill J Price (Dec 1, 2011)

MikeK said:


> Not sure about Santander Bill, but we used to call in Bilbao where they had an office. I believe they ended up with a small container berth and German chartered ships covered the Macs run. (I seem to remember I was on the Cortes then)
> 
> Regards
> 
> Mike


Bilbao it is Mike,
I only remember seeing the office as I drove past on my way to get the car ferry back to England. I couldn't remember if it was Santander or Bilbao as I've used both ferry ports.
Was the Cortes a MacAndrew ship Mike ? when were you at sea if still.
I was also on the P&O Himalaya and Iberia, again back in the 50's

Best wishes
Bill


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## gadgee (Jul 24, 2005)

Nice photo here of her here :-

http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/180463/title/valdes/cat/510

and a few more if you search SN Gallery.


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## MikeK (Jul 3, 2007)

Bill J Price said:


> Bilbao it is Mike,
> I only remember seeing the office as I drove past on my way to get the car ferry back to England. I couldn't remember if it was Santander or Bilbao as I've used both ferry ports.
> Was the Cortes a MacAndrew ship Mike ? when were you at sea if still.
> I was also on the P&O Himalaya and Iberia, again back in the 50's
> ...


Hello Bill, yes the Cortes was a Mac's boat. She was originally the Baltic Vanguard, then UBC (the parent company) decided to take all the deck cranes off, lengthen her by 30ft and turn her into an ungeared box boat for the Med run, renamed the Cortes. It evidently cost an arm and a leg as they had to put extra steel into her hull to maintain her Finnish Ice Class 1.
I sailed in her and the Churruca and the Pacheco (her and Palacio were a pair of rubbish self loading box boats they built for world wide trading around 1991). I joined UBC in 1977 up until 1998 and during that time the office merged the two lots of sea staff so we did time in the Med and vice versa.
Good company, good crowd, good memories - what more could you want ! ............well maybe a few extra quid (Thumb)

regards

Mike


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

The Pool at Avonmouth sent me to the Pacheco that was Berthed at the Bristol docks and as I walked to the gangplank the strong smell of oranges met me,she was spotless,and was on a regular schedule,just what I was looking for,however luck was not with me,the CE told me that all of his engine room crew were returning. It was hard getting a job on those ships as the crew stayed with them for years.


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## MikeK (Jul 3, 2007)

Hi John,
It sounds like you joined the earlier ship by that name, the nice spotless white one ! The later Pacheco had a black hull and two cranes on the port side and was built deep in the Netherlands' canals where they had only built Dutch barges until her and the sistership at some other barge builder's yard. After she was launched they had to leave the rubbing bands off the side so she would fit in the locks !
Another smell associated with Mac boats was that of onions at Valencia in season. I don't know where they ended up in the UK, but they had more juice than a fresh apple and almost a sweet taste.Never saw them in the shops though.

Mike


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## Union Jack (Jul 22, 2009)

*Nice photo here of her here*

What a fine looking vessel and a great contender for any "beautiful ships" thread - many thanks Gadgee!(Thumb)

Jack


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## Tony Crompton (Jul 26, 2005)

MikeK said:


> . I don't know where they ended up in the UK, but they had more juice than a fresh apple and almost a sweet taste.Never saw them in the shops though.


Liverpool. We used to load them in Valencia on MacAndrews "Pinto".

When they loaded them there was always a carpenter in attendance who repaired even the slightest damage to the crates so as when we sailed every case was "Perfect".

In Liverpool the dockers just used hooks and crane hooks round the band to drag them out. I would reckon at least half the crates were damaged by the time they left the docks.

I was Third Mate on Pinto for more than a year in 1960/61. Great run,six weeks round trip. Two weeks in Liverpool then four weeks round Italy/Spain at the ports people spend thousands to visit now on cruise ships.

Tony


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## John Rogers (May 11, 2004)

MikeK said:


> Hi John,
> It sounds like you joined the earlier ship by that name, the nice spotless white one ! The later Pacheco had a black hull and two cranes on the port side and was built deep in the Netherlands' canals where they had only built Dutch barges until her and the sistership at some other barge builder's yard. After she was launched they had to leave the rubbing bands off the side so she would fit in the locks !
> Another smell associated with Mac boats was that of onions at Valencia in season. I don't know where they ended up in the UK, but they had more juice than a fresh apple and almost a sweet taste.Never saw them in the shops though.
> 
> Mike


That could be Mike,it was 1950s and she was white hull and very small. I believe there was three ships named Pacheco.

John


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## China hand (Sep 11, 2008)

What we in Bank Line could never understand was, why the general standard of UBC and MacAndrews ships always seemed so much higher than Bank Line. They were all owned by the same mob (theoretically). Maybe Alastair on the Bank Line page has an idea?


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## MikeK (Jul 3, 2007)

China hand said:


> What we in Bank Line could never understand was, why the general standard of UBC and MacAndrews ships always seemed so much higher than Bank Line. They were all owned by the same mob (theoretically). Maybe Alastair on the Bank Line page has an idea?


I would say Mac boats were the best kept, the run being an advantage. After a winter up in the Baltic, UBC ships were no film stars that's for sure. Cannot explain Bank boats though, nice long trips at sea and didn't they carry a bigger deck crowd ? Whatever the reason the sea staff were the same so the reason must lie higher up the food chain ! 

Mike


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## daveywoods (Apr 23, 2009)

*daveywoods*

I sailed on Valdes as 2nd engineer 1959 t0 1962. the Old man was capt Porter ,ex R.N. Chief Engineer guy named Hartley there was also a third engineer named Dennis , a Geordie who had been on the ship six years without taking leave and still managed to raise a family due to wifely visits whilst ship was in London docks. I only left because I had a row with superintendent Bill Ford " Cement Box Bill "


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## Anfieldkop (Mar 1, 2021)

Tony Crompton said:


> Liverpool. We used to load them in Valencia on MacAndrews "Pinto".
> 
> When they loaded them there was always a carpenter in attendance who repaired even the slightest damage to the crates so as when we sailed every case was "Perfect".
> 
> ...


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## Anfieldkop (Mar 1, 2021)

Hi. Did a nyone ser ve on the VERDEGUER. My father was Don Simpson


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## BillH (Oct 10, 2007)

*VERDAGUER (1958 - 1971)*
O.N. 187773. 2,049g. 705n. 2,700d. 333’ 8” x 46’ 2” x 18’ 1”
Two, 10-cyl. 4 S.C.S.A. (400 x 600mm) by Maschinenbau Augsburg Nurnberg, (MAN), Nurnberg single reduction geared to screw shaft. 3,800 BHP. 15½ kts.
18.1.1958: Launched by Krogerwerft GmbH, Rendsburg (Yard No.1087) for MacAndrews & Company Ltd., London.
11.5.1958: Completed. 
15.5.1958: Registered at London. 
1971: Sold to Ursa Comercio Maritimo Compania S. A., Panama, and renamed URSA. 
1975: Sold to Losinjska Plovidba OOUR Brodarstvo, Yugoslavia. 
1992: Sold to Western Coast Shipping Company, St. Vincent & The Grenadines. 
26.12.1991: Arrived at Alang for demolition.


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## simonsadler13 (24 d ago)

daveywoods said:


> *daveywoods*
> 
> I sailed on Valdes as 2nd engineer 1959 t0 1962. the Old man was capt Porter ,ex R.N. Chief Engineer guy named Hartley there was also a third engineer named Dennis , a Geordie who had been on the ship six years without taking leave and still managed to raise a family due to wifely visits whilst ship was in London docks. I only left because I had a row with superintendent Bill Ford " Cement Box Bill "


Do you remember my dad Peter ? I have in my casita in Spain quite a lot of fotos of McAndrew ships.After docking at Gandia Spain 🇪🇸 he used the English train steam if course & before a stroke took him he told me if it ,rare this ,I live in the small village of Gaianes Spain & the chichara passed within 200 m of my casita , the vessels delivered coal & machine parts for the textile industry in Alcoy , I have a Spanish friend that has a dilapidated factory once operating by water of the river Serpis & under the building is a water wheel! He has a problem with his ex about selling the site for development, I hope the waterwheel is preserved , in the industrial revolution Alcoy was the leader in textiles originally sheep's wool .Didn't Porter drunk , bend a prop near Genoa ? For videos looked at utube videos El tren Inglese .Hope you have a long life señor .contact me on messenger


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