# Oloibiri



## R798780

Built Pula 1976

Two apprentices visible on deck port side forward of the manifold. The shorter was 5'10".

Photographs by Skyphotos


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## flyer682

You seem very precise about the height. Twas it you by chance???


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## djbarker

*Hi......*

I had 2 glorious years on this beauty...Bernie Gilby was chief though Mrs Gilby made all the engine room decisions!!! (*)) ...Derek Clark (Scouser) was 3rd Engineer and John Paul (The Pope) was the take no nonsense 2nd Engineer...great ship and a very hard work up with all those damn Pielsticks down below....Hugh have I come across you on the good ship Oloibiri?? (Applause)


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## Phoneman

Hello all. I still work on that great vessel called Oloibiri. She's still in Nigerian waters. Her age is beginning to show a bit though.


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## jim barnes

R798780 said:


> Built Pula 1976
> 
> Two apprentices visible on deck port side forward of the manifold. The shorter was 5'10".
> 
> Photographs by Skyphotos


must be me.. i can not see anybody.. bit like the kings clothes perhaps ????


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## R798780

Graeme Kaye and Gordon ??


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## Ron Strike

Sailed on it meself............did the guarantee dry-dock in Lisbon as well.


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## R798780

Ron Strike said:


> Sailed on it meself............did the guarantee dry-dock in Lisbon as well.


I did the Lisbon drydock in tandem with John Laing (with his wife, I'm Fiona - fly me)


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## R798780

flyer682 said:


> You seem very precise about the height. Twas it you by chance???


Sorry David, just realised I'd missed this one. Point was, Graeme Kaye was considerably bigger, sailed with him several times after that when he was 3/O and 2/O. Gordon met a tragic end under a car I think shortly before he was due to marry.


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## Ron Strike

I was 2nd Elect at the time in Lisbon , had my wife Janette with me. She went home after the DD & I sailed round to Dubai with the ship.

Pretty sure I joined in Rotterdam with Hugh Shuttleworth(Mate).

Elects on board were Robbie (from Walthemstow) then "Hatch" aka Tom Curran (plus wife Jude), 2nd Eng was Mike Gray , John Lang (Mate) , Bernie Gilby (Chief Eng) - one of two, the other being from South Shields but whose name escaes me (Hoy??) , a Superintendent (Eddie Bucknall??) and many more...............


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## R798780

I rejoined Oloibiri in Rotterdam early September '77, a character called John Board joined in the gulf to let me go on leave, and I left towards the end of drydock. 
John Laing's other name was the OMO man, still brilliant white at the end of an eight hour stint, doing whatever. Spent better part of an hour handing over to him and still got called out an hour later. John was mate on my first tanker when I joined as 2nd mate.
John Hoy was the other chief, Sunderland man, 2/E on my first trip to sea on a Brocklebank steamer (a.k.a. the deepsea boy scout). There's a picture in my gallery with Robbie Pescott and an earlier 2nd lecky, Dave? from Cheshire area. 
Eddie Bucknall, would join Oloibiri, off with jacket, on with boilersuit over his suit trousers and white shirt, spend hours under a pielstik, off with boilersuit wash hands and into the saloon to eat. a.k.a. SuperSpanner. Not bad at table tennis though. Mike Gray was better, athletic dives to get a ball anyone else would miss. Eddie had been Chief on the Pielstik jobs, but not sure if that was Maihar / Mahsud or the Eriksberg tankers.


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## Ron Strike

R798780 said:


> I rejoined Oloibiri in Rotterdam early September '77, a character called John Board joined in the gulf to let me go on leave, and I left towards the end of drydock.
> John Laing's other name was the OMO man, still brilliant white at the end of an eight hour stint, doing whatever. Spent better part of an hour handing over to him and still got called out an hour later. John was mate on my first tanker when I joined as 2nd mate.
> John Hoy was the other chief, Sunderland man, 2/E on my first trip to sea on a Brocklebank steamer (a.k.a. the deepsea boy scout). There's a picture in my gallery with Robbie Pescott and an earlier 2nd lecky, Dave? from Cheshire area.
> Eddie Bucknall, would join Oloibiri, off with jacket, on with boilersuit over his suit trousers and white shirt, spend hours under a pielstik, off with boilersuit wash hands and into the saloon to eat. a.k.a. SuperSpanner. Not bad at table tennis though. Mike Gray was better, athletic dives to get a ball anyone else would miss. Eddie had been Chief on the Pielstik jobs, but not sure if that was Maihar / Mahsud or the Eriksberg tankers.


Can relate to all of that - remember Bernie Gilby having to wash Eddie Bucknalls neck , as he was about to leave the underneath of a Pielstick to fly to London. Suit on , straight on top of the muck! How do I access your gallery??


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## R798780

Click on "gallery", go past the pictures to the bottom of the page to "members galleries" and navigate to my moniker just past halfway through. Stuart has posted more of Robbie posing in various spots that might bring back old memories, fond or otherwise.

I reckon we must have flown out together to Rotterdam, one of the few where they got it wrong and flew me from Newcastle instead of Teesside.


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## Ron Strike

R798780 said:


> Click on "gallery", go past the pictures to the bottom of the page to "members galleries" and navigate to my moniker just past halfway through. Stuart has posted more of Robbie posing in various spots that might bring back old memories, fond or otherwise.
> 
> I reckon we must have flown out together to Rotterdam, one of the few where they got it wrong and flew me from Newcastle instead of Teesside.


Pretty sure that the Electrician on the Bridge Wing with Robbie (on img]http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/data/500/331oloibiri-12a.jpg[/img] ) is in fact me!

Yes we did fly out together from Newcastle & met up in Rotterdam when we were (confusingly) paged as Mr Shuttleworth & Mr Flicka of Shell Tankers.....


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## R798780

Sorry Ron, that one is not you. Film developed August 77, has to be the chap from Bolsover (I think that's where he was from). Believe we had two Daves as electricians, Dave Wychely (however it's spelled) was Robbie's relief.

The paging for whoever from Shell is the clincher, don't remember the Mr Flicka, but remember tying Oloibiri and Shell; got used to Europeans having great difficulty with my name.


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## Ron Strike

R798780 said:


> Sorry Ron, that one is not you. Film developed August 77, has to be the chap from Bolsover (I think that's where he was from). Believe we had two Daves as electricians, Dave Wychely (however it's spelled) was Robbie's relief.
> 
> The paging for whoever from Shell is the clincher, don't remember the Mr Flicka, but remember tying Oloibiri and Shell; got used to Europeans having great difficulty with my name.


Mustn't be then - though I can remember working on that compass/repeater.....!!

I can remember the paging clearly - Flicker for Strike (sounds the same!). Also believe I met Mrs Shuttleworth in Lisbon, where the "in" drink was a pint of mateus rose!


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## R798780

Mrs S joined in Rotterdam just before sailing down to Lisbon, chaperoned by Minty Murray, 3/E. 

Mike Gray and Deggsie Clark would ac***ulate a pile of Mateus bottles like we got a pile of Tennants cans, they just wouldn't stack as well! But yes, pint glasses of Mateus was their tipple that month. Well it was December


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## Ron Strike

R798780 said:


> Mrs S joined in Rotterdam just before sailing down to Lisbon, chaperoned by Minty Murray, 3/E.
> 
> Mike Gray and Deggsie Clark would ac***ulate a pile of Mateus bottles like we got a pile of Tennants cans, they just wouldn't stack as well! But yes, pint glasses of Mateus was their tipple that month. Well it was December


Will try to dig out some of the Oily-Boily snaps & post them on the Gallery.


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## Ron Strike

*Hugh Shuttleworth*

Hugh , are you in touch with any of the old Oloibiri squad. Particularly like to know "whatever happened" to Mike Gray, Tom (Hatch) Curran, Brian (& Shiela) Robertson, "Minty" Murray, Robbie Pescott, IGGY Jameson et al


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## R798780

Sorry Ron, haven't been in touch with any of them. Sailed with Iain Minty Murray (2nd EnG) on Luminetta in '79 or '80. He was medically severed not long after that with back problems, shame, I had a lot of time for Iain. Robbie was a permanent fixture on Lucerna, sailed on Lucerna on and off til mid '89. IGY was PCO on Lucerna a few times in the early '80s then got himself permanent on the new ACL boat.


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## Ron Strike

R798780 said:


> Sorry Ron, haven't been in touch with any of them. Sailed with Iain Minty Murray (2nd EnG) on Luminetta in '79 or '80. He was medically severed not long after that with back problems, shame, I had a lot of time for Iain. Robbie was a permanent fixture on Lucerna, sailed on Lucerna on and off til mid '89. IGY was PCO on Lucerna a few times in the early '80s then got himself permanent on the new ACL boat.


Thanks anyway, Hugh.

It always surprises me that some of the guys stayed on so long - I tend to think they left like me in the early 80's. Jealous of them really as they were GREAT times.


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## Peter Eccleson

*Hugh Shuttleworth*

Hi Hugh
Seeing earlier mention of John & Fiona Laing brought back memories! John sailed with me on the passenger ships after Oloibiri.... Fiona accompanied him. They divorced not long after that and John went 'foreign flag'. Made Captain I believe. 
Fiona still lives in Yeovil area in Somerset. 

Did you ever sail with Eric Heppenstall? He was Capt on the Lucerna with me. Saw him later when he was Captain of the Ogden Saguenay (sister class to Lucerna)

Regards

Peter


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## R798780

Peter Eccleson said:


> Hi Hugh
> Did you ever sail with Eric Heppenstall? He was Capt on the Lucerna with me. Saw him later when he was Captain of the Ogden Saguenay (sister class to Lucerna)
> 
> Regards
> 
> Peter


Sailed with wee Eric on Luxor in 73/74, then on Lucerna in '76 where I understudied him on the "new class" before taking over as mate. Smashing chap.


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## grakay

Whey hey!! It's me. The taller of the two cadets on the Oloibiri who are actually invisible to the naked eye on Hugh Shuttleworths photo.....!

Gordon Murray is the other one. He was killed in a car crash on his stag night when some thoughtless ******* decided to commit suicide by driving into a brick wall at speed, but Gordon's brothers car came around a blind corner and the suicidal **** collided with him instead.


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## R798780

Hi Graham ( or Graeme ), for those with defective eyesight.............!


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## grakay

I'm the good looking one on the right!


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## djbarker

Ron Strike said:


> Can relate to all of that - remember Bernie Gilby having to wash Eddie Bucknalls neck , as he was about to leave the underneath of a Pielstick to fly to London. Suit on , straight on top of the muck! How do I access your gallery??



Ah good old Bernie Gilby!!! Wasn't his good lady called Doxford Doris??? I was on the good ship Oily Boily during the Lisnave drydocking...spent most of my time on nights then trawling the streets of Lisbon looking for cheap mateus rose...2nd's name was Mike Gray I seem to recall and the 4th engineer was a bearded chap called Clive....ah the memories!! 

Dave Barker (was fiver at the time and I loved to do the jig in my clogs!!!!)......[=P]

Ron, I seem to recall you from somewhere.......do raise your hand if you remember moi!!!


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## Ron Strike

Dave,

I was the 2nd Lecky in those days, with Tom Curran (aka Hatch) the Chief Lecky.

I remember you as a first (deep sea ) trip guy, I also did the Lisnave Drydock with the pints of Mateus etc. My wife Janette was also there , though she left after the dry-dock and I sailed up and paid of at Ras Al Karma.

Also remeber the bearded-Clive with a very dry sense of humour...........

Ron


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## Ron Strike

Ron Strike said:


> Dave,
> 
> I was the 2nd Lecky in those days, with Tom Curran (aka Hatch) the Chief Lecky.
> 
> I remember you as a first (deep sea ) trip guy, I also did the Lisnave Drydock with the pints of Mateus etc. My wife Janette was also there , though she left after the dry-dock and I sailed up and paid of at Ras Al Karma.
> 
> Also remeber the bearded-Clive with a very dry sense of humour...........
> 
> Ron


I also recall you being matey with "My" Brian & Shiela Robertson.....wonder where THEY are???


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## Ron Strike

*A few familiat faces here (Cunard)*

See attached


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## uisdean mor

What guarantee was that Constant failure of all running machinery with nobody savvy enough to figure out the ballast and deepladen draught was too much to make fresh water. Remember running Scotch boilers on raw feed to keep deck seal intact so the whole lot would not end up in a puff of smoke. Left her in Dubaii but went back several times to put her on the SBM in Pennington and then after she started exporting. Pielsticks were a constant frustration and massively under rated and over revved .Alternators were electrically unstable and much else . 

Not missed a bit but miss the craic
slainte 
Uisdean mor



Ron Strike said:


> Sailed on it meself............did the guarantee dry-dock in Lisbon as well.


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## fagite

hello house, i am fagite from nigeria. good to meet you guys


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## fagite

please house, i wat to know if she is still alive
could someone give me a reply on the question i asked


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## Ron Strike

Crossing the Line 1978. Is that Hugh Shuttleworh as Neptune??


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## R798780

Ron Strike said:


> Crossing the Line 1978. Is that Hugh Shuttleworh as Neptune??


Not me, Ron, I was there in '76 and '77. Left at the end of the drydock but went back a couple of years later for a stint at Pennington.


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## Ron Strike

R798780 said:


> Not me, Ron, I was there in '76 and '77. Left at the end of the drydock but went back a couple of years later for a stint at Pennington.


Actually Hugh, my mistake, the year will be 1977 on the way round to Karg (& before the Drydock over Christmas and New Year in Lisbon)


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## BlueScouse

I was on the Oloibri as an engineer cadet.Joined in Livorno after it sailed around from Pula shipyard.Then it was drydocked and checked out before being handed over.Sailed to Lagos for a couple of days of parties-Port Line cooks did the catering,then loaded in several ports,then discharged in Curacao.Then up to the gulf to load,discharge in Le Havre and pay off.
Gordon Ward first captain,Hoy the chief. Had a good time on there,but glad to never go back.Have quite a few photos of maiden trip at home.Slides, though.
Surprised it is still around.


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## harryredvers

Sailed on her in 1979 before she went to Nigeria after the Lisbon (Almada) dry dock. I joined her by launch somewhere at the bottom end of the Gulf in February or March, and went round to Fos-sur-Mer then onto Lisbon for drydock. I seem to remember the average voyage speed was about a dozen knots and there was a constant stream of 1000-word msgs for work to be done and stores to be sent to the drydock. The old-man was Brian Nuttall, one of the best men I met in Cunard. I think they were stocking the ship up for 5-years. I don't remember many names now. They seemed to be mainly Merseysiders and the name Bernie Gilby seems familiar, the 2/E was from the Wirral - young and mangy. One of the engineers had his wife with him, they came from York. The The PCO was a really good bloke, I think his name was Ricky and he came from somewhere in Durham. The 2nd steward I think came from Warrington and had a screw loose but his replacement at Lisbon was an oldish guy called Bill who lived in Waterloo, Liverpool. The crew were Nigerian. The best thing I remember about it all was getting my wife to come and spending about 6-weeks in Lisbon in June.


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## Willum

Hello, 
I was R/O on Oloibiri took over from the unique Alistair Stoupe. I have a crossing line ceremony photo somewhere with Bernie & Doris and Brian Nuttall Robbie Pescott Chris Haughton. Hi to Hughie, we had a Guarantee engineer called Gianni, and a pigeon called Stormbringer. I ran the Ogbono Bean growing competition and the Saturday night entertainment. I remember the 2nd Elec Dave from Bolsover he kept ducks. I also remember running out of water on the way to Curacao and bulding a dam in the tank and having a bucket per person per day. I also invented 'Thunderbirds Are Go' a telephone scheme to save people from ear-ache. 
Phil 'Willum' Williams R/O Guitar and Concertina player.


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## pensioner

Just as I was getting over my nightmares the cause rears it's ugly head again. Willum what year did you sail on IT. Was the sparky an Irish guy, very slim quiet and kept himself to himself as I think he did the maiden voyage on her with me, Gianni was also on her from the outset. There was another guarantee engineer, for the engines only, but I assume he must have left. If you seach gallery for IT you can see a couple of photos I posted(Cloud)(Cloud)(Cloud)

regards


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## Willum

*Oloibiri 1977*

Phil 'Willum' Williams R/O here - Beard, Guitar, Concertina. I actually kept a diary on that trip Feb to May 1977 that Ive just found. 
I joined in Le Havre and we sailed to Bonny, Brass, Rotterdam Curacao etc. 

2nd Elec was Dave COUPE from Bolsover good at card tricks. I was entertainments man for the Jumbo Bar and organised all sort of events. Hamish Mc'Nasty (Iain Murray) featured, as did CD (Crane Driver) who once did a classic routine with an elephant called NUTS who put a foot on Brian Nuttall then the Grocer came in and call 'Peanuts' and the OM got soaked. 

Grew Sweet peas and John Miller the engineer got his to flower. 
Other names from the diary are John and Julie Templeton, Maggie & Ray Cullis, and my 2nd R/O Graeme Deane. 

I remember the ship for being one of the deepest EVER to go through the Dover straits, when we had 2 capts, Nuttall & Ward, but mostly for the excellent social life.


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## Willum

*forgot to mention*

Yes the R/O Alistair Stoupe was Irish, very quiet but really knew his stuff, Tea-Total.


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## uisdean mor

Hi Willum 
Same as Harry breally - still trying to forget. A small point Alastair was a Scot. Hios father was irish. Alastair lived in kinlochleven. memorable episode off Corruna when steering gear failed - Sperry Rand kit I think - twin uniots and took a while to figure out what was going on. Meanwhile heading for hard landing on Spain. Call for Alastair as it was the electronic gizmo causing the problem. Enters steering flat in everyday radio shack rig - sandals shorts and light shirt. Slip on wet deck as he puts foot down and only AVO on board does an arabesque into the air and smashes on the deck. All hell broke loose then as we were pretty close to shore. Managed to get emergency manual steering engaged and then a huge effort to get the jolly green giant turned around and away from Spain. Cannot remember how we fixed it but I am sure we managed something "unusual". good to hear from you guys after all this time. Yes social life could be fun and I do remember the thunderbirds episodes. 

Regrads to all slainte 
Uisdean


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## pensioner

Hi Willum.
Ray(speedie)Cullis joined IT in the Gulf after maiden voyage from La Spezia. I sailed with him as 3/E in Port Line, having obtained his Chiefs ticket gave him delusions of grandure, threatening to have me logged and flogged for using his nickname now that he was at the dizzy heights of 2/E after getting my "OFF" reply and advise from Cheng Hoy, the Chineese/Geordy Chief, he came to his senses.

Regards


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## Ron Strike

Ron Strike said:


> I also recall you being matey with "My" Brian & Shiela Robertson.....wonder where THEY are???


I subsequently found out Brian had sadly passed away. I am now in touch with Shiela via Facebook


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## Graeme Deane

Willum said:


> *Oloibiri 1977*
> 
> Phil 'Willum' Williams R/O here - Beard, Guitar, Concertina. I actually kept a diary on that trip Feb to May 1977 that Ive just found.
> I joined in Le Havre and we sailed to Bonny, Brass, Rotterdam Curacao etc.
> 
> 2nd Elec was Dave COUPE from Bolsover good at card tricks. I was entertainments man for the Jumbo Bar and organised all sort of events. Hamish Mc'Nasty (Iain Murray) featured, as did CD (Crane Driver) who once did a classic routine with an elephant called NUTS who put a foot on Brian Nuttall then the Grocer came in and call 'Peanuts' and the OM got soaked.
> 
> Grew Sweet peas and John Miller the engineer got his to flower.
> Other names from the diary are John and Julie Templeton, Maggie & Ray Cullis, and my 2nd R/O Graeme Deane.
> 
> I remember the ship for being one of the deepest EVER to go through the Dover straits, when we had 2 capts, Nuttall & Ward, but mostly for the excellent social life.


Hi Phil, your 2nd RO from Oloibiri here, Graeme Deane, just came across this whilst looking for something else, wondered if you are still getting emails about replies


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## Graeme Deane

Willum said:


> Hello,
> I was R/O on Oloibiri took over from the unique Alistair Stoupe. I have a crossing line ceremony photo somewhere with Bernie & Doris and Brian Nuttall Robbie Pescott Chris Haughton. Hi to Hughie, we had a Guarantee engineer called Gianni, and a pigeon called Stormbringer. I ran the Ogbono Bean growing competition and the Saturday night entertainment. I remember the 2nd Elec Dave from Bolsover he kept ducks. I also remember running out of water on the way to Curacao and bulding a dam in the tank and having a bucket per person per day. I also invented 'Thunderbirds Are Go' a telephone scheme to save people from ear-ache.
> Phil 'Willum' Williams R/O Guitar and Concertina player.


Hi I was your 2nd R/O on that trip, i remember Stormbringer, and the mess it made of the elephant tusks in the bar. I have some pictures of the crossing line ceremony 24th May 1977. Iam in the shadow, 3rd from right


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