# West African Ship Routes



## Stephen Coates (Jan 6, 2022)

My grandfather and great uncle made several voyages aboard the Adda, Abosso, Accra and other ships operated by Elder Dempster Lines between about 1936 and 1956 between Liverpool and Takoradi in what is now Ghana and between Liverpool, UK and Lagos, Nigeria and Liverpool. Although the different voyages includes some other stops on the way such as Freetown and Las Palmas, I am interested in how long such a voyage would typically take. Does anyone have and ideas where I could find this out?


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## wightspirit (Feb 15, 2008)

This will give you a start:





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On the page, enter the name of the ship, use the reference BT and enter the dates, and lots of information will come up.

Dave W


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## John Gowers (Jul 18, 2018)

I did similar trips in the 80s on a Stena ro-ro the Stena Hispania I joined in Hamburg 1/9/84 and left in Immingham in 27/11/84, we did a few ports in Europe and then Monrovia, Takoradi, Abijan and Lagos and Monrovia a second time from memory I think we did two complete round trips during this time. So it looks like it took us about six weeks for the round trip and that was spending at least one night in every port. We took mainly second hand cars and trucks with a few new ones down and brought timber back on trailers.


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## P.Arnold (Apr 11, 2013)

With Palm Line, we did London, Lagos, Takoradi, returning London in 33 days.


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## inandaship (May 5, 2007)

Paddy Henderson's Kumba 1964 double header too many surf ports, creeks etc.to mention here, 5 months and sixteen days.


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## eddyw (Nov 6, 2007)

"Adda"(1922), "Abosso"(1935), "Accra"(1926) etc were passenger liners on scheduled services between Liverpool and West Africa. Each ship had its own regular itinerary which varied over time. Pre WW2 "Abosso" sailed Liverpool, Madeira, Las Palmas, Freetown, Monrovia, Takoradi, Accra, Lagos, Calabar, Victoria. Generally calls were short with ships arriving and departing the same day. Post WW2 the service was run by "Accra"(1947), "Apapa"(1947) and "Aureol" (1951) with simplified itineraries, Liverpool, Las Palmas, Freetown, Takoradi, Lagos in the case of "Accra" and Aureol"; “Apapa” ran Liverpool, Bathurst, Freetown, Takoradi, Lagos. Ships departed Liverpool fortnightly and the run to Lagos was scheduled to take 13 days.


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## makko (Jul 20, 2006)

I concur with about 6-8 weeks round trip. The voyages were short and regular. However, it is from word of mouth - I never went on a W. Africa trip.

Rgds.
Dave


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## jmcg (Apr 20, 2008)

Makko

You certainly didn't miss much. On an ED job we took in Dakar (O&H), Conakri, Freetown(O&H), Monrovia, Takoradi (O&H), Lome, Lagos /Apappa (O&H), Doula, Sapele, Warri and Fernando Po all on one trip of 5 months and 2 days. Long delay at anchor (HB) off Lagos. We lifted Cocoa beans, cattle cake (whatever that was) sawn timber & logs for H.B.

EDs O class were decent ships as were the F class liners. Palm Line "Bamenda Palm with similar port calls was a good crowd and feeder too.

Shoreside - nothing attractive at all but "up the creeks" was entertaining enough.

BW

J


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## makko (Jul 20, 2006)

I sailed with a number of W. Africa "veterans" - They thought that they died and gone to heaven, having got at last to the final M boats on the Barber Blue Sea Liner service! Although they would occasionally complain about the average trip being four months and not being able to nip home for some TLC when docked in Liverpool! No pleasing some people!

One anecdote that I found highly amusing was regarding the "larva" parties. Just for those who don't know, there are insects that bite and deposit their eggs under the victims skin. The larva grows there until finally emerging as an adult insect. A risk when bronzying. 

Larva parties involved sitting around the affected party, usually drinking beer. They would put a gob of vaseline over the site of the larva, forcing it to emerge to breathe. The participants were armed with split toothpicks. When the larva stuck it's head out, they would trap it with the toothpick and slowly twist it, bringing the entire little bugger out. They would then stub a cigarette into the hole to seal it, apparently. I was told that it was an effective cure. 

Well, that is what I remember! The tales of filth, garbage and insects on the coast made me happy that I never sailed down to W. Africa!

Rgds.
Dave


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## Grizzpig (Aug 30, 2021)

inandaship said:


> Paddy Henderson's Kumba 1964 double header too many surf ports, creeks etc.to mention here, 5 months and sixteen days.





makko said:


> I sailed with a number of W. Africa "veterans" - They thought that they died and gone to heaven, having got at last to the final M boats on the Barber Blue Sea Liner service! Although they would occasionally complain about the average trip being four months and not being able to nip home for some TLC when docked in Liverpool! No pleasing some people!
> 
> One anecdote that I found highly amusing was regarding the "larva" parties. Just for those who don't know, there are insects that bite and deposit their eggs under the victims skin. The larva grows there until finally emerging as an adult insect. A risk when bronzying.
> 
> ...


I believe that what you are referring to is the legendary 'mango fly', and it was that they laid their eggs on a persons uncovered foot whilst bronzying or asleep, laid an egg under the skin, and emerged after it's cycle inside the body, and emerge, to start it's life all over again. Nasty little buggers !


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## Grizzpig (Aug 30, 2021)

inandaship said:


> Paddy Henderson's Kumba 1964 double header too many surf ports, creeks etc.to mention here, 5 months and sixteen days.


I was on the Kumba, back in 1961/2, and we did a double header down the coast, then over to the States eastern seaboard, back to the coast, and then home. I reckon it was about 5 1/2 months for the trip.


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## Stephen Coates (Jan 6, 2022)

Stephen Coates said:


> My grandfather and great uncle made several voyages aboard the Adda, Abosso, Accra and other ships operated by Elder Dempster Lines between about 1936 and 1956 between Liverpool and Takoradi in what is now Ghana and between Liverpool, UK and Lagos, Nigeria and Liverpool. Although the different voyages includes some other stops on the way such as Freetown and Las Palmas, I am interested in how long such a voyage would typically take. Does anyone have and ideas where I could find this out?


From the site sea-distances.org, I've found that the voyages, assuming a cruising speed of 12 knots a little slower than the ships' top speed of 14-15 knots, would have taken 14 days from Tokoradi and 15 days from Lagos, longer if they made stops along the way.


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## Grizzpig (Aug 30, 2021)

Stephen Coates said:


> From the site sea-distances.org, I've found that the voyages, assuming a cruising speed of 12 knots a little slower than the ships' top speed of 14-15 knots, would have taken 14 days from Tokoradi and 15 days from Lagos, longer if they made stops along the way.


I reckon it this way. The 'K' boats used to toddle along at a reasonable 11.5 to 12 knots, depending on how laden they were. It gave us about 240 to 250 miles per day, if the engineers were in a good mood. Not only did it make a difference as to which US port we were going to, the weather, ships loading and where we were sailing from, usually Freetown as a last port, then to Stateside, could vary our passage by two or three days sometimes. By the way, NEVER NEVER NEVER try to have a joke with US customs ossifers !


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## makko (Jul 20, 2006)

Grizzpig said:


> I believe that what you are referring to is the legendary 'mango fly', and it was that they laid their eggs on a persons uncovered foot whilst bronzying or asleep, laid an egg under the skin, and emerged after it's cycle inside the body, and emerge, to start it's life all over again. Nasty little buggers !


Thanks, Grizzpig. Nice to know that they weren't pulling my plonker! My impression of the ex-WA engineers was that they were very pleased to be on runs through the Middle East, Far East, West Coast, US Gulf and East Coast. On the M's, we also went to S. American ports. Very good and enjoyable voyages.

A real character that I remember was John Williams, 3/E from Blackpool. I, being 6'1" and 98 Kg. of muscle, was known as "Humungous" from the "Mad Max" Thunderdome movie. John, being 5'6" and (exaggerating!) 49 Kg., was "Mini Mungous"!. We got on like a house on fire. I remember his lurid stories - I won't go into them now. John had served his entire time on the West Coast and, rightly, felt he had won the lottery, finally!

Rgds.
Dave


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## Amanda strachan (May 18, 2021)

Stephen Coates said:


> My grandfather and great uncle made several voyages aboard the Adda, Abosso, Accra and other ships operated by Elder Dempster Lines between about 1936 and 1956 between Liverpool and Takoradi in what is now Ghana and between Liverpool, UK and Lagos, Nigeria and Liverpool. Although the different voyages includes some other stops on the way such as Freetown and Las Palmas, I am interested in how long such a voyage would typically take. Does anyone have and ideas where I could find this out?


My dad sailed to those detentions with same company from 1964 until the folded


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## makko (Jul 20, 2006)

I just remembered, reading my post, John had served his time in Rolls Royce, at Crewe, building radiators! He told me that they were concave on the sloping tops because, when chromed and polished, they would look "wonky" to the eye!

Rgds.
Dave


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

This is 'Up the Creeks' enroute to Sapele, Lokoja Palm circa 1965. I expect many of you will be able to say just exactly where. At Sapele as the RO I did cargo tallying but only after keeping the first 30 minutes of each watch to act as the local Coast Station. I usually had the Agents runner to take any messages that came in.

David
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## makko (Jul 20, 2006)

A famous bend, even though I never went up! What was it known as? The knuckle or elbow spring to mind, setting the bow into the bank and using full rudder to bring the ship to the current. See, you do learn things from the many learned and colourful postings by members over time!

Thanks, David.

Rgds.
Dave


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## John Gowers (Jul 18, 2018)

BP Vigour Bonny River Nigeria 1987 throwing bars of soap in the river and watching the kids diving for them. 


















Drilling rig known as a swamp barge it was towed into posititon and then the ballast tanks were flooded and it sat on the bottom and basically became a land rig.
On a creek near the Bonny River 2001, no real problems working there apart from the bugs.


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## Grizzpig (Aug 30, 2021)

DASH ME-O ! was the cry from the 'cay-nose, as these little bum-boats manouvred alongside for , as you say, bars of soap or foos=d to be dropped down to them. A pitiful existence. Port Harcourt was a place I enjoyed, and back in the 60's the 'Holland Bar' was the night spot to get hammered, and getting back to the ship was a challenge, arriving back covered in mud head to foot from falling in a ditch trying to catch fire flies. Happy daze !


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

This was the 'big bend'. The vegetation had been cut down for visibility. You can still see the bow indentations on the other side. The Lokoja Palm was a 1947 vintage 'comfy' vessel - no air conditioning. Mango flies were a problem. If you were 'mid-creek' for the night, the bosun rigged outboard deck lights at deck level and every other light was off. . If another Palm boat with AC was up at Sapele, a good nights sleep could be arranged..

David

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## John Gowers (Jul 18, 2018)

I worked for a few years in the 2000's in Nigeria, based in Victoria Island Lagos, on rotatation 5 weeks on 5 weeks off and travelled through Lagos, Port Harcourt, Warri and Calabar a lot as a technical super for drilling rigs. I actually enjoyed working in the area once I got use to it. I even learned the Nigerian way of queueing and got quite good at it basically there is no queue you just push to the front.
The cry from the customs and about just about every offical was:-
“How are you?”
“How are your family?”
“Have you anything for me?”

I met a guy who got a Tee shirt printed with the three answers on the front of the Tee shirt.
“I am fine” “My family is fine” “I have nothing for you”

Bum boats at the rig and they sold beer but don't tell anyone!!!


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## jmcg (Apr 20, 2008)

Flash for Dash or was it the other way round? In any event the top part of her garment would be unbound and her ti*s would spread out like 3 cu M. of ready-mix . Jeez, what a sight! 

I never subscribed to the Dash!

BW

J


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## Grizzpig (Aug 30, 2021)

John Gowers said:


> I worked for a few years in the 2000's in Nigeria, based in Victoria Island Lagos, on rotatation 5 weeks on 5 weeks off and travelled through Lagos, Port Harcourt, Warri and Calabar a lot as a technical super for drilling rigs. I actually enjoyed working in the area once I got use to it. I even learned the Nigerian way of queueing and got quite good at it basically there is no queue you just push to the front.
> The cry from the customs and about just about every offical was:-
> “How are you?”
> “How are your family?”
> ...


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## John Gowers (Jul 18, 2018)

International football the Arctic Troll playing against a fruit boat crew in Emden (1977) after the game we invited them back on the ArcticTroll for a few pints of skoll and later that day they came back with big bunches of bananas from their cargo. Good day had by all!!


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

This was topping off loading at the surf port of Cape Palmas. The boys just arriving for work, and wondering 'there should be a couple of logs here somewhere' . At this point the Mate will have doubled the estimated weight of these last two.

David

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## taffe65 (May 27, 2007)

John Gowers said:


> BP Vigour Bonny River Nigeria 1987 throwing bars of soap in the river and watching the kids diving for them.
> View attachment 690251
> 
> 
> ...


Cracking photos John, can smell the swamps just by looking at them.Perfectly illustrating the sense of olfaction which is so underrated when visiting ports in all corners of the world. I never visited West African ports but that spice in the air when visiting South/Central American ports always a pleasure to behold.


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## Grizzpig (Aug 30, 2021)

I have NEVER experienced the smells of a coastline more pungent that the coast of Liberia and Egypt. It is branded indelibly into my memory. Strong, extrememly humid, a soft waft of rotting vegetation and camel dung, ( possibly). The smell of going up the creeks was similar, with the rankness of rotting vegetation, cooking fires in some family canoes, ( You can't have your canoe and heat it ) and the swish of the ships sloshing along sweeping around the river bends, with the pilot lounging around in the captains chair, without a care in the world ! I also remember the smell of the flies at night, roasting pungently on the cluster lights during night cargo working in Sapele and Pt.Harcourt.


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## makko (Jul 20, 2006)

Quite a vivid description, Grizzpig!! How good that I never got to savour those delights!

Rgds.
Dave


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## david.hopcroft (Jun 29, 2005)

Grizzpig - and was the Pilot's very young assistant on the wheel hardly tall enough to see over it ?

David

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## Grizzpig (Aug 30, 2021)

To get into the 'pun' part, he hardly 'spoke' at all ! DASH ME - O ! I BEG YOU-O ! No fon fule fo me ma fren !


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## Grizzpig (Aug 30, 2021)

makko said:


> Quite a vivid description, Grizzpig!! How good that I never got to savour those delights!
> 
> Rgds.
> Dave


Hi Dave. I keep seeing a Paddy's house flag on your name bit. What had you to do with Paddy's, prithee ?


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## jmcg (Apr 20, 2008)

Although the stench of the West Coast was bad it was fragrant compared to that of Tunis port.
Jezz, that was quite something awful!

BW

J


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## John Gowers (Jul 18, 2018)

In the early 90s I was working on a rig offshore Vung Tau in Vietnam, when you came off the rig you could smell the land before you could see it, they used to dry fish at the roadside and it was stinking. However it was a great place to work, locals working on the rig were good guys and the crew changes through Ho Chi Ming city and Singapore were not to be sniffed at.

In the 70s I was in the drydock at Ulsan Korea for a month and the streets around the shipyard were pretty fragrant caused by what looked like open sewers.


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## Grizzpig (Aug 30, 2021)

jmcg said:


> Although the stench of the West Coast was bad it was fragrant compared to that of Tunis port.
> Jezz, that was quite something awful!
> 
> BW
> ...


It's quite nice now. I had to wait for a ship there for a week, and it was most pleasant gourmet and sightseeing too !


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## Tony the hippy chippy (Sep 24, 2021)

John Gowers said:


> In the early 90s I was working on a rig offshore Vung Tau in Vietnam, when you came off the rig you could smell the land before you could see it, they used to dry fish at the roadside and it was stinking. However it was a great place to work, locals working on the rig were good guys and the crew changes through Ho Chi Ming city and Singapore were not to be sniffed at.
> 
> In the 70s I was in the drydock at Ulsan Korea for a month and the streets around the shipyard were pretty fragrant caused by what looked like open sewers.


Hi there John I worked on the maersk transporter out of vung tau that was our home port spent a lot of time alongside we were servicing a maersk jack up rig so plenty time to go ashore this was 2016 it was so cheap and the local people made you welcome enjoyed my time there 😀👍tony


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## lakercapt (Jul 19, 2005)

Spent a few years with the Palm line going down the "West Coast" and the voyages were varied in length depending on your itinerary. If you had surf ports it could be days extra depending on the weather. Going up the creeks could be interesting as Burutu, Sapele and Warri loading or unloading in the wet season was always trying with hatches opening and c=losing and an eye kept of the sky for rain. The bugs were ferocious and the mango fly that laid eggs under your skin painful as I can attest. "Flash for a dash" going up the creeks and anything was acceptable from coins, soap, and even empty tin cans. Course the end of the voyage when heading northbound, saying goodbye to the "African Ensign" (this on the older ships). Did it and memories are ingrained but in the end, things changed when the countries got their own ships and the trade died.


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## makko (Jul 20, 2006)

Grizzpig said:


> Hi Dave. I keep seeing a Paddy's house flag on your name bit. What had you to do with Paddy's, prithee ?


Hi Grizzpig,

In a word, nothing or "nada"! I was a Blue Funnel/Ocean T&T, engineer. However, a lot of the Deck officers had been Paddy's, later ED. I remember, however, going on Pegu in Huskisson - Wasn't she originally a Paddy? We went to see her B&W opposed piston engine. I also remember Daggy saying,"Take a good look. You won't see another one!". She was about to be sold out.

Rgds.
Dave


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## John Gowers (Jul 18, 2018)

Tony the hippy chippy said:


> Hi there John I worked on the maersk transporter out of vung tau that was our home port spent a lot of time alongside we were servicing a maersk jack up rig so plenty time to go ashore this was 2016 it was so cheap and the local people made you welcome enjoyed my time there 😀👍tony


Hi Tony 
I was there 93 to 95 with Transocean drilling for Petronas in the Dai Hung field 4 on 4 off Had a great time during crew changes, it was even cheaper when I was there. Last year I wrote a load of stories for my kids and grand kids of my time at sea which I put in the Denholms forum I have also now done the same thing with my time on rigs so will have have to start posting them also have loads of photos to go with them.


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## inandaship (May 5, 2007)

When as a Cadet you had to keep a wary eye on the ''African Ensign'' up the creeks especially when cutting in the aft draft marks.


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