# ronnie sommerford and Salmela



## jg grant (Nov 22, 2007)

I sailed with Ronnie (Roy) Sommerford on Salvesens Salmela 1964.He was one of my go ashore mates. Sadly he was killed in NZ many years ago and left behind a young girl of two years old. Through the internet I found her and she did not even know her dad had been at sea. She has only one picture of him. Anyone out there from Salmela at that time? Anything at all but a photo would be like gold.Jim Rendall was the skipper on that trip and we did a rice cargo from Lake Charles la to India. Regards Ronnie


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## hood47 (May 15, 2014)

Hi,

I am late to this Forum so hope I can still contact you. I was on Salmela in '64. It was my second trip with Salvesens. First trip was on Saldura doing mainly The Great Lakes. I am sure I remember Roy but can you advise what he did on Salmela.

My name is Alex Hood and I was the Galley Boy. My mate wee Wullie Sharp was the Cabin Boy. An eventful trip as I remember the Chief Cook and Second Cook jumped ship in New York and myself and the Chief Steward had to man the Galley until we reached Cape Town where we signed on a new Chief and Second Cook. The guys who jumped in New York were Burgess and Green.


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## jg grant (Nov 22, 2007)

hi hood 47 well well well! I was the second cook who joined in Capetown along with the chief cook.I was told there was some kind of incident with the deckies and J. Burgess who I knew from another ship decked the bosun with a steel. Never really found out what actually happened. Harry Brown, the chief cook I flew out with only lasted on the SA coast when he fell down stairs somewhere and got paid off. Then we had a Dutch chief cook who claimed to have been a mercenary in Angola and he jumped in New York.We had no chief cook until Bryce Henderson joined us in Bermuda (?). So Alex to answer your question, Ronnie Sommerford was A/S and was pretty handy with the guitar. Ernie was the other A/S and I remember Wullie the cabin boy.Chief steward was a Geordie. Good to hear from you.


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## hood47 (May 15, 2014)

*MV Salmela*

Hi Ronnie,

Good to hear back from you. You have a good long memory and after reading your reply it certainly helped to fill in the gaps. I had forgotten quite a bit. I plan to go on a bit here as things come back to me so settle down with a coffee please.

I now remember you and Harry Brown but I had forgotten that he had an accident and was "paid off". I just about remember the Dutch Chef and him jumping ship in New York. I now remember Bryce Henderson joining in Bermuda. I guess you and I had to run the galley bewteen us down to Bermuda.

The saga of Burgess and Green was a weird experience for me as a seventeen year 2nd tripper. I liked both Jake and Ray, I think they were both from Leith or at least Jake Burgess was. I got on well with Jake but he was a real tough hard nut. From the minute we joined Salmela Jake and the Bosun, cant remember his name but knowing Salvensen he was either from Shetland or Orkney, just didn't get on. My recollection would blame the Bosun rather than Jake. Jake and Ray got into the habit of turning up late to the galley in the morning. It didn't bother me as I was getting things ready for the both of them turning up to cook breakfast but this really annoyed the Bosun. 

One morning when we were docked in New York the Bosun looked into the galley and was really annoyed that Jake and Ray were not there. He was spitting mad. He asked a couple of the deckies to go aft and pull Ray out of his bunk while he and anoter deckie went to Jakes cabin and physically pulled him out of his bunk. That didn't go down well with Jake as you can imagine.

Jake and Ray arrived in the galley at the same time with Jake cursing as what he was going to do with the Bosun. Ray was in the same mood but not as up front as Jake. Jake took a steel and laid it on the cooker island and marched into the crews mess and into the Petty Officer dining area at the back. He pointed to the Bosun and shouted "you ya bas..., into the galley now"

Jake go back to the galley first and picked up the steel and stood with his back against the bulkhead. The Bosun stormed in and Jake jumped out and tried to bring the steel down on his head. The Bosun saw it coming and put his arms up which took the full weight of the steel but the Bosun fell back in the process. Jake threw the steel down and lifted the Bosun up bodily by his chest, put him up against the bulkhead and rattled 3 or 4 head butts into the Bosuns face. Thats what did for him. It wasn't the steel it was the head butts.

The Bosun was flat out with blood pouring from his nose. Jake said to me "I'm off" and then he and Ray went to their cabins, packed a bag and jumped ship. I would love to know what happened to them so hopefully someone might read this and let me know.

I can't remember the Chief Stewards name but I do remember he was a Geordie and as we were sailing with-in a day or so Salevesens couldn't replace Jake and Ray so we had to sail to Capetown with just the Cheif Steward and me running the galley. It was a good experience and the Chief Steward and myself got on well. For the 3 week run down to Capetown I was paid a bonus of half of Jakes wages and half of Rays wages. Those were big bucks in those days.

I certainly remember Roy Sommerford and Ernie. They would have been upstairs in the officers mess and cabins. Thats where Wee Wullie was on that trip. I sailed with Wullie twice. On Saldura I was Cabin Boy and Wullie was Galley Boy. When we joined Salmela togher we agreed to switch and that's how I ended up in the galley.

Roy was a good guy and I remember he was bit of a guitar player. Roy and Ernies cabin was next to mine and Wullies and we had some good times and parties in their cabin. Two really fond memories I have of Roy were, one, when we were in South Africa and we ended up somewhere with a swimming pool. Might have been The Flying Angel. Maybe you were there that day as well. I do remember having a good time and Roy was definitely leader of the pack. Wullie and I were so young and innocent but Roy looked our for us. The second real fond memory I have of Roy was at New Year. It was my first and only New Year trip and we were anchored off west coast of India. Marmagoa sounds familiar. We had an excellent New Year party and Roy was on top form with his guitar. So sad that he has passed away and in such tragic cir***stances.

Just one other thing which you might know to jog my memory. I remember being on one of Salvesens ships and down the Carribean way when we ran aground on a sand bank. I think we werestuck for the best part of a week and I have a feeling it was Salmela. That's probably why we ended back in dry dock in Bremen and got paid off. Do you remember this on Salmela.

Anything else you can remember from Salmela please update me. Hope you are well and enjoying life in NZ

Cheers,
Alex

I am glad I found this site and I am sure I will use it a lot.


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## Alex Salmond (Mar 7, 2011)

Hi Ronnie howsitgaun mate ? interesting post but Jeez what was it with them Salvesens cooks ? I sailed with an ex Salvesens cook on a Bibby line gas tanker MV Wiltshire in 71/72 Alistair McKenzie aka Mad Mac from Furryboot toon,he had not long came off a two year trip on one off the Salvesens boats and he was certainly well named I was galleyboy on there and learned quickly to avoid him at breakfast time after he d been on the drink the previous night he would hurl anything that came to hand if you gave him any lip,red hot spatulas dripping with fat was a favourite,but never one of his treasured knives he had a collection of razor sharp knives and cleavers that he would lovingly sharpen on his steel every day a fkn tyrant he was so you can iagine our delight when a day out of Curacoa with the ship rolling like a bastard he left his cleaver on the butchers block to do something on the stove as he turned back he saw his cleaver sliding off the block ,so rather than see it hit the deck he stuck his foot out !! the cleaver hit his boot cut right through and right into his foot ,blood everywhere Mac squealing like a stuck pig ,he paid off the next day Hooray we all went sailed to Chile and back with the 2nd cook running the Galley ,sheer bliss nae bother gets back to Curacoa a onth later and fk me theres Mac hobbling up the gangway to torment us again,but not for long the 2nd cook who was a nice wee guy from Buckie had decided he wasn't putting up with anymore of Macs nonsense and stood up to him all the time ,it came to a head one breakfast time when the 2nd cook was putting the crowds brekkie into the hot press and Mac came up behind him and Kinghit him the wee 2nd cook got up and pummeled Mac all round the Galley ,put his gas at a peep for the rest of the trip ...10 months in all not like the Sal boats 2 year trips eh !


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## jg grant (Nov 22, 2007)

Hi Eck it gets worser mate, for the reputation of Salvesen cooks that is.At some stage on that trip when we had no chief cook , just Alex and me I stuck one on the chief steward and got logged for it. Oh well,. That was Salvesens as I recall them. Paid off the Southern Sattelite in Glasgow after a season whaling. Never seen anything like it. Firemen and engineers knocking seven bells out of each other. Deck hands pissing down stair wells, the bosun lying unconscious on said stair. I paid off with a lot of money and two black eyes after a channel night exchange. As they say in latin,' you wouldn't read about it'. Ronnie. wouldn't be dead for quids


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