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The end of my sea career


ShipbuilderMN

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Between early 1961 and late 1992, I sailed in 19 different ships.   Only one now remains of the whole 19, and it is now scheduled to be disposed on in Febraury 2018, to be replaced by an aircraft!      :sad: The relentless march of technology.     "Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away!"      I only found this out a few minutes ago.    Here is the link:   http://www.sainthelena.gov.sh/st-helena-line-to-withdraw-rms-st-helena-from-service-and-seeks-buyer-for-vessel/
Bob

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They didn't go to Tristan all that often anyway, usually about one a year.   I have been a few times.    Tristan is generally looked after by South African ships and research vessels.    You can read the St. Helena weekly newspaper online every week that will  keep you informed of the schedule and air fares etc.  The online newspaper is free of charge!

http://www.sams.sh/L2_sentinel.html

I believe the flights will go between St Helena and Johannesburg, down to Windhoek and Cape Town, quite expensive as well.     The ship was steady as a rock and about a million times more comfortable than an aircraft, with good food thrown in.    I will never go there again, in fact I will never fly anywhere again - with me, the sea wins every time - but tthat  is progress, and must be endured!:nah:

Bob

 

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The St Helena was the last ship built by Hall, Russell & Company, Limited in Aberdeen. The yard closed in 1992, a year after the ship's delivery. I don't really remember anything about the launch, but I do have vague memories of the ship shed at the end of the harbour. The yard also built the MAFF trawler MV Sir William Hardy, best known (or would that be infamously known?) as the first Rainbow Warrior.

 

Here's HMS Starling fitting out in 1984 or so:

685px-HMS_Starling_P241.jpg

 

It was quite an extensive facility at one time:

 

https://canmore.org.uk/site/19982/aberdeen-york-place-hall-russell-shipyard?display=image

 

There's two shots of the St Helena under construction: LINK and LINK.

 

Mike.

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3 hours ago, bentwaters81tfw said:

St Helena is on my Bucket list, but I have been waiting for the airport. I don't make a good sailor. How will they now service Tristan da Cunha?

It's worth a visit, so is Tristan. The latter being very 'isolated' yet close knit in the settlement arrangements shall we say. 

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12 hours ago, MikeR said:

The St Helena was the last ship built by Hall, Russell & Company, Limited in Aberdeen. The yard closed in 1992, a year after the ship's delivery. I don't really remember anything about the launch, but I do have vague memories of the ship shed at the end of the harbour. The yard also built the MAFF trawler MV Sir William Hardy, best known (or would that be infamously known?) as the first Rainbow Warrior.

 

Here's HMS Starling fitting out in 1984 or so:

 

 

It was quite an extensive facility at one time:

 

https://canmore.org.uk/site/19982/aberdeen-york-place-hall-russell-shipyard?display=image

 

There's two shots of the St Helena under construction: LINK and LINK.

 

Mike.

From RMS St Helena site:

Further details about the RMS St Helena:

UK flag

Built 1990 A&P Appledore, UK.

3130 dwt on 6.016m draft.

105m loa, 19.2m beam.

Class: Lloyds Register.

6,767 gross tonnes.

Accommodation: 156 passengers in 56 cabins, 56 officers and crew.

Dining salon. Lounge. Sun lounge. Swimming pool. Gymnasium. Stabilisers. Air conditioning.

Cargo capacity 3750 cbm bale. 92 teu (of which 17 reefer).

2 holds, 2 hatches. Cranes 2/30  Derricks 2/10.

Main engines: 2 x Mirrlees KMR6MK3. 8880BHP.

Service speed 14knts IFO180- 19MT per day MDO 2MT per da

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If you want to go to Trstan da Cunha, there is no choice at all - it would have to be by sea!     The weather can be dreadful if you don't pick the right time of year.   There is very little there anyway.   No hotels or anything, and not a great deal to do.    I enjoyed our calls, but it was only for two days at the most, and we generally timed it in the good weather season.    Here is a view from the anchorage - this is all there is!

Bob

Tristan_da_Cunha_Settlement_of_Edinburgh

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I should add that to get ashore, you have to climb down a verical pilot ladder, and jump into one of the small cargo lighters.   Once you are in it, you have to wait patiently until it is full up with cargo, they you go bouncing and rolling to the small harbour, where you then have to jump on to a vertical iron ladder to get ashore.   No problem if you are young and "fleet as a mountain goat," but if you are getting on a bit, no easy matter!

Bob

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No they haven't fixed it.    It was never unuseable, but the first few large aircaft that landed there experiemced a lot of wind shear, and the landings were difficult, and even considered dangerous by some of the pilots.    After a lot of messing about, they finally settled on much smaller aircraft that don't need such a long runway, and they even experimented with landing in the opposite direction.     Considering the excercise was meant to get rid of the ship, and thereby save a lot on the shipping subsidy. it doesn't appear to have been a very good deal.      Thei airport cost over £250m to build, they could probabaly have built three new ships for that amount.   the penny  eventually dropped that if the island wanted a thousand tons of cement, it could not come by air.   They have had to obtain a small 2nd hand ship called the Helena,   to carry heavy cargo, and 12 passengers.    We will just have to wait and see what happens next.     I first went on the the St. Helena run in 1974 aboard the Union Castle liner RMS Good Hope Castle, in which I spent two years.    Then I spent 11 years in the original St. Helena, and my final two years at sea in the new St. Helena.

Merchant ships have been out of fashion for some time now, but I am pretty sure they will soon find out what they have lost!     It was the British gvenrment's decision to get rid of the shipping service.   It didn't affect me, as I left in late 1992, long before everything unravelled!

Bob

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Thought she had reprieved already, when the problems with the runway were first found?

 

Hall Russell Ship Builders; 1864 - 1992

http://www.aberdeenships.com/sb_hall_russell.asp

 

St Helena http://www.aberdeenships.com/single.asp?searchFor=st+helena&index=101715  (click thumbnail top right for model pic)

 

picture.gifpicture.gifAnd also well known for producing the MacBraynes trio - Columba (now Hebridean Princess), Hebrides and Clansman of 1964. See http://www.shipsofcalmac.co.uk/ff_secret_ships.asp

 

ms025271.jpg

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  • 4 months later...

The RMS St. Helena docked at 0915 local time for the final time at Cape Town yesterday, 17th February 2018.     Passengers disembarked shortly after.    As soon as the cargo is out, the ship will be laid up for sale.   At the age of 27 years, probably for scrap.     The airport on St. Helena is functioning with smaller aircraft.    There was to be an air link from St. Helena to Cape Town that would have been most convenient for the islanders, but it has been cancelled for political reasons (Don't ask me what reasons - I don't  know!).   The flights are now St. Helena to Johannesburg, at quite high cost.    Heavy cargo is being taken care of by a small ship that they have just acquired that is called Helena!     That is curently delayed in cape Town, because another ship carrying the St. Helena freight has not arrived!      It has all been rather an expensive exercise, but RMS St. Helena is gone now - and will not be coming back!

Bob

 

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