Before I applied to join the Post Office - Portisheadradio - in 1970 I had been in negotiation with Helmville shipping company to be the RO on their new build - David Marquess of Milford Haven. She was at that time being built in Bilbao Spain. I came across the last letter I had from them regarding this employment. The salary offered was good for the era at £175 per month and a lot more that NZ shipping were paying as per the list of 1968 which I have attached as well.
I had learnt about the company and the job from a friend, John Wilson who was one of the Directors of the company. He and his family ran a hotel near me which I frequented.
As it turned out - fortunately as it happens - the offer of the job from the GPO came up first and I decided to stay ashore. I did communicate with the vessel a few times at GKA - the name was one of the longest I think. The company I learnt later were not too hot at paying the wages and there had been previous happenings with a ship in the Red Sea - I think it was the Medina Princess. The following is taken from
http://www.merchant-navy.net/forum/m...-steering.html
You will see from this as to why I was very lucky not to have taken up the post. As an aside my friend did not have day to day running of the company but was a name.
I off course had met Capt Osborne and Mr Alachouzos.
Quote from the web site:
There has been quite a lot on the web,and in all these nautical sites about the company that owned this ship,the notorious/infamous Helmville Shipping,,one of those (mainly) foreigner owned and run outfits which ran ships under the U.K. flag from late 50’s through the 80’s,the otherwise ‘golden era’ of our British Shipping.It was certainly the time when the British MN was sliding into decline rapidly.
Almost a flag of convenience,and certainly one to avoid unless you were desperate for a ship.
The 7,069 grt cargo vessel s.s. MEDINA PRINCESS was built 1944 for MOWT as EMPIRE TUDOR - later
48 GRANDYKE - 49 BENVANNOCH -and was bought by Helmville Shipping Co. in 1956.
An early incident came to light when it was reported in 1961
- In tow of tug Englishman, Bd Falmouth- Short of Fuel.
Then- the from logs of "HMS LOCH LOMOND, AUGUST 1962 –
Re British ship – MEDINA PRINCESS
3/8/62 The British flagged tramp ship requested assistance from HMS LOCH LOMOND which was paying a visit to Djibouti in French Somaliland. Amazingly, MEDINA PRINCESS was lying alongside the wharf but the Master signed a Lloyds Open Form !… The vessel had reportedly grounded whilst arriving at Djibouti,and her engine room was flooded.Salvage work was taken in hand immediately by technical staff from the British frigate. All efforts to remove water from the flooded engine room proved in vain. It was suspected that as fast as one sea valve was shut by the salvage team in an attempt to prevent ingress of water, other valves were being opened by persons unknown to ensure that the ship would not be able to sail. The absence of any ship drawings made all salvage attempts a lengthy and hit and miss affair.
LOCH LOMOND had to sail three days later and salvage work was then abandoned with no success. The Medina Princess was towed out of port two years later by the authorities and beached on a shoal off Djibouti in 9/64,and apparently could still be seen there into the 70’s.
MEDINA PRINCESS had a history of disaster since sailing from Europe with a cargo of wheat consigned to China. There had been innumerable problems including a mutiny whilst on passage through the Mediterranean.
The affair culminated in a legal action in the High Court in London. Salvage awards were not paid."
… about the insurance case... It appears Helmville was trying to get about £350,0000 for a ship worth £65,000,and the case was notable for the length of time it was in the courts.
The MNAOA(Officers Union )were warning members about conditions in this company in the 70’s. Problems on the company’s later British-flagged vessels ( m.v.Jocelyne; m.v.Faith Euskalduna ;and m.v. David,Marquess of Milford Haven) included non-payment of wages,and the vessels were regularly detained for non-payment of dues,fraud and negligence.
I heard the company was run from a little office near Fenchurch Street Station in London,and the MD was M.Alachouzos,with Capt.L.A.Osbourne described as marine superintendent-later a "consultant" -between 1976 -8.Yes,the same Capt.Osborne who was master of the Medina Princess in 1962.
Helmville went into liquidation in 1981.