Dolius was brand new when my father joined her at Harland and Wolff’s Belfast yard, so new in fact, that her paint was likely still wet in places, Dolius was on her sea trials when Engineering Cadet Ian Jones and her crew sailed on the 03^rd January 1956, Captain S. G. Ellams taking Dolius, and the high and mighty of the Blue Funnel line including Lawrence Holt, one of the owners, on her maiden voyage across the Irish sea to Liverpool, to load for embarkation on her first deep sea voyage. The crossing was an eventful one of sorts, fog making berthing Dolius in Vittoria Dock impossible that day, forcing her to anchor up in the Mersey estuary until the next morning, when the fog had cleared sufficiently to make docking safe

Dolius was a new variant of the Blue Funnel “A” class boats, designated, officially, “A Class Mark 5”, although ships of this class would eventually be known as “D Class” to the wider Blue Funnel family and workforce. So……. what was different then, to distinguish a Blue Funnel A Class MkV vessel like Dolius (the “common” classification ‘D boats’ was taken from the naming protocols, Dolius, Demodocus, Diomed…etc), from an A Class? The immediate giveaway is the position of the lifeboats each side of the rear of the Bridge and Passengers accommodation, and, on the D Boats, at the crew quarters known to the crew as “the sailors house”, aft (rearwards) of No 4 hatch (rhiw.com “The Blue Funnel Line “D” Boats” On-Line resource: rhiw.com/y_mor/blue_funnel_home/d_boats/d_boats/d_class.htm Accessed 08/08/2021). Then there was an additional (small) cargo hatch and two derricks (cranes) on the “poop deck” (the rearmost deck, at the stern of the ship), the bulwarks (the front facing panels of the bridge wings Port & Starboard) on the bridge wings were steel, while on the A Class they were wooden and the A Class Mk 5 ships were a little longer too, by around 5 feet

Dolius was a little “odd” in that her bulwarks were wooden at her commissioning and for quite some time after (until her name was changed to Glenfruin in 1970 I believe) when they were eventually painted White. To confuse things even more, several of the A Class Mk5 ships were given A Class names, Ajax, Achilles and Antenor….I believe Dolius was the last Blue Funnel ship from the Harland and Wolff Belfast Yard as her sister ships, both A Class Mk 5’s, Demodocus and Diomed were completed at Vickers Tyneside yard in Newcastle, fitted with six cylinder Burmeister & Wain Engines where Dolius was outfitted with a Harland and Wolff built unit 

Ian Jones, now an experienced cadet, having returned from a successful trip on Blue Funnel’s Helenus to the far reaches of Empire and as far South as you might reasonably go, Australia, found himself with another prestige deployment, the maiden voyage of Dolius, brand new and of such importance that Lawrence Holt himself had undertaken the voyage to Liverpool from Harland and Wolff in Belfast. Dolius first voyage was under Captain W.K. Kerr, (a noteworthy marine artist apparently) on the bridge and well out of sight of Cadet Jones who would have found himself in Dolius engine room, far enough from the likes of Lawrence Holt and Captain Kerr as to ensure he could not become an embarrassment at such an early point in his career with the Blue Funnel line…. Deep in her hull Dolius carried a state of the art Harland and Wolff diesel engine, a six cylinder marine diesel unit known as a “single acting” engine

So what of her outfitting and the standards of the time, what would Engineering Cadet Ian Jones or one of Dolius Passengers expect when embarking on one of Alfred Holt’s voyages of discovery across the globe? In researching Dolius I was fortunate enough to come across the Harland and Wolff archive registry for Dolius and it contained an index of un-published photographs taken during construction and at and during her launch. I took the opportunity of getting in touch with the National Museums of Northern Ireland H&W archivist, Stephen Weir, to see if the photos could be accessed and if I could be allowed to re-produce them for this piece. After several chats across the ether Stephen agreed to send me some low resolution scans from which I could choose those photos I would want to include in the piece and H&W would scan and send them across. I must say I was probably a little too excited at this than any normal adult should be, I anticipated the photos with a kind of childlike expectation, somewhat akin to waiting for Christmas when you are 6 or 7 years old……..Anyhow, what follows is a set of photos that to my knowledge and that of Stephen at Harland and Wolff, have never previously been seen, I hope you agree, they were well worth the wait!

I have little idea who took the photos but likely they were a record of the last days before launch, they have the kind of look of an amateur from within the company or perhaps one of the company executives with the privilege of access rather than the “professionally commissioned” type of shot? I would be pleased had I taken some of these back in the day but they seem to lack that stark “polish” of a professional studio photographer or publicity type photo’s, if I’m honest, that makes them a little more “real” to me

In the 1950’s the austerity of the war years was slowly being replaced with the optimism of the baby boomer years, there was a move away from the restrained and a more laissez faire approach started to creep into fashion and that permeated slowly into furnishings and fittings, people wanted to see that the sacrifices of the war years meant something, that things would be better from that point and that restraint was no longer the way forward, there was an air of extravagance that by 1950 had become “modern”, new materials created out of the necessity of the war had new purpose, there was  a rush to provide materials for re-construction and plastics and nylon derivatives had started to influence designers in Europe, keen to get back to international trade. The 1950’s were not quite the boom years, but they heralded the excesses of the 1960’s and laid the ground for huge shifts in style and design, some of that is evident in the fittings used in the Dolius, the furnishings and perhaps even extravagances of the cabin fixtures of what was, after all, not a cruise ship, but a merchantman

Alfred Holt and his Family had always ensured their ships were of a better standard than was considered “normal” for the day, there was always provision for passengers aboard the Blue Funnel Ships and accommodation was always of a more than comfortable standard to encourage perhaps the better of the travelling classes to join the Holt line aboard, for trips to exotic locations yet to be available on commercial airlines, but times were shifting, the war years had shown, if nothing else, that “time” was a factor in life, perhaps more so to the generation of the 1950’s than ever before

Looking at the style of the furnishings and fittings Dolius was appointed with gives the distinct impression of the influence of the Italian liners, there are not, perhaps, the extravagant inlay and marquetry panels of the Andria Doria, but there are extensive laminate wall and ceiling panels, the dining chairs show a rather stylish Leather and Lime-Wood or Light Oak back paneling, somewhat more than would have been usual on a merchantman of the day, but clearly in keeping with the Holt approach and definitely a move away from Spartan, the parquet flooring another rather expensive if not extravagant touch

The Captain was taken care of too, everything I have heard in regards to the Masters of Blue Funnel ships speaks to the high regard the company had for them, Blue Funnel did not insure their vessels through Lloyd’s of London, choosing to put up the insurance entirely through the company finances, I believe the Captains were part of this inasmuch as they had a portion of their wages retained against a kind of performance bonus. The mutual trust implicit in such an arrangement cannot be understated, and, although I am sure Blue Funnel Captains were not without their faults and that this system would not prevent the odd incident, it certainly invested the Captain’s in their vessels and the company profitability, not surprising then to find the Captains cabins were, to say the least, comfortable! 

When Dolius left the slip at Harland & Wolff’s Belfast yard, it was clear she was built with the expectation of the age, the anticipation of profitable commerce and maybe even more profitable provenance. Dolius price tag was a respectable, for the time, £1.45million and her owners anticipated a return on that investment in short order

So, Dolius is ready, her fit-out complete and her sea trials in Belfast Loch and out to the Irish sea underway, she handles well and is quickly passed off for service and makes her way across the Irish Sea to her home port of Liverpool taking esteemed guests such as Lawrence Holt, one of the owners of the Blue Funnel Line with her, and now Engineering Cadet Ian Jones and those in the belly of the ship get to test her engines…….

Dolius first trip across the Irish sea would not be entirely without incident, on approach to the Mersey Estuary there was fog, so dense as to make it impossible to dock, Lawrence Holt seems to have taken this in his stride, radioing ahead to advise those expecting her to dock to inform them of the delay and a night at anchor out in Liverpool Bay

It was not long before Dolius was put to serious work, a change of Master to S.G. Ellams and a departure from Birkenhead on January 20th, at 11.39pm, a precise time, recorded in her Journal held in the archives in the Albert Dock museum for Liverpool Maritime Museum. For anyone with an interest in the Blue Funnel Line, their ships or their associated shipping lines, Elder-Dempster, Glen-Line or The Ocean Steam Ship Company for example, a trip to the Archives on the second floor of the Liverpool Maritime Museum is a must! It’s a little hidden, being in an alcove at the top of the stairs, but it is a treasure trove and the archivists are extremely helpful and very knowledgeable, as I found out on several visits, the last in early February of this year (2022) when I was researching this piece

As research is not something the whole family perhaps enjoys, the museum itself is a fascinating place with many ships models and historic displays through the ages of sea travel & conquest, and there are many maritime related pieces around the Albert Dock. Lusitania’s prop, one of three that drove her deeper into the sea off Old Kinsale Head, thwarting attempts to lower her lifeboats in 1915, sits across the dock from the museum. There are also several merchant and marine memorials for those lost in WWII, and for those who remember merchant navy training, the exhibit at the entrance is the anchor from HMS Conway. HMS Conway was a three masted ship of the line, formerly HMS Nile, once moored in the Menai Straits as a training college, which co-incidentally, my Uncle Keith, Ian’s brother was trained on. Sadly the Conway broke her tow, 14^th April of 1953, en-route to Birkenhead (for a scheduled re-fit) following a poorly executed, and weather affected exercise to get her through one of Britain’s most treacherous tide-races. HMS Conway, a veteran of the Crimean War, ended up ashore badly damaged, and, before anyone thinks it, Conway was not insured. Some three or so years later, in October of 1956 she suffered fire damage and was declared a constructive loss, I can find no cause listed for the fire but its results were both fatal to HMS Conway and a tragic loss to maritime history

So, with shiny new paint, and all systems up and running, with sea trials complete and with Cadet engineer Ian Jones down in the huge engine room, all that was left to do was to take her to sea….and what a journey her first would be! Master S.G. Ellams had orders to take Dolius to the Far East, Singapore in fact, and she would get there via the Suez Canal, a journey my father had already made on his own first outing on Blue Funnel’s Helenus just a year before…….That’s written up in another post on here if you have an interest……

Dolius would be taking Engineering Cadet Ian Jones back to some of the places he would now be familiar with, and perhaps a few more he would eventually become familiar with, and speak of in terms you knew hinted he’d had quite a time in too! I was far too young to understand where dad was getting the amazing toys we would see in my childhood, a pump action gun that fired ping-pong balls was one of my favorite’s and springs immediately to mind, if for no other reason than it was responsible for breaking at least one porcelain ornament my mother clearly loved (and perhaps my father did not…..?), I can remember that scene very well! But in later years when, perhaps, I should have been asking about Dad’s voyages and his experiences, it would not be straightforward, as often is the case, I was one of those willful teenagers with an attitude and I missed the chance through the angst and anger of trying to grow up….. 

When Dad was growing up he did it in style, how many teenagers get the chance to see the world, how many of those do so training with Britain’s premier shipping line…..and I bet even fewer got to see the world’s most exotic ports and the countries and people that such places are owned, run and frequented by. So Dolius had taken him from Ireland to Birkenhead, and now out into the oceans of the wider world to re-visit Port Said as January melted into February of 1956, and transit Suez via the canal, reaching Aden 03^rd February, and with tensions rising in the area times were increasingly dangerous and it was probably a relief to see the back of Aden and move on to Penang

Penang was a British Malayan dependency, first acquired in 1786 following the establishment of a favorable relationship with the Sultan of Kedah by Francis Light (later Captain Francis light) of the British East India Company in the late 1770’s. Kedah was under threat from Burma, Siam, and the Bugis (supporters of local dissidents in Kedah), Sultan Abdullah Mukarram Shah welcomed the help of the British to establish a force in the area, offering Penang Island as a base for such endeavor. It would not be until 1786, when British involvement in the war against the emerging independence of America (allied with the French and Dutch against British rule), that Britain and the East India Company would officially land on Penang and raise the Union Jack, eventually building a fortified settlement (Fort Cornwallis) and George Town, named after King George III (Editorial “The Founding of Penang” Online Resource: http://www.sabrizain.org/malaya/straits1.htm Accessed 06/02/2022). Despite an invasion by the Japanese in December of 1941 and occupancy there until the later part of WWII (The Royal marines Liberated George Town from the Japanese in September of 1945), the British maintained control of Penang until just a year after Dolius visit when, in January of 1957, George Town was granted City status by Queen Elizabeth II

It would be Port Swettenham, the Docks of Penang that Dolius would reach 14^th of February 1956, just two years after Penang exports topped the one million tons mark (Editorial “The Story of North Port” Online Resource: https://thehub.mmc.com.my/Q1/page52.html Accessed 06/02/2022) forcing the construction of a new deep-water port, christened Northport, and prompting the creation of the Swettenham Advisory Board (PSAB), but Dolius would unload from the traditional dock shown above, later known as Port Klang after the Klang river which forms the bay estuary

Likely the first port of call once unloading or cargo transfer had been squared away would have been the seaman’s mission, a popular stop off for the Blue Funnel crews, as was the City of Light dance hall. Dolius was in dock at Swettenham for several days between 14^th Feb and 21^st Feb 1956 (when she docked in Singapore) so there would have been some time to explore Penang at least and it wasn’t a huge area then, and certainly the port and surroundings would have been accessible, even if shore time was tight  

Penang’s favourite haunt, the Hong Kong Bar was run in 1956 by Neoh Sze Hoon & Hong Kee from 1953 (although it had been open since 1920) after their escape from China in the communist uprising, their son Tan (Known as Peter by the Blue Funnel Crews) took over running the bar in 2000 when his mother Neoh passed away (Tan’s father, Hong, having died in 1993). The Hong Kong bar still exists (for those of you lucky enough to visit the area), despite a devastating fire in 2004 that all but destroyed it, and all the shipping and military memorabilia that hung its walls

The Hong Kong bar has thankfully undergone a complete refurbishment, and some of the wall decoration survived and has been included in the current décor, it is nice to see both the recovery and the ties to history made by the owners as much as it is to anticipate a Tiger Beer or two at the bar one day perhaps……..

By February 14^th Dolius had left Port Swettenham and moved on to Singapore (not a long journey at 414 (nautical) miles), passing Kuala Lumpur and Malacca City along the Malayan peninsula in what was known as the straits of Malacca. I am sure Dad would have loved the opportunity to stop in Kuala Lumpur if nothing else just to say he’d been there, but the sights of Singapore would have made up for that. Singapore started as a fishing village on an island at the tip of Malaya, known then as Temasek (“Sea Town” in Javanese), situated between the Singapore and Kallang rivers, it was nondescript and typical of a thousand other fishing villages in the area, but well placed and, as most fishing villages are, possessed of a reasonably deep and sheltered estuary

When Thomas Raffles landed on the 28^th January of 1819, in that most adventurous of ages leading to and encompassing Queen Victoria’s reign, perhaps it was only he who could see the potential the little Singapore River’s fishing village with its protective rocky outcrop sheltering its wide bay at Ferry Point, and its ready access to Malay and Asian trade routes both on land and by sea

The trade routes of Asia and the East India Company of Thomas Stamford Raffles ensured Singapore flourished as a trade port, it would be the captain of HMS Meander, Henry Keppel who discovered a deep-water anchorage further around the river in 1848, whilst tasked with clearing the Malaccan straits of pirates, Keppel would have the bay named in his honour and established a new harbour there completed (following his survey of the area) in 1886 (Editorial “The Story of Keppel Bay: Captain Keppel” Online Resource: https://www.roots.gov.sg/stories-landing/stories/the-story-of-keppel-bay/story Accessed 07/02/2022). By the 1920’s, with Japan clearly looking to build its empire following its assistance to the Allies in WWI, Britain had decided to strengthen its hold of the Far Eastern trade routes and build a naval base there, although delayed by a change of Government, the base was opened in 1938 by the High Commissioner for the Malay States, Sir Shelton Thomas

Those of you familiar with the site will have seen the reference to bum boats before perhaps, if not they were the local skiffs which rowed out to trade with ships at anchor in the bays of the Asian ports, often filled with what would now be called tourist “tat”, but in the day they traded the latest radio’s from Japan & China, watches, clothes, beer, spirits, cigarettes, wild animals (occasionally Monkeys, Parakeets and other exotic caged birds) even girls….. Everything you might want or need, especially if you were not going to get shore leave any time you were there, which often depended on your job aboard or the time it took to un-load and re-load the cargo for the next leg of the journey 

The shore side and quayside at Singapore was busy in a way that Westerners these days would not perhaps recognise, the water of the river brown with every kind of discarded detritus from foodstuff to waste, and the noise and smells around the narrow streets can only be imagined, from the fires and exotic dishes being hawked by street food traders to the paint used to refresh the ships hulls, and the paraffin’s and oils and the diverse cargoes of the ships themselves, Hemp, Palm Oil, livestock etc….. that, along with the smells of the river itself, must have been a heady assault on the nostrils until you managed to get a little further into Singapore town

It would not be until 1969, way after my father left Blue Funnel and his seafaring days behind, that Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee would begin to clean up the pollution of the Singapore River and the Kallang Basin, compelling the Bum-Boat owners and street traders to move from the estuary and its quays: “The government subsequently ruled that hawkers, squatters, makeshift industries (with the exception of the lighters), storehouses and others who made their living alongside the river, would have to be relocated in other areas as early as possible” (Cecilia Tortajada “Clean-up Of The Singapore River: Before And After” Online Resource https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/gia/article/clean-up-of-the-singapore-river-before-and-after Accessed: 07/02/2022)

I know my dad was a cinema fan, he often went to the movies and it was a particularly popular pastime with his generation so it is highly likely, as an engineering cadet (who’s hours of work would have been more lenient than say their more senior colleagues and qualified engineering staff), that he was able to get to the Cathay cinema and see a movie, as I am sure many of the crew of Dolius would have done before hitting the Hong Kong Bar or any of the multitude of other entertainments of Singapore in 1956. It may even be the case he got to see some of the film work going on in the area for the production of “A Town Like Alice”, the Nevil Shute novel filmed in part in Singapore and Penang, starring Virginia McKenna and Peter Finch, a tale of the Japanese invasion of Malaya and the brutal treatment of the British and Australians left behind by the evacuation process (Singapore film locations archive: “a town like alice (1956)” Online Resource: https://sgfilmlocations.com/2014/11/27/a-town-like-alice-1956/ Accessed 07/02/2022). Dolius was in Singapore twice on her maiden voyage, between 21^st and 26^th of Feb, when she was back in Penang at Port Swettenham, and between 29^th of Feb and 10^th March when she again left for Penang. By the time Engineering Cadet Ian Jones left the Malay Peninsular he would have been immersed and versed in the cultures of East Asia, and likely used to a hangover too……. 

With the docks at Keppel Bay to her stern for the final time on this voyage, Dolius headed to Penang arriving there 12^th March of 1956 and departing for Suez somewhere around the 20^th March reaching Port Said on the 25^th March. As I have already covered the area before on Helenus voyage of 1955, and in an effort not to bore anyone to death with the length of this piece I will (reluctantly) limit myself to looking at Dolius’ last port of call before she makes her way home to the Mersey estuary and Liverpool. Dolius departed Port Said for Gibraltar, arriving at noon on the 31^st of March of 1956, it was a mere 26 days following the visit of the royal Yacht Britannia, and HRH Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, who had inspected the Guard of Honour of the Royal Marines on HMS Glasgow, amongst other duties that day

It was also that year that the Corps of Royal Engineers would hold a ceremony in the tunnels of the Rock, as Gibraltar is commonly known, to mark the centenary of their corps and to celebrate construction of “The Great North Road”, a mile long thoroughfare built to ensure soldiers and equipment could remain safe from Luftwaffe bombings during the Second World War. There are still covert posts being uncovered from that era, dug out and concealed for use by special operations squads should the rock have fallen into enemy hands, but long since forgotten until very recently, with equipment still in place, as if ready to use

Gibraltar is one of the most important British territories and has been since the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, strategically located at the most Southern tip of Spain, at the “Pillars of Hercules”, the ancient name for the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea, where it sits directly opposite Morocco and Africa. There have been the usual contentions about the “sovereignty” of Gibraltar, as there have other British territories abroad, perhaps seen as “relics of Empire” by some? I look at things in a different way than most, there have been conquests across the globe for the whole of mankind’s existence, no one nation being less or more guilty than any other in reality, from the Han Chinese to the Umayyad Caliphate, the Mongols, Ottomans, Spanish, Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, Mesopotamians, Carthaginians, Persians, Mayans, Moors, Japanese, Austro-Hungarians or the Russians and Americans….etc! To me it is simple, if the people currently dominant in a place wish to remain tied to a particular nation, then that is what should continue until they decide otherwise…..all else is simply a hypocritical, covert land grabbing attempt, by those claiming sovereignty in the manner, variously of Argentina and Spain today (in respect to the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar)……but, luckily, I do not have to be anyone’s “politician” as the time I spent in the Diplomatic Corps were clearly, very much…. wasted years!  

I cannot imagine anyone docking in Gibraltar, for no matter how short a time, who, besides a cold pint of Lager (insert your favourite beer/drink here), wouldn’t want to acquaint themselves with the ubiquitous “Rock Apes” of Gibraltar (No….Not the RAF Regiment, for those of you who served some time in HM forces….). The Barbary Macaque apes have made Gibraltar more famous than perhaps any other animal has managed in their native country, despite seemingly being an introduced species. The wild population of Macaques on Gibraltar were likely introduced by the North African Berber traders (“Barbary” is a derivative of “Berber”) before the British rule began and, apparently (Editorial: Wikipedia “Barbary macaques in Gibraltar” Online Resource: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_macaques_in_Gibraltar Accessed: 08/02/2022), although it is “possible” they are remnants from a European population prior to the last ice-age, most believe that those became extinct 30,000 years ago. Macaques now number some 5 identified tribes on the Rock, and are increasing in numbers, going against the trend in their native North African population, which is declining. They are known and can be seen as resourceful and exceptionally cheeky with tourists, anyone spending a little time on YouTube can watch countless and amusing (for the observer, rather than the victim) incidents involving thievery and ingenuity from these beautiful but devious animals. They have even charmed royalty, in 1954 when HM Queen Elizabeth and HRH Prince Philip visited the Rock they spent time with the apes, there is nothing to note how that went, but I suppose even anarchic apes know when not to push their luck…..

Let’s assume Cadet Ian Jones got to see the Rock Apes of Gibraltar before Dolius up-anchored and left, why would he not have eh….? But the remaining mysteries of Gibraltar would still be there for another trip, whether that was the bars of the dock area or the military history of the Great North Road and the tunnels of the Royal Engineers, it would all still be there another day. Now it was time for Dolius to go home, Liverpool was calling and beyond that, after unloading there was Swansea and an inspection planned, time to check over Holt’s newest vessel and see that she was still Lloyd’s A+ fit…….And that is a tale for another day

As always, I would like to sincerely thank those who made this piece possible, and without whose help it would have been a far far lesser read! Firstly the staff at the Liverpool Maritime Museum Archive for helping an idiot to research, and then for the kind use of their excellent photographs, Mr Andreas Hoppe, Mr Stephen Weir of the National Museums Northern Ireland, Mr John Shield, Mr Gwyn Jones, Mr Philip Braithwaite, Mr Ross Hopwood, Mr Georgie Marsh, Mr Ken Bolton & finally Mr Peter Cumberlidge

Helenus: Birkenhead to Birkenhead September to December 1955

In Ancient Greek mythology, Helenus (Ἕλενος) was a son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy, and twin brother of the prophetess Cassandra. According to legend, Cassandra had been given the power of prophecy by Apollo, and taught it to Helenus. Cassandra’s prophecies were always accurate but she was doomed to be disbelieved. Like Cassandra, Helenus’ prophecies were always right, unlike Cassandra though, those who heard his prophecies believed him. Helenus vied against his brother Deiphobus for the hand of Helen of Troy, after the death of their brother Paris, in the final year of the Trojan War

The ships of the Blue Funnel Line were always named after the heroes of Greek mythology, or at least those appearing in the epics written about the Greek myths, Homers’ Iliad and Odyssey, and Virgils’ Aeneid. I don’t think anyone has truly established a specific reason for the fascination of Alfred Holt towards Greek Mythology, however the Victorian age seems to have had a general respect for “Hellenistic” Greek antiquity, as Thomas Gaisford, (Dean of Christchurch Oxford) says of Greek literature in one of his sermons “….not only elevates above the vulgar herd, but leads not infrequently to positions of considerable emolument” (Gaisford, T. Quoted in “Beyond The Hoi Polloi? Ancient Greece and the Victorians” Broughall, Quentin, J. June 22nd 2015. Source: The Victorianist: BAVS Postgraduates. Online @ victorianist.wordpress.com/2015/06/22/beyond-the-hoi-polloi-ancient-greece-and-the-victorians/ accessed 23/01/2021) Where Mr Broughall goes on to highlight eminent Victorians such as Elizabeth Barrett Browning, William Gladstone, George Eliot, Matthew Arnold and Oscar Wilde as being Hellenists at heart. If nothing else, an eminent Victorian engineer such as Alfred Holt is highly likely to have been immersed in the pre-eminent cultural references of his society peers……..

But enough about Greek Mythology & the Victorians…..The journey of my father around the world started, as noted elsewhere in this blog, on the 03^rd September 1955 at Birkenhead, actually out of Gladstone Dock No 2 on the Mersey River. It is entirely possible Blue Funnel Cadet Engineer Ian Jones, 18 years old and just over a month off his 19^th Birthday, would have arrived on the Liverpool Overhead Railway station platform. Long gone now, the Liverpool Overhead line, a marvel of the Victorian age, terminated at the Southern end of Gladstone dock and would have been the obvious choice for those arriving to join Blue Funnel Ships as crew or passengers from a wide range of Liverpool areas

Dad was in for a rare treat, Helenus was bound for Australia, her regular route, and it must have seemed like all Dads’ birthdays had come at once, bearing in mind this would be his first trip abroad. I know the training at Blue Funnel’s Aulis centre would have prepared him for whatever he would meet in Helenus’ huge engine room, but it is harder to imagine what was going through his mind meeting his colleagues and fellow engineers, below decks, as the newest aboard and the lowliest of cadets? Essentially a 1^st trip apprentice, exciting and somewhat daunting, I have no doubt. The Helenus was bound for  the Suez Canal and Port Said first, out with a general cargo in her holds and, not as unusually as you might think, Two Locomotives on her decks. Helenus must have been a surreal sight to those walking the shores of the Mersey at Bootle, as she headed impressively out of the Mersey estuary with Two steam trains firmly secured to her decks, a positive manifestation of the embodiment of the steam age!

Port Said was established in 1859, named after its founder Sa’id of Egypt, with a population of around 150 people, it would not be for another 10 years that the Suez canal would open, in November of 1869, allowing fast trade routes from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea cutting out the need to sail the South Atlantic around Cape Horn. It would then take until 1904, when the railway from Cairo reached the port, for real trade to begin and for Port Said to start to attract a significant commercial community of 11000 people, the largest of the European communities being Greek

  When my Dad sailed through the Suez en-route to Australia the Port Said Stadium was opening, inaugurated by the Egyptian Minister for social affairs, on behalf of the Egyptian President, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Dad would narrowly miss out on the results of the growing tensions in the area. It wasn’t until 1956, when Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal Company in the so called Suez Crisis, that Britain would join Israel and France to invade the region, battling largely in and around Port Said, to secure The Suez Canal and the right to sail it unhindered. It would be 20 years after that conflict that I met a paratrooper who lost half his leg in the conflict to a mine, Frank Sutton appeared in many of the British Limbless Ex Serviceman’s Association (BLESMA) Adverts in the 70’s and 80’s and was still picking bits of leather out of his remaining leg (remnants from his boot) even then, Frank became a good mate, sharing many of his stories from the day and was instrumental in my choice to join the army

  From Port Said Helenus would have made her way to Aden to bunker up, or re fill with fuel for those who aren’t familiar with some of the nautical terminology. Fueling up a ship of Helenus size would be no small thing, she carried between 2,190 and 2,396 tons of oil fuel, in double bottom tanks, side compartments and settling tanks and carried water ballast in several compartments at the fore peak and aft peak, totalling around 3,500 tons. Helenus was a Harland and Wolff (Belfast) ship, the same yard that built Titanic, however Helenus was a typical Alfred Holt “Lloyd’s A plus” Class Vessel, unlike the Titanic…… for those of you who love facts this is Helenus’ sheet:

A little more general detail is provided by Norman Middlemiss in his piece in the on-line magazine Shipping Today and Yesterday (Middlemiss N: “Blue Funnel Line ‘P’ and ‘H’ Classes of 1949/51” in shippingtandy.com accessed 29/01/2021) “The ‘H’ class steel hulls were seven feet longer and one foot wider than the ‘P’ class and were subdivided by nine bulkheads into seven holds and seven hatches. The latter measured 29 by 22 feet, 27 by 24 feet, 27 by 22 feet, two of 26 by 22 feet, one of 18 by 12 feet, and one of 14 by 12 feet. The foc’stle of all of this quartet measured 47.0 feet, the Bridge Deck was of 265.0 feet in length, and the poop deck was 26.0 feet in length. The hulls were of riveted and welded construction and carried insulated compartments for refrigerated cargo, and a deep tank was fitted ‘midships for the carriage of latex and vegetable oils with a flashpoint above 150 degrees Fahrenheit. The cargo handling gear consisted of a heavy lift derrick of 50 tons capacity on the foremast to serve number two hold, four ten tonners, fours even tonners, and sixteen five tonne derricks, a total of 25 derricks, all operated by 25 Laurence Scott winches varying from three to eight tons capacity”

Mr Middlemiss goes on to provide the detail missing in the table above in respect to the Engines of Helenus, although I haven’t been able to confirm this, either with Dad’s limited notes and correspondences, nor in the wider Blue Funnel arena. Helenus is noted by Mr Middlemiss as being fitted with “Parsons steam turbines of 15,000 shp at 106 rpm, double reduction geared to a single screw shaft, taking steam from two Foster Wheeler water tube boilers operating at 570 pounds/sq. inch and 850 degrees Fahrenheit to give a service speed of 18.5 knots and a ‘flat out’ speed of over 20 knots. The turbines either had impulse blading or reaction blading depending on use for ahead or astern steaming, and the boilers had air heaters and economisers, together with the necessary fans for forced and induced draught” I had initially thought Helenus may have been fitted with a J. G. Kincaid & Co variant of the Burmeister & Wain Opposed Piston Engine however that was a coincidental piece and does not specifically state Helenus as a platform, unlike Mr Middlemiss to whom I am indebted for his knowledge and detail!

So what was Aden like in 1955 and what would the young cadet Ian Jones have seen whilst re-fuelling Helenus then? Well Aden began as a British Port mainly kept as a protection from pirates en-route between the UK and India and, following the opening of the Suez Canal, it served as a coaling and fuelling station for shipping up until the fall of empire in India and its follow-on independence in 1947

The Egyptian President, Nasser, was having a profound effect on the Arab nations and in 1955, although the British still ruled the region, things were (as seen in the Suez Canal incident of 1956) getting distinctly “touchy” all around the area. Aden was no different, the British had a small presence there at the Airfield at RAF Khormaksar near the Port of Aden, where BP had an oil refinery. The “Aden Protectorate” was a huge area nearly as big as England, comprising of the Eastern and Western protectorates, basically “bandit country” awash with local Arab tribal disputes, the British forces in the area trying to resolve tribal differences whilst at the same time monitor the borders between Aden, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Indeed the British Army were returned to Aden in July of 1955 following tribal incursions by Yemeni armed insurgents, and ambushes, one of them wounding a British assistant advisor to the Western Aden Protectorate, all in all Aden was becoming something of a trouble spot at the time!

The British Army took control of Aden officially in 1956, taking over from the RAF regiment who were responsible for the protection of the Airfield at Khormaksar and the Port area up until that year. The RAF Regiment had just lost a wing commander and a levy soldier in an ambush at Wadi Hatib, with many others wounded. Squadron Leader Archibald Stewart commanded the evacuation of those soldiers, winning the Military Cross for his “sterling qualities of leadership under considerable pressure and amidst the chaos of the fight” (RAF Regiment Heritage Centre: “Squadron Leader “Jock” Stewart MC”. rafregimentheritagecentre.org.uk on-line resource accessed 06/02/2021), whilst under very accurate sniper fire. In all eight were killed and seven more seriously wounded before the patrol, guided by Squadron Leader Stewart, reached safety

I doubt there was very much time between bunkering the Helenus and the journey on to Australia. The Blue Funnel line was not a cruise operator and, despite the passengers often carried on her ships right into the 1970’s, there would be issues surrounding passenger safety in the circumstances, and likely restrictions on runs ashore too. I never heard my Father speak of Aden and suppose from that either he didn’t go ashore or, if he did, there was perhaps little of note beyond the bunkering dock and the port area. If nothing else though, Aden would have been the first port outside of Liverpool that my father had set foot in and it would have definitely left an impression following the trip through Port Said and up the Suez 

 Following the brief stop in Aden Helenus was bound for Albany, finally reaching Australia and the major open ocean stage of her journey, it would be necessary to top off her bunkers again and it seems Albany was the port of choice for Bluey’s on the Australian run to do so. Albany is surrounded by beaches and nowadays is a major tourist location, in 1955 Albany was renowned for whaling, the major employment of locals at the time. Albany only closed its whaling station down in 1978 making it the last whaling station in the Southern hemisphere and, indeed, the last ever English speaking whaling station. Albany sits within King George Sound on the Southern Coast of Western Australia, it would be Princess Royal Harbour Helenus was bound for, with the City of Albany located next to the Port, sitting at the base of Mount Adelaide. The approaches to the port are between Point Possession and Point King through a channel called, oddly, Ataturk Entrance

From my time living in Istanbul I know “Ataturk” to mean “Father of the Turks”, a title given to Mustafa Kemal (born Ali Rıza oğlu Mustafa, in Thessaloniki), by the Turkish people in honour of his defence of Gallipoli against the Australian and British forces in the 1914-1918 war. There is a memorial piece elsewhere on this site in the “Best Dives Ever” section that might lead you to conclude that the Australians named the channel in honour of Mustafa Kemal Pasha, for his humility in victory and his compassion for those who attacked his lands. Kemal Atatürk is widely credited as having said of the Allied Army dead “There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side in this country of ours. You the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well” It would not be hard to see why Albany would honour such a sentiment and such a man in this way, it is also telling that Albany was the port of departure for troopships going to join the allied armies in the First World War

From Albany Helenus was bound for Adelaide, further down the coast, Adelaide was Australia’s third largest city and was prosperous and had benefited from the industry required in World War 2 with US car manufacturers Chrysler and General Motors having factories there. In 1955 Adelaide was Australia’s “Motor City” and its infrastructure was growing to meet the need, new pipelines and a new airport had just opened at West Beach and Adelaide’s’ shipbuilding industry, blast furnace and steelworks, had expanded at the nearby port of Whyalla. At some point during the journey down the Australian South Coast Helenus’ 5^th Engineer developed Appendicitis and was put ashore for treatment, leaving a gap eventually filled by John Chapman for the return journey. John held a Chief Engineer’s ticket and, co-incidentally was returning to the UK at the time (E.W.Forshaw 6^th Engineer Helenus: to C Jones in “Blue Funnel for Old-timers” Facebook Page)

  Adelaide had been built to a design proposed by Colonel William Light (his memorial sits on a local hill called Montefiore, looking out over the bay), it is a grid pattern, based on Greek and Renaissance ideas and influenced by the lay of the American city of Philadelphia, with wide avenues and public parks, making it a very pleasant city to live and work in. Unlike Albany in 1955, Adelaide would have had a more urban appearance, a heavier density of population around its shoreline and perhaps more to offer those going ashore between watches, it certainly had some wonderful beachfront along the coast as the photo of Hallet Cove testifies?

    Adelaide was to be quickly followed by Melbourne, in 1955 Australia’s first state Governor Charles Hotham was inaugurated, the Melbourne Museum opened and Majestic Class, Light Fleet Aircraft Carrier, HMAS Melbourne was commissioned. Although she had been laid down towards the end of World War 2 (15^th April 1943) and launched partially complete in 1945, work on her had stopped until the establishment of an Australian naval fleet air arm (1946), to mimic the British Fleet Air Arm. At that point the “Majestic” along with her sistership “Terrible” (surely not the most appropriate name for a ship…..) were approved to be converted into Aircraft carriers and the “Modified Majestic Class” carriers were born. Dad wouldn’t have seen the HMAS Melbourne on his trip as she didn’t arrive in Australia (Freemantle) until 23 April, St George’s Day, 1956 after making the very same journey the Helenus had taken via Suez, but he would have surely known of her construction and her anticipated delivery

Melbourne was a cosmopolitan city and had thrived during and after WWII, essentially a modern and well established city where life would not have been so far from that in Liverpool, home of the Blue Funnel Line and Dad’s home town. The city streets would have been a reminder of home, perhaps enough to make a young lad a little homesick, but perhaps a place to explore and enjoy as a 19 year old half a world away from Leather’s Lane in Halewood, something vaguely familiar, but something completely different to Dads’ actual home

The stop in Melbourne over, Helenus made her way to Sydney, capitol of New South Wales, something that might have amused Dad, half our family being very recent Welsh descendants, my Grandfather Glynn, his father, actually being Welsh…. When Helenus docked she would have been on Walsh Bay in one of berths 1 to 10, just a short walk from Circular Quay, St Georges, as those on Facebook’s “Blue Funnel for old timers” page will attest, and to whom I am especially grateful for the route and cargo details, along with the ports of call and some of the photo’s in this piece. August of 1955 had seen record rainfalls in Southern Australia, not for the first time that year, back in February lives were lost in the Murray-Darling Basin when the Hunter River at Newcastle, North of Sydney, burst her banks. Around Sydney, by August, there was significant flooding after further heavy rainfall, not the weather you’d expect in Australia by any stretch of the imagination. It might amuse those of a certain age to note that Dame Edna Everage, that Iconic Australian Diva, made “her” first appearance on the stage (Melbourne) in 1955, although I don’t believe Australia’s Cultural Attaché Les Patterson, by far the more eloquent of the two, appeared until later

Whilst the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge had long since been forged and transported from Tyneside, now elegantly spanning the entrance to Sydney Port, there was nothing on the point at Bennelong but the Fort Macquarie Tram Depot. The Depot was eventually demolished to make way for, what is now the most recognizable cultural reference in Sydney, the Sydney Opera House. Work would not begin on that engineering “miracle of its time” until 1959, following Danish architect Jorn Utzon winning of a competition to design “a National Opera House at Bennelong Point” in order to “…mould a better and more enlightened community” (J.J. Cahill, NSW Premier. Addressing a conference to construct an Opera House, Sydney. 1954) The eventual construction of Sydney Opera house would, as public edifices often do, go way over budget, and eventually see Jorn Utzon leave Australia, never to return, in 1966 following payment being wrongly withheld by the Australian Government

Sydney had notoriously begun life in 1788 when Captain Arthur Phillip disembarked his cargo of some 1500 passengers, mostly convicts, in order to take on water from “Tank Stream” and thus establishing Port Jackson, or as it has long since become known, Sydney, as the first penal settlement in New South Wales. The Sydney Port Authority can trace its management of the harbour back to the first appointed harbourmaster in 1811, he would have been responsible for the commerce of the wharf, its privately owned piers and buildings, and the loading and unloading of those ships berthing along the quays

It would have been the wharf’s and quays at Walsh Bay where Dad docked with Helenus, looking at the photo of the Blue Funnel dock it is hard to believe that was 1955, if it wasn’t for the high rise flats behind the wharf you would be excused for thinking this was the 1920’s. There were plenty of places to see in Sydney but if the “chat” on the Blue Funnel for old timer’s page is anything to go by then the “Captain Cook” and the “Lord Nelson”, close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, were popular with Blue Funnel employees, as was the “Ship Inn”, a little closer, situated at Circular Quay. It’s my ambition, one of the “Bucket List” activities I’m determined to get through, to eventually see if any of these places are still there, and have a pint somewhere Dad would’ve undoubtedly visited

Leaving Sydney the Helenus was bound for Brisbane, her last stop before heading back home to Liverpool. Brisbane was a port on the rise in 1955, it had been established as a river port back in the years following Captain Cook, surrounded by sheltered Salt Marsh and Mangrove, the river basin must have been a convenient source of fresh water at the time. It would not be until the building of the Dry Dock at South Brisbane in 1876, that Brisbane could take advantage of the shipping visiting Australia, needing maintenance and repair following epic journeys from all over the globe

Brisbane’s Dry Dock completed in 1881 with the spoils taken from the construction being used to construct parts of Brisbane town streets, it would not be until the 1940’s and World War II that the dock was extended downstream, and Cairncross Dock was added. By the 1950’s Brisbane had a large city hospital, an impressive Museum and Art Gallery and a popular surf club at Mooloolaba on the Mooloolah River and by 1955 Brisbane was a well-established port of call for the Blue Funnel line ships. Global Industry had arrived at Brisbane, Caterpillar, the American construction equipment giant was opening its factory there, and things were getting bigger and better for Brisbane! Did Dad visit the Surf Club or perhaps the Museum…..?

I won’t ever know if Dad got to Mooloolah River, but if there was sufficient time ashore, without the worry of watches and keeping Helenus’ engines and transmissions in pristine condition, they are just the kind of places a 19 year old was likely to want to see in 1955! I am grateful to Eric (E.W.) Forshaw of the Blue Funnel Old Timers Facebook page for the information on Dad’s 1955 trip, Eric was 6^th Engineer on the trip and would have at least had a passing acquaintance with my father, although just how much I don’t know and Eric doesn’t remember. I suppose a cadet engineer on his first ever trip abroad would be more of a liability to those responsible for the smooth running of such a complex and prized ship as Helenus, but everyone has to learn, and cadet’s, like anyone else, are only as good as the training they receive

The blue Funnel Line was known for producing the best of mariners, whatever their position aboard, from able bodies on deck, to engineers below deck and watch officers, even masters on the bridge….I have no doubt Dad was trained well, and I know he loved his time aboard Helenus, of that I have never had any doubt! So, It was done, the journey had reached its end point, now all that remained was to “turn her about” and make the trip home to Gladstone No2 Dock in time for Christmas…..

Well that would depend on the ports of call on the way back. with the locos delivered safely ashore and the various other cargoes collected, dropped off, and taken between ports of call along the Australian coast, Helenus job was far from over, there would be cargoes to take back to ports on the return journey, wool, chilled Beef and tinned fruit are all mentioned by Eric Forshaw, and more “general cargo” besides, Helenus would call at those ports she had already docked at for the return from Brisbane to Sydney

From Sydney to Melbourne, then Adelaide and Albany, then back across to Aden and Port Said, the only real difference being a call into Genoa, now Eric doesn’t elaborate on why Genoa was included but it must have been cargo related to make such a change whilst going back, I doubt Dad minded one bit, another port, another country to see and all this on your first trip out of the UK, for a cadet of 19 the Blue Funnel Line was everything a Liverpool lad might wish for, and more……..

Genoa, one of the most important ports of the Mediterranean sea, and capital of the region of Liguria, is the 6^th largest city in Italy and would have perhaps represented the height of European chic in 1955. Ever a nation of fashion conscious and erudite young people the Hollywood film stars of the day, at least the female film stars, were largely Italian, Silvano Mangano, Gina lollobrigida, Sophie Loren, Claudia Cardinale…. Where better for a 19 year old from Liverpool to get ashore hoping to bump into a film star…..of course that didn’t happen, otherwise I wouldn’t be here and this story would have been a very different one, but I have no doubt that is what every young man going ashore in one of the most glamorous countries of the world would think. Earlier that year, in February of 1955, Genoa had suffered a storm the like of which had not been seen in Italy for generations, wrecking 500m of the ports quayside and sinking an American ship Camas Meadows, battering her against the quayside until she holed and capsized at her berth and just a day later the Nordanland, a Swedish ship carrying Calcium Carbide exploded when her cargo became contaminated with sea water and turned into Acetylene gas, sending her to the bottom

  When Dad docked in Genoa it would have been the early days of December (perhaps at a push the dying days of November) of 1955 and work would have been underway, perhaps even completing to repair and make good the storm damage. Genoa being Italy’s most important port, that would have been a priority, but it is likely the hulk of the Camas Meadows would have still been a morbid attraction. Genoa might have had something far more intriguing to see if Dad had a mind, a short trip up Via San Lorenzo, to the Gothic Cathedral at the city’s centre, would have given Dad sight of something many have searched for in vain for centuries, the Holy Grail…..or so it is claimed by those believers of the Cathedral’s Treasure Museum, better known there as the “Sacro Catino” this chalice, hexagonal and all of Green glass has been there since Guglielmo Embriaco brought it to Italy from the conquest of Caesarea in 1101 AD

So Blue Funnel Engineering Cadet Ian Jones, at 19 years old,  of Leather’s Lane in Halewood, Liverpool, has now officially travelled the world, and in the space of a mere 3 months, his first away from home, seen the miracle of the Suez Canal, and traded with Arabs in far-away Aden, the last outposts of Empire, he has met Poseidon crossing the equator and stood at the other side of the world, drunk Beer in the pubs of Sydney, spoken in hushed tones in Cathedrals, and rubbed shoulders with Italian Film stars, he has found the Holy Grail and is now homeward bound on the last leg of his journey, to sit by the four bar electric fire in the living room at my Grandfather and grandmother’s home and tell them of all he has seen as Christmas 1955 draws the family together……to listen to tales of Blue Funnels, the ships of Liverpool…..and the oceans of the world

In concluding this piece, with my hand on my heart, I am immeasurably grateful for the assistance of many with the writing and content of this piece, namely: Col R. Stewart DSO, M.P for Beckenham, for his permission to use pictures of his father Squadron Leader Archibald “Jock” Stewart M.C. in Aden

Also to Eric William Forshaw, for his recollections of the Helenus trip to Australia and for the information on ports of call and cargo on her journey in 1955

Additionally to Georgie Marsh of the Blue Funnel for Old Timers Facebook pages for his kind permission to use his photos of various Blue Funnel ships and memories from the time

I will remain indebted to those who have supplied or posted pictures used which have no formal attribution, having often been with me for many years providing insight into my Fathers Journeys around……. Thank You All!

03/09/1955 Ian Jones joins the Alfred Holt Ship SS Helenus at Birkenhead, Liverpool as an engineering cadet. Helenus was to be the first Blue Funnel ship dad would serve on, and it would be 3 months later he disembarked 16/12/1955 again at Birkenhead, just 8 days before Christmas. Helenus was the first of the H class Alfred Holt ships built in Belfast by Harland and Wolf in 1949, just 4 years after the end of WWII. Helenus was a steam turbine engined ship of 10,125 Tonnes, the second of her name, her predecessor having been sunk by a torpedo from U68 off Freetown, Sierra Leone, 03rd March in 1942. Helenus was 522ft long and 70ft wide and could make just over 18 knotts and was delivered to the Ocean Steamship Company (Alfred Holt’s Blue Funnel Line) in October of 1949

I can imagine my Father being both excited, and perhaps even a little intimidated, as Helenus was the pride of the Holt line when he joined her in September of ’55 and Ian Jones was just a cadet, on the first rung of a ladder that could easily be pulled right out from underneath you…… if things didn’t go to plan. Liverpool was the gateway to the world if you let it be, although the post war years had meant poverty for many and the city looked like a bomb site, in fact was still a bomb site in many areas, following the Nazi attacks on its industry and its docks, Alfred Holt and his like offered a very real escape route and many signed up to take it!

The merchant navy was a prestige escape for whoever was looking for adventure and Alfred Holt and the Blue Funnel Line only wanted the best they could get, there were plenty looking for work, there were plenty to choose from, and that meant there was fierce competition to get into the Blue Funnel training programme. I remember my father studying long into the evenings in the back bedroom of our house, the exams were serious and you needed a high level pass to be considered for promotion. This was the first example I ever had of someone taking study seriously, it put me off and I resented being made to study in the same way for my 11+ exam……I passed it nonetheless, but I resented it, and took a path of resistance whenever further exams were looming, a stupidly childish thing to do which put me back years, but taught me a valuable lesson, Twice over!

Back in the day the Blue Funnel line didn’t only rely on transportation of goods, many of the ships also carried passengers on the routes to China, Australia and the edges of Empire. Those working for the Blue Funnel Line were not only deck and engine room employees, but also representatives of their company, with a very high expectation of standards by their employers. Those travelling with the Blue Funnel line in the day were of a pioneering spirit, or those with exotic business interests in the far reaches of the British colonies. The Blue Funnel adverts of the time have become iconic collectors pieces and the few I have collected myself are prized reminders of the days when Liverpool truly was the gateway to the world

Helenus had been designed in the 1940’s to take cargo, predominately, but to also accommodate First class passengers, in the sort of luxury they expected, whilst travelling to the exotic ports she would visit on her trade missions. Alfred Holt had become known for their China and Australia runs, these were scheduled trips and paying passengers could reach such exotic locations way before Transatlantic and long haul passenger air-travel was widespread.

The passenger accommodation, even though considered First Class, would not rival the 1912 Titanic “luxury” standards, space being somewhat of a premium, but it was of an excellent standard considering the post war austerity the nation was under, it was certainly up to high enough quality “hotel standards” as to attract the travelling classes in enough numbers to keep it viable up to the 1960’s, where international flights were far more common place, this was the turning point for the Blue Funnel line and passenger services were reduced significantly at that point.

I was lucky enough to spend a day on Helenus after my father had left Blue Funnel, somewhere around 1967 or so, we went to the docks and were allowed to tour her, spending considerable time in her engine room where my dad would have spent every waking moment when on watch. Helenus was a Steam Turbine driven ship and sadly I have no photos of her from the day, hardly surprising for a Six or Seven year old let loose around such a huge “playground”, but I loved being in the belly of such a huge Ship….

Helenus wasn’t the only Blue Funnel ship I got to visit and my abiding memories are that I loved the alien environment, the huge cylinder-heads and valve trains with their rocker shafts, the suspended walkways with their see-through iron paths snaking through the air surrounded by ducts and pipes of all sizes…. valves and gauges everywhere. Half way through the day on Helenus, we were sat in the Officers mess and given a quite wonderful meal, the envy, I am sure, of anyone in a high class hotel of the time, Helenus will always be a part of my childhood, I loved her then, I still do now, even though she is long gone

So, it was into this vessel Ian Jones, Cadet Engineer, stepped in September of 1955, the first step in an Eight year merchant navy career that would see him cross the seas of the globe, from Birkenhead in his home town of Liverpool to Hong Kong, Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, to New York and Capetown and ports beyond……..In so doing, he and my Uncle Keith, would have an influence on my life that I never guessed, started a fascination with Steamships that would see me travel the globe visiting their resting places and, whenever I could, researching their stories, the crews, the cargoes and the reasons they floundered…….

  So what’s a shipping line doing on a dive Blog site? Considering I have never actually dived a Blue Funnel wreck, nor come across one on my travels you’d be forgiven for asking to be honest. I suppose this is every much a “voyage around my father”, Ian Jones, as it is anything else, his love for the sea and the love he managed, unknowingly, to foster in me for Steam-ships and diving too, although my dad never dived as far as I know? has indirectly led me to the last 29 years of global adventure, the excitement that has driven me to dive whenever I can and the unrelenting fascination for shipwrecks I have had for most of my life. I suppose there’s the melancholia too, I lost my dad when I was Sixteen, living in Ainsdale, very near to the sea, and long walks on the beach there in all kinds of weather, perhaps took me a little closer to him in my mind.   I know my Father was happiest in the merchant navy travelling the world, he spoke most often about Alfred Holt and the Blue Funnel Line, out of Liverpool Docks, though I know he sailed with the Glen Line a couple of times too, during what was a short, but obviously exciting career spanning Eight years from 1955 to 1963. I was born in 1960 which I know must have been a distraction as my mother, Doreen, would have had a handful looking after me, her First-Born, in the ’60’s without my Dad around for much of the time, perhaps there’s a little more than a feeling of guilt that dad only had such a small time doing what he loved best………

  I know that Blue Funnel was considered an “elite” amongst the British merchant navy of the time, the fleet itself had created it’s own “Holt Class” within the Lloyd’s register categories for design excellence, and the ships cut a dash wherever they went. I know my father was proud to serve in the “Bluey’s” as they were known (sometimes called the Welsh Navy too) and I also know that many other merchantmen were both jealous and scornful, in equal measure, of the status of the Blue Funnel Flag elite, depending on who was asked back in the day. The Line had been started by Alfred and his brother Philip Holt as The Ocean Steamship Company in 1865, announcing its formation in a circular in 1866 (which was presumably handed out around businesses and interested entrepreneurs in and around Liverpool),  following Alfred’s registering the business a whole year earlier in 1865. Every picture I have seen of Alfred and the occasional but rarer photos of his brother Philip, give the impression of Victorian gentry, rather stern, but somewhat fatherly, maybe even Grandfatherly (is that even a word?)…..perhaps that’s just me?  

 It wasn’t only my dad that was a mariner in the family, his brother (my Uncle) Keith Jones was a deck officer in the Merchant Navy too, eventually Keith got his master’s ticket but, sadly, never sailed as Captain, being grievously injured in a mugging in Liverpool around 1968, an attack he barely survived, and one that left him psychologically damaged for the rest of his life, not impaired to speak of, but sometimes deeply sullen and prone to argumentative bouts which meant he left the sea shortly after being declared “healed” by doctors.

  I include Keith here both as a matter of course, Keith being an equal in sparking my fascination with the sea and ships, both from the tales of exotic places he visited, and knew well, but also from the postcards he sent me as a child, and the myriad small coins from far away places that he gave me in a tobacco tin, with its rich and strange, exotic smell……..Keith must also have taken many of the photos I have, tiny Black and White glimpses of the past……

  This is a Blue Funnel piece primarily and I will keep it, as reasonably practical, more aligned to the Holt Line than any other, but I reserve the right to stray, occasionally, and include the wider Merchant Navy context, without which there would be fewer and lesser contributions overall. I trust that will not deeply offend anyone who actually takes the time to read these flimsy words…. 

  Some of the old Black and White photo’s are grainy, some have fared better over the years and re-produce well, as ever, it seems the more important, personal shots are the ones that have, maybe, not survived as well as I could have wished. I share them here without apology and with a certain amount of whimsy, even a little (undeserved) pride. These are the events, the people and the history that took a part of me and gave me far more than I believed possible, the trips with my Father and my brothers Mike and Barry, onto and into those ships, docked in our home town of Liverpool had an effect, one that has lasted 29 years so far and shows no sign of diminishing (or perhaps I wouldn’t be writing this) and one which has given my life something of a purpose. I have to say, my family mean far more to me than my diving, truly, however the time I have to myself, and Ellie, Lee, Lewis & Kai have been very forgiving of the hours I spend indulging my underwater adventures, is precious and was ingrained without intent by those who came before………whom I miss deeply