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All Hands 2020-1 (UK Spring) P a g e 18

That was my introduction and I never heard any more of her until, following a year on the Benvalla and a coastal
passage on the Benavon, Captain Alec Patterson, Senior Marine Superintendent, came on board in Grangemouth.
During an afternoon ‘smoko’ he told me I was going to be the new cadet on Benwyvis for her next voyage on
completion of the present coastal passage. I had a smile on my face like a Cheshire cat.
I paid off the Benavon in London and spent nine days leave in sunny Teesside (the only sun or light was from the
flare stacks at ICI chemical works at Wilton.) I packed all my voyage gear and received my joining instruction
and railway warrant from Redcar to Greenock where I joined the Benwyvis on the Wednesday 21 December at
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Princess Pier, Greenock. It was a new ship and some of us who had sailed together previously met in the smoke
room as we signed on.
Work was still to being carried out on the ship by Connell's staff and we were soon put to work helping store the
ship. The main bonded store was not ready so all bonded goods were lifted on board at No. 5 hatch and dropped
down by ships crane to the fridge flat which was below the large car deck. Working with the Mates we three cadets
and some stewards loaded all the bonded stores into the aft port side fridge compartment. Pallets of Tenants lager
cigarettes and spirits were locked up waiting to be transferred to the bonded store. That night when all hands were
asleep some shore-side light-fingered men came on board, got into the fan space at the rear of the fridge, cut into
the panelling and insulation and stole all of our bond stores. The shore-side watchmen never saw them.
The local HM Customs and Strathclyde police came on board and questioned everyone but failed to unearth any
clues. The HMC were going to fine us all for the lost revenue. However, instead they let us off but refused to
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allow another bond. That ‘peed’ us all off as it was December 22 and only a couple of days before Christmas.
Another disaster had hit us on the next day when we were testing the 85 ton jumbo on No.4 hatch. A test weight
of about 90 plus tons had been assembled on the quay and all the gear was set up. Electricians were in the fuse
room, the bosun and a few sailors were on the mast-house to guide wire back onto the drum and steam guys were
rigged to other cargo winches. It was an easy jumbo to break out as there were no back stays .
The mast was not a traditional round one but in an octagon shape, maybe providing greater strength. As we were
light-ship the engineers were ready to ballast and other sailors tended our shore lines. The lift went well and as
we started to swing the load inboard there was a loud grinding noise coming from the foot of the jumbo. The lift
had crossed over the starboard outer No. 4 hatch and was swinging into the centre of the main hatch. At that
moment Willie Coutts came running out of the portside of the mast house shouting ‘Stop’. He had to shout loud
and wave his arms as Willie was only about five feet tall and could not be seen over the high hatch combings. The
mast was crumbling down through the mast-house deck, the main deck and the stiffeners in the upper tween-deck.
The bosun had also noticed the deck and circular doubler of the mast-house around the main winch and foot of the
jumbo were buckling.

The Mate and Chief Officer decided it would be best to lower the weight into the lower hold rather than try to put
it back ashore. This was done and the jumbo was stowed and lashed for repairs and stiffening to be carried out in
Hamburg. All deck hands were put to work to lash and secure the test weight in the lower hold.

The Benwyvis was the second of four in the class of ship styled on the mv Benledi which had triple hatches across
on Nos 3 and 4 hatches.
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We sailed from Greenock in the early morning of Saturday the 24 December for Hamburg which was a cold day
with sleet and snow in the air. The good news was that we accrued three days leave that weekend because we
spent at least four hours in Greenock on Saturday, more than four hours at sea on the Sunday and then by more
than four hours in port at Hamburg.
We had completed all the stores and tested the hatches etc. providing publicity pictures for the media. The three
cadets were working together in the Mates’ office checking and labelling keys in the key cabinet for all the deck
doors, hatchways, etc.
The ship wound her way from Greenock, down the Clyde and round the spectacular western islands until on a
northerly course heading up to the northern passage to the Pentland Firth bound for Hamburg. The weather forecast
was for strong winds increasing to storm force later in the day with sleet and snow. I was on watch with the Second
Mate Jim Edgar from Peebles. As he went on watch he came to the Mates’ office and told me to come on the
bridge with him, so I left the other two cadets doing the keys etc.
We had started to roll a fair bit as well as pitching when I got on the bridge. The Third Mate Jim Taylor from
Edinburgh had handed over to the Second Mate and was going down below for lunch. The Chief Officer was also
there by this time and as we were coming up to Cape Wrath the degree of roll had increased. The Chief Enginee r