Page 54 - Michael Frost-Voyages to Maturity-23531.indd

fine steel ‘propellers’ rotating within a high-pressure encasement and a parallel
low-pressure turbine, their rotating being substantially reduced through a gear-
ing-down system before being used to drive the propeller. In this case now before
us, the repair was much more significant than mere boiler tubes. Part of the prob-
lem were the facilities available in Colombo; during World War II Ceylon had
been very strategically located, particularly after the Japanese took Singapore and
part of Burma. The need for facilities to repair warships, however, was initially
greater on the eastern side of the island, particularly in Trincomalee, a naturally
protected harbour that was a temporary home to a large number of Allied war-
ships, that is, until the Japanese sank Prince of Wales and Repulse. Therefore, both
for repair facilities and because of its superb harbour, Trincomalee would have
been better equipped than Colombo to have handled the repair that was now
required. However, parts and specialist engineers could be flown in, so delay was
the only issue.

And it was indeed quite a delay; it was 42 days later that Khyber was able to
depart Colombo for Penang. And what of Colombo?

Well, it was not the exotic city that legend might indicate. I could go into the
town quite frequently, and indeed occasionally take longer trips, but both the
country and the city were not in great shape. Firstly, Colombo itself was decrep-
it and the population impoverished. While I had seen a good number of poor
people (in the Philippines for example), this city seemed to have an entirely dis-
proportionate number of beggars, some in deplorable physical shape, and many
with babies (though I was more than once informed that these babies were in
fact rented out to the ‘mothers’, and looking at the apparent age of some of these
would-be parents, this was not difficult to believe). Further, there was a famine
afflicting the island, so the ship was unable to purchase much by way of fresh food
from the local vendors; in fact, the only useful addition to the ship’s supply was
the occasional harbour fishing trip organised by the 4th mate that produced a
few excellent crayfish. Additionally, within the city there appeared to be nothing
worth buying, all bookstores having only used books on sale, and all other stores’
supplies being quite deficient in everything other than saris.

The two exceptions to the lack of things to purchase were jewellery and cur-
rency. Everywhere one walked, one would be hounded by men, and children,
to purchase rubies and diamonds at laughable prices (Ceylon being one of the
world’s most important sources of rubies). Obviously, one had to regard these
bargain items with some scepticism, but eventually I did purchase two from a
disconsolate child for a few pounds. Needless to say, upon having them looked
at in UK, I was told that these had been cooked up in a pot for a few hours, and
while quite decorative, were of no more value than pebbles on a beach.

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