Oh For a Life on the Rolling Sea!

Again there was some interest from the Moth Traps with all of the following being 

Firsts for the Year

 EARLY TOOTH-STRIPE 

along with a

 GREY PINE CARPET

 and an oversized

 CRANEFLY

 Returning to the visitation of Thursday and published on yesterday's post, today we will reflect on the other most valued friend. To me he was beyound that as Confidant, Shipmate, Captain in charge at the time and full time mentor - it was largely down to him that I also sewed gold around my cuffs.

Call him Ginge, Luke or Captain

Tony MacKinder (left) highlighting his Bus Pass

was a combination of father and brother to me and this having been the last I had seen of him with fellow shipmate Dave Matthews keeping out of the rain on Weymouth seafront on 20/04/2010.

To the vast majority of Weymouth and Portland citizens the Naval Base at the later was usually refered to as Sleepy Valley but little did they know of the works that went on behind tightly closed doors. Royal Navy shipping movements were high on the list of daily activities and the logistics concerning the Fleet, but there were those odd occassions that some of us became unsung heros! My tenure there was a meagre 18 years but feel the far more long standing Captain McKinder would agree that the competence of all marine crews there fell well above high and here sighting just one of many such incidences over those years!

January 1986 has gone down in the weather archives as a particularly angry month, with gale force wind and heavy rain recorded on many days, not least Tuesday 28th. I hadn't long finished my evening meal when there came a knock on the door from one of the Naval Base drivers with a request from the Queen's Harbour Master for me to return to duty, which I did with the driver. On the way he briefed me that a Libyan freighter, broken down mid-channel (English Channel), had sent a Mayday message with little more information than that. The harbour tug Sheepdog was immediately deployed once the crew (including myself and Tony) were embarked to effect a rescue, in conditions that were not ideal, but on arrival found we had a major problem with language barrier.

Usually in situations such as these it would be agreed, via radio communication, with the Salvers (us) and the Master of the stricken vessel that he would, when circumstance allowed, sign a 'Lloyd's Open Salvage Agreement', transferring the responsibility of his ship to the rescue vessel on the understanding that 'no cure would result in no pay'. As this type of arrangement is conducted 'over the air', anyone tuned to that frequency would hear the agreement so there is never a doubt over detail. What we did know was that the vessel was named 

 EBN MAGID

registered in Tripoli, Libya but what was in doubt as to what she was carrying and seemingly (proven later) that a manifest of cargo was absent. This is alwas a most important document, but even more so in this instance, as there were already signs of a fire onboard. Fortunately, a towing hawser was connected and the return to Portland Harbour was undertaken without incident and on arrival every necessary service awaited the ship, her crew and ourselves.

Securing vessels of all sizes was a daily task for all of our tug crews, so by 05-00 the following morning this had been effected, but there was some concern that the Harbour Authority had decided to moor her at the Outer Coaling Pier, the main fueling berth and Avcat aviation fuel storage bund? Still with little idea of what the vessel was carrying below decks and in a none commercial port, make-shift unloading rigs were rigged and removing 'deck cargo' began. With no manifest onboard, it was over an hour before her cargo was confirmed as it became clear she had been plying European ports picking up any commodities she could, given Libya's economic standing in those days.

By 07-00 light wisps of white smoke were already seeping from her number 1 hold and while the Fire Brigade (appliances from 3 counties) searched for 'hot spot', using tug support, it became clear that she had animal feed stowed in her lower holds, this was over-stowed with boxed cans of engine oil which in turn were supporting a number of brand new Honda motorcars. Any upper-deck space was filled by 'containers' each full of canned Cow & Gate baby milk while on top of each there was again a new Honda car.

As the picture shows it wasn't long before the situation started to present big problems, as tugs were once again deployed to clear her from the Coaling Pier berth. Unfortunately, it had necessitated the opening of No 1 hatch to investigate the heat source further which wasn't going to help matters!

Stern tows were connected forward and aft into the Ebn Magid as the volume of smoke increased dramatically and turned black, as we gently pulled her away from the quayside.

As we rounded the pier head, the fresh westerly wind caught our charge, a 'fire ball' being the result.

The internal combustion of the animal feed igniting, soon had a knock on effect with the tins of oil which were now exploding like shotgun fire.

The Ocean Tug 'Rollicker' (below) was now employed to push the Ebn Magid hard aground at W3 shallow anchorage, aided by the tug Sheepdog to keep her 'head to wind'.

Being towed by Tug Sheepdog (right)

Once aground, the real task of extinguishing the fire was aided by the 

Mooring & Salvage Vessel 'Kinbrace'

secured alongside as a fire fighting platform and providing much higher pumping capacity,

 meanwhile Sheepdog assists Rollicker into position

From mid-harbour, with helicopters and surface craft involved, the scene looked grim, and it took 3 full days to get the blaze under complete control and cooled.

with the full picture only emerging once the heat was overtaken. A container, smashed open and cooled, spews its content of baby milk tins on to the main-deck, while the forlorn Honda looks a little less than roadworthy.

What was once a steel built McGregor Hatch, designed to withstand the most ferocious of sea conditions, 

lies bent like a banana as baby milk tins mix with those that once held engine oil in the lower holds

The clearing up operation, especially pumping out the contaminated water (a serious problem) took weeks before the ship was towed to the Breaker's Yard in Wales and the various crews claimed their salvage awards calculated according to rank!

Most of all the Captain and Crew of the Ebn Magid 

were eventually repatriated safe and well to Libya grateful to be alive,

27 lives saved that night!

but just another Month in

SLEEPY VALLEY