Court Line - the company and its ships

Dallington Court Voyages (2)

 

Stan Mayes has provided accounts of three voyages on Dallington Court shortly after the end of WW2.

“I made three voyages in this tramp; voyages 1 and 2 with Captain Kilgour and Voyage 3 with Captain Llew.Thomas. Total time 29th Dec.1945 to 11th Nov.1946.”

 

This page is about Stan’s second and final voyages in Dallington Court.

Image 1

Although the ship was an old tramp, the seamen had become good friends and decided to make another trip together so after a few days home leave we rejoined the ship.

 

Voyage 2

 

This voyage lasted from 1st April to 21st May 1946. Again on charter to Elder Dempster Line we sailed from London in ballast for Takoradi, and at this port we loaded 10,000 tons of iron ore for South Bank Middlesbrough.

 

We were at Takoradi from 20th to 27th April. Again becoming short of bunkers before reaching our destination we diverted into Dartmouth and bunkered.

 

On hearing the ship would be going to Canada on her next trip we seamen decided to make a third voyage so, after some home leave, we rejoined the ship.

 

Voyage 3

 

This voyage lasted from 26th May to 11th November 1946. We rejoined in Smiths Drydock South Bank and in the next dry dock was a tanker. She was Adula and I made a trip in her during 1941. After I left her she was converted to a MAC ship, Merchant Aircraft Carrier for service in convoys. She was being reconverted and returned to commercial service.

 

During our previous trip the Master had purchased on behalf of the company a large amount of prepared mahogany boards in Takoradi. During the following months we cut, planed and shaped the boards and then demolished the concrete protection slabs around the bridge and the gun emplacements in wings of the bridge and all this debris was dumped into the sea. We then began rebuilding it to its prewar condition during our many days between ports - the Captain and Cadets steered the ship so all the seamen could work on deck in refurbishment of the bridge. My Account of Wages for that almost 6 months trip records Overtime as 39 hours at 2 shillings per hour - £3 - 18 shillings. How much did the company save by not having a shipyard do the work?

 

On the way to Canada we worked for many days in the holds rigging shifting boards for a grain cargo but on arriving at Montreal the Port Authorities removed it and replaced it with new timber. We were told that second hand wood was banned from reuse. We loaded grain in the lower holds and bagged flour in the tween decks and this cargo was for Capetown.

 

We sailed from Montreal on 26th June and it proved to be a long and slow voyage of 51 days due to constant engine failures and stoppages at sea for repairs.

 

On 15th July we entered Las Palmas for coal bunkers and a few hours later proceeded on voyage. While at Las Palmas I bought a puppy from a bumboat and named him Rivets. I gave Rivets to a British Army Sergeant in Trieste about three months later as we would soon be homeward bound and Captain Thomas had told me it would be costly for quarantine charges for Rivets.

Image 1 was taken 15 july 1946 at Las Palmas. Stan Mayes is wearing the check shirt and cloth cap and is next to the policeman in the naval type uniform. The 3rd Engineer is holding the puppy referred to in the previous paragraph.

Image 2 was taken 16 July 1946 at Las Palmas. It shows Gaelic Star leaving Las Palmas.

 

Note the progress made by the crew in refurbishing the bridge. Mahogany cabs in the wings of the bridge have replaced wartime gun emplacements. On left a bumboat man displays his wares. I bought a month old puppy from him.

Image 2

“After sailing from Las Palmas we again experienced many engine problems and stoppages and we became short of food, being without potatoes, vegetables and butter. For the last few days before reaching Capetown our daily menus consisted of anything made from flour taken from the cargo - puddings, pancakes and dumplings. Occasionally we had a treat of beans or peas and each time we stopped for repairs we caught fish to supplement our diet..Fresh water was also rationed. Arriving at Capetown on 15th August our priority was to draw a Sub and off ashore to the nearest restaurant for a long awaited nice meal.”

Image 3

Image 3 was taken on 20 August 1946 at Cape Town - discharging grain and bagged flour from Montreal.

 

“Due to constant engine problems and stoppages at sea we were 51 days Montreal to Capetown. Note the bridge has been rebuilt including cabs in wings of the bridge.”

Our first port of discharge was Trieste and we arrived there on 11th October. The port facilities had been devastated by Allied bombing and many ships lay sunken in the port and bay. The large Italian liner REX lay on the bottom with her side just above the water; she was bombed and set on fire by the RAF on 8th September 1944 - this was the same day as the V2 rockets were launched against London from Holland. The first V2 exploded in Chiswick.

 

We used the ships derricks to discharge 5000 tons in one week. Trieste was still occupied by Allied forces and a midnight curfew was in operation as there was much fighting and shooting between Yugoslavs and Italians who were in dispute over the control of the city and port. Needless to say we did not venture much beyond the nearest bar except for an occasion when a British Army Sergeant took four of us on a tour in his Jeep and we saw a large statue of Mussolini which had been toppled over on the side of a hill.

 

I gave Rivets to the Sergeant as a present for his Italian girl friend. Leaving Trieste for Venice we passed through the Grand Canal and berthed at Porto Margera for final discharge of our cargo. Noticeably there was virtually no war damage to Venice from air attack. Four days here and we then sailed for Melilla Morocco on 1st November. At this port we loaded iron ore for the Tyne and after a call into Gibraltar for bunkers we continued on voyage for South Shields and payoff.”

Image 8

Image 8 was taken on 21 October 1946 at Venice discharging coal from Lourenco Marques. The refurbishment of the bridge was almost complete.

Image 5

Image 5 “was also taken on 2 September 1946 loading coal from Lourenco Marques. OS Swan with me.

 

Loading coal at Lourenco Marques was primitive - behind us is a huge cylinder of 15 tons capacity suspended over No1 hold. The cylinder is filled on the quay by 100 men, women and children each ascending staging with a basket of coal on their heads which is tipped into the cylinder. As they come down they are given tin tallies which they exchange for payment at end of a days work. We were at Lourenco Marques for ten days.”

Image 10

Image 10 was taken on 28 October 1946 of the port of Melilla in Morocco from the deck of Dallington Court.

“A pleasant surprise on arrival was to see the Chairman and Directors of Court Line on the quay - we were complimented on the appearance of the ship.

 

Checking my Account of Wages for that almost 6 months trip it records Overtime at 39 hours at 2 shillings per hour - total £3.18 shillings. During many days at sea between ports, the Captain, 2 Cadets and occasionally the 2nd and 3rd Mates steered the ship, so the seamen watchkeepers were free to work on deck during the refurbishment. Consequently no overtime was involved in this. Also whereas a seaman does weekend nightwatch in port on overtime, the Deck Cadets did that job so it was cheap labour. For that same period of time in a tanker I would have earned ten times more.

 

After all that hard work for little remuneration Dallington Court was sold to Greeks less than four years later. She was renamed Irene Panama flag and owners were Naviera Puntas Arenas Co. They traded her profitably for another 15 years before she went to breakers.”

Images

 

All images on this page by permission of Stan Mayes.

Image 7

Image 7 was taken in 12 October 1946  and shows Stan Mayes on the Quayside at Trieste.

“Following discharge of our cargo we sailed for Lourenco Marques arriving there on 31st August and went to anchor for two days to await a berth. Later we berthed and began to load 10,000 tons of coal for Italy. The loading procedure was primitive. A large cylinder was on the quay and it was attached to a crane; it was of 15 tons capacity. Staging was rigged around the cylinder and about 100 men, women and children ascended the staging with baskets of coal on their heads and tipped them out. As they came down they were given tin tallies which they exchanged for payment at end of a days work. When full the cylinder was raised and swung above a hold - the bottom was opened and the coal was emptied and consequently clouds of coal dust filled the air. Our full cargo took ten days to load.”

Image 4 was taken on 2 September 1946 at Lourenco Marques during loading of coal. Stan Mayes is second from the right.

Image 4

Sailing from Lourenco Marques [now Maputo] we headed North for the Red Sea and Suez and passed through the canal on 4th October.

Image 6 was taken on 4 September 1946 at Port Said and shows the Dallington Court deck crew - Stan is in the back row at the far left.

Image 6

Image 11 was taken some time after 28 October 1946 while passing Gibraltar on the return to the UK.

Image 11

Image 9

Image 9 was taken on departure from Venice on 27 October 1946 and shows USS Birmingham.