Any Merchant Navy folk?

[julado 10]

I remember the Windrush & the Rangitane but i can't remember them going down, i was on the Rangitarta (in dock) for a short while in 51 and i thought one Rangr' was on the way out while tutha was on way in,both filled with emigrant's bound for oz, but its been a long time:confused:

 

You are possibly right.....The Windrush went down in the Med.....I have Googled the Rangitane and it says it was sold for scrap but I was sure my Dad said it had sunk.....a ship called Rangitane was sunk in 1940 by the Japanese.....maybe he was on a ship of the same name (as you got with HMS Sheffield)???????

[baz52 10]

My apologies. You are quite right the Empire Windrush did sink after catching fire in the Med in 1954. I thought you meant during the war. Sorry.

[flyer 10]

You are possibly right.....The Windrush went down in the Med.....I have Googled the Rangitane and it says it was sold for scrap but I was sure my Dad said it had sunk.....a ship called Rangitane was sunk in 1940 by the Japanese.....maybe he was on a ship of the same name (as you got with HMS Sheffield)???????

 

If my foggy brain is still working i think the N.S co had two rangi' ships at least,and maybe a fleet, I was on the Rangitarta just a couple of weeks and i know of at least one more with almost the same name,but I'm still thinking there was a few more out there, that was1950:thumbsup:

[flyer 10]

ps another one just came to mind Rangitoto

[flyer 10]

I was also on the Port Fairy, how's that for a modern day name and having to tell your friends

[flyer 10]

I dont know if this was suppose to be a joke,but on my second trip out maybe Perth ,in the river tied up in the middle was a very &tiny rust tug named The Forest and on wandering downtown I bump into one of my mates from the Vindicateric (That spelling not right) what ship you come over on ,the Forest,what that rust in the river yep it took us 8 months to get out coasting all the way and visiting every port, and after picking up the Pilot way back he had turned to the captain saying o.k now full speed ,what-d-ya mean silly ******* I've been going full speed since I left Liverpool,as I say still don't know if I was getting my leg pulled but I thought it was funny:hihi:

[Janner 10]

During the war many Merchant ships were converted as Armed Merchant Cruisers . One of these ships Ranpura was later in the war converted again, this time as a Heavy Repair ship. After the war ended Ranpura was placed in reserve. In 1952 duering the Korean war there was a requirement for an up to date repair ship in the far east. HMS Tyne, in Malta, was selected. A replacement for Tyne was then needed. Ranpura was taken out of reserve and reactivated, her crew was a mixture of ratings going to other ships in the Med. & Far East, I was drafted to HMS Unicorn & detailed as passage crew in Ranpura, she had the largest reciprocating steam engines afloat in the world at that time. There was a lot of hard work to get her ready for the voyage to Malta, there was also a lot of onboard training learning to cope with unfamiliar machinery.There is a lot of maritime history regarding Ranpura & her sister ships.

[Jossman 10]

Here you go Janner. From one old Matelot to another.

 

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l279/rba93/tyne.jpg

[Jossman 10]

Sorry, I don't want to hijack this thread to Royal Navy, but I thought Janner would like pictures of his "Old Ships". Thanks for your forbearance.

 

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l279/rba93/hmsunicornmpl805.jpg

[abigaler 10]

I was with British India S.N.Co. for a few years mainly ss. Kampala ,passenger run Bombay -Seychelles -Mombasa - Dar-es Salaam and back once a month , occasionally to Zanzibar and Durban .

db

[Janner 10]

I wonder if you've ever had a look at this site Jenner

http://www.mna.org.uk/index.htm

200,000 tons. I was on the worlds largest tanker in my day, it was 28,000 tons

 

Baz52 if you served in the M.N. during the war when that tonnage tanker was sailing, then Sir, I salute you. I am not being funny, anybody who sailed in the MN during the war especially tankers were brave men.

[Jossman 10]

Obviously you don't like Ex MAA's Janner.