Irish Ships and Shipping
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Dublin Shipping Ltd.
Dublin Shipping ltd. was part of the
Jones group of companies. Other shipping lines they owned included Dublin and
Cork shipping ltd. and Celtic coasters ltd. They set up Dublin Shipping in the
1970s and had a number of small and medium sized coasters that distributed oil
and bitumen from
My name is John Cauchi (from Malta) and I sailed on the M/T Rathmore
and M/T Rathlynn during 1981 and 1982 as a Radio Officer. I Loved it
and the pictures brought back great memories. I know some of the
guys in the pictures and I always wondered about them. I only got to
keep in touch with a second officer Pat Hayden from Sutton North
Dublin.
I have lived in Dublin ever since as I met and wed an Irish Lady,
raised a family there with three lovely daughters.
Its was so good to see those pictures of Joe Twoomey and Gerry
Martin, Roache and Eddie..
I remember Billy the chief officer from liverpool too. By time I
will now start to remember their names its been a long time. Thank
you.
Kind regards
John Cauchi (Maltese John)
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Mt. Rathowen Port of Registry: Dublin Official No. 401332 GRT: 2253.41 NRT: 992.24 |
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Black oil carrier, trading on Irish and UK coast.
Latterly a bitumen carrier.
The photo shows the vessel in drydock in Malta, September
1981. The vessel had been taken out of the Irish coast heavy fuel oil service
some time previous and was laid up on the river Barrow immediately east of New
Ross town with a skeleton crew on board. Dublin Shipping secured a contract for
a bitumen cargo from Tarragona, east coast of Spain to Muscat in Oman, Gulf of
Oman. A new crew was signed on in New Ross in August 1981 and the vessel sailed
to Milford Haven to load a cargo of heavy fuel oil for discharge in Avonmouth.
In Avonmouth on completion of discharge and stores being
taken the vessel sailed to Tarragona. This ship had a reputation for being a
difficult ship to load due to her stability and while loading in Tarragona the
vessel took a large list to starboard and lay onto the jetty. Once loaded she
sailed for Muscat in calm and clear weather and headed over the Mediterranean
Sea with and speed a little over 10kts. When the vessel was about 30nm north of
Malta at about 2330hrs on a clam, clear and moon light evening the general
alarm was sounded and the Master put out a Mayday message and ordered the
lifeboats to be swung out. Water was flooding into the engine room through the
stern tube and water was making over the plates.
Some time passed while the engineers contained the water
ingress and the pumps were maintaining the water level. In the interim five
vessels were standing by the Rathowen including an Irish Shipping vessel. With
the immediate emergency under control the vessels standing by we released and a
tug was dispatch from Malta to take the Rathowen in tow. On berthing in Malta a
dive inspection revealed that the stern shaft had split in two. The vessel was
dry- docked, shaft removed, stern tube blocked and the vessel re-floated and
secured at a lay-by berth.
The companies other bitumen carrier the MT Rathnew
which was trading in the Mediterranean came alongside and took the cargo and
returned to it Tarragona. In October the complete crew was paid of pending the
manufacture of a new shaft and delivery to the Malta Drydocks.
On Dec 31st 1981 a new crew signed on and the
vessel returned to Tarragona to load the cargo of bitumen for Muscat.
On sailing the passage was uneventful, passing through the
Suez canal and entering the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden. On route the vessel stopped
in Salalah (Oman)for bunkers and fresh water and eventually berthed in Muscat
only to be arrested. The cargo was discharged and the vessel remained in Muscat
for about ten days until the arrest was lifted. She return to UK waters
arriving in Barry south Wales on the 31st March 1982, the completed crew being
paid off the following day.
You can read an article on Dublin Shipping Ltd. by George Humphries at Seafaring Memories of Dublin Shipping