Memories of RMS St. Helena

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Here is a short slide show of my 11 years in the tiny British passenger liner RMS St. Helena. With a gross tonnage of 3,150, she had a length of 300 feet. We carried 76 passengers and general cargo from Avonmouth, UK, down to Cape Town via the Canary Islands, Ascension Island and St. Helena Island, with occasional calls at Tristan da Cunha. Our main purpose was to supply the British Colony of St. Helena, that hasn't got an airstrip!
Bob
**LINK**

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Your pictures portray a very happy ship and must bring a few tears of nostalgia when you see them again?

Such a long voyage for such a small ship too!

Have you made a model of this ship yet, Bob?

Which photo of the crew do you appear on?…..lol

Bob

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

Bob,

Yes, a long voyage and during the Falklands we went almost as far south as Cape Horn in atrocious weather. I built a model of the ship for the shipping company and another one was displayed on board the new ship, but that has since been moved to the St. Helena museum on the island. In the photograph of the crew, I am standing to the far right. Also the view on the bridge shows me at the left, the chief officer in the centre and the captain looking in the radar. On the black and white fancy dress picture, I am seated on the left next to our 2nd purser who went as "Mrs Thatcher!"

A lot of us had sailed together from the mid 1960s abaord Union-Castle passenger liners. When the Union-Castle fleet was disposed of in 1978, the St. Helena took over and a lucky few of us managed to join the newly formed St. Helena Line – Happy Days/Years! I spent my final two years at sea on the new ship, but really preferred the old one!

Bob

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