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CANOPIC / CAPETAN NICOLAS

CANOPIC WAS BUILT IN 1954 BY VICKERS-ARMSTRONG IN NEWCASTLE FOR SHAW SAVILL AND ALBION SHE WAS  REGISTERED IN SOUTHAMPTON, SHE WAS A SISTER SHIP TO CEDRIC,CRETIC,CARNATIC AND CYMRIC. SHE HAD A GROSS TONNAGE OF 10902 TONNES. SHE WAS A REFRIGERATED CARGO VESSEL, BUT HAD ALSO BEEN MODIFIED TO CARRY 'CHILLED BEEF', AS OPPOSED TO FROZEN BEEF. SHE WAS THE LAST OF THE FIVE 'C' BOATS TO BE BUILT.HER RADIO CALLSIGN WAS 'GSWK'.

IN 1975 SHE WAS SOLD TO A CYPRIOT COMPANY AND RE-NAMED 'CAPETAN NICOLAS'.

 SHE WAS LAID UP IN PIRAEUS, GREECE IN 1981 AND SCRAPPED IN 1986 IN TURKEY.

 I JOINED THIS VESSEL IN PORT OF SPAIN ,TRINIDAD IN 1973 AND LEFT HER IN KINGSTON,JAMAICA A YEAR LATER IN 1974. SHE WAS ON THE 'MILK RUN' AT THE TIME, COMING UP FROM NEW ZEALAND TO CENTRAL AMERICA, TOP PART OF SOUTH AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN WITH DAIRY PRODUCTS, MILK POWDER AND FROZEN MEAT AND RETURNING TO N.Z WITH GENERAL CARGO AND QUITE OFTEN UN-REFINED RUM. OUR LIST OF PORTS  INCLUDED ON A REGULAR BASIS ACAJUTLA IN EL SALVADOR THEN THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL TO COLON ( VERY LIMITED CARGO FOR HERE ) THEN UP TO PUERTO LIMON AND ACROSS TO KINGSTON AND ONTO  PORT OF SPAIN

 WE GENERALLY SPENT QUITE A BIT OF TIME AT PORT OF SPAIN I REMBER THAT THE DOCKERS WENT ON STRIKE ON ONE TRIP AND WE SPENT MANY WEEKS THERE, WITH MOST OF US SPENDING A LOT OF TIME IN THE " NIGHT PEARL" WHICH WAS A DRINKING DEN UPSTAIRS FROM THE " CHINA CLIPPER RESTAURANT"

 IT HAD AN AMAZING WALL MURIEL OF FLYING ELEPHANTS BASED I THINK ON ONE OF THE OSSIBISA LP COVERS THE ELEPHANTS SEEMLY TO COME TO LIFE AFTER A FEW RUM & COKES

WE THEN WENT ONTO  BRIDGETOWN, BUNKERING AT CURACAO

  AMONGST OTHER THINGS CURACAO HAD THE MOST AMAZING STATE RUN " ENTERTAINMENT COMPOUND "  FOR SEAMEN CALLED THE " HAPPY VALLEY "

I ARRANGED A TRIP ASHORE  - A VISIT TO A BEACH BAR AND A SWIM THEN A LOOK AROUND THE ISLAND AND THE LOCAL ZOO THEN ONTO A RESTAURANT THAT HAD A REALLTY GOOD BAR/ AND A SMALL MUSEUM ATTACHED TO IT.- AFTERWARDS IT WAS MEANT TO BE BACK TO THE SHIP,  BUT I HAD ASKED THE COACH DRIVER TO DROP ME & ONE OF THE SHIPS ENGINEERS OF AT THE "HAPPY VALLEY "  UNFORTUNATELY  EVERYONE THOUGHT IT WAS JUST THE NEXT PLACE ON THE AGENDA AND EVERYONE PILED OFF THE COACH - I TOOK SOME FLAK FROM THE SHIPS CAPTAIN THE NEXT MORNING WHEN A FEW PEOPLE WERE STILL AWOL

 AND THEN IT WAS BACK THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL TO NEW ZEALAND.OCCASIONALLY WE WENT TO PORT AU PRINCE,HAITI  OR LA PLATA IN THE DOMINION REPUBLIC AND THEN DROPPED DOWN TO SANTA MARTA AND BARRANQUILLA,COLOMBIA.

OUR REGULAR PORTS IN NEW ZEALAND WERE  LYTTLETON, NAPIER, AUCKLAND ,WELLINGTON, NELSON, NEW PLYMOUTH AND DOWN TO INVERCARGILL AND BLUFF.THE SHIPS  CAPTAIN AT THIS TIME WAS CAPTAIN MURCHISON, A NICE OLD GUY, ONE OF THE 'OLD SCHOOL'. IT WAS A GOOD RUN AND A GOOD SHIP AND SOME OF THE CREW HAD BEEN ONBOARD  HER FOR YEARS TAKING ONLY LOCAL LEAVE

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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Image courtesy of Tom McGrattan

THE ABOVE PICTURE SHOWS CANOPIC AT PANAMA IN 1972

 

 

RADIO ROOM EQUIPMENT INSTALLED ON CANOPIC / GSWK

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MAIN RECEIVER WAS THE  MARCONI MARINE 'MERCURY' ACCOMPANIED BY 'ELETTRA'

MAIN TRANSMITTER WAS A MARCONI MARINE 'OCEANSPAN'

EMERGENCY LIFEBOAT TRANSCEIVER  'SALVITTA III'

AUTOMATIC WATCH KEEPING RECEIVER  'SEAGUARD'

 

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ABOVE IS THE MARCONI MARINE 'DYNATRON' WHICH WAS A GENERAL COVERAGE  BROADCAST RECEIVER USED ON MERCHANT SHIPS FOR  'ENTERTAINMENT', ITS OUTPUT WAS CHANNELLED THROUGH TO SPEAKERS AROUND THE VESSEL I.E TO THE OFFICERS SALOON,CREWS MESSROOM ETC.CANOPIC'S DYNATRON WAS SITUATED IN THE RADIO ROOM. 

ABOVE IS  THE MARCONI MARINE ' LODESTONE ' DIRECTION FINDER RECEIVER -THE FORE RUNNER OF THE LODESTAR  RECEIVER. CANOPIC HAD HER LODESTONE, NOT IN THE RADIO ROOM BUT IN THE CHART ROOM BEHIND THE BRIDGE.

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Image courtesy of Heinrich Busch http://www.seefunk.hbusch.de

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ABOVE IS THE MARCONI MARINE RELIANCE EMERGENCY TRANSMITTER BOTH CANOPIC AND CEDRIC HAD ONE OF THESE TRANSMITTERS

ABOVE IS THE MARCONI MARINE AUTO KEY UNIT. BOTH CANOPIC AND CEDRIC HAD ONE OF THESE UNITS, AS DID MOST LIKELY ALL OF THE SHAW SAVILL FLEET.

 

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