esso purfleet

ESSO PURFLEET WAS OWNED BY ESSO PETROLEUM, SHE WAS REGISTERED IN LONDON AND HAD A GROSS TONNAGE OF 2837.66.SHE HAD BEEN BUILT IN 1967. HER PRIMARY ROLE WAS TO 'LIGHTEN' LARGER TANKERS SO THAT THEY COULD GET INTO PORT TO DISCHARGE.SHE WAS SOLD IN 1983 AND RE-NAMED " PRIMA JEMIMA ". I JOINED HER IN PURFLEET, WHICH IS A PRETTY SMALL PLACE, I ENDED UP GETTING A LIFT FROM THE RAILWAY STATION TO THE VESSEL IN THE BACK OF A BREWERY WAGON ( APPROPRIATE I GUESS ) AS THEY DIDN'T SEEM TO HAVE HEARD OF TAXI'S THERE. IT WAS NOT THE SORT OF SHIP I WOULD NORMALLY HAD LANDED, IT BEING ON THE COAST ALL THE TIME, AS THESE SHIPS USUALLY WENT TO MARRIED MEN WITH A LOT OF TIME IN THE COMPANY WHO DIDN'T WANT TO GO DEEP SEA ANYMORE.BUT I WAS WAITING TO DO MY D.T.I RADAR MAINTENANCE COURSE AND DIDN'T WANT TO GO ON A LONG TRIP AND MISS THE COURSE, SO I WAS ONLY RELIEVING THE REGULAR R/O WHILE HE TOOK SOME LEAVE. I CAN REMEMBER GOING UP THE MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL A FEW TIMES, INTO BELFAST, DUBLIN AND MILFORD HAVEN AND OVER TO ROTTERDAM AND BREMEN. ALSO TO FAWLEY ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS TO LIGHTEN BIG SUPER TANKERS. I LEFT ESSO PURFLEET IN FAWLEY, AND RETURNED TO BRISTOL TO DO MY RADAR COURSE, WHICH WAS A FIVE MONTH COURSE IN THOSE DAYS ON FULL PAY WITH EXPENSES, WHICH MADE A GOOD BREAK, ESPECIALLY AS BRISTOL WAS MY HOME TOWN


MAIN RECEIVER WAS A MARCONI ATALANTA	MAIN TRANSMITTER WAS A OCEANSPAN