FORT CARLETON
FORT CARLETON WAS OWNED BY CANADIAN PACIFIC AND REGISTERED IN HAMILTON,BERMUDA. HER RADIO CALL SIGN WAS ' ZFCJ ' AND SHE HAD A GROSS TONNAGE OF 14087.96. I JOINED FORT CARLETON IN ROTTERDAM ( HAVING FLOWN FROM THE UK TO ZEEBRUGGE AND FROM ZEEBRUGGE TO ROTTERDAM ON A COACH ) AND WE LEFT A FEW DAYS LATER WITH A CARGO OF ROLLED STEEL FOR WHAMPOA IN COMMUNIST CHINA, VIA THE SUEZ CANAL. THE OFFICERS WERE BRITISH AND THE CREW WERE ALL PHILLIPINO. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CANTON RIVER WE WERE MADE TO ANCHOR,WE COULD NOT PROCEED TO WHAMPOA ISLAND AS THERE HAD BEEN A BIT OF A MIS-UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE DISCHARGE OF THE ROLLED STEEL,THE CHARTERER'S WERE UNDER THE IMPRESSION WE COULD DISCHARGE OURSELVES WITH THE SHIPS CRANES,BUT THEY WERE ONLY RATED AT 15 TONS A PIECE, THE ROLLS OF STEEL WERE 25 TONS EACH. WE COULD UNLOAD NUMBER 3 AND 4 HOLDS DUE TO THERE BEING TWO CRANES THAT COULD BE PAIRED UP, BUT THE OTHER HOLDS COULD NOT BE WORKED,THUS WE SPENT SEVEN MONTHS AT ANCHOR AWAITING A FLOATING CRANE THAT HAD A BUSY SCHEDULE UP IN SHANGHAI .MOST OF THIS TIME WAS SPENT AT ANCHOR A FAIR WAY FROM ANYWHERE, THOU WE WERE LATER MOVED FURTHER UP THE RIVER,WHICH WAS NOT SO BORING AS WE COULD WATCH THE LOCAL TRAFFIC AND IT WAS A REALLY BUSY RIVER.THE FIRST TIME I VISITED COMMUNIST CHINA ( ON W M THOMPSONS ' BENHIANT ' ) THE AUTHORITIES SEALED MY RADIO ROOM UP, BUT THIS TIME I AND MY RADIO ROOM WERE LEFT ALONE AND I COULD GET SOME MAINTENANCE WORK DONE, BUT COULD NOT TRANSMIT NOR SWITCH THE RADAR ON ETC UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY AND WITH THE AUTHORITIES PERMISSION.WHILE AT ANCHOR WE HAD TWO RED GUARDS ONBOARD TO MAKE SURE ALL REGULATIONS WERE OBEYED.WE WERE EVENTUALLY BROUGHT ALONG SIDE READY FOR DISCHARGE BUT STILL HAD TO WAIT A FEW WEEKS FOR THE CRANE, BUT AT LEAST WE COULD NOW GO TO THE SEAMAN'S MISSION FOR A BEER, AND I REMEMBER A FEW ORGANISED TRIPS INCLUDING A MEAL IN A RESTAURANT IN CANTON WITH SO MANY COURSES I LOST COUNT, COURTESY OF OUR CHARTERER'S.THOU THE ONLY PLACE WE WERE ALLOWED TO GO UNESCORTED WAS THE WALK THROUGH THE DOCKS TO THE LOCAL VILLAGE SQUARE WHICH CONTAINED THE SEAMAN'S MISSION.WE EVENTUALLY LEFT WHAMPOA ISLAND AND WENT SOUTH TO TAURANGA IN NEW ZEALAND AND FROM THERE TO HOBART IN TASMANIA. I LEFT FORT CARLTON IN HOBART AND WENT UP TO LAUNCESTON AND CAUGHT A FLIGHT TO MELBOURNE AND FROM MELBOURNE BACK TO THE U.K
