Hima

On completing my EDH/Lifeboat course I returned to shell tankers as they had paid my wages during the course. Joining this "H" boat (another clean oil carrier) in March 1966. They were good ships but the masts were a pain as they had to be painted and the stays coated with white lead and tallow, wouldn't be allowed today.
She was to be an extremely eventful period in my life. We sailed for the carribean calling at Aruba and Curacoa. Returning across the pond to Rotterdam and discharging the whole cargo allthough some had been destined for Shellhaven. We knew something was afoot. Sailing from Pernise, Rotterdam to Europoort, Rotterdam we had a collision with a Portuguese cargo ship. A glancing blow bow to bow causing dents to bulwarks and to pilots pride. We then loaded a full cargo of aviation fuel before sailing for we knew not where only to call at Singapore for orders. We all had our suspicions and they were proved correct in Singapore. After taking on stores, water etc, we sailed for Cam Rhan Bay, South Vietnam. This was at the height of the war. We anchored in the bay remaining there for a little over 5 months. We were used as a floating storage tank with commercial tankers discharging to us an US fleet tankers taking it from us. We heard much fighting especially at night but saw little. There was no shore entertainment as it was soley US military forward base and depot. On leaving sailing southwards along the coast 5 miles offshore US aircraft were bombing the coastal slopes with napalm and you could feel the heat at that distance. I returned to the UK a fervent anti Vietnam war activist, this was due mainly to the sights shown us by GIs the horrendous waste of life and not a little to do with what the GIs told us. Is the world better now I don't thinks so, but thats another story.