THE BRITISH SHIP ADOPTION SOCIETY In the last issue of "The Peterite" it was stated that the School had formed a new link, that with the "Clan Allan", and since then we have received a really first-rate collection of mail from the ship. Our correspondent is the Master, Capt. M. M. Graham, and he is clearly taking the adoption with enthusiasm, for the diary of the voyage is both detailed and interesting, with local information and comment which makes it "live", and we also get reports on particular subjects asked for : duties of the radio officer, principles of navigation, and the like. A map of the voyage is maintained in Big Hall, and forms below the Fifths are able to spend an occasional geography period with the correspondence. The information from the ship is available on request by anyone. We reported last time that the "Clan Allan" was outward bound in December from Britain for India. During the Easter holidays she has returned, and the following is a summary of the places visited, with date : Sailed from Glasgow, completing loading at Birkenhead, Swansea, Newport and Milford Haven, finally leaving Britain, 4th December, 1953. Called at Port Said, 16th December, 1953; Djibuti, 22nd December; Aden, 24th December; and arrived Bombay, 2nd 'January, 1954. Discharged cargo at Marmagao, Cochin, Tuticorin, Pondicherry, and Chalna, arriving at the last 26th January, 1954. Loaded cargo for homeward passage at Visakapatnam (twice), Calcutta, 'Madras, and Galle, leaving Galle 5th 'March, 1954. Homeward passage via Aden (for fuel), Suez, to London, arriving Tilbury Dock 3rd April. Discharging is to be completed at Manchester and Glasgow. Cargo carried makes an interesting example of our trade with India and Pakistan, and also of the type of trade done in cargo liners. Exports from Britain were : steel tubes for the refinery being built at Aden, machinery, sewing machines, motor cars and trucks, various cereals, perfumery, boilers, coils of wire, drums of caustic, asbestos sheets, bags of bleaching powder, glassware, drums of cable, beer, whisky, clocks, cigarettes, guns and explosives. Homeward the largest item, making up nearly half the cargo of 8,986 tons, was manganese ore, but there were also over 1,600 tons of tea, and a great assortment of more picturesque items : wax, gunnies (sacks—mostly for discharge at Port Said), hemp, carpets, crushed bones, wool, leather, goat hair, coir, citronella oil, gold and silver sweepings, shellac, chutney, devi devi, myrabollams, and niger seed. We print below a few extracts from the letters we have received, and it will be seen that our present "adoption" is giving us a wide range of interesting information about ships, places, and cargoes.
28
