British Ship Adoption Society

are very grateful to Mr. Russell and Miss Thompson for a very enjoyable afternoon.

The other meeting was the annual general meeting called to elect next year's Committee and to discuss next year's programme. The three retiring members of the Committee, Wroe, Brocklebank, and Taylor were replaced by T. M. Jenkinson, R. W. Peacock, and W. I. Macdonald. Next year we hope to invite speakers to talk about farm mechanisation, farm management, the business side of dairy farming, sheep farming, and root crops and to arrange visits to illustrate these subjects.

Although, because of cancellations, there were no further meetings this term, there have been in all twelve meetings during the year, and most of these have been well attended. The programme for next year promises to be a fuller one, and it is hoped that all members will endeavour to support the Club to the full.

C.B.M.G.

THE BRITISH SHIP ADOPTION SOCIETY

In the last issue we recorded that the "Clan Stewart" was proceeding to Sydney and Brisbane on Voyage 5. The outward cargo is now known in detail, as Capt. Graham has kindly sent us a cargo plan. It includes the usual wide range of articles—carbon black, cars, tractors, tiles, chemicals, stout, machinery, girders, newsprint, perspex, rock salt, wire, glass, washing machines, cookers, lamps, linoleum, nails a transformer, copper plates, fencing, dyes, and various others, all of which suggests how much Britain owes to the type of export that rarely finds its way into text books and summaries.

After over two months (28th February-5th May) at Sydney and Brisbane, with delays caused by strikes and one of the wettest Australian summers for years, the "Clan Stewart" left for Fremantle to complete loading, and then set off on the homeward passage, Capt. Graham's account of which is printed below. The cargo consisted chiefly of wool, sheepskins, canned fruit, and wheat products—flour, bran, and pollard. But there were also some items whose significance required a little research : rutile sand, zircon sand, and panicum seed. One would like to know, too, what lies behind our import of bundles of oars and cartons of empty spools.

The homeward passage from Fremantle : "We sailed for Aden on 14th May. A gale was blowing when we sailed and by the time we were clear of the port and away from the shelter of Rottnest Island it was really piping. We had to heaveto till the weather moderated, but were able to resume our full speed after 14 hours. We set a course to a position 10°S. and 70°E., which

is to the south of the Chagos Archipelago. From that position the

course was set to pass 10 miles east of Guardafui, and thence to

46

Aden. We arrived in Aden on 27th May and went direct to an oiling berth. The oiling took just over 7 hours. Here we landed two Asians who had been put on board the ship in Sydney for repatriation to India. We had a good passage to Suez, where we arrived on 31st May. As usual, there were plenty of tankers, fully loaded, waiting for the convoy to Port Said to leave. "The convoys leave Port Said twice daily at 1100 hours and 2300 hours. From Suez they leave at 0630 hours and 1830 hours. Generally speaking, the south bound convoys tie up in the Canal and wait until the north bound convoy has passed through the new cutting. Then the convoy proceeds and anchors in the Bitter Lakes and waits there until the other convoy arrives from the south. By this system ships do not pass each other in the actual canal as happened in the days before the cutting was made. This cutting was known as the King Farouk Canal until the abdication, when the name was changed to the East-West Cutting. Our passage through the Canal was without incident, and took 13 hours 20 minutes, which was good going. At Port Said we stopped for two hours in order to fill our fresh water tanks. The Aden water is somewhat brackish, and so we seldom take water there except in emergency. We sailed for Dunkirk just after midnight on 1st June. "The passage through the Mediterranean was made in fine, warm weather, but as soon as we started to head north the temperature dropped and I knew we were nearing the English summer. As it was daylight and fine weather we passed 5 miles west of Finisterre and the same distance off Ushant. From Ushant we set a course to pass 5 miles north of the 'Casquets and 6 miles south of Beachy Head. From a position off the Royal Sovereign lightship we headed over towards Boulogne and then followed the coast to Cap Gris Nez. From there it was only a few miles to the Dyck lightship, where we picked up the pilot for Dunkirk. "We arrived in Dunkirk on 9th June at 1045 hours and sailed at 2030 hours for Antwerp. During that time we unloaded 278 tons of cargo. "Between Dunkirk and Antwerp we had a very strong northerly wind and started to ship quite heavy spray. We arrived off the Antwerp pilot vessel at 0200 hours on 10th June. There was a heavy swell running, so we had to follow the pilot vessel into smoother waters before the pilot could board us. After that it rained continuously. At Flushing we changed our sea pilot for a river pilot. The river pilot takes the ship into the locks at Antwerp, and then the dock pilot takes over. We arrived off Antwerp at 0845 hours and after a short wait entered the dock and were tied up in our berth by 1120 hours."

The "Clan Stewart" is sailing for Mombasa and other East African

ports towards the end of July.