This features readers who have made command in or after sailing in the Bank Line. (Surnames listed alphabetically)

Comments are welcome. Please email fairwinz@mail.com

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Captain R.P.Blowers – FREE ENTERPRISE

An extract….

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In earlier days……… The R/O and R.P. Blowers 2/0 on the M.V. LARCHBANK in 1963

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Texaco Saigon by Captain John Campbell

extract…

TEXACO SAIGON

My first Command is my favourite.

One sunny day in July 1971 I joined the Texaco Saigon as Master for the first time .It was 17 years since I started as an Apprentice. This was my first command and perhaps my favourite one.

Built in Mobile , Alabama, her sea going service began as the SS  Chicaca in 1943 when she joined her 500 sisters in helping fight World War II . She was a veteran and travelled many miles carrying millions of tons of petroleum crossing the oceans of the world . She became a British Ship in 1952 managed by Caltex Overseas Tankships until Texaco took over. She was scrapped in 1981.

As I joined her in Bahrain, she looked a handsome vessel She was on her maiden “jumboized.” voyage .She had been lengthened  and widened by having had her entire bow and cargo section replaced and the foreword accommodation placed over the engine room . It was a great idea as Texaco got a longer bigger tanker carrying more cargo at half the cost of a new ship. . The Turbo Electric Engines were in great condition, but her boilers were showing their age.

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Captain Donald MacGhee

I was apprenticed to Donaldsons, then as a cadet with Bank Line. Unfortunately my career at sea was by no means a successful one, nor did I gain any recognition of any note, apart from that of a negative variety. All water under the bridge now, having “restarted or resurrected” in a minor way a maritime way of life. I retired in 2013 and moved to the river city of Whanganui, in the North island of NZ. I approached the master of the river steamer “Waimarie” for a volunteer deckhand place, which ultimately led to my ending up, 8 years later as the Senior Master! Command at last!

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Captain Geoff Walker – Kris Madura

Geoff sailed on the WEYBANK and the LEVERNBANK before building a career in command in other companies..

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Captain Mike Waight – RMAS SALMASTER

Bankline ships served on……

Rowanbank    1969    
Avonbank       1970    Marabank       1971    Weirbank       1972    Lossiebank     1972    Willowbank    1973   Gowanbank    1974Corabank       1975Nairnbank      1976Birchbank      1977 Shirrabank     1978 Moraybank     1979 Riverbank      1980 Meadowbank  1980 Ivybank          1981 Ruddbank       1981 Troutbank       1982 Riverbank       1983 

I was Master on a variety of MSVs from the 1940’s Kin Class, through to the 1960/70’s Wild Duck Class and the 1980’s Sal Class. All had their merits and imperfections but my favourite was RMAS Salmaster. The Salmaster, one of a class of three, was built by Hall-Russell, Aberdeen in 1986 and followed the time honoured design for Admiralty mooring vessels, albeit with modern machinery. The class had a single controllable pitch propeller, conventional rudder but the big plus was a 360º directional bow-thruster which was capable of propelling the vessel on its own at anything up to 6 knots – very handy if the main engines failed. Originally fitted with first aid salvage ‘package’ including a hyperbaric chamber for diving support tasks; this was all removed when the salvage role was ended. 

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