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Cape John

And Other Ships

"A Personal Rememberance of the Past 40 Years"

13/04/2012 Added Musical links to Shenanigans on pg 2 and made small corrections

Music Youtube link

Caution on Widescreen Monitors photos will be "distorted" if incorrect setting, correct settings are

1280 x 800 Laptop (Widescreen) 1440x900 Widescreen and 1024x768 Laptop and also 1280x1024 regular screen are all are in use in our home and appear to be ok.

Fishermen's Memorial Lunenburg NS

Captain Larry Mossman

Fuel cost and the weak economy has just about shut down Canadian Fisheries except for Scallops, Shrimp and Clams

What We Think of Our Country

Canada My Own Land

Tommy Makem

The sun it comes up on the green fields of Newfoundland
On Vancouver Island, he sheds his last ray
The great Arctic Circle reflects back his glory
The wheat-laden plains grow more golden each day

Chorus:
This is my own land so fertile and beautiful
Majestic her mountains, her rivers run free
Priviledged the children, who call her their homeland
Canada, my own land for ever you'll be

Proud are the people who travel your highways
The farmer, the teacher, the factory hand
The merchant, the miner, the doctor, the fisherman
Proud to belong to this beautiful land

Chorus

Famed is your power and famed is your gentleness
Your bounty is endless from sea to shining sea
Your arms ever open to help those less fortunate
A bright light of freedom to those who would be free

Chorus

Nova Scotia

Other of Interest

GMT (Current Time)

Local Forcast (Western Head NS)

Maritimes Marine Forcast

Hurricane Tracking (Atlantic)

Hurricane Tracking (Canada)

High Seas Forcast

Transport Canada

These Stations are links

Multi Language

Radio Stations

Classic Country AM1060 Calgary Alberta

South Shore Nova Scotia

Potluck (Newfoundland Music Sunday Afternoon 1200 Nfld time 1130 Atlantic Time)

Newfoundland and Labrador

LFV=Large Fishing Vessel

(Argus Class LFV) MS Cape John

As built in 1967

In Lunenburg between trips

Built in 1967 for National Sea Products Ltd at Halifax Shipyard the vessel has gone through the years with minimal changes externally, but was reengined in 1988 increasing horsepower and modernising the engine room.

Prince Edward Island

The Vessel is 156' in length with a 1200KW (1600 BHP) MaK 6M332 Main Engine

ME From Forword

ME From Aft

ME Forward View

Reduction Gear with belt guard for shaft generator

AUX Generator

Main Engine Installed in 1988

All of her sister ships have been sold to overseas markets and most are now scrapped or sunk. This Vessel has now joined her sisters and has been sold to overseas interests

I'll Tell Me Ma

Shenanigans(New Zealand)

New Brunswick

MS Cape York in Dover NFLD 1996

Photo of Dar es Salaam harbour Tanzania with two or possibly three of the sisterships.

Three Of the argus class trawlers were delivered to east africa the Cape Howe, Cape York and the Cape Charles, the Cape Bauld was cannabilised for parts in Pictou NS (for the Cape Charles)

Two of a previous class were also delivered there as well the Cape Pictou and Cape Morrow plus a vessel from Liverpool NS (Mersey Seafoods)

Delivering these vessels to there new owners was quite an experience as various vessels took different routes.

I delivered the Cape Pictou and the Cape Howe (with Cape York in consort).

The Cape Pictou started a lone passage from Halifax NS to Walvis Bay in December but because of a bad winter storm we stopped in Bermuda for repairs, after witch we made a 28 day passage from Bermuda to Walvis Bay Namibia then around the Cape up the east coast of Africa to Dar Es Salaam a voyage of 9995 nautical miles (plus the distance travelled from Halifax to Bermuda. we steamed 3 days east then turned towards Bermuda 500 miles away, it then took 5 days to get to St George's because of the weather.

The Cape Howe and Cape York went from Canso NS to Pireaus Greece then south through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Around the Horn of Africa down the east coast of Africa to Dar Es Salaam

only two of the vessels made the trip alone the Cape Pictou and the Cape Charles both by similair routes the rest sailed as groups

The Voyage on the Cape Pictou was quite an experience in itself as we steamed a piece of junk half way around the world and arrived at the destination better than when we departed. When I arrived at the vessel in Halifax She was basically a stripped out hulk and the engine was put together quickly with a lot of used parts but one thing was in our favor she had a new 343 Cat Aux Generator.

We had new Navigational equiptment installed (bare basics) The Compass was not swung and was not reliable and the sounder wasn't even reinstalled. The Radar was quickly overhauled and functioned allbeit not perfect, basically all we had was new radios and two GPS units. The ME only had a couple of hours test the night before departure just to check out the Pitch and Shaft bearings Etc. We sailed the next evening after storing and bunkering and straight into a vicious winter storm. We pounded our way east for three days but unknown to us the ME had been put together with used Head Gaskets as a result by the time a couple of days had passed all the gaskets were blowing by. As there didn't appear to be any relief from the weather in the near future on the third day out we turned towards Bermuda 500 miles away. By this time we had lost pretty well everything on top of the WH all that was left was the new GPS, the radar was on the WH top jammed under the rail it had been knocked off its platform by heavy seas, plus a lot of damage on deck. The biggest relief was by turning towards Bermuda it brought the bow around into the seas which by this time were monsters. When we reported to Bermuda Radio they told us that the conditions we were in were not reported, We had winds of 80 knots or more at times, the only good thing was as we were in the Gulf Steam it had warmed up. It then took 5 days to reach St George's an average of 100 miles a day. The storm never abated at all and didn't untill New Years Eve over a week later. We arrived in St George's in the early morning Christmas Eve. At 0800 in the morning the Agent had us up to take the boat over to bunker then back to the dock to start making repairs. We took Christmas day to rest as we only had a 5 man crew and everybody was worn out.

When we left Bermuda New Years Eve most of our problems had been looked after, all the Head Gaskets had been replaced with new and other ER problems were attended to. A new radar was installed and the sounder (video) was reinstalled. It had been suggested by the Company before we left that our next port be somewhere at least one of the officers had been before, as the Captain had never been in Africa before the choice was left up to me, I selected Walvis Bay Namibia as I'd been there in the late 60's a voyage of about 6000 miles. The voyage was quite uneventfull as we never stopped the engine and only had a couple of minor problems which were repaired on the run. to relieve the boredom of a long voyage we played a lot of cards and read as we had nothing else. "No Frills" When we got close to Africa we decided to have a little fun and try to cross the line at 0'0" 0"0 as it was only a slight course change we made the change and when we crossed the line the GPS read all 0's for a moment. 48 hours before we arrived in Walvis Bay we saw a flare and we looked around as much as we could but as we didn't know eactly how much fuel was left and couldn't hang around to long as we had been 26 days at sea and things were getting tight. After we found out there was 3 men in a liferaft and when asked why we didn't stay and search, but after we explained that we were pretty well at our maximum limit or well over under normal circumstances they understood we couldn't hang around and make a comprehensive search.

When we bunkered in Walvis Bay we found out we had 14 tons of Fuel left in the after tk which couldn't be sounded and had a defunct guage

After bunkering , watering and restoring we headed south around the Cape then north along the east coast of Africa. The trip was uneventfull except for a run in with a Patrol Boat off Macambique but we had a bit more speed in reserve than he had and slipped a touch more pitch on and slowly left him behind. He only wanted to know why we were so close to shore. Off East Africa there is very little continental shelf as a result the northward flowing counter currant is within a mile of shore right on the 100 fathom line, either that or go around Madagasgar. As there is very poor radio comunication in that area the Company didn't know exactly where we were, we basically showed up off Dar es Salaam without anybody knowing and asked for a Pilot.

Actually everybody was surprized we had arrived (had made it)

Quebec

This looks like the MS Cape Howe and the MS Cape Yorke and/or the MS Cape Charles in Dar es Salaam also another familiar looking vessel could be the MS Remtoff from Liverpool

Dar es Salaam 1998 looks like a couple of the vessels we took over scrapped

St George's Bermuda

Walvis Bay Namibia

Pireaus Greece

Downtown Pireaus

Suez Canal

Martha's Vineyard

New Bedford

Paramaribo

Ship in Suez Canal

This is what happens to old ships in Dar es Salaam beached and cannabilised

The MS Cape Argus was sold to West Indies Interests as a inter island cargo vessel

Cape John at sea January 2000

At sea steaming gear on deck

Other Photos

On Drydock St Johns NFLD 2002

Returning to syncrolift for refloating

Connecting to towboat

Towing Out of dock

Low tide Yarmouth NS

Trawl doors on deck

Sunset Georges bank

MS Cape John 24/08/04 Lunenburg NS

MS Cape John at Scotia Trawlers Dock Lunenburg NS

Vessel Status

The MS Cape John has Left For The South Pacific and Is now registered in the Cook Islands

Other Fishing Vessels

MS Martin and Phillip

This vessel was the first vessel I was Chief Engineer on in 1980

MS Susan and Darlene

Made a trip on this ole girl in 81

MS Atkinson In Lockport NS 1982

MS Atkinson Fishing 1982

Engine Controls Variable Pitch unit MS Atkinson

MS JB Nickerson in Riverport NS 1982

MS Bedeque

Bag of fish on deck MS Bedeque

A Georgetown Class Trawler in Canso NS

MS Atlantic Vigour and MS Atlantic Pursuit

This Picture was taken the afternoon about 8 hours before the MS Cape Aspy sank we were towing but the sea was working up. We were 60-70 miles away when she went down.

ME MS Pennyluck II

MS Penny Luck II

MS Tenacity in Lunenburg NS

MS Triano During Reconstruction in Georgetown Guyana

What happened to this Vessel 2/9/2010

A somewhat questionable incident

Ontario

MS Ruby Elaine in Lunenburg NS

Swinging the Compass before our departure for Florida

MS Cape Chidley

MS Richmond Odyssey

Tied Up in Liverpool NS

Manitoba

Maritime And West Coast Canadian Ports Visited Through The Years

(Fishing Vessels and Coastal Vessels)

Isle of Newfoundland

Various Artists

Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland & Labrador, New Brunswick, Quebec.

British Columbia Outports

Labrador

Port Burwell

Saglek Fjord

Coast of Labrador

Nain

This was a special circumstance in that we were unloading fish from smaller vessels and took it to Nfld or NS a thousand miles away so except for an emergency trip to Nain we were anchored in bays or amongst the Islands up and down the Labrador coast for two to three weeks at a time just moving around as the smaller boats required to cut back on there fuel requirements as the only fuel available was us and we only had a limited supply.

We often had a 65 footer on both sides unloading an/or refueling.

Port Burwell and Saglek Fiord were the main anchorages.