Helmville ltd

[Hawkey01]

HELMVILLE LTD.

On a recent search for photos I came across one of the Medina Princess which I have posted in the Gallery. This vessel had a very colourful career as did the shipping company or the last owners – Helmville Ltd. I will not recount the history of this vessel except to say the insurance claim was one if not the longest cases in history.
I had personnel contact with this shipping company as back in 1969/70 a friend of mine asked me if I would be interested in taking the job as RO on a new build that the company – Helmville – had under construction in Spain. He was J Wilson who was a Director of the company – although I believe he had little to do with the running and was more a British figure head to enable them to obtain Government subsidies to build new tonnage. This I think was more for them to be built in British yards – not certain of that fact. However, for the price of one built in UK they could have two built in Spain.
The one I was offered was the lead ship – David Marquess of Milford Haven – some mouthful. I have attached a copy of the letter I received from them requesting me to join this vessel. Fortunately, as it happens, I had at that time been for interviews and accepted a job with the Post Office later to become BT at Portisheadradio/GKA. The company went on the build three vessels – DMOMH – Jocelyn and Faith Euskalduna. All had major problems being arrested for non-payment of fees, wages etc. I was so glad I missed all that. I may have been OK with wages as I did have my connection with the company, knowing one of the Directors! However, on reflection probably not.
There is an interesting piece in the Merchant Navy site about the Medina Princess and I have attached the link to it. Scroll down and you will find a post by Gulliver.

https://www.merchant-navy.net/forum/...-steering.html

Neville

[Finkenwerder]

Well well, someone else who experienced the wonderful world of Helmville - I've just discovered this post. I Served on Jocelyne for a short spell; supposed to join as 3rd Mate and ended up being signed on as 2nd Mate since I had a ticket. A shambles of an organisation from start to finish. I'll give you my version of the story of Helmville.

The boss was a Mr Alachouzos who rented a small office close to Fenchurch Street Station in the city. Somehow or other he persuaded the government of the day, who in the early 1970s, were offering low interest loans and grants to build ships and run Red Ensign ships, to fund much of the newbuilds; surprising isn't it?

Anyway for the price of two ships he built three at Bilbao in Spain. One was called "Jocelyne" another "David Marquis of Milford Haven" (some money came from that family - linked to the Mountbatten's allegedly) and "Faith Eskalduna". I Joined in Bilbao on 9th December 1970 and left again in Cristobal on 6th January 1971. The whole setup was an exercise in how not to run a shipping company . Amongst other disasters I had to borrow enough charts from a Spanish tanker to get us to Hamburg from Bilbao! Between Goree and Texel we had no charts at all but we knew the area as well as any mariner might and fortunately we made it - somehow I don't imagine that being countenanced today. Our charts had been sent to Athens by mistake! The British pool crew who walked off in Hamburg and only returned after Alachouzos himself boarded and promised to look into their many grievances. Because the disastrous operation of the ship by Helmville and the resulting mass walk-offs by the NUS guys and many of the engineers in Hamburg, things looked anything but secure so I wrote a letter to Alachouzos with copy to the MNAOA asking to be relieved. In return I managed to get in writing from Alachouzos that he would relieve me in Panama, I copied that to the MNAOA as well. The Hamburg police and the British Consul were all involved with the crew walk-offs.

We finally ended up with a multinational crew and some officers from various sources in Hamburg together with the Spanish shipyard's guarantee Chief Engineer. We finally sailed for Panama but mid Atlantic we had to divert to Punta Delgarda in the Azores as the main sea inlet manifold began to part company with the hull which required us to list the vessel heavily to port to keep the stb'd side clear of the water as much as possible. Once repaired and surveyed we were back to sea.

At Cristobal I was relieved and placed on a train to take me through to Balboa. It was the first time I had transited the canal by train and very interesting it was too. From Balboa I flew to Miami then London. Once back in UK I went to Helmville's office in Lloyd's Avenue where the owner said "I agreed to relieve you but I did not agree to repatriate you so that means that the cost of the air fare will come out of your wages". The air fare and my pay-off were somewhere in the region of £130 each so in effect I would be left with nothing. I refused to negotiate any further and said I would visit the MNAOA for help (they were in Aldgate then). The owner laughed and said they won't help you. I went to the MNAOA who were extremely helpful, told me to go away for an hour then return. When I got back they said I could go back to Helmville and all would be well and it was - I got the pay-off and the air fare paid, so my experience of the MNAOA was probably better than some. I went back to the sanity of Bank Line as quick as possible and never looked back.

[Hawkey01]

Finkenwerder,

Just noticed your post to mine on Helmville. As I said I was fortunate that I had found other employment at Portisheadradio by then. I was aware of the previous very extended cases about the Medina Princess so should have been pre warned. I do remember that when I was asked by John Wilson if I would be interested in joining the DMOMH there were some looks between his mother and brother but nothing was said. Capt Osborne was a very pleasant man and if my memory serves me correctly was the Capt on the Medina Princess. I did see Alachouzas but he did not participate in my interview. In hind sight they were pleased to get any UK officers. With brand new tonnage you would have thought all would have been OK. My salary offer was very good and on par with what Niarchos were paying their RO's at the time.

Neville