SS CASLON

2/12/2013

A photograph showing the stern of the Cargo Ship SS Caslon in Liverpool Docks.

This photograph was taken circa 1950.

My Grandfather served on this vessel from 24 June 1952 to 26 July 1952.

Boarding her as an Able Bodied Seaman in Manchester he left her at somewhere known as Dock Lane (which could be just about anywhere!), before signing on the SS Orcades at Tilbury and heading off to Australia on 5 August 1952.

She was built as Yard Number 744 by Fairfield Govan and was launched in February 1949 before entering service in June 1949.

At 5684 tons and 138m long she was one of the larger vessels my Grandad served on.

Powered by 2 steam turbines she could make 11.5 knots.

She was scrapped in Davica, Turkey on 1 November 1971.

Credit for this photograph goes to Norman J. Page who is on the boat in the foreground on top of the wheelhouse facing the camera with his arms on his knees.

My special thanks go to Will Page who found my website through a random internet search and got in touch.

38 Comments

Andrew

15/8/2015 01:17:46 pm

I was a supernumerary 5th engineer on the Caslon in the late 50s. We sailed from London to Dalhousie, New Brunswick to pick up a cargo of newsprint. The round trip took something like a month. For someone who had just left school it was a wonderful adventure before I started my apprenticeship.

Gordon

18/12/2018 05:00:27 pm

My Father served on the S.S, Calson as a 4th Engineer from November 1957 through to Octobber 1958. I believe his destination was in Canada can ayone supply any more details?

Ken Mealey

2/11/2015 09:21:08 pm

wow. I was doing some historical research on Capt R.G. Edwards who was a family friend and came across these old paper ships from the 50's and 60's. My father, Capt. Don Mealey, was the harbor master and Chief Pilot in Dalhousie. I remember a number of times we shared our home with some of the ship's captains and officers in the mid of winter at -20'F so they could have a home cooked meal and a hot bath. Among this company of ships were the SS Caxton and the SS Caslon. There were others but the names escape me. Great memories of days gone by.

Michael Forwood

25/11/2019 03:45:56 pm

I was Third Officer and Second officer with this fleet from 1962 until 1967. The fleet consisted of Baskerville, Calson, Caxton and Issac Carter and latterly the Aragona. The first four were all triple expansion steam engines with a turbine exhaust.Happy Edwards I recall was part of the Canadian setup. I have some newspaper pictures of the time. The Captains were Willy Coull, Angus Macfarlane, Captain Smith to name three and Jim ? who was a Scottish Chief Officer ashore as the liasion with the Paper Corporation. Mike Forwood

Gordon Crockatt

17/8/2020 05:38:26 am

My uncle served on these ships although I am unsure of dates, and I remember watching ship? at Renfrew proceeding up river on the Clyde under tug control in the 60's/70's. My uncle was Crawford (Charlie) Keenan - I would appreciate any photos/info.

Avril Aitken

18/8/2020 02:33:46 am

Jim would be my father, Jim Aitken. [Lovely to see the names of my dad's colleagues, mentioned here.] I was digging doing some searching because I have a detailed scale model of the Caxton which was build by one of the officers, given to my father when he left the sea and brought the family to Canada. I have wondered what to do with it; it has been damaged over the years [3 moves] by my recently deceased mother.

Christina (Kirsty) MacFarlane

17/1/2024 12:36:05 pm

Hi Micheal. I'm Angus MacFarlane's daughter (he passed away in 2003 here on the isle of Coll). I knew Avril and Carol Aitken in Montreal. Charlie Keenan was my father's best man when he married my mother in 1958 - photo available! "Happy" Edwards wrote a book, The Deep Six, which he enscribed for my brother, Donald, and myself. Amazing coincidence since I read it recently.

john may link

9/11/2020 02:32:24 am

11.8.2020

I sailed on the Baskerville & Caslon -knew your father & mother very well.
Also knew ' Happy ' Edwards Billy Mott and a lot of others in Dalhousie whose names I can not remember
john may Vancouver b.c. [email protected]

john may link

9/11/2020 02:37:20 am

others were BASKERVILLE & ISAAC CARTER

January 1961 - CASLON took 20 days to get from the ice edge
( Sydney NS) to Dalhousie. Your parents took us in for showers and
hot meals etc. ..Never forgot and will never forget the people Dalhousie

john may vancouver b.c. [email protected]

Christina (Kirsty) MacFarlane

17/1/2024 12:26:06 pm

Dear Ken, I can just remember your parents, Don and Phemie. My father was Angus MacFarlane, master of the Isaac Carter and also the Aragona. He knew your father very well and when we visited Dalhousie (around 1971?) it was the first time I had ever had lobster; your mother cooked us a feast. I got the impression then that there was great friendship and respect amongst the men and families from both sides of the Atlantic for the work that they did. PS Dad also sailed on the Caxton - I recall hearing about Capt Smith, Capt Lungley, Capt Coul (he was on the Aragona?). Happy days.

Ken Mealey

13/2/2024 03:14:08 am

Christina, I just happened to stumble on this thread and saw your messages. Wow, I can't believe after all these years reading our own histories. Sorry to hear about your dad's passing. Both my fols left us in the early 90's. I do remember visiting your place outside Ottawa in the mid 80's (you and Donald were just teens). Yes our parents were unbelievable friends even when they were across the ocean. I am retired and living in Nova Scotia (Cape Breton to be exact) at the farm mom grew up at. Keep well and thanks for the memories.

John Evans

2/7/2024 04:46:14 pm

Hello Christina I served as a Cadet on both the Caslon and the Isaac Carter between 1956 and 1960 then 3rd Mate on the Caxton until 1962. I saw that Avril Aitken has a model of the Caxton and I would like her to know that the model was built by Mr. Edmunds the radio officer of the Caxton it was built to scale from original plans. I only met your father on one occasion the other Scottish officers used to tease him about the problem he had with the telephone operators when making a phone call to Coll. Happy days.

Robert Stephens link

4/3/2024 01:26:38 pm

My first ship was the Caxton in 1962,an eventful trip as we were called to the site where an American aircraft crashed into the sea.Then the chief electrition died ,it was storm force all the way I was seasick.eventually we arrived at St John's Newfoundland to drop off the sparkys body ,then on to Dalhousie
I later sailed on the Isaac Carter,the only time I saw an iceberg.Happy days .

Patrick Hill link

20/12/2015 07:13:55 pm

Dear Author
I have written a couple of books as you can see from my web site and have written a draft about my life. As an immigrant, I left England from Glasgow in mid Dec 1956 aboard the SS Caslon as a supernumery and arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick New Year's Eve 1956-7 where I got a train to Toronto. The ship's captain was a Geordie with a very strong accent.
I would appreciate if you can tell me anything about this ship and the crew and the time I was aboard. My mother worked at the Daily Express and Beaverbrook purchase the paper from New Brunswick.

I remember getting frostbite in the -22 degree weather getting from the ship to the train!

Kind regards, Patrick Hill

Andrew Thompson

22/12/2015 08:10:48 pm

My cousin ran a ship management company and he arranged this trip for me. We sailed from London - south of the river. Since it was in the summer the weather was good although we did have a rough return trip. As the supernumerary 5th I stood the 4am watch with the 3rd engineer. At 8, when the watch ended I would inspect and grind the steam valves on the derricks. It was pleasant working on the deck in the sun. The second engineer was Stevie. The reason I remember that is the Chief Engineer would patrol the deck and, if he saw any smoke from the stack he would call down the engine room hatch, in a strong Scottish accent "Stevie you're smoking"

Andrew

22/12/2015 08:22:31 pm

to continue. We were in Dalhousie for about a week. I went into Campbellton with the 2nd engineer and visited some friends of his and got a salmon to take home - frozen. During our stay in port I inspected the boiler tubes. It was about 140 F in the boiler. A stoker held a lamp at one end of the tube and I would look down the other. If they were sooty they would be rodded out. On the way back one of the stokers put in a burner without a tip and filled the fire box with thick oil. We stood to for 3 days to sort that out. Porpoises swam at the bow on the way back. It was a great experience.

Joe Ryan link

20/3/2018 10:12:54 pm

Hello to everyone .I was on the SS Caslon around 1962 had a very bad crossing .we were taking into st John's Newfoundland.i will never forget that trip.it was Christmas eve when we got in.i remember a French ship went down .about 20 miles from us .there was nothing we could do.we had no power.the weather was so bad I tought we were going to go down.maby someone on here will remember that trip.there so much I can say about that ship.anyway I stayed at sea for years after that on all sorts of ships.and finished up in Falmouth Cornwall where I married and worked in the Docks as a rigger ...joe

Chris Jesshope

14/7/2018 06:32:07 pm

I sailed on both Ss Caslon and Mv Caxton in 1963. It was my ride to Canada and back to compete in. Seascout regatta. I was only 14 at the time but was signed on as supernumery. I still have my discharge papers and the shilling that I earned! If I remember we sailed into Saguenay, from Liverpool, we were empty and hit a storm on the crossing which was wild. Pn the way home we were loaded with paper. Can’t remember which boat was out and which back but I do remember the great food we ate in the officer’s mess.

Michael Cox

23/12/2018 09:59:39 am

What a very pleasant surprise
I travelled on this vessel in 1950 as a sixteen year old to Botwood newfound and Dalhousie Nova Scotia
My father was a director of Runicimans London
Not sure if it was owned or just managed by them its cargo was for the Newsprint supply co which I insured when I worked in Lloyds
Barberry was the name of the house owned by the managing director in Ewell Surrey
We sailed from Manchester and returned to Purfleet Kent
We went out in ballast so rather high out of the water and loaded reels of newsprint by Daviets which was a skilled operation repeated several times a day
We sailed down the Manchester ship canal which was very busy in those days,There was a company called Manchester liners which sailed to the eastern seaboard
I travelled up from Euston to Manchester with the captain Captain Cherry from Scotland
Great to bring back old memories
Thinking of making a trip down the canal next year
Regards
Michael Cox

Brian

24/7/2019 07:59:30 am

I did a relief trip as Radio Officer for just one voyage on the Caslon, joining at Poplar London Docks in December 1958 leaving the ship at Manchester in February 1959
The radio call sign was MCJR

The Caslon called at Halifax where I vaguely recall Hillman Minx cars being unloaded and then on to Dalhousie for loading timber for Manchester

This was the first time that I sailed in icy waters, and was surprised that the Caslon easily cut through the pack ice and mini bergs
The sea was iced over as far as the eye could see

I suspected that the regular Radio Officer missed this trip to avoid the extremely cold weather

After leaving the Caslon in Manchester, and following some leave, I went to sunnier climes in New Zealand on the Prince Line Southern Prince renamed Medic and chartered to Shaw Savill - but that's another story

Ian brown

12/2/2020 12:29:23 pm

My father Don Brown was Radio Officer on the Caslon in late 50s early 60s and might well be the RO on leave mentioned in previous email. I have cherished memories as a young boy of meeting the ship at Latchford Locks and travelling up Manchester Ship Canal to Manchester which was then a thriving port. As a young boy I was always told not to mention the cigarettes and extra bottle of whisky he hid from the customs in the depths of the radio kit! Those were great adventures and very happy days.
If I remember correctly they had a fire in the hold during one voyage back from Newfoundland which made som headlines.Not sure whether this was Caslon or Caxton though.
Thanks for reviving those memories with your emails !

john may link

9/11/2020 02:49:02 am

11.7.2020

Sailed with Don for about 12 months on the CASLON..It was her that had the fire on board. and the newsprint burned in every hold and tween deck .She was not permitted into the Manchester Ship Canal and so put into Liverpool where the fire was extinguished after two days.I was 2nd mate and it was me that discovered the fire - when the ship was in mid-atlantic - some 5 days out from the UK and on passage to Manchester from Dalhousie NB

Don & I were good buddies and sank many a can of Guinness and Tennants Lager together
Happy days indeed and she was the happiest ship I ever sailed on

John May Vancouver B C Canada [email protected]

Ian Brown link

9/11/2020 06:37:58 pm

John
Great to hear from you and your memories of the fire! I can remember us picking My Dad up at Liverpool after you tied up and my Sister telling the bobby on the Dock gate that we had a bottle of whisky under the car seat as we were stopped driving out . I was only eight but it made an impression !!
I know you were one of the names my Dad mentioned as I recognised it when I saw your email . A couple of times he brought some shipmates home if the ship was going up the Ship canal and they could rejoin next day. Apparently these always ended up in a Pub called the Ring O Bells. Did you ever do that ? I’ve just told my Mum that you had been in touch and she sends her regards.
Best wishes
Ian

Debbie Taylor

2/5/2020 08:30:08 pm

Hello my dad Howard Taylor served on this ship in 1954 and when they were in Canada my dad had a bad accident on board and fell into the tank and was taken to a hospital in Saint John New Brunswick, I was just wondering if anyone had anymore information or someone could remember the accident, I know it's a long shot but I thought I would ask just in case many thanks.
Debbie Taylor

Ian Brown

3/5/2020 02:07:35 pm

Debbie
I don’t recall my Dad ever mentioning this and I’m not sure he was with the Caslon then. However as Radio Officer you would assume he might have been involved. I will ask my Mum if she remembers this. She is 92 but sharp as a pin!!
Cheers
Ian Brown

John Horrocks

18/6/2020 03:18:13 pm

Hello Ian,
I came across this web site while trying to do my family history.
I was a marine radio officer on board the ss caslon from 18/5/1960 to 4/12/1960 sailing across the atlantic to Canada, mainly Dalhousie, new brunswick. My Tutor, the senior radio officer, was WD Brown. We called him Don. I suspect you must be his son.
It was a very long time ago and although my memory is poor, i do remember your dad. He was tutor to a lot more learners like myself. After i left the ship i never heard from him again
Regards, John Horrocks

Ian Brown

3/7/2020 04:41:31 pm

John
Thank you so much for replying. Yes Don was my Dad. Hopefully this isn’t an insulting term but he used to talk about having a ‘makey learner’ on board with him so presumably you would have been one! I hope he taught you well and you went on to a long and successful career . I mentioned your email to my Mum who is now 92 and fighting fit and she was really pleased. Sadly Dad passed away in 2000 having retired around 1990 . After the paper boats he moved onto tankers for quite a few years and finished when he had had enough of the technology changes and being told he had to go on a study course for three weeks!!
We still have his pass books and I intend to try to research his previous ships. My best find to date has him aged 18 in New York on a liberty ship having done an Atlantic convoy. Unimaginable in this day and age!
Thank you once again . You have spurred me on .
Best wishes
Ian

Michael Williams link

12/10/2020 09:39:14 pm

Hello Ian,
I sailed on my first trip as one of your Dad’s ‘makey learners’ on the Caslon about 1962/63 and I remember him well, a smashing chap. 3rd Officer at the time was Mike Forward (see previous entry), Capt John Smith, Master, I think it was a John Sloane who was mate, and 2nd Mate was a Norman Smith (ex R.N.) whose party piece was to stand on his head in the Officers Mess and knock back a stemmed glass full of gin (which was sat on the deck) without spilling a drop !. We sailed between Manchester/Dalhousie also Port Alfred/Manchester. Ian, your Dad was then a dab hand at cribbage, he and others had fashioned their own cribbage boards out of brass plateS courtesy of the Engineroom stores !
Happy days
Best wishes/73’s
Mike Williams

Ian Brown

13/10/2020 05:34:41 pm

Dear Mike
Great to hear from you and thanks for your kind words about my Dad. My Mum is 93 now and Extremely sharp so I keep her in touch with any responses I get. When I read out your email to her She immediately knew the names you mentioned and said Mike Forward was the ‘good looking one’ !!! I didn’t press her for any more details!
As I have said in previous emails those were great times for me as a child As we lived reasonably close to Manchester in Widnes and on occasions were able to meet the ship either at the locks on the Manchester Ship Canal or go aboard in Manchester . A real adventure .
You’ll be pleased to know that Mum still has Dad’s cribbage board although as kids we lost most of the pegs. Apologies if he took any money off you. He did say they used to play for matchsticks but I’m not so sure. She also has one of the ‘old fashioned ‘ morse keys from his Caslon days.
Did you carry on with a career at sea ? Dad worked for IMR. Did you take the same route for you training etc.?
I’m really pleased to have found this website as it has brought back so many memories.
Best Wishes
Ian

Sent from my iPhone

jack richardson

1/7/2021 04:14:52 pm

I remember Charlie Keenan I sailed with him not in the Caslon but the Issac Carter great lad had many great times with him Ewan Morrison and Jack Westwood to name a couple a great company to work with

Ian Brown

1/7/2021 07:28:33 pm

Jack
I remember Jack Westwood as he was a pal of my Dad’s (Don Brown)when he was R/O on the Caslon. As I said in a previous response he used to come to our house when they tied up overnight occasionally on the Manchester Ship Canal. I think Jacks wife was called Bella and a bit of useless info My Mum tells me she gave Jack my Hornby double O train set for his son because I never played with it ! It seems an age ago but still good memories.
Best wishes
Ian

Julian Stewart

23/9/2021 09:46:52 pm

I am Julian Stewart and I am writing on behalf of my brother Brian Stewart. 1st Mate on ships noted below.
Brian was in the Merchant Navy from the early 1950s until approx 1963.
He attended Sir John Cass College and later King Edward the 7th naval college and obtained his first mates certificate.
He served on the S.S. Isaac Carter and the SS Caslon and his last ship was the SS Caxton. He travelled from the London Docks to Dalhousie regularly transporting newsprint for the Runciman line and eventually emigrated to Canada where he and I both now reside.
He would be most appreciative from hearing from any of his naval associates who may remember him. Any correspondence or comments could be sent to me and I would forward them on to him.

jack richardson

30/9/2021 07:41:52 pm

Hi Julian did Brian continue to work for the company when he went to Canada as a cargo suer or something? I joined the Baskerville in Jan 1963 and we sailed to Quebec throu the ice wow what an experiance six weeks or so before I had been in the Gulf
The old man was Joe Longley the mate Rici WarrenPerry the C/E Dougie Gilmour 2/Davie (Noddy) Black /E Ewan Morrison and me Jack Richardson 4/E the only Englishman in the E/R
Happy days on the Carter and Caslon as well as some rough ones
Hope you understand my rambligs
Great to hear from you
Regards Jack

John Evans

27/6/2024 03:20:32 pm

Hi Julian. I served as a deck cadets with your brother Brian on board the Caslon from 1956. We were also together on the Caxton in 1962 he was 2nd mate and I was 3rd mate. Met you once when Brian took me to meet his parents in Norwood. Give him my best regards he’ll remember me as Taffy [email protected]

Mike Forwood

11/11/2022 12:51:34 pm

Just finished writing an article for ships Monthly a d come across these message. I was trying to remember the name of one of the best radio officers and now I remember. Don Brown. Went to his house once. Loved Frank Sinatra.

David Goyder

28/2/2023 07:11:11 pm

How fascinating to come across this thread. I was sent to sea in the Caslon as a teenager, about 1956. We has moved to Canada and my Dad arranged for me to go on board Caslon as a super numary cadet during the summer holidays. Captain Coull was the skipper. and his job was to knock the sea out of me!! I had to stand watches with the first mate. Joined her in Dalhousie and went to London. My uncle ran the Newsprint Supply CO in London and he sent a car to take me to his office.That is when the trouble started!. The other cadets (proper ones training to be ship's officers) decided to bring me down a peg and arranged for a fight in the tween decks en route to Canada. Luckily I won and we then all became friends. I loved every minute of it and decided to go to sea when I could. The experience got me past a compulsory French language test at the end of Grade 10, the examiner could not believe I had been to sea and passed me. After school and a brief time in a job in Montreal I joined the RCN and served 7 years. I still have some photos from the Caslon if anyone would like them. Loved that dear old ship, best summer I ever had Dal to London to Saguenay, then London and left her at Dalhousie to go home. Still have my cap badge!!!!
Cheers David

simon haines

16/11/2023 11:18:50 am

My Step Uncle Peter Carnochan served on Caslon in 1950, wondering if anyone knew him or picture of?

Maurice Boughen

14/5/2024 01:29:49 pm

After the training ship at sharpness in 1960 I joined the Caslon and served my first trip as peggy. This was a dog's body for the crew. I hated it so all my spare time I spent in the wheelhouse to qualify for my steering ticket When we returned from Canada we sailed up the Manchester ship canal to Salford . The next trip I was on a watch four to eight. I remember the only cargo going back to Canada was a car and a huge statue. I left the ship after the second trip and never went back to sea again

SS CASLON

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