THIS IS FINDON - Yet Another View of Findon

After looking at the photograph of the collier named FINDON, I was compelled to discover more about this motorship. I wondered where the FINDON was now. Tony told me that in 1963 Stephenson Clarke Shipping Limited were operating forty coasters (river/sea ships) and all were given famous Sussex place names.

Stephenson Clarke is one of the oldest shipping companies in the world (if not the oldest) now that it still trades under its original name.

The FINDON had a "sister" ship called ARUNDEL completed in November 1956. The dimensions of both ships were 344 ft x 46ft 3in x 20ft.

I found that Stephenson Clarke has been going since 1730, and the company operated a fleet of owned and managed vessels, principally bulk and dry cargo and specialised craft. Ships operated on short sea trades — northern Europe, the Baltic and the Mediterranean.

I located George Robinson from Cottingham, Hull and he was of great assistance in helping me find out more about the collier named FINDON.

The FINDON

He told me that in May 1957 she was completed by Austin & Pickersgill of Sunderland and originally named RONDO for Pelton S.S.Co. of Newcastle, and operated as a collier under charter to Stephenson Clarke.

Here is the engine build registry entry of Williamm Doxford & Sons Limited of Sunderland.......

25th March 2004.

Dear Valerie

MV Rondo

Your web page is most interesting. I have often wondered what happened to the RONDO.. I attended the launching of RONDO/FINDON in November 1956, as a 16 year old.

My father was a director of the Pelton Steamship Company, which had been founded by a distant cousin, Herbert Spencer Helme, my father also went on it's sea trials. Amongst those there at the launching, was another director Gerald Gardiner, who became Lord Chancellor in 1965.

I have in my possession some of the official photos of the launching and sea trials of RONDO. She was launched by the daughter of the Chairman of the board, whose name I cannot remember.

My father told me that they had a lot of problems with the Doxford engine, as they had been assured that it could be run on fuel oil, in place of diesel fuel. Also some of the plates on the hull had to be replaced, they had been given some special heat treatment to slow corrosion, but it had the opposite effect.

All ships owned by Pelton S S ended in "O", hence MOTO, TESTO, LESTO, STRESSO and ZELO, which was used to raise the submarine HMS THETIS after it sank off Liverpool 1st June 1939.

There had been a previous RONDO.

Before the Second World War they owned 8 ships, losing 4. The company went out of business c. 1961, being sold, due to the slump in shipping in the late 1950s, they were losing a lot of money

I'm afraid I transgressed a little but I attach photos for you.

regards

John Boyle, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.

The lovely atmospheric photographs above show the MV RONDO in 1956.

Stephenson Clarke then bought her in 1961 and she was renamed FINDON after our village.

The MV FINDON

George Robinson from Cottingham then sent me this picture with the caption

"Astern of this fleet is Pelton's RONDO (later FINDON), a near sister of ARUNDEL"......

The FINDON collier at Charlton Buoys on the Thames (on the site of the now Thames Barrier).
Photograph by Ken Smith.

Stephenson Clarke named all of their ships after Sussex villages/towns but this was the first time they had used FINDON as one of their fleet names.

The FINDON was a ship of 3,432 gross tons and was 344ft. long, with a 46.3ft. beam and could carry 4,520 tons of coal. Her diesel engine was 3 cylinder, 1,425 bhp engine by Wm. Doxford of Sunderland. She had four holds and four derricks.

I received this little gem.... all the way from Australia.... this is the kinda email I like to receive....

Hi Valerie, Here's a picture I found on the Ships Nostalgia website, posted by Kevin McDermott of Blyth.

It shows mv Findon (on the righthand side) on an uncharacterisically hot summer say in Blyth, Northumberland, in the mid-50s.

You can almost feel the heat and they'd never heard of Global Warming in those days.

Best wishes, John.

John Trotter, Brisbane, Australia.

In June 2003, Danny Fernley, who lives in Cross Lane in Findon, happened to be passing my drive and he told me that he remembered seeing the FINDON (very smart with a new lick of paint) moored and bobbing on the sea in Shoreham Harbour in 1968. This was the only occasion I have actually heard of anyone remembering seeing the FINDON on her rounds.

In 1973 she was sold to Cyprus-flag owners,

the Andromyk Shipping Co. Ltd

. and rather strangely her name was changed from FINDON to INDON. Then later that year she carried a Panama-flag as SAN SHINE and in 1977 she started trading as TRIUMPH ACE.

On 27th September 1977 she was stranded off the coast many miles away from West Sussex in position 25.18N 121.32E near Keelung off the island of Taiwan. This happened during her first voyage under the new name while on business from Kaohsiung in the south of the island to Keelung in the north. Alas, she was broken up where she lay and that is the end of the story of the unfortunate FINDON.

Her sister ship, ARUNDEL had already changed hands and had been

renamed BRICK DODICESIMO. She was alas broken up at La Spezia, Italy in September 1982.

In April 2003, I was most interested to hear from the fourth engineer who had sailed on the FINDON.....

13th April 2003.

Dear Valerie,

I was surprised and pleased to find the information about the "FINDON" as I sailed on her 32 years ago as a Fourth Engineer.

I now live happily in Spain and have fond memories of taking cargoes of coal from Jarrow to Dagenham.

All the best and again thank you.

John.

John Weatherstone, Spain.

I immediately asked John if he had any reminiscences for us of life aboard the FINDON and this was his reply.....

13th April 2003.

Dear Valerie,

It seems such a long time ago now when as a boy born and brought up in North Shields a fishing port at the mouth of the River Tyne. I used to sit and watch the ships sail in and out and the colliers sailing daily with coal from the north east mines and I dreamed one day of going to sea on one of these big ships.

My dream came true at the age of twenty two after serving my time in the engineering industry in Newcastle.

I first sailed on a tanker that sailed to the Persian Gulf as a Junior Engineer always on watch in the Engine Room with a Senior Engineer, after sailing to America, Canada and different places I was offered the position as Fourth Engineer in charge of my own watch now I thought I have arrived and my golden ship the "FINDON", a collier owned by Stevie Clarks.

I joined the "FINDON at Jarrow". My brother in law who had been to sea for many years said the "Findon" was probably an old tub but I thought she had more character than the big super tankers I had sailed on, with their press button technology.

We used to sail to the Thames but also to Immingham near Hull and also Farge and Emden in Germany which for the "FINDON" was a mammoth journey.

I remember once on the way to Germany I was on deck when I encountered what I thought was a racing pigeon with a broken wing but after looking at the bird I found it only to be exhausted.
Ii kept it in a box and said nothing to no one. After two days the third engineer, Joe, asked me if I could hear birds cooing in the night. I just said —

"Joe, you are drinking too much brown ale".

But then I had to come clean and by the next day most of the crew were asking how their bird was getting on and I said unfortunately — "great" — as we will have to let it go. Now we stood on deck and let the bird fly away. It flew twice round the ship as if to say "thank you.
Maybe some time soon I will remember more things about my time on the "FINDON" but for now all the best

John.

John Weatherstone, Spain

Here's another sailor's tale of life onboard the FINDON...

1st November 2004

Hi Valerie

MV FINDON

I was very suprised to find your site on the MV Findon as I scrolled through the web looking for info on the ships I had been on as a young man.

I joined the Findon in April 1966 as a galley boy and she was given a deep sea charter instead of the usual coastal run. We sailed for Antwerp in Belgium and I spent my 16th birthday there in my first foreign port....................AAH!!!! I remember it well, the boys on board took me ashore and decided to make me into a man........................My 9 months on board were very busy and I grew up quick on that ship.

We sailed from there via the Panama Canal encountering the hurricane off the Florida coast that devasted the place and killed quite a few people. I remember being extremely ill with sea sickness on my first ocean voyage in those huge seas brought up by the hurricane and thinking

"What am I doing here, I'm going to die".

We managed to get through the hurricane and sailed to the West coast of Canada to 2 small townships in British Columbia called Ocean Falls and Kittimat where we loaded cargo for Philladelphia. The West coast was very pretty and the people very friendly.

After Philladlephia we went to Antwerp again and to Rotterdam several times.

After that we went to Prince Edward Island and another town there that I can't remember in Nova Scotia where we picked up timber for Ghent in Belgium. That was quite a journey too as we were about 3 days out in the Atlantic when we lost on of the blades off the propellor and we had to slow the ship down to a walking pace to stop the vibration.

It took forever to cross the Atlantic and get to Ghent. As we steamed up the English Channel I had just come back from the wheelhouse and walked across the deck cargo of logs which were stacked level with the top of the wheel house and accomodation areas the ship lurched because of the bad weather and the deck cargo lashings gave way and it all went overboard, another minute earlier and I would have gone with it.

It was sad to see from your site that she was run aground in Taiwan and broken up.........but that's the way of the sea I guess. She was certainly a good home for me and I have lots of happy memories from her.

I am living in Auckland New Zealand and have been here since 1972 apart from 5 years when I lived in Noosa Heads Australia.

All the best

Dave Johnson

Dave Johnson, Auckland, New Zealand.

21st January 2006

Hi Valerie,

The FINDON and the SHOREHAM

Alas i haven't a tale to tell of my trips on either the FINDON or the
SHOREHAM - i only did a short spell as a holiday relief engineer during the
summer of 1963 before returning to deep sea.

Funnily enough having served my time as an apprentice fitter & turner at Wm
Doxford in Sunderland 1954 - 1959. When I went to sea it was on the steam
turbine ships of Elders & Fyffes. So the first Doxford engined ship i sailed
on was the FINDON!

I think I can remember her engine running on the test bed at Doxfords.-
used to take my bait and sit near the engine on test!and nod off to the beat
of the exhaust.

Stevie Clarks was a good company to work for and I had a pleasant time
(apart from being seasick on the 'flaties') fetching coal to the south,
power station coal to fords at Dagenham and other power stations on the
Thames. Domestic coal to places like Plymouth Portsmouth, Portland Bill and
even Jersey.

I really enjoyed your excellent site.
Kindest regards
Russell

Russell Lowdon.

22nd January 2006

Hi Valerie

here's a site you might like to view it's the doxford engine friends
association of which I'm a member, most of the lads would have helped build the FINDON'S engine!

www.doxford-engine.com

regards
Russell

Russell Lowdon.

19th February 2006

Hello Valerie

MV FINDON

I was delighted to read your website as my father Jack Grewar was master of the FINDON, from when she was launched as the M V RONDO in 1957 to his death in 1966.

Jack Grewar in his cabin.

He went with her, when Pelton Steamship company went into voluntary liquidation in 1961, to Stephenson Clark.

Pelton steamship company only had two ships in 1961 the RONDO and the TEMPO, the LESTO having been broken up several years previously.

My mother was given the ship's clock from the LESTO after my father's death by a Mr. Cooper who I believe was the marine engineer who supervised her demise.

The TEMPO which was a steam ship I believe was sold to a greek company in '61.

I spent many a happy hour on the FINDON as a child, mostly in port, but I do remember one trip from Blyth in Northumberland to Fowey in Cornwall to pick up China clay. She not only carried coal, but a variety of cargoes, some more pleasant than others eg sulpher, liquid gas ( she had to be specially
adapted for this),timber, pitprops,sugar and several more.

She travelled all over the world with her cargoes as well as on the coast with coal.

I have a few pictures I will attempt tp email to you.

The photo's of the FINDON were taken in Spain by the cheif stewart Tommy Sayer and sent to me some time in the early 60's.

FINDON at Valencia, Spain.

The chief officer at the time was a Mr. Bowmaker and I can remember two cheif engineers a Mr Wincop ant I think A Mr. Errington. A 2nd engineer called Pat ?

I hope this reaches you as I have tried a few times

Yours Sue

Susan Haynes.

7th March 2007

Hello Valerie...

THE COLLIER MV FINDON

I was just 'trawling' (no pun intended) through the internet and came across your associated stories about this ship.

I was employed as a ship's agency clerk by Stephenson Clarke as my first job after leaving school in 1963 at their Newcastle upon Tyne offices in Collingwood Street.

At that time the company owned and managed about 125 ships of their own and and those of the CEGB (Central Electricity Generating Board), the NTGB (North Thames Gas Board) and British Methane Ltd.

I used to visit many of the ships in the N E Coast Ports and made several 'holiday' trips aborad some of them including the AMBERLEY, SHOREHAM & the BRAMBER which was another ex Pelton SS Co Ltd purchase that they made, although I don't recall the date or her Pelton SS Co 'O' suffixed name! She was somewhat better equipped for cargo handling (rather like the RONDO/FINDON) as they used to trade to NE Russia carrying timber in their Pelton SS Co days.

Stephenson Clarke was a wonderful firm to work for and I have many happy memories of my days there 1963 - 1968.

Good to hear reminiscences from some of the seagoing contributors to your website.

Best of Luck ... Geoff Colls, Topcliffe, North Yorkshire.

In February 2009 I heard from Susan Haynes again....."Valerie, My cousin in Canada sent me these when she was clearing her Father's house. I am not sure how he came to have them but they may be of interest.

It is a copy of her sea trials on 22.5.1957. On the back someone ran a sweep stake to see how many Knots she would travel over a given distance. My father won!!

The other is a copy of a poem written by one of her radio officer's. It brought tears to my eyes. I'm not sure of the quality of the scanning!! Your's Sue Haynes"

click to enlarge

On 4th September 2009 I was delighted to receive an email from a Captain of MV Findon....."Dear Valerie...MV FINDON....I have recently browsed your very interesting web sight about Findon and congratulate you on its content an wealth of knowledge.

The MV Findon is a lady I hold dear to my heart, being my first permanent Command. On June 13th 1961 I was transferred from the MV HAYLING to the FINDON Second Mate.(the reason being that I held a Browns Gyro Certificate and the Findon was the only ship in the fleet at the time fitted with such a beast)

The day I joined the name RONDO was being painted out and FINDON being painted in on the hull and on such other things such as lifeboats and lifebuoys. We completed loading and sailed for the Thames. Half way down the coast we were informed that some of the paperwork associated with the changeover was innocent and we were to revert to RONDO in London

However by the time we docked all had been rectified and we were able to put the paint pots away.
I sailed on the FINDON for four months with Captain Jack Grewer an met his Daughter Susan several times before moving on to a new ship being built for world trading (MV GILLSLAND)

Shortly after gaining my Masters Cetificate in February 1969 I was appointed Chief Officer (yes you have guessed it) the FINDON. My stay this time was rather short and I left in April to join MV STORRINGON. I spent a year as Chief Officer of STORRINGTON before being promoted to relieving Master.

In September 1969 I was appointed Master of the FINDON, a position I held until September 1972.

It wasn't long after I left the Old Lady that she broke down in the Bristol Channel and had to be towed in and was subsequently sold and renamed INDON.

I have very many fond memories of the FINDONand as relatively young Master had my share frights, as she was not an easy ship to handle.

I have been retired and living in Ireland for the last 13 years but feel very nostalgic reading your web pages
Keep up the good work

Yours sincerely

Captain Trevor W Hughes, Gurteen, Bantry, Co Cork, Ireland."

I wrote back to Captain Hughes for further information .... but unfortunately I did not hear from him again.

THIS APPEARED IN THE Nautilus Telegraph for November 2009....regarding the collier we are all familiar with.... named FINDON......

click on images to enlarge

David Cheslin emailed...."This one took me a long way back. Rondo was a regular caller in Hartlepool and I used to see her as I cycled to school! She was distinctive in that most of the colliers loading in Hartlepool were part of big fleets; as a one-off, Rondo's red and black chequer-board funnel really stood out. Later of course, she became more anonymous as the Stephenson Clarke ships were a common sight in Hartlepool".

MV FINDON..."Valerie, Just come across this on "tinterweb".

This was one of my first ships as a Radio Offcer. Having qualified in 1972 I had a done my stint as a junior on the MV Sugar Transporter and this was probably my second ship as a Radio Officer. What a change from my deep sea ship. Only probably did a couple of months or so on her.

Can,t remember where I joined her. I do remember that the radio room and my accommodation was in the bridge section and if you wanted to eat you had to go to the rear accommodation. Not much fun on a wild day and even worse on a wild night. No luxuries of the more modern ships. I remember that the radio room was on the bridge level and my cabin one deck down and if you needed to use the toilet I had to go through the bridge , accompanied by the usual banter from the on watch personnel, to the toilet situated on the port wing.

On that trip we went Cobh in Ireland where she was the largest ship ever to travel upriver to the port. It was a hairy experience negotiating a passage around pink rock using the engines and rudder to swing her. We also went to Kiel up the canal. She then did a trip to the Baltic to Stettin in Poland. Some very bad weather on that trip as I recall. Even at that time there was there were strict navigational routes through the Baltic as it had been so heavily mined during the war. Wherever you looked on the chart it was labeled minefield.

The cold war was still on and I remember the armed guards on the gangplank and patrolling the length of the ship. The captain at the time went ashore, dressed in uniform, to check the loading marks at the bow and stern and, despite being in full view at all times, was religiously escorted by a fully armed guard.

Never knew till now where the name Findon came from. Cheers Ken Moore"