Tramp Steamers

Tiki Tom · May 4, 2018

Just saying. The Marquesas are on my bucket list, and this is how I will do it...

https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2017/aug/06/travel-south-pacific-marquesas-mythic/#

fireman · May 5, 2018

That is cool.....I mentioned it to my wife and she is interested. I gotta find out the cost for 2.

Tiki Tom · May 6, 2018

fireman said:
That is cool.....I mentioned it to my wife and she is interested. I gotta find out the cost for 2.

You sparked my curiosity. I’ve been talking about this trip for years: saying that it will be my retirement treat/reward. But it’s been years since I looked at the price. Oddly enough, I couldn’t find the prices on their site itself.

https://www.aranui.com/

The site is worth a visit, if only for that video! Anyway, there are a million cabin options. But looking at other unofficial travel sites, it looks like anywhere from $7000 to $9000 per person for starters for the 2 week trip. Not counting getting yourselves to Tahiti first. I’d be interested if you could locate Aranui’s official price page. Aloha and happy travels.

fireman · May 13, 2018

Tom,

I could not find an official price page either.

I am loathe to make contact with them via email. Every time I do something like that, I seem to get bombarded with spam.

MikeKardec · May 20, 2018

For the real thing, fiction about Tramp Steamers (or motor ships, MS as opposed to SS) read Max Hardberger's Seized or Freighter Captain. Both illuminate the real world of 3d rate shipping in great and amusing detail.

The first, long unfinished, novel of Louis L'Amour will be published in October. It is called No Traveller Returns and is about the crew of a Petroleum Tanker in the late 1930s. As a companion piece there will also be an updated re-release of Yondering in November where all the "Yondering" stories are finally put in a volume of their own. No Traveller is very much a Yondering story sharing some of the same characters and elaborating on some aspects of the stories.

The jacket copy for No Traveller Returns:

Fate is a Ship ...

As the shadows of World War II gather, the SS Lichenfield is westbound across the Pacific carrying eighty thousand barrels of highly explosive naphtha. The cargo alone makes the journey perilous, with the entire crew aware that one careless moment could lead to disaster.

But yet another sort of peril haunts the Lichenfield. Even beyond their day-to-day existence, the lives of the crew are mysteriously intertwined. Though each has his own history, dreams and jealousies, longing and rage, all are connected by a deadly web of chance and circumstance.

Some are desperately fleeing the past; others chase an unknown destiny. A few are driven by the desire for adventure, while their shipmates cling to the Lichenfield as their only true home. In their hearts, these men, as well as the women and children they have left behind, carry the seeds of salvation or destruction. And all of them - kind or cruel, strong or broken - are bound to the fate of the vessel that carries them toward an ever-darkening horizon.

fireman · May 20, 2018

MikeKardec said:
For the real thing, fiction about Tramp Steamers (or motor ships, MS as opposed to SS) read Max Hardberger's Seized or Freighter Captain. Both illuminate the real world of 3d rate shipping in great and amusing detail.

The first, long unfinished, novel of Louis L'Amour will be published in October. It is called No Traveller Returns and is about the crew of a Petroleum Tanker in the late 1930s. As a companion piece there will also be an updated re-release of Yondering in November where all the "Yondering" stories are finally put in a volume of their own. No Traveller is very much a Yondering story sharing some of the same characters and elaborating on some aspects of the stories.
View attachment 119490 View attachment 119492
The jacket copy for No Traveller Returns:

Fate is a Ship ...

As the shadows of World War II gather, the SS Lichenfield is westbound across the Pacific carrying eighty thousand barrels of highly explosive naphtha. The cargo alone makes the journey perilous, with the entire crew aware that one careless moment could lead to disaster.

But yet another sort of peril haunts the Lichenfield. Even beyond their day-to-day existence, the lives of the crew are mysteriously intertwined. Though each has his own history, dreams and jealousies, longing and rage, all are connected by a deadly web of chance and circumstance.

Some are desperately fleeing the past; others chase an unknown destiny. A few are driven by the desire for adventure, while their shipmates cling to the Lichenfield as their only true home. In their hearts, these men, as well as the women and children they have left behind, carry the seeds of salvation or destruction. And all of them - kind or cruel, strong or broken - are bound to the fate of the vessel that carries them toward an ever-darkening horizon.

Mike, that is really cool...thanks for posting it.

Inkstainedwretch · May 26, 2018

I just want to say that this is the most enjoyable thread I've participated in on FL. Let's keep it up!

MikeKardec · May 27, 2018

Just for the record the Max Hardberger book Seized is about stealing tramp freighters ... something he sort of specialized in for a few years! Basically, hijacking ships impounded in foreign ports for their owners.

Having become a sort of connoisseur of these sort of books while doing my own research I can also recommend Blue Funnel Voyage East and Merchant Marine War Diary as good sources of information on the work of crewmen.

Tiki Tom · May 28, 2018

I should probably mention how I became interested in tramp steamers. When he was 16 years old, in 1936, my dad ran away from home. He ended up in Hamburg and got a job on a freighter. In Feb 1940 his freighter was caught by the British in the Caribbean. He spent the whole of the war in a British prisoner of war camp (Up Park camp) in Kingston, Jamaica. After the war —-after some misadventures—- he resumed life on freighters. Traveled all around the Atlantic from South America to various ports in west and south Africa. On at least one occasion he offloaded himself in an exotic port and later rejoined the vessel when it next came calling. In the mid-1950s he jumped ship for good in NYC, found a wife and the rest is history. I grew up listing to his tales of the sea and of foreign ports. Some of my best memories, those.

Mike, congrats on the upcoming publications. Very exciting. I’m sure you realize you are helping to keep the genre alive. And in an authentic way.

Inkstained, I’m just happy to know there are kindred spirits out there. When I first joined FL, it was as a bit of a lark. Now I’m a bit shocked at how high my post count is running.

Zombie_61 · May 28, 2018

Tiki Tom said:
I should probably mention how I became interested in tramp steamers. When he was 16 years old, in 1936, my dad ran away from home. He ended up in Hamburg and got a job on a freighter. In Feb 1940 his freighter was caught by the British in the Caribbean. He spent the whole of the war in a British prisoner of war camp (Up Park camp) in Kingston, Jamaica. After the war —-after some misadventures—- he resumed life on freighters. Traveled all around the Atlantic from South America to various ports in west and south Africa. On at least one occasion he offloaded himself in an exotic port and later rejoined the vessel when it next came calling. In the mid-1950s he jumped ship for good in NYC, found a wife and the rest is history. I grew up listing to his tales of the sea and of foreign ports. Some of my best memories, those...

This is the sort of story that comes to my mind when I hear or read the term "tramp steamer"--a romanticized tale of adventure and misadventure, laboring on an old ship that's at least a bit of a rust bucket for just enough pay to scrape by on, doing whatever it takes to get the cargo to it's destination. But the trade-off is the reward of seeing the world in the process, going to places most have never heard of and meeting people who might never travel more than 20 miles from where they were born. Your dad's story would probably make for some interesting reading.

Tiki Tom · May 30, 2018

My father had some good stories, alright. Thinking of them transports me to my teen years, sitting in my parent’s backyard in Southern California, listening to Dad tell me a tale as a subject came up naturally. For example, after the war ended but before he was repatriated to Germany, he was allowed to work as a waiter in the British Officers Club. One day no less than Errol Flynn comes in and buys everyone a drink and proceeds to hold court. Many of my dad’s stories, taken out of context, might seem a little amazing. But in context they are readily believable. Getting thrown into jail in Switzerland and Italy for traveling without correct papers, finally obtaining false (but real) Swedish seaman’s papers in France by not exactly honest means, traveling up the Amazon to Manaus, encounter with a biting bat, living in South Africa for a few months between ships, some adventures in Namibia and Tropical Africa. The list goes on and on, spanning almost 20 years. Anyway, I really should try to write them down, or what I can recall of them.
I miss that guy.

Zombie_61 · May 31, 2018

Truth is not only stranger than fiction, it's often more interesting. Between my dad and one of my uncles, I could probably have had any number of unbelievable stories but dad wouldn't allow it. He rarely spoke of his younger days, and on those rare occasions when he did they were relatively harmless tales that only revealed a small part of the whole story. My uncle was more than willing to tell all, but whenever he started dad would tell him (in German) to shut up. Uncle would laugh and they would argue, in German, with dad defending his position and uncle teasing him about it. I couldn't understand exactly what they were saying, but got the gist of it through their inflections and body language. And the only reason I know there was more to be told is because an occasional story or two would be passed on to me by that uncle and my older brother or sister when dad wasn't around. The tip of the iceberg, to be sure, but it revealed a side of dad that I rarely saw. He stood 5'7" and probably never weighed more than 140 lbs. in his life, but from what I've heard he wasn't the kind of guy you wanted to mess with if he got angry enough.

MikeKardec · Jul 12, 2018

MikeKardec said:
The first, long unfinished, novel of Louis L'Amour will be published in October.

Now delayed until November. Walmart gets what it wants ... which is okay with me as long as they'll stock it!

Tiki Tom · Jul 23, 2018

Amazing. This looks like it is right up our alley. Could it be that tramp steamer tales might be coming back into fashion? (Not likely, but one hopes.)

"WHEN Newcastle musician and writer David Baker put together a cabaret-style musical play, Tramp Steamer Tramp, in 2013, he had no idea how popular it would be with audiences. The story, set on a dilapidated tramp steamer, the Shanghai Princess, with a very diverse collection of crew members and passengers, and moving through South-East Asian waters in 1937, had watchers repeatedly applauding."

https://www.theherald.com.au/story/5395378/preview-tramp-steamer-tramp-at-royal-exchange/

I would pay to go see it.

And apparently the play’s author got his inspiration from the 1930s film, China Seas, that starred Clark Gable and Jean Harlow. I’ll have to check it out sometime.

http://dearmrgable.com/?page_id=3869

Tiki Tom · Dec 13, 2018

Not a tramp freighter. But –better yet— she follows the tramp life under sail. Does anyone remember the 1950s TV show “Adventures in Paradise”? This is Captain Adam Troy’s life up-dated to the 21st century. It’s really amazing that this can work in 2018. Astounding.

“As a sailing cargo ship, Kwai is an unlikely throwback to a pre-container ship era. Yet by serving tiny Pacific islands that other cargo ships rarely visit, and by using sail power to slash its fuel costs, Kwai has found a niche in the world of maritime transport. Since 2006 it has plied the waters of the equatorial Pacific offering cargo and passenger services.”

https://hanahou.com/21.5/the-sea-trader

And I found her website. SV Kwai will be in Kiribati on January first, but will be back in Honolulu by the 16th. And, yes, crew positions are available (but it is not a lark for amateurs.)

http://svkwai.com/

fireman · Dec 13, 2018

That is awesome....thanks for posting it.

Guy could make some good coin if he had a cabin or 2 to carry passengers on a round trip.

Tiki Tom · Feb 4, 2019

I’m thinkin’ pirates...

https://www.thejakartapost.com/amp/...od-mystery-shrouds-vessels-disappearance.html

Tiki Tom · Feb 4, 2019

Holy cow. Here’s another one. How is this possible? A ghost ship? Is this fake news?

https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/world...t-disappeared-mysteriously-1330436-2018-09-03

Tiki Tom · May 8, 2019

Tramp Steamer photos from the mid-1930s:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-vessels-transported-British-trade-world.html

Tiki Tom · Jun 24, 2019

Looking for an old fashioned good yarn about a rascal Irish-American sea captain who flees Savannah under a cloud, gets ship wrecked in Micronesia, and then —-after various adventures—- becomes “king” of a south seas island? The book is “His Majesty O’Keefe” by Lawrence Klingman and Gerald Green. Published in 1950 it is a good adventure story written for a post-WWII audience. I was lucky enough to find an ancient paperback version in the local second hand book shop. It is a fictionalization of the real life of Captain David O’Keefe who ruled Yap for the last thirty years of the nineteenth century. It was made into a blockbuster movie starring Burt Lancaster in 1954. I have not seen the movie, but I recommend the book. They don’t write em like that anymore.

Tramp Steamers

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