Nipon Kola K.K., Tsurimi, Japan. 1972.

21500grt and 1076 feet,

Tantalus was laidup in Loch Striven for a while. Paul, who sent the picture below, was on the first voyage out of Loch Striven in 1978 as 3rd (4th) Mate (waiting for sea time). From Canada and then Tuberao in Brazil. Both to Ijmuden and Rotterdam.

Tantalus was in Loch Striven along with Gastor and Nestor for a while. What a sight these huge ships must have made.

Paul writes:

The cargo we lifted in Canada was 205,000 tonnes. It was the largest cargo ever lifted by a ship at Seven Islands at the time and we had to ground the ship on the birth to get it all in and wait for the tide. My overriding memory of the place was, when we arrived the temperature was +1c and I remember thinking that Canadian weather was mild until I got down to the bar after anchoring and heard the weather forecast, steadily getting colder the further west one went (Winnipeg was minus 20ish I remember). Within 2 days it was -22c and, as we came off the birth, it snowed. Not a real problem but there was iron ore pellets in the hatch runners and the snow froze them in. I was on anchor watch for most of the night watching the Africans chip the pellets out of the runners so we could secure for sea. Look at the picture and you'll realise how big a job that was! Well, the poor guys just couldn't handle the temperature and I have never had as much sympathy for a group before. Just pathetic little bundles of clothes trying to keep warm - and failing. One of them was hit on the legs by a wire and escaped serious injury because he was wearing many layers of boiler suit. After that we did two cargos to Tuberao in Brazil. I remember rolling down to Rio about 10 degrees either side and NOTHING stayed still.