| Description | Tape 1 Side A MARCUS (MAX) GUNN born 7 August 1934 Firth, Orkney. Reasons for names Marcus, Max. Details re childhood home farm, in family for generations. Maternal grandfather a master mariner in sail. Has one sister in Canada. Little known about paternal family. Explains. Grandfather a mason/plasterer. Names in paternal family. Maternal family names Heddle, Wylie. Grandfather born 1838, aged 57 when he started his family. Parents emigrated to Australia during Depression but returned. Details re sister. Father worked as mason/plaster, also worked in lawyer's office, away in army during World War II, misrepresented his age. Details re his other jobs including managing Royal Hotel. Family moved to Stromness. Father away a lot during own childhood. Describes him, relationship with him. Mother had all responsibility for children. She worked, had a cafe, billeted forces during war. Little impact of war on Stromness. Reference to Army Personnel Intelligence Corps. Remembers Army Cinema, Path* News. Memories of Scarpa Flow. Religion, politics unimportant in childhood. Recalls childhood gangs, rivalries. Compares Stromness of childhood and now. Recalls characters, town crier Silver John, laundry lady Kitty Bell, childhood pranks. Discipline in childhood. Stromness was dry, no alcohol, public houses till after war. Went to Stromness Academy. Did not enjoy school. Recalls teachers, their nicknames, strict headmaster. Some families in Stromness were well off, grocers, bakers. Didn't have holidays. Went to family farm at Finstown. At 17 joined Blue Funnel line as Midshipman. Details. Recalls sport at school, own attitude as a boy. Sister worked in bank, then migrated to Canada. Mentions extended family.
Tape 1 Side B 1951 signed indentures to join Blue Funnel line as Deck Apprentice in Alfred Holt's. Recalls Anchises, cargo ship on Liverpool-Far East liner trade. Details re voyage route. Daily routine as an apprentice, chores, meals, breaks. Worked for Bosun who was tough on apprentices. Recalls sleeping in bath because of heat in Red Sea. Had theoretical work to do. Only apprentice not to have been at training school. Contact with home. Most friends left Stromness at same age for National Service, university etc. Worked at sea for 4 years going to Far East. Captains, Chief Engineers were remote beings. Details re voyages on training ship. Background to promotion to Bosun's Mate (on ship Calchas). Promoted to 5th, then 4th Mate. 4-year apprenticeship followed by time at Leith Nautical College (1955) to pass 2nd Mate's certificate with help of bursary. Details re exams. Explains change from Blue Funnel Line to Shell tankers as 3rd Mate (1956). Describes 24-hour trips home to Stromness from Liverpool between voyages. Nothing new in Stromness. Joined asphalt-carrying tanker Platidia in Hamburg, went to Carribean. Compares Shell's culture with that of Blue Funnel Line. Shell more casual. Safety discipline was strict. Details re routine as 3rd Mate, being on watch with skipper. Duties on watch included maintaining lookout, plotting position, taking sights, keeping log, maintaining life safety equipment. Travelled from Curacao to United States. Details re pay. Not much social life as a young officer at sea or at home. Explains contract with company. Details re uniform.
Tape 2 Side A Next move to another Shell tanker as 2nd Mate. Responsibilities as Navigation Officer. Compares navigation then with now. Tankers had unpredictable routine, routes compared with Blue Funnel ships. Explains procedure re articles (contracts). Feelings about current work/leave arrangements. Little leisure time on tankers. Promoted First Officer 1964. Details re ranks. Biggest Shell tanker c50,000 tons. Comments on working in dangerous environment of a tanker. Smoking restrictions. Not a smoker. Accommodation, meal arrangements. Fell out with Shell, joined Denholms, ship managers, of Glasgow. Details. Had married 1958. Details re wife's names, family. Her father a lighthouse keeper. Wife came on voyage in Shell tanker. She was a clerkess in Edinburgh. Joined them as Chief Officer on tanker, Naess Scotsman, Naess Line. Mentions getting Master's certificate. Travelled to Persian Gulf, New Zealand, worldwide trading. Routine as Chief Officer, responsibilities for running ship, cargo operations. Role of master. First experience with Indian crew. Compares with Chinese. Describes handling of tankers, care necessary. Details re various voyages, ships. First Master's job on iron ore carrier, Ormsary. Details. Differences running iron ore ships. Later took over supertanker of 90,000 tons, oil/iron carriers of 150,000 tons. Explains own style as Master. Everyone, even captain had to work for your crust in Denholms. Compares cultures of Denholms, Blue Funnel. Has never been a drinker. Care necessary when navigating supertankers. Recalls worst passage, round Cape Horn. Attitude in difficult situations. Came ashore in 1975 as Marine Superintendent, Flotta. First awareness of North Sea oil industry, first contacts with Flotta, leading to job offer.
Tape 2 Side B Marine Superintendent, Flotta, 1975 (cont'd). Terminal was still in building stage, SPM (Single Point Moorings) being constructed. Feelings about coming ashore. Details re daughter. First saw her when she was 10 months old. Difficulties for daughter with father away so much. First colleagues at Flotta, in Harbours Department. Recalls aloof English Terminal Manager who didn't fit in, boats used to carry workers to Flotta. Own brief as Marine Superintendent. Establishment of operation of SPMs. Mooring Masters employed. Recalls construction, testing of SPMs, problems, dealings with German manufacturers. Describes SPM, its design. Oversaw building of jetty, coordination of loading, unloading, running of passenger launches, workboats. Local authority ran pilotage. Responsibilities of pilot, terminal staff. Explains ultimate responsibility of Master of ship in relation to pilot, mooring master. Several hundred construction workers built terminal. Permanent Occidental staff grew over the years. Recalls opening 1977, Armand Hammer, Tony Benn who ostensibly pulled lever to load first ship, Dolabela. Impression of Hammer, his promises. Reference to Alistair Dunnett, Paul Getty. Never had much to do with Hammer. Impression of Margaret Thatcher. As staff member, not invited to opening celebrations. Flotta people invited to party in 'the Hilton' (accommodation/catering block). Explains changes to Stromness through shipping, chartered fishing boats, employment patterns. Orkney used to disruption, as in war years. Feeling re outsiders of them and us, some resentment. Most construction people stayed on Flotta. Compares with Shetland, Aberdeen situations. Construction workers remained after 1977. 80-90% of Occidental employees at Flotta were local. Worked closely with Council Harbour Department. Recalls first and only major incident, 1977. Own role.
Tape 3 Side A Marine Superintendent (cont'd). Recalls only major incident which involved 5th ship on berth, Shell tanker Maxella breaking out of berth causing damage and pollution spill. Details. Bad for public relations. Mentions anti-Flotta group, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Used dispersion, containment processes to clean up. Belief that it is best to leave a spill which will disappear naturally. Gives example. After incident, loading limit put on Single Point Moorings (SPM), moorings style changed, tug used. No break-outs since. Feelings about number of tugs necessary to service terminal. Difference of opinion on this. Details. Council, as well as Occidental, made money from oil. Reasonable relationship between them. Compares with situation in Shetland. Difference between Orkney and Shetland psyches. Reference to Ian Clark, Shetland. Comments on Oxy (Occidental) as firm to work for. No problem with budgets. Mentions own lack of interest in politics but opposition to unionisation of industry. Recalls moves by union for recognition. Attitude of locals to unions. Recalls union situation in own earlier days at sea. Refused to join. Explains feelings about collective action. Union got foothold in Flotta. Impact of this. Feelings about their attitude. Safety in marine side of Flotta not top of the list in early years. Details. Opinion of current safety requirements. Recalls difficulty controlling contractors at Flotta. 3 divers lost when Flotta pipeline laid. Details re own staff a Flotta. Became Deputy Terminal Manager. Nondescript job. Explains. Later Acting Terminal Manager. Recalls need for speed of operation at Flotta. Routine as Marine Superintendent, 24-hour responsibility.
Tape 3 Side B Deputy Terminal Manager in 1988. Recollections of Piper Alpha disaster. Called back from holiday in Shetland. Details. Situation at Flotta terminal. Plant shut down, made safe, oil flow stopped at time of fire on Piper. Details re oil pressures etc. Some staff went to Aberdeen to help. Recalls preparations at Flotta for recovered Piper accommodation module. Went out to Piper to see heavy lift barge. Recalls sight of Piper remains. Supervised establishment of area for divers working on module, undertakers etc. Details of operation, volunteer divers, their attitude. Oxy (Occidental) was traumatised. Everyone kept on payrolls. Comments on Occidental's handling of situation, reaction of Orkney people. Some time before oil started flowing again. Recalls periods of secondment as consultant to Bogota, Colombia, and France. Finished at Flotta in 1993. Oxy bought by Elf. Didn't get on with the French. Explains. Opinion of the French. Example of difficulties with them. Elf links with Orkney community not as good as those of Oxy. Made redundant 1993. Details. Decision not to do more work. Appointed to Health Board, Pilotage Examination Sub-committee. Chairman of Stromness lifeboat branch of RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution). Main hobby trout fishing. Lives close to childhood home. Feelings about having come ashore. Was at sea at a good time. Changes to shipping industry, seafaring. Changes to Stromness since childhood days. Prospects for Orkney when oil goes. Explains doubts re possibility of a container terminal there. |