In 1964, the 30th of April I signed up at M/s Broland which was in Plymouth Harbor (UK). I left my employment at M/s Trubadur, which was a refrigerated shuttle ship between Europe and the Caribbean. My choice to change ships was mainly because I was told that M/s Broland, which was built in 1956 and was now owned by Rederi AB Timex and was a combined general cargo and bulk carrier, which was bound all over the world. I wanted to get grander views of my sailor’s time!
I was assigned a lovely one-man cabin on the 2nd deck with two large portholes. What a difference to those on the M/s Trubadur, with small steam cabins and a small round porthole at the waterline!
When we left the port of Plymouth, we received our loading destination. We would go directly to British Guiana on the northern coast of South America and be fully loaded with Bauxite. This is an element for the manufacture of Aluminums and consists of a fine grey-white powder.
The sail across the Atlantic was calm except for some unsettled weather when we passed the Azores. Broland was a stable ship with its 18,000 dwt. And a speed of 21 knots.
After 12 days on the high seas, we finally saw at the horizon, South America! It was the northernmost parts of Brazil, with its deep green tropical jungle. We now steered east towards Georgetown, the capital of British Guiana. There we will have to lie on the redden to wait for permission to enter the river Demerara.
While we are located outside the estuary of the river and waiting, several small wooden boats are approaching our ship. It was the locals who welcome us and the children’s jumped into the water, for us to throw in coins that they with great skill dived to catch up on.
It was an amazing “Show”!
After a few hours of waiting, the Pilot comes on board, to assign our Captain about the entrance into the river. Our destination was 105 km further south of Georgetown. A village called Linden and at the time consisted only of a quay for loading, as well as the Bauxite factory.
The journey up the river, which flows north, had to be with slow forward speed, only 7-9 knots. This is so that the wave squalor from the ship would not destroy the vegetation on the shores of these deep rainforests, which lays on port and starboard sides. There was a strange silence as the ship slid slowly forward, the only sound that was heard was from our engine room, but also well as the sound far away in the jungle that consisted of monkeys’ screams and craping birds, an incredibly pleasant experience for me.
It took us almost 12 hours to reach the quay in Linden. But what a sad sight! A dusty harbor area consisting mainly of factory buildings producing this Bauxite. A group of British military police came on board and informed us that we should stay on board for our own safety! This was because the local Indigenous population had begun to rebel against the English-ruled colony. The premier, Cheddi Jagan, had trouble running the country and had to ask for support from the British military. This is just the circumstances, after a massacre with nearly 200 dead by the locals, as well as about 30 soldiers.
All this happened in the month of May 1964, at the same tim as we were going to load bauxite! The loading was done by means of screw conveyors that drop down this fine dusty product, directly into the holds and would be ready and done within 48 hours. The dust settles all over the ship and makes its way into all areas, it’s going to be a great afterwork of cleaning!
We sailors were disappointed that after almost 2 weeks at sea, as we were now ordered to stay on board, due to political unrest!
From the railing our eyes were drawn east across the river, where we saw a village with several wooden houses embedded in the jungle and heard rhythms from music and people singing…. “Then there must be bars,” said one of my mates. When we asked the dockworkers if there was any bridge close, but were told that the nearest bridge was in the town of McKenzie over an hour south up the river.
Since we wouldn’t be in port for more than 48 hours, it was a bad option. We found out, however, that there was a man with a “Taxi boat” who could take the us over to the other side. Finally there were 6 of us who decided to take the risk and make the crossing.
The boat was colorfully painted, but it was crowded with only six people on board, we offered the owner 2 USD, which he was happy for. When we arrived on the other side, we quickly found a “saloon”, which was full of locals. These partied and danced according to Caribbean rhythms. A lovely sight!
We were kindly received and entertained, but I saw a group of men staring with watch-gazing glances, I thought it was because we looked different. I was wearing blue jeans and a checkered colorful short-sleeved shirt, while they were simply dressed in torn t-shirts and shorts.
After a couple of hours at the bar, we noticed that the local drink served, gave a strangely intoxicating effect. I told my friends we should go back on board; some were hard to persuade, but in the end, we left the bar together. On the way to the “Taxi boat” we passed a wooden pile with timber and boards high up. Suddenly, a bunch of black-dressed men appeared, as if with such speed that we barely had time to react. (We had been drugged by the drink at the bar!). We were robbed in less than 10 seconds!! I lost my shirt, just a few Dollars’ worth, but the worst was my Timex wristwatch… my confirmation gift of my parents! Similar things had happened to my friends. We were so surprised, by what had happened, that we went directly to the “Taxi boat” and asked the driver to take us back to the opposite side where our ship was loading the Bauxite.
It was only at morning coffee when we met again and began to discuss yesterday’s event. It was our Chief Mate who contacted the port police and they quickly got on board and started questioning us about what had happened. Their bare response was that we had been notified regarding the population on the other side and that we had to blame ourselves …. I was always a calm person, but this time I lost control, and I screamed loudly to them asking, who in the hell rouled the country! The military police previously said that they were not in control on the other side of the river, so they left the ship without answering…
Six sailors had been robbed and now the police did not want to help us, so we decided to take matters into our own hands. We agreed on that we had lack of time, so we decided to visit the other side in 2 groups. The next day, M/s Broland was going to head out to sea again.
The same afternoon we went across the river in two groups. The first group of six took the taxi boat to visit the same bar, while I and five others took us over a little later to hid around the timber board where the assault had taken place.
After a couple of hours of waiting, we hear our friends coming, as agreed. They came singing and seemed drunk. It wasn’t long until at exactly the same place as before, these black-dressed men showed up for another attempt, to rob our friends. At the same time, we counter-attacked, armed with wooden piles and iron pipes! The men were totally surprised by the attack. I saw one of the robbers in the background, wearing my shirt! Without fear, I ran up to him screaming and threatened with my iron pipe telling him to give back my shirt and watch!!
He was a tall man with muscular dark skin, who now pulled out a long knife and we went into close combat, he was bigger and alsow stronger, so I took a few steps back and then attacked with a “Danish skull” in his chest. But just, when I threw myself with my head in front and reached his body, I felt a terrible pain in my back, it was his knife that hit my lower spine! At the same time as he raised his knife again to attack me in lying position, I saw my friend Jens, a gigantic Danish sailor that came up behind him. Jens raised a full rum bottle in the air and struck it into the head of my attacker, the bottle held with the man falling like a log over me. Jens looked at me with a big smile, while holding the bottle of rum in his big hand and shouted loudly, “It’s damn good Rum”!
The battle had been won!! No one else of us had any injuries, but some of our opponents who now run away, were limping.
I was caged by Jen’s bleeding, down to the taxi boat and later was helped aboard the Broland where I was quickly patched up in the infirmary with a couple of stitches in the back.
It wasn’t long before several Military police cars entered the port and stormed aboard. They accused us of assaulting innocent Indigenous people and there could be prison sentences! At this point, our Captain came to our support and said that they were currently on Swedish soil and that he would indeed report their commander to the Swedish Embassy in Georgetown. After this threat from our captain, they left our ship unmeasured…
The next morning, we left the port of Linden and headed north towards the estuary and Georgetown. M/s Broland had been told by the shipping company to take the course for the Panama Canal and later with destination Japan! A journey on the high seas that took 3-4 weeks to then unload the Bauxite cargo in Yokohama.
However, I was not happy with what had happened. During the trip I wrote a long letter, with a clear description of what happened, addressed to the Queen of England! It took over 4 months before I got the answer. But there was a happy surprise, as in the envelope lay a bank check for an amount in Pound, which was well above the value of my Timex watch and other lost possessions. Together with an official excuse! Now I was pleased with myself, I had won against the authorities!
Now I was looking forward to several exciting experiences on the horizon.
I’ll be back soon with some more, by for now!
