return to the UK page 5

RETURN TO THE UK

THROUGH THE SUEZ CANAL

Red sea patrol boat.

Nevasa in convoy in the canal.

It was strange seeing such sights as this from onboard a ship
in a Desert!

Bum boats at Port Suez.

Canal workers encampment.

An Egyptian Mig 15 does a run and break high over Nevasa.

The Harbour entrance.

Dredger at the canal entrance.

Another of the many dredgers used in the canal.

At anchor in the Bitter Lakes waiting for the down convoy from Port Said.

Port Suez entrance to the canal.

Streets of Gibraltar.

The ship "Roma" waiting for the convoy to enter the canal.

14 Russian built Mig 15's on an Egyptian Air Force base near the bitter lakes.

A typical Egyptian farm and farmland.

Gibraltar appears on the horizon.

For the first time since Aden we were allowed ashore.

These are the last remaining photographs of my journey home. The rest of the negatives were lost! A few days after leaving Gibraltar we passed the SS Oxfordshire carrying troops to the Far East. Both ships were brought very close to each other as they passed off the coast of Portugul. Finally a few days later we docked at Southhampton and my Far East posting was over. It had been an interesting two and a half years to say the least!

(All images on this website are copyright)

Unknown to me until recently, the Roma had been in volved in a dramatic rescue a year previous to this photograph. In 1958 the MV Skaubryn departed Bremerhaven with 1,288 passengers on board. On March 31, whilst in the Indian Ocean a fire broke out which quickly spread resulting in the ship sinking some 6 days later. The Roma along with other vessels went to her assistance. All passengers were initially transferred to the "SS City of Sydney". However because of a shortage of accommodation, all passengers were transferred again the following day to the SS Roma. The fire on the Skaubryn caused great damage to her forward and central superstructure, whilst her stern remained untouched. An attempt was made to tow her to Aden first by HMS Loch Fada, then by the Dutch Tug Cycloop, but the Skaubryn slowly took on water and eventually sank on April 6, 1958.
(Source Wiki)