S/T Overseas Ulla/WHLC

1977-1982

Maritime Overseas Corp.

511 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY

If my memory serves me correctly, I joined Overseas Ulla as it was in a shipyard, I believe it was Nederland, TX on June 24th 1977. The ship was slated to make a trip to the Soviet Union with a cargo of Red Bulgar (Wheat). After a few days we finished our repairs and proceeded to the loading berth at Beaumont, TX. The Captain on this voyage was Capt. John Gibbons of Cape Cod. Capt. John had been an instructor at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. He was also a graduate of this fine institution.

After loading our wheat we proceeded eastward toward "A Black Sea Port in the USSR", stopping for bunkers (fuel) at either Freeport or The Virgin Is. (I am not sure). We proceeded to the strait of Gibraltar. Enroute to Gibraltar we received orders to discharge the entire cargo at Novorossiysk, in the Krasnodar Krai (similar to our states).  So we continued  onward to the Dardenelles and the Bosphorous, sliding right through downtown Istanbul into the Black Sea. I will never forget the queasy scary feeling of going into The Soviet Backyard. After decades of the fear and loathing we all were subjected to in the press and in government about the "Red Menace", I was ready to expect anything.

We arrived in Novorossiysk in early June of '77.  Premier Leonid Breznehv was in charge. Afghanistan was his Viet Nam. We heard grumbling from the Russian citizens about body bags and shortages. This was reminiscent of our own past misfortunes in southeast Asia.

After we anchored in the large harbor we were cleared by the Soviet Customs & Immigration. We remained anchored with no shore leave. On the 3rd day or so, boats began running back and forth between the ship and shore. I finally set foot in the Soviet Union shortly thereafter. The differences were both large and minimal. Some of the people looked exactly like us and others had the map of Eastern Europe printed on their faces. There were also Tartars, Uzbeks, Moldavians, Tadjiks, Khirgizians and many other Soviet Nationalities present in this city of 110,000 on holiday at the seashore. Through the Seaman's club we were able to obtain trips to the country and several theater events, museums, a champagne winery  and even the Moscow circus which was giving a local performance.

After a few more days we were berthed alongside the holding dock. We were told we would be in Novorossiysk for about 90 days due to the lack of railroad cars to transport the cargo. Ships are a great place to store wheat. The Russians only had so many days to begin unloading or they would be charged demurrage, so they decided to declare the ship infested with weevils and fumigate, thus buying some time. We were all run off the ship for the fumigation. This turned out to be some of the most uncomfortable eight days of my life. We were put up in the Black Sea Hotel in town. We were warned to bring our own toilet paper and our own soap. The Hotel supplied  toilet paper in the form of old newspapers. The hotel-supplied soap was a  3/4 inch cube of smelly stuff.

After the first month I really began to get bored. I asked one of the ladies who was a teacher in the Winter time and who  worked at the Seaman's Club,  to teach me Russian. She agreed with the stipulation that I had to do my homework assignments. So there I was with a kid's copybook writing in Cyrillic printing in Cyrillic and reading and speaking about 350 words by the time we departed Novorossiysk.

I heard stories that money (not U.S. dollars,  but Rubles) could be made by selling blue jeans. Our sailors  would go ashore wearing several pairs of brand new Levi's and return with Russian trousers full of rubles.. The Customs people were told not to hassle the Amerikanskiis. The Greek guys on the Greek ships caught hell though.

Here are some of my observations about the Soviet Union I encountered when in Novorossiysk.

The summer of 1977 dragged on very slowly in the "Workers Paradise" .  I was overjoyed to see it "Over the Stern" when we departed on or about September 19th.

The voyage home was mainly in ballast. I came down with a sinus infection because I had not had my allergy vaccine for 3 months. The Soviet Doctors were very paranoid and would not accommodate my request for someone to give me injections of my own vaccines from USA.

Half way across the Atlantic we received orders to call at St.Croix USVI and pick up some gasoline for discharge in the Gulf of Mexico. I saw the doctor there and was given some Keflex to take care of the infection.

We loaded our cargo without incident and proceeded to Beaumont Texas where we discharged at the Sun Refinery.

Thus ended my first voyage on the "Ulla"

I stayed with her for several years after that. She was an old ship built in 1954 but roomy and comfortable.

I was allowed all the hamming I wanted and had many fine QSO's with friends back home and with strangers.

Later voyages included service in the Alaska oil trade. In its beginning VLCC (Very Large Crude Carriers), would bring the oil down from Valdez to an anchorage in the Gulf of Panama, just to the south of the Panama Canal Zone. Smaller vessels such as ours would go alongside the "Big boys" and lighten them, then proceed through the canal and on to refineries in the Caribbean, US Gulf or East Coasts. I parted company with the Ulla on Sept 2, 1982 when she made her last commercial run. She was towed to Taiwan for scrap I learned later.

Ulla alongside the MT British Renown in the Gulf of Panama

During this operation we transited the Canal many many times, in fact, this became so commonplace  it became a great time to rest  rather than sightsee.

  Passing through the "Galliard Cut"                               Ulla entering the locks.

                                  

A waterfall in the Lake.          Sun shadows depict an early  morning transit.