This description of the voyage submitted by Graham Ledbrook L/REM

The Veryan Bay Commission of 1954/55

The Veryan Bay, commanded by Captain Lawford together with the ships mascot Claude a Staffordshire bull terrier, left Plymouth on August 3rd 1954 bound for Bermuda and the West Indies. Unfortunately the ship had to put back into Cob in Eire to land a Royal Marine with appendicitis. Veryan Bay arrived in Bermuda on 17th August. Whilst in Bermuda the ships company photograph was taken.

Photo above supplied by Nigel Wallace S/LT Electrical

Veryan Bay left Bermuda on 4th September for Nelson's Harbour Antigua BWI arriving 8th September, and leaving on the 13th for Point-A-Pitree in the Leeward Isles arriving on Sept.15th,  and leaving for Georgetown British Guyana on 16th Sept. The stay in Georgetown included a visit by crew members to the Booker Sugar refinery and Rum and Gin distillery. A football match was played against the Booker English staff, but the result was forgotten after sampling the local brews and most of the club's English beer.

On 23rd Sept. Veryan Bay left on the way to Belem in Brazil steaming with the 15 knot tide up a tributary of the mighty Amazon River making astonishing speed. 3 days in Belem then back down the Amazon on the way to San Salvador Brazil. Whilst in transit the Equator was crossed, and the uninitiated members of the crew were ceremoniously introduced to King Neptune. The crew were coated in soft soap and shaved and then dunked backwards into a canvas pool of salt water, crossing the line certificates were given.

It was during this trip that the the long distant radar was damaged by a fire in the transmitter and owing to lack of convenient spares, parts had to be rebuilt to get it into a working condition.

San Salvador Brazil from 5th to 8th October, then away to Rio-de-Janerio arriving on 11th October, where it was strange to encounter a snowstorm whilst still we were still wearing tropical whites. Trips to the famous sights of Sugar Loaf Mountain, Copacabana beach were made by most crew members making the most of shore leave before leaving on October 16th for the Falkland Isles.

Veryan Bay arrived at Port Stanley 23rd October and remained in the area until 21st November. The catering officer arranged for vast quantities of lamb to be purchased at a cheap price to make savings on the messing bills . It was lamb chops for breakfast, legs of lamb for lunch and dinner and lamb sausages for any other meal. Mail was delivered at 6 weekly intervals together with fresh vegetables from Argentina. 20 tons of potatoes and other vegetables were delivered while the ship was away from Port Stanley, on return they were found to be blackened by the frost so it was back to tinned potatoes, dried cabbage, carrots etc.

Then it was time to do one of the relief trips for the Antarctic Survey teams, delivering personnel, rations and mail to Deception Island (An almost extinct Volcano where the sea had entered), Sidkey and South Georgia. Many large icebergs were encountered, the 4 inch gunnery crews attempting to chip ice off some of the icebergs but with little effect.

		Several days were spent at a small jetty in Gritviken Sound at South Georgia, where opportunity was taken to see the local wildlife of penguins, seals and elephant seals.

Veryan Bay off one of the islands

	Some of the crew took a trip to the Gritviken whaling station where huge whales were being cut up and the blubber rendered into whale oil by the Swedish flensers with their wicked looking knives on long poles. The water around the ship was a very polluted whale soup from all the waste products of cutting up whales.
Claude the dog was intrigued by the penguins, but was not happy when his nose was well pecked when he ventured too close.	The grave of Sir Ernest Shackleton the Antarctic explorer was also visited.

Veryan Bay returned to Port Stanley Falkland Islands on 20th December for the Christmas break, a number of the crew took part in a "Sods" Opera/Pantomime in the town hall for the inhabitants of Port Stanley which was much appreciated. It was here I was destined to be on duty watch for my 21st Birthday. No beer for me that night.

Veryan Bay "Dancing Girls"

Christmas over, on 7th January 1955 we were Antarctic bound to the South Shetland Isles, Potters Cove, Grahamland were amongst other isolated places which were visited. In the main when the weather was calm, sun bathing whilst amongst the icebergs was the order of the day. 

Iceberg encountered which we tried to sink with 4 inch gunfire !!.  (well we broke a bit off it)

In rough weather the upper deck was closed off, and a sharp lookout for ice was maintained.             The  quarterdeck awash during rough weather.

Finally on 2nd March 1955 Veryan Bay left the Falklands on the long journey home. This was to be via the West coast of South America and Panama Canal.

Through the Magellan Straits to Punta Arenas where the South Atlantic winds were so strong it was difficult to stand up in the streets, and then Purto Monte where we were invited to a bar-b-que. Up the Chilean coast to Antofagasta where a good time was had by the crew visiting the local English Social Clubs. We had to beat the target set by the previous RN ship in drinking the most beer.

Peru where we visited Mollendo where crew members were lifted from the liberty boat via a crane, the Pacific swell being too great for normal landings. While there a group of about 20 crew went by ramshackle bus across a barren desert up into the Andes to a lush valley on a visit to Araquipa the white city of Peru. The roadside had many little crosses at the edge where people had been killed on the winding precipitous road. In one place about 20 were seen where a bus had gone over the edge

The hospitality by the English people in Araquipa being memorable. A wreath laying ceremony was followed by a very large banquet with all the food and drink one could dream about. We were put on a train for the return journey as the mountain passes were too dangerous to travel by bus in the dark.

A visit to Equador, La Libertad with a trip to an oil field where crew members were shown drilling for oil taking place.

Then into the Panama Canal with its flights of locks and high humidity, with the destination being Jamaica.

A brief stay for shore leave in Kingston Jamaica where one member of the crew met a local girl and managed to get married !! whilst drunk. Next day the parents were there asking about the marriage allowance. This caused some problems diplomatically but this was finally resolved because of his lack of residential qualifications to make the marriage legal.

Then onwards to Bermuda and the United States. First a visit to Brooklyn Navy Yard and New York with all its sights, with many invitations and free tickets to Radio City, and 42nd Street Theatres. The Empire State Building and Times Square being some of the main attractions.

Up the Hudson River to Kingston and the State Capitol Albany where the number of hospitality invitations exceeded the number of crew on shore leave, men under punishment were detailed off to attend functions.

Then onwards to Newport Rhode Island, New Bedford Mass. Portsmouth New England, then on to Canada, with Charlotte Town, St. Pierre where Bastille Day was celebrated. It was here that we had to show our pay books to prove we were 21 and old enough to drink liquor.

Finally St. Johns Newfoundland with its cod fisheries and canning factories then across the Atlantic to Plymouth arriving on August 2nd 1955 to find the girl friends, wives and families awaiting our return.

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