We were at sea for
Christmas 1959. I was only nine at the time, but I remember after we
went through the Panama Canal, the weather became very rough I can
clearly recall the crew members coming into the cabin and bolting
the deadlights down, we had a flash fire in the engine room and the
engines stopped, the ship went broadside on to the sea and she was
hit by a very large wave and we rolled alarmingly, it felt like she
was on her beam-ends, it was at dinner time, as my parents were in
the dining room and I was in the cabin with my Sister who was only a
couple of months old. I took her out of her cot and jammed myself in
my bunk against the bulkhead, there was a lot of water in the
companionways, as some of the passengers had unbolted the
deadlights. My Father came back to get us and took us on deck, the
decks were covered in flying fish, my Father who had briefly served
in the merchant navy, noticed the red lights on the mast, we were in
danger for some hours before the engines were restarted and we got
steerage way. I believe we also had one of the Cunard 'Queens'
standing astern of us the rest of the way across the Atlantic. |