Now here’s a real treat for all you Durban fans. Angela Romain saw our post on the Aimee Lykes which ran aground on the Aliwal Shoal in 1964 and had some movie footage and stills of the vessel shot by her parents John and Meradel Romain during a visit to Durban. She quickly put the images together in a movie for our pleasure and I was the second person to view it. Who’ll be next?
I remember those days very well when you could walk right up to edge of the dry dock to see what was on going on and I can still get a bit of a cold shiver just thinking about it. Driving round the docks was our favourite Sunday afternoon pastime and I wouldn’t be surprised if we went to to see the Aimee Lykes in dock too.
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Bob Carter
Wonder what happened to the captain?
David Gordon Cartwright
I, with my two elder brothers, simply loved visiting the docks in Durban on Saturdays or Sundays. Our father, who I’m proud to say was one of the doyens of shipping agents in Durban and numbered among the finest in the field, used to take us with him when visiting vessels in the course of his business. It was such a privilege!
Clay
I was an American merchant mariner. The first ship I served on was the Amiee Lykes. I was 18 years old. We departed Oak Point, Mississippi on December 15th 1978, and arrived in Cape Town, South Africa on January 2nd 1979. We then went on to Durban, Port Elizabeth, East London, Dar Salam, Tanga and Mombasa. We departed Durban and arrived in Houston Texas 23 days later. It was a great experience. It’s great to see the old ship again. Thanks for the memories. God bless you.
Annette Tindle
In 1963 my then husband a welder was asked if he would come to work in the dry dock in Durban on the Aimee lykes the ship which had run aground just off the coast. The ship had been dragged into the docks which had not been used since the 2nd world war. Both my husband and his friend a South African worked there on precision welding for six months. I was asked if I would like to go to see her. We climbed down the very steep dock stairs to the bottom almost under the ship itself. I heard wonderful singing and was told it was convicts on “chain gangs” knocking in stocks.