Basra (Iraq). Wheat, heat and Van Houten’s
22 May 1942. In the sweltering heat of the Persian Gulf Abbekerk slowly sails up the river Shatt-al-Arab (Arvand Rood). This large river finds its origin in the coming together of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates and forms the divide between Iraq on the west bank and Iran (Persia) on the east bank. With her current draft Abbekerk can just reach Basra, 70 miles in land. The second batch of wheat is unloaded there. Several countries in the Middle East are – also because of the war- on the brink of famine and Abbekerk’s wheat is more than welcome. At the time there was even talk of a new voyage to Australia to get more wheat.
After the piston is removed the cylinder is cleaned and measured.
(Source: http://www.varenisfijner.nl/mk_straat_luanda.html)
In Basra a substantial repair is carried out on one of Abbekerk’s large diesel engines. One of the 10 pistons has to be taken out of the engine and Adriaan Kik remembers it well. Because of the heat and because he was the most slender of all the engine room crew and therefore the only one who could carry out the repairs INSIDE the cylinder.
The period we were in Abadan was very busy for the crew in the engine room with the ‘pulling’ of one of the cylinders of one of the main engines. Normally this takes one day. The temperature on deck was about 40 degrees Celsius. In the engine room it was considerably more. The shore workers there had a siesta from 12.00 till 16.00 hours because of the heat, it was just too warm. This did not apply to the engine room crew; they had to keep going come what may. You could no longer see us sweat, it dried up as soon as it came through your skin. Slowly but surely a thin layer of salt formed on your face. As soon as we entered the Gulf we were given salt tablets to swallow and that was now coming out. It was really too much to bear but we had to do it!
Ass. Engineer Adriaan Kik
Abbekerk stays in Basra for a few days, probably waiting for a place on the Abadan quay, one of the few places with a crane strong enough to lift the locomotives out of the holds.
Fortunately, after the repairs on the engine there is also time for some rest and relaxation.
A tin of Van Houtens Cacao for export.
(Source: Pintrest)On a Sunday I with a few other men hired a taxi to visit the town of Basra situated a little further away. Halfway there we saw a few large shops which also had a type of terrace where one could buy (alcohol free) drinks. After consuming a few cool drinks we went into the shop and much to our surprise we saw on the shelves large tins with ‘Van Houten’s’ cocoa (a popular Dutch treat). Not to be had anywhere else in the world but here available in the middle of nowhere.
Ass. Engineer Adriaan Kik
Peter
