34 | Seaways | August 2019 Read Seaways online at http://www.nautinst.org/seaways
Captain John William Murray FNI
Captain Fredrik Van Wijnen FNI
Obituaries
Captain John William Murray, Past President of The Nautical Institute,
completed his voyage and reached his final destination on 16 June
2019, a little short of his 95th birthday. A service of celebration was
held at the Mission to Seafarers in South Shields ahead of the funeral
on 5 July 2019. The Nautical Institute was represented by Captain
Richard Coates FNI and the North East England Branch by branch
secretary David Byrne FNI, as well as many other Institute members,
family and friends.
Whilst there is sadness at the loss of a dear friend, there is great joy
reflecting upon a man who touched the lives of so many and played
an instrumental role in the development and history of The Nautical
Institute and many other charitable and worthwhile causes – a life truly
worth celebrating.
I am greatly honoured to have been invited to write this tribute
to Captain John Murray. I am conscious that this will, inevitably, be a
personal reflection. John was well known to so many and there will be
many things that will not be included here, for which I apologise.
My friendship with John goes back nearly 40 years. By then his
voyage was already well underway. Having swung the lantern with
him on so many occasions – listening to his many stories while actively
supporting a well-known brewery based in Dublin – I grew to love and
admire this compassionate, pragmatic, humble and truly professional
man of the sea. During the last few years I was able to remind John
of the yarns he had told me. He was still able to raise that unique and
mischievous smile as the memories came back, although many of
those stories will have to remain ‘private and confidential’!
John’s voyage began in 1924, when he was born into a coal mining
family in the port of Seaham on the North East coast. Leaving school
at 14 with little by way of formal qualifications, he initially went to
work in the local coal mine but joined the Merchant Navy soon after
the outbreak of war in 1939. He served on the North Atlantic convoys
where his ship, SS Wentworth, was torpedoed and sunk on 5 May- He was rescued and repatriated via St John, Newfoundland, and
re-joined the convoys on the North Atlantic and to Russia, surviving a
number of further incidents.
After the war John obtained his certificates of competency at the
South Shields Marine School and headed off into the South Atlantic
with the whaling fleets. He became harbour master/pilot at the
whaling station at Grytviken, South Georgia. During this posting, and
with the ingenuity and improvisation of a real seaman, he managed
to obtain two redundant ex-Royal Navy corvettes, which he lashed
together to provide a twin-screw tug to assist with the manoeuvring of
the large whaling ships.
Returning to more conventional shipping, he commanded many
types of ship, from large bulk carriers to state-of-the art LNG ships. The
last ‘big ship’ he commanded was in 1994 – at the age of 70!
Captain Murray had been actively involved in the formation and
development of The Nautical Institute since the late 1960s and was
amongst the first elected Fellows in 1976. He was involved in the
formation of one of the first Nautical Institute branches, the North
East of England, and made an invaluable contribution, serving as
branch secretary and chairman for many years. He served as the fourth
President of the NI, and first seagoing President, from 1981 to 1984, a
period that saw the opening of the first branches outside the UK. He
introduced and developed many initiatives that still resonate with the
industry today, some of which are recorded in the Institute’s history A
Nautical Odyssey.
Captain Murray sat as nautical assessor with the then wreck
commissioner, Gerald Darling, in the original inquiry into the tragic
loss of the oil/bulk/ore carrier Derbyshire in 1980. He was awarded the
Merchant Navy Medal in 2012 and represented the Merchant Navy at
the Royal British Legion remembrance ceremony at the Royal Albert
Hall in 2010.
There are so many other memorable waypoints that could be
plotted during his amazing life, but space does not allow. I am in no
doubt that many who knew John personally – and many who were
not so fortunate but who have heard of this legendary man of the sea- will join me in raising a glass of the ‘black stuff ’ in salute to Captain
John William Murray in celebration of a very full and interesting
life and in thanks for his dedication and devotion to promoting
professionalism amongst seafarers.
Dr Phil Anderson FNI
Past President of The Nautical Institute
Captain Fredrik Julius Van Wijnen, secretary of the Netherlands Branch
of The Nautical Institute and secretary general of the Confederation of
European Shipmasters’ Associations (CESMA), passed away on 27 May
2019.
Devoted to the confederation from the very beginning, he spent
a lot of time and effort to ensure that European shipmasters have a
voice in European institutions, and to express our opinion on maritime
safety, shipping and professional development.
In recent years, Captain Van Wijnen was mentor to almost all
CESMA’s presidents and council members. Even during his last days in
hospital he was preparing the documents for CESMA’s AGM, which he
was unable to attend.
We have lost our leader, the administrative motor of CESMA, an
experienced professional, colleague and friend who was always readyto assist. He visited places all over the world to assist in ensuring
fair trial to our colleagues, and he was of vital importance as a
maritime expert in the court.
Captain Fredrik Julius van Wijnen will always remain in our hearts,
and in his memory we will work hard to continue and further develop
his ideas about the Captain’s profession and the maritime future of
Europe.
CESMA Board:
Captain Hubert Ardillon, President
Captain Dimitar Dimitrov, Deputy President
Captain Giorgio Ribaric, Vice President“A last chance to
‘swing the lantern’
during the AGM
in Aberdeen”
Photo credit: Sunil
Perera FNI