ss moreton bay stuck in suez canal 1956

[maddys52]

Feeling very pleased with myself!

I knew that my parents travelled on a cargo/passenger ship from Sydney to London in 1956, and they always said that they ran aground in the Suez Canal. After the recent event with the EverGiven I was reminded of the story though I didn't read anything in the papers about previous groundings that mentioned my parent's voyage.

Don't know why I didn't think of it before, but I just searched passenger lists and found their names on the Moreton Bay, and sure enough an item in The Times  (10 Jan 1956) saying that the Moreton Bay had been stuck in the Suez Canal for several hours causing a south-bound holdup in traffic.

Family story confirmed! 

[majm]

Excellent result.

JM   

[Viktoria]

Perhaps my memory does not serve me well, but I think I remember in 1956
trouble in that area, it was likely young men of my husband to be’s age group would be recalled to the Army .
They had done National Service and three years Z Training.
I was worried our marriage would not take place in August of that year.
The Suez Crisis.
I am open to correction.
There is a whopping fine in the offing isn’t there !
Viktoria.

[radstockjeff]

I went through the canal twice; out in 1951(9) and back in 1953(11). As a youngster of 9 my most lasting impression is of the Giligili Man, the local conjuror, who came on board and entertained us with his magic,his ability to smash up wrist watches(to the horror of their owners) and then magic them back in pristine condition; and lots more besides. I can also recall oin the return journey in 1953 a sense of unease; there were less friendly faces and the "bum-boat traders" were having a much harder time selling their wares to the passengers. It got quite ugly at one point and some crew members turned the hoses on to the traders.
And as has been pointed out, in 1956 there was the Suez Crisis, after which for a good while the Canal was blocked by a number of submerged vessels, courtesy of Col. Nasser I believe.

[maddys52]

Excellent result.

JM   

Thanks JM, yes, very pleased. It's nice to have the RootsChat forum where I can share my minor triumphs with people who appreciate them - unlike members of my household who usually just roll their eyes again 

[maddys52]

Perhaps my memory does not serve me well, but I think I remember in 1956
trouble in that area, it was likely young men of my husband to be’s age group would be recalled to the Army .
They had done National Service and three years Z Training.
I was worried our marriage would not take place in August of that year.
The Suez Crisis.
I am open to correction.
There is a whopping fine in the offing isn’t there !
Viktoria.

Yes, you're memory is spot on, end October 1956 the Suez Canal was closed for a week or so, I imagine it was quite a tense situation and time for many. Whilst my parents weren't there for the Crisis, they did manage to be in Budapest just days before the Hungarian Revolution (also in October). They described being there as a tourist they could still feel the situation very volatile. Interesting working holiday they had back then. 

[maddys52]

I went through the canal twice; out in 1951(9) and back in 1953(11). As a youngster of 9 my most lasting impression is of the Giligili Man, the local conjuror, who came on board and entertained us with his magic,his ability to smash up wrist watches(to the horror of their owners) and then magic them back in pristine condition; and lots more besides. I can also recall oin the return journey in 1953 a sense of unease; there were less friendly faces and the "bum-boat traders" were having a much harder time selling their wares to the passengers. It got quite ugly at one point and some crew members turned the hoses on to the traders.
And as has been pointed out, in 1956 there was the Suez Crisis, after which for a good while the Canal was blocked by a number of submerged vessels, courtesy of Col. Nasser I believe.

Great memories Jeff! Unfortunately when my mother moved out of the family home after my father died she threw out all her travel diaries from their journey as she thought no one would be interested in them.