M/S "Oldenburg"
 

IMO 5262122 M/S "Oldenburg", call sign: DHLA, 1.438 GRT, 2440 tdw L: 74,84 m, B: 12,82 m D: 5,55 m. Ship yard: Lübecker Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft. Yard No. 455, Completed: 8/26/1950, Sold 1971 to Cyprus, 1975 name changed to "Attica  Sea". 1978 sold as Ourania" to Greece. 06/17/79 sunk after explosion 20 nm southwest of  Beirut.  Seafaring time 06/28/65 - 07/25/65 (as assistant electrician)

I shipped on the "Oldenburg" during the semester vacation in the summer of 1965 as Assistant electrician. The shipping firm was "Oldenburg-Portugiesische Dampfschiffahrts Reederei." (Oldenburg-Portuguese Steamship Co.)
The "Oldenburg" was built in 1950, and the main engines were two old U-Boat diesels. The route was Hamburg, Rotterdam, La Coruna, Gibralter, Tangier, Ceuta, and back.
 In the Bay of Biscay I was seasick for two long days.  The ship travelled without a radio operator, legally, while under 1600 BRT.  The captain quickly learned that I was in radio school, and much to the annoyance of the chiefs, I had to regularly copy weather reports from Monsanto Radio in the empty radio room.  "Smooth sailing and light winds..."
The Chief had much fun with me, as I was an apprentice Electric-Machine Builder; while at sea I had to rebuild the generators and run the so-called "Megger Test."
On the Oldenburg was the first time in my life that I confronted "direct current."  I was on the ship only two hours, and was repairing a wall outlet, and wondered why there was only one wire.  The Chief explained that the minus lead was the body of the ship.  I could hardly believe it. After the next four weeks of work, I received a Service Certificate, and felt that I was fully competent to do anything...