These photos bring back memories!! My late father was a catering officer with Ben Line. Although I was very young when this happened to the Bencruachan, I still remember it being talked about for years afterwards.
They had a very lucky escape, several vessels have lost bows and some sunk in the waters off Cape of Good Hope .... seem to remember reading that there is a sensitive range of latitude where the end of the continental shelf meets the South Atlantic seas and results in freak waves, so best route is to stay inside or well outside that belt.
Well caught, I did not know she got the Blue Flue, product of the Ben-Ocean combine no doubt. I suppose we did get some BF's and Glens in Hull as a swop for allowing a Ben to visit liverpool!
BENCRUACHAN (6814829), Ben Line Steamers Ltd., 12092gt, completed Charles Connell & Co., Scotstoun, Glasgow, 9-1968 BU Kaohsiung, work began 16.5.80 [Chin Tai Steel Enterprise Co]
Albert Weller caught her sailing from Tees Dock, circa May 1972:
It was the BENCRUACHAN I had in mind in talking about getting stuck in the lock, and I am grateful to John and Tony for their confirmation, and recollections, under BENALBANACH at: viewtopic.php?f=43&t=11773
Tony. It was pilot DW who told us the story at a Ship Society meeting some years ago, so probably he was the senior pilot? What puzzles me is that, so far as I can recollect, the date he gave, and repeated I think by Doug Hellyer in his pilotage history book was later than her first visit to Middlesbrough Dock on her maiden voyage. If so, she had already been in and out without difficulty? Just wonder if your log can tie down the actual date?
My own photos. Middlesbrough Dock - 27 September 1968 (maiden voyage):