The Picture:
    She is in peace-time colours, because of the white superstructure. I would think this is some time before 1939 as there is no sign of war-time modifications. She is tied up alongside other vessels and is not particularly good picture. It doesn't  show the shape of the ship.

My Experience:

   This vessel was owned by Bowrings of London and was a large tanker of those days.
Once ashore in Aruba I went visit the British Consul to arrange transportation back to England and he advised that I would be returned at the first available opportunity. After waiting a few days I was called to his office and he informed me that the tanker El Mirlo was berthed at Willemstad in Curaçao, and that they had had to put the 2 nd Officer ashore into hospital. If I so wished, he would send me over to Curaçao to join the ship. Not only would I get repatriated as quick as any other means, I would be on the payroll, and it would represent a promotion for me. This I readily accepted, and flew over to join the vessel. The Captain was not too happy about the fact that I was so young for the appointment, and suggested I sign on as 3 rd Officer while the existing 3 rd Officer be promoted. I refused this offer on the grounds that I had been promised this job by the British Consul in Aruba, and that if I was not acceptable than I would return to whence I came. This put the Captain on the spot, as his only other option was to sail short handed. I was allowedto sign on as 2 nd Officer, on the 17 th May 1942.

    We proceeded to Las Piedras, in the Gulf of Venezuela to load crude oil, and returned to Curaçao for orders. Here, we were directed to sail independently to Freetown, Sierra Leone for convoy tothe U.K. We waited about 12 days for the convoy during which time I attended gunnery school atthe shore naval base. One of the responsibilities of my rank was to act as Gunnery Officer and mystation was at the 6" gun that was mounted aft. It was of Japanese manufacture and the mostunwieldy contraption I have ever encountered. It took a couple of naval ratings to bear against thebarrel in order to move it in azimuth or lift it up--it came down quick enough using the regular mechanism. It was of no danger to the enemy, as I doubt we could have hit even the proverbial barn door. In fact, just after we left Freetown, and during a practice shot, a shell jammed in themuzzle, which stayed in this condition until we reached Loch Ewe. The misfire drill required us torig a length of string to the cartridge flap, and after clearing all hands from the poop deck, pulledon this string to open the flap, where upon, the cartridge fired out like a bullet, followed by a stream of flame that persisted for many minutes. and heating the breach to a rosy red. This ofcourse, was the cordite burning off.

    The convoy from Freetown was uneventful. We steamed around northern Ireland, through the Minches to Loch Ewe, and there to join a convoy going down the east coast. Many vessels brokefrom convoy to enter the many harbours along the way, and we went on to Shellhaven, at the mouth of the Thames for part discharge, arriving there on 21 July 1942. We departed on the 25 July for North Shields, arriving on 27 July to complete discharging and change of crew. We stayed here until 28 Aug cleaning tanks with the Butterworth system, and awaiting orders, and eventually departed for Loch Ewe.

    At Loch Ewe we assembled with many other ships, and here we were designated the lead ship todepart through the Minches and meet the main convoy headed north up the Irish sea. It was here the Capt. got dead drunk and it was the Chief Officer and I who saw to raising the anchor, conning the ship, and lead the rest out of the loch. It was quite foggy in the Minches whichrequired us to stream the fog buoy. This wooden contraption when towed astern on a thin steel cable caused a spume of water to raise about 6 ft in the air, enabling the following ship to keepstation without getting dangerously close. The Chief and I, kept watch together throughout the night, using dead reckoning, and hearing the occational fog horn from shore stations, and rendezvoused with the main group as planned. This turned out to be the ill-fated ON 127 convoy. I estimate that this must have been around the 3 rd Sep.

    All went well until the 10 Sep. when we were set upon by two Wolf Packs.Subs involved were U-609, U-407, U-91, U-411, U-92, U-659, U-756, U-439, U-211, U-218 inthe first pack, and subs U-96, U-594,  U-608,  U-380,  U-404,  U-584 in the second pack.
Ships hit on this day were s/s Elisabeth van Belgie,   m/v F.J. Wolfe, m/v Sveve,  and the s/s Empire Oil. Ships hit on 11 Sep were: m/v Marit II,  s/s Fjordaas,  s/s Empire Oil (Again),  m/v Belaes, and the m/v Hindanger. Ships hit on 12 Sep were: m/v Hektoria (Whale Factory Ship),  s/s Empire Moonbeam,H.M.C.S. Ottawa  (Destroyer escort),  and the m/v Daghild. Ship hit on 13 Sep:  s/s Stone Street .  Ship Hit on 14 Sep: H.M.C.S. Ottawa  (Destroyer escort) sustained two more hits.
    German records indicate that they sank 14 ships. British records indicate that 3 ships made it backto port.----(See uboat.net)----for more information.

    Somewhere around the Grand Banks we took on board a doctor from one of the escorts to attendone of our sailors. It appeared he had appendicitis, and was operated on immediately. Lightclusters were rigged in the Saloon, and he was laid out on the dining table. He and the doctorwere put ashore in New York when we arrived there on the 21 Sep.

    We left N.Y. on the 24 Sep and went independently on to Aruba, N.W.I. arriving there on the 4Oct. Here we were redirected to Curacao, arriving on the 6 Oct, where we loaded crude oil. We left on the 11 Oct arriving back at New York on the 24 Oct, leaving again on the 26 Oct. for LochEwe where we joined the coastal convoy down to London, arriving at Thameshaven on the 14 Nov 1942 to discharge, and pay off the crew.