Dickie Bull
Deputy Purser for the Inaugural Cruise of P&O/Princess Cruises PACIFIC PRINCESS - 1975 - Sadly passed away recently.
In 1974 P & O which by 1960 had become the world's largest shipping company, with 320 oceangoing vessels, acquired Princess Cruise Lines. The first Princess Cruise ship they acquired was Island Princess (formally Island Venture). From my job as Assistant Purser on SS Oriana I was sent over to America to help complete the takeover from Flagship Cruises.
In April 1975 I was flown to Newport News Virginia where Sea Venture was being transformeded to Pacific Princess, we were undergoing dry dock in a naval shipyard, which was rather interesting as we were only allowed in certain areas of the shipyard and any deviation from this area we were likely to get picked up by the Military Police.
It was here that l first met Dickie Bull, the newly appointed Deputy purser to Pacific Princess. Following the dry dock in Newport News Virginia, Pacific Princess moved to Los Angeles to commence Mexican Cruising. Later that year Pacific Princess ventured south to Join P&O Austrailia for a rather turbulent foray into the choppy South Pacific with a rather reluctant Italian Crew. Another story for another day perhaps.
Pacific Princess Sailing under P&O Aussie Colours 1975
Follow my stink sailing with Dickie Bull on Pacific Princess, we lost touch. According to Dave Traynor, Dickie Bull settled to life down under. Dave last met Dickie in the late 1980's. At the time Dickie was Hotel Services Manager for P&O in Sydney office,
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