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My first trip to sea - Junior Engineer on the Australia Star [1] July 1955.
One Sunday afternoon, two days out from Aden where we had refuelled, we were chatting in my cabin when the hooter sounded. At first we took no notice because it wasn't Friday [boat drill day]. When we realised it was for real we hared off to the engine room to find the whole of the front side of the port engine ablaze, burning residual fuel oil that had ignited from an overheated scavenge trunking. It took nearly four hours to put the fire out and get things back to normal.
I spent the best part of those four hours in the corner of the engine room, recharging fire extinguishers.
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