first ship
 

my first ship with strick line 1970 m v Baharirtan main engine Doxford rubber hoses top plston 2 scotch bollers steam on deck all pumps air compressers gennies steam built 1959 3 trips on her Floristan Tabaharistan after the gulf good trips toget the ships back to U K they always went to the gulf first.g Then went to Bibbys Australian Bridge OBO my last ship with them Derbyshire general cargo built 1969 grate times sailed with grate crews dont rember many names good days

left school on a Friday afternoon and sailed as a JOS on a pleasure boat on the Saturday morning. MV Crested Eagle. we worked at pier heads along the south coast. I found it to be hard work at first all the docking and undocking. we ran between Hastings, Eastbourne, Brighton and Shanklin piers. at the end of the season we took the ship back to Catherines dock in London. she was on charter to P&A Campbell from General Steam, Twin screwed with 2 Crossley engines.

fyffes tucarinca 1965 galley boy 7 months American coast;bananaboat stayedwih them for 11 years.eddie

m.v. Phrontis (ex-Pembrokeshire), Blue Funnel Super P. Joined in Antwerp, 26/12/81 as a very green Engineer Cadet. Left in Singapore Roads, end of February 1982 as the ship was up for sale.

After every second day "up the road" in Singapore, I was pretty much broke when I got home! What a torturous flight back with Sabena airlines, Singapore/Kuala Lumpur/New Dehli/Brussels then a skip over to Heathrow.

Rgds.
Dave

Texaco Denmark 1971. Crusader, R408, Salvor, Lifeguard, Monitor. 2 x Raymarc. Capt.Giddings.

Venassa, Shell tanker 1965 as fireman/greaser.

As Sparks Bendearg 1970.

E&F "Golfito" UK-Barbados-Trinidad-Jamaica-UK, Oceanspan Reliance CR300 Alert Type M A/A Autokey 1097 Radiolocator IV with RTI. Would have stayed forever if they'd let me.

Opalia/GLQA Shell tanker - joined 1964 paid off Aug 1965. Globespan - Atalanta - Lodestar - Alert cant remember the emergency tx. Hermes/Argus radars.

Neville

Joined the P&O SS Canton as a junior, first time on a big ship (16033 tons) the engineer I was replacing was leaving the company and he showed me around, it took a full 10 minutes to do this and then he said “good luck she’s all yours”. I was scared stiff that something would go wrong. I did 8 trips on her, a good reliable ship. My next ship was P&O Iberia, if it could go wrong, it did. Enough said.

Houlder Brother's, MV "Orepton". Joined her in Workington in April, 1964 and left her in Irlam seven months later. Her and her sisters were uncomplicated ships and often used for first trippers and new promotions.

My first ships were small coasters in 1947, my first deep sea ship was a Bank Boat in Jan 1948, name was MV Moray Bank a nice seven month trip to New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.

Sailed out of Southampton Jan 1956 as 4th r/o on BI troopship Dunera dropping off troops at Cyprus, Aden, Singapore, Hong Kong, then to Japan empty to pick up a New Zealand regiment - Korea being over. Two trips on her. Then on my own on a Jimmy Nourse tramp, the Hughli.
Then a Cory collier out of the Tyne. From Baked Alaska at dinner on the trooper I was now on fish and chips with bread and butter that the hairy-chested cook in a string vest sent the cabin boy into Battersea to buy at the chippy.
Things looked up when I joined Brocklebanks in 1957 . . .

Alaric. Shaw Savill & Albion. H&W/B&W opposed piston. Australia via Suez. 3 x 3 month trips

Burmah Zircon steam turbine tanker, midships and aft accommodation. Joined as J/E Marseille, feb 1974, paid off in Rastanura five months later, first and only steam ship.

British Earl, March 1960,Catering Boy, two ports in Norway then to Falmouth for Lay Up.

First Ship was an "Ocean Class " built-in 1942 called the "Firby" owned by Ropners.
Flew out from the UK to Australia and was on the coast for nearly two years charter. When we finished this we loaded for the UK and ended the trip after 2 years 1 month and 26 days. As an apprentice, it was a very rude awakening to life at sea. A very basic ship and I learnt to chip, suggie and polish brass as well as shovel coal and ashes. Good lessons for a navigating officer !!!

SS Mitra/GYYW Junior R/O joined Lisbon roads 1971 - Ras Tanura and Singapore, Muscat - Methil paid off.
Capt Lomax, R/O John Evans IMRC