where did your passion for shipping start - for the non seafarer ?

[j.sabourn]

#10 John Eggleston now deceased a friend of one of the members on here .
Craig Walwyn, Atkinson, Atkins, Ken Langton , although have no remembrance of him as a senior cadet, didn’t even know they had one, Carl Davison. And a few more , a captain Atkinson was one of the permanent lecturers .As was 70 years ago all the rest of the faces appear in the mists of time. Remember now I did ask you yoinks ago, thanks for replying . JS .

[Mike R868356]

Hi Bryan, lived in Grimsby from the age of 5 the Humber ferry was a must when going to Hull. BR Grimsby to New Holland disembark walk down the passenger/vehicle pontoon embark on the Lincoln Castle Tattersall Castle or one of the relief Paddle Steamers sail off with a great air of excitement have a hot drink and bun in the buffet bar only to be stranded for some time on a sand bank but who cared. In later life I worked for BR and with concessions would travel the Humber Ferry with my car for a quarter of a regular fare for the hell of it. As a youngster the a ferry occasionally would do Sunday trips from Grimsby Royal Dock Basin out to Spurn Point or Saturday night steamboat stomps. Still before my teens holidays in Scarborough meant a trip on the Flamborough Belle one such trip should probably never had happened a full blown gale I survived smiling but my elder sister was green for sometime afterwards. At 13 and 9mths as you were in those days I did a pleasure trip on a 130ft 355 ton trawler GY 531 Ross Cougar, almost 3 weeks to the Icelandic fishing grounds. Loved every minute even the force 10 gale through the Faroe Isles, worked the galley gutting fish on deck after a haul and chipping ice and packing fish in the fish room and like I said loved every minute. As it was the summer school holidays I would have gone again had acute shyness not made me afraid to ask. Prior to and after that experience I was spending all my spare time down the Fish Docks, this was the time when the large Freezer Trawlers were coming on stream. I visted many of them just walking on never was I ask who I was or why was I there, different times. On leaving catering college I worked a local holiday park and the 3rd Chef had signed up with P&O, one afternoon he had business at the local Pool in Grimsby this was October 1968. I joined my first ship January 1969 the cruise liner RMS Andes launched in late 1939 as a passenger mail ship on the BA run, converted immediatly into a trooper for WW2 put back together in 1947 as a cruise liner. Did almost 18mths on her 69/70 before she went for scrap in 1971. 1970 saw me go from the old to the new joining the most iconic cruise ship ever QE2, enjoyed 5 great years on her. Living on the River Humber Estuary its said there's 120 ship movements daily of all types, a youngester at 72 compared to some senior memebers I still yearn for tidetime that breeze on my face and the thrill of a new port of call.

[Mo Docherty]

Free travelling world

[Graham Shaw]

# 12; Mike R868356-- Trawler ROSS COUGAR.

Nice one Mike.
The ex-Offshore men on here might be interested to know ,like many fishing vessels,she was ultimately converted into a Standby Safety Vessel.

ON.181403 , IMO 5300352, Trawler completed 6/58 as Yard No.1428 by Cochrane & Sons,Selby Named ROSS COUGAR, 355grt, for Derwent Trawlers Ltd, GBR Grimsby
History
ROSS COUGAR, 1959, Ross Trawlers Ltd, GBR Grimsby
ROSS COUGAR, 1960, Yorkshire Trawlers Ltd, GBR Grimsby
ROSS COUGAR, 1962, G.F.Sleight & Sons Ltd, GBR Grimsby
ROSS COUGAR, 1968, Ross Trawlers Ltd, GBR Grimsby
ROSS COUGAR, 1970, Goweroak Ltd, GBR Grimsby
ROSS COUGAR , 1980, G.F.Sleight & Sons Ltd, GBR Grimsby
ROSS COUGAR, 1983, British United Trawlers (Grimsby) Ltd, GBR Grimsby
(Over the years they seemed to be undecided about the titles of ownership !)
1985 Converted to Standby Safety Vessel
CAM COUGAR , 1985, Cam Sg Ltd, GBR Grimsby
OMAR, 1992, Mohamad A.Ossman, SYRIA ( Tartous)
Current Status : Unknown or existence doubtful.

ROSS COUGAR in 1978 by Simon wp..jpgCAM COUGAR in 1986 by Patrick Hill.jpg

[Julian Norman]

I had never considered a career at sea utility accompanying a friend to a merchant navy open day in the Reardon Smith College in Cardiff. (Good excuse for a day off sixth form). He had the interest I ended up with the job. Over 40 years at sea later, now retired, never a moment of regret.