Mervyn Barrow

[Mervyn Barrow]

SHIPS NAME AND SERVICE RECORD

Full Name

Mervyn Barrow

Discharge Book Number

R899465

Department

Engine Room

Your Rank/Rating

Cadet to 2nd Engineer

Which Ships were you on and When

Port Chalmers - Cadet - Jul 1971 to Oct 1971
ACT 2 - Cadet - Nov 1971 to April 1972
ACT 5 - Cadet - April 1972 to July 1972
Lustrous - 5th Eng - Sept 1973 to March 1974
Port Alfred - 5th/4th Eng - July 1974 -Jan 1975
Lucigen - 4th Eng - March 1975 to August 1975
Lumen - 4th Eng - Sept 1975 to March 1976
Luminetta - 3rd Eng - Sept 1976 to Jan 1977
Maihar - 2nd Eng - March 1977 to Dec 1977
Markhor - 2nd Eng - Jan 1978 to April 1978
Lumiere - 2nd Eng - Jan 1979 to April 1979
Oloibiri - 2nd Eng - May 1979 to August 1979
Luminetta - 2nd Eng - Oct 1979 to April 1980
Markhor - 2nd Eng - June 1980
Luminetta - 2nd eng - August 1980 to July 1981

Notes:

July 1981 came shoreside and moved to Houston, TX. Worked for a large commercial insurance company in their Boiler and Machinery group as a Risk Control Consultant for the next 32 years.

Now retired and still living in Houston, TX but spending the summers on our narrowboat in England.

[Stephen Caldwell]

I sail on most of the vessels mentioned between 1973 and 1983 as 6th-4th engineer did we ever cross paths

[Mervyn Barrow]

Stephen,

I don't think we did cross paths, if we did it was as one was leaving and the other joining. From September 1979 sailed with American wife Debbie every trip and you would have remembered her. She does not recall you either.

Mervyn

[Chris Heathcote]

Hi Mervyn
I was with you either on the Lumiere or Luminetta 4th Engineer looking after those Sharples purifiers!!
Regards Chris

[Ivan Cloherty]

Hi Mervyn
I was with you either on the Lumiere or Luminetta 4th Engineer looking after those Sharples purifiers!!
Regards Chris

Chris you may have to wait a while until a reply is forthcoming, Mervyn is a man of few words, averaging one post per year

[Mervyn Barrow]

Hi Mervyn
I was with you either on the Lumiere or Luminetta 4th Engineer looking after those Sharples purifiers!!
Regards Chris

Chris,

Ivan's correct, I don't access the site during the summer as we're on a narrowboat on the canals using a dongle for internet connection. Currently in Cyprus visiting an old friend from college in South Shields in 1970.

If you were on the Lumiere with me as 2nd. That would be the time that I was laid up in my cabin with tremendous back pain between Cape Town and East London. Finally determining that I had passed a kidney stone after I later passed some blood after a brief stoppage of the water works. Chief Stan Jones took charge of the engine room. I remember after three days the guys were in my cabin begging me to return to work.

Do you remember anyone else who was on that trip? The 5th must have been new if the 4th was running the Sharples.

Mervyn

[Chris Heathcote]

Hi Mervyn

I do remember you being laid up! I'm pretty sure Dave Green, Jimmy Robertson and then Tommy Cowan were there. Thinking about it now - I was 5th on that trip! Hope you're keeping well.

Regards Chris.

[Mervyn Barrow]

Chris,

Remember Dave Green but not sure whether it was from that trip. Was it the fourths or fifths cabin opposite the seconds door because he was in the cabin opposite. I remember he had his wife with him but was also chasing after the third mates wife, Lorraine?.

Am keeping well, just turned the magic 65, so now get free health care over here in the US. Getting ready for Thanksgiving next Thursday (Nov 24). Then over to UK for a Christening and Christmas/New Year up South Shields. The wife managed to find round trip tickets for $620 flying into Newcastle and out of Manchester. Then we'll be home (Houston) until May and then back on the boat in the UK for the summer. Such a hard life being retired, the jet lag is a killer!!!

A couple of years ago had a card from Norma, Tommy's wife to say that he had passed away as a result of leukemia. I had kept in touch with him as we spend time in South Shields visiting friends from SSMTC (1969/73). Also had a letter from Ian May's daughter to say that he has also gone, don't know if you sailed with him or not.

Regards, Mervyn

[Graeme Kay]

Hi Mervyn, I've just joined this site and did a search on 'Oloibiri' and it threw your thread up! I was the poor third mate who was married to Lorraine (!) and got to know about her shenanigans a short time after the trip. The marriage survived that though but we divorced after 14 years and I am happily remarried. I remember you and Debbie quite well. Sorry to hear that Tommy died of leukemia and Ian May as well. TBH I'm surprised Tommy's demise wasn't liver related. Hope you and Debbie are still well, Gra

[Mervyn Barrow]

Hi Graeme, good to hear from you. There does not seem to be many of us ex Moss guys on the site. Thanks, yes we are both well and looking forward to a trip out to Phoenix to see the grandchildren in a couple of weeks. Then it will back to the UK early May and back on the canals for the summer. I'm surprised that any of us survived with the amount of alcohol that was consumed back in the day.

Take care, Mervyn